Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 16622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 83(@200wpm)___ 66(@250wpm)___ 55(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 83(@200wpm)___ 66(@250wpm)___ 55(@300wpm)
She slid her hand around my neck and kissed me in return. Regretfully, I pulled back and groaned. “I should have thought about that a mile back. I could kiss you for hours.”
Her cheeks flooded with color. I found it sexy, especially knowing I had put that color there.
I chuckled. “Let’s go, love. We’ll meet them head on and endure it together.”
She peeked at the crowd gathering on the porch and sucked in a long breath. “Okay.”
I sipped a cup of coffee, watching with amusement and delight as my family fell under Callie’s spell as quickly as I had. She was shy and sweet. Caring and inquisitive. Gentle and kind. She listened as people spoke. She paid attention to my nieces and nephews, giving them her full concentration when they wanted to monopolize her time. She asked questions of my father, praised my sister’s home, pleaded with my mother to allow her to help cook the Christmas dinner, and blushed every time she met my eyes.
Which was often because I couldn’t tear my gaze away from her. Callie was artlessly beautiful, her mahogany hair tumbling over her shoulders and her beautiful eyes lit from within. She sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by my family, looking as if she was exactly where she belonged.
I had a sneaking suspicion it was.
Elly stood and clapped her hands. “Okay! We’ve been waiting for Uncle Shane, and now he’s here so you can open presents!”
For the next while, gifts were handed out, paper torn, and delighted shouts filled the air. How they did it, I had no idea, but my family had a few parcels for Callie waiting under the tree. Her shock and delight were evident and her thanks heartfelt and enthusiastic. The gifts I had bought from her store were met with great enthusiasm, and I was touched by the ones she had picked this morning. She had even taken the time to put each in a gift bag, adding candies and bows to make them look even prettier. She had done it in the car as we drove, staying busy the first while, her nervousness coming in handy as her fingers put together the packages.
We took a break—the adults needing more coffee, and the kids already knee-deep in gifts and wanting to explore what they had received. My mom stood.
“I need to get the turkey in.” She smiled at Callie. “We eat early, so we can snack later.”
“Please let me help.”
Mom held out her hand. “Of course, dear girl. I would love it.”
I smiled, watching them walk out of the room, Tracey and Elly trailing behind. Tracey handled dessert, and Elly always set the table. The men were in charge of the cleanup. It was tradition.
I had a feeling both Callie and I would be grilled while we were on our own.
Dad chuckled. “Relax, Shane. She’s perfectly safe with your mother.”
“I’m aware,” I muttered. “I just don’t want them badgering her.”
He laughed. “You bring home a woman—the first one ever, I might add—out of the blue, and you expect them to hold back?” He shook his head. “Especially given the fact that you met her last night. And the way you look at her.”
I had to admit he was right.
“You care deeply about her,” John stated.
I smiled as I nodded. John was always able to see things clearly. He had a gift for sensing people and their emotions. “I care a great deal. Far more than I realized until I tried to walk away from her this morning.” I sighed. “There’s something special about her. Something…”
“Warm,” he finished for me. “She’s filled with warmth and love.”
“She is,” I agreed. “And the thought of her being alone did something terrible to my chest. The pain was almost physical. I couldn’t leave her.” My gaze drifted down the hall, where I could hear the sounds of feminine laughter. I was surprised how easily I could pick out Callie’s sweet laugh.
“What is going to happen in a few days?” Alan asked with a frown. “You live and work hundreds of miles from here.”
His words were like a bucket of ice water running down my back.
“I know,” I murmured. “I haven’t figured out that part yet.”
My dad spoke up. “Don’t jump ahead. Live for today, Shane. Each day is a gift.”
We all nodded in silent agreement at his words. He had started pulling back when Mom became ill. My workaholic father began cutting hours at the hospital. Saying no to lectures and business dinners. Spending more time with my mother. Telling us all to live for today. Grab each minute and live it.
“Don’t put off happiness,” he would say, shaking his head. “Stop waiting for it. Find it yourself.”
Even after Mom recovered, he hadn’t gone back to his old ways. They were closer than ever with a new zest for life and each other. I had a feeling it was one of the reasons they were so open to Callie being here.