A Very Montgomery Christmas
A Montgomery Ink Boulder Holiday Romance
Carrie Ann Ryan
Contents
A Very Montgomery Christmas
A Very Montgomery Christmas
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
A Note from Carrie Ann Ryan
About the Author
Also from Carrie Ann Ryan
A Very Montgomery Christmas
A Montgomery Ink Boulder Holiday Romance
By
Carrie Ann Ryan
A Very Montgomery Christmas
A Montgomery Ink: Boulder Romance
By: Carrie Ann Ryan
© 2020 Carrie Ann Ryan
ISBN 978-1-63695-085-3
Cover Art by Sweet N Spicy Designs
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person or use proper retail channels to lend a copy. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.
Praise for Carrie Ann Ryan
“Count on Carrie Ann Ryan for emotional, sexy, character driven stories that capture your heart!” – Carly Phillips, NY Times bestselling author
“Carrie Ann Ryan’s romances are my newest addiction! The emotion in her books captures me from the very beginning. The hope and healing hold me close until the end. These love stories will simply sweep you away.” ~ NYT Bestselling Author Deveny Perry
"Carrie Ann Ryan writes the perfect balance of sweet and heat ensuring every story feeds the soul." - Audrey Carlan, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
“Carrie Ann Ryan never fails to draw readers in with passion, raw sensuality, and characters that pop off the page. Any book by Carrie Ann is an absolute treat.” – New York Times Bestselling Author J. Kenner
“Carrie Ann Ryan knows how to pull your heartstrings and make your pulse pound! Her wonderful Redwood Pack series will draw you in and keep you reading long into the night. I can’t wait to see what comes next with the new generation, the Talons. Keep them coming, Carrie Ann!” –Lara Adrian, New York Times bestselling author of CRAVE THE NIGHT
"With snarky humor, sizzling love scenes, and brilliant, imaginative worldbuilding, The Dante's Circle series reads as if Carrie Ann Ryan peeked at my personal wish list!" – NYT Bestselling Author, Larissa Ione
"Carrie Ann Ryan writes sexy shifters in a world full of passionate happily-ever-afters." – New York Times Bestselling Author Vivian Arend
“Carrie Ann’s books are sexy with characters you can’t help but love from page one. They are heat and heart blended to perfection.” New York Times Bestselling Author Jayne Rylon
Carrie Ann Ryan's books are wickedly funny and deliciously hot, with plenty of twists to keep you guessing. They'll keep you up all night!” USA Today Bestselling Author Cari Quinn
"Once again, Carrie Ann Ryan knocks the Dante's Circle series out of the park. The queen of hot, sexy, enthralling paranormal romance, Carrie Ann is an author not to miss!" New York Times bestselling Author Marie Harte
Dedication
To my cheese loving Montgomery fans.
Here is to all the brie, gouda, and Irish cheddar.
May your blessings be bright, and may you smile while reading the Montgomerys.
A Very Montgomery Christmas
It’s holiday time with the Boulder Montgomerys and there are more than a few changes coming. Between family dinners, various cheese boards, late nights, and dramatic announcements, the family that has stayed together no matter the cost proves just what makes them special this holiday season.
Chapter 1
Liam
“Jasper, buddy. What are you doing?” I asked, shaking my head. I knelt down in front of our white Siberian Husky and ran my hands over his face and flank. He licked at my chin, and I rolled my eyes before kissing him on the top of the head. I stood up next to him and grinned down at the dog Arden and I considered our son. “You’re acting antsier than usual. What’s going on?”
Considering Jasper was getting a little bit older in years and way more behaved than this usually, I was worried. He had been Arden’s before we got together. In fact, he was the reason we had found each other after seeing each other in the hospital the first time we had met.
I shook my head, thinking about it. I had been hurt at a wedding after scaffolding had fallen and had changed my life. Arden had been in there for a reaction to the sun, just another one of her many problems that came with having lupus.
She had been in such pain, had had red splotches all over her face, and had felt like crap. I had needed stitches and had a probable concussion.
She had looked so freaking beautiful.
I’d walked away thinking I’d never see her again, despite the fact I’d wanted to. Jasper later had been the one to run away from Arden while taking a walk, something he had never done before and, God willing, hadn’t done since. He had run right to me as if bringing us together again.
I’d like to think of him as our good luck charm, but right now, he kept barking and running around and chasing his tail. I had to wonder what the hell he was doing.
“Hey Dad, sorry, we were playing hide and go seek, and I think he’s winning.”
I swallowed hard as I looked up at Lake, my heart doing that little pitter-patter twist whenever my daughter called me Dad.
It had been less than a year, really only a few months, since Lake had come into our lives and been formally adopted. It had been an odd and stressful time through the system for Lake to be ours. We were still getting used to this whole family thing, but we had a daughter. Ten years old, sweet, kind, a little quiet, and totally in love with Jasper.
Jasper went from paw to paw, shook his tail, gave that doggy grin, and went right over to Lake. She let out a little giggle and ran her hands down him before hugging him tightly. Jasper, the little suck-up, wrapped one paw around her, rested his little head on her shoulder, and let out a contented doggy sigh.
Jasper was just as pleased at having the new addition to our family as we were. We had known that Jasper would be great with kids and babies, but we hadn’t known the connection the two would share.
We were in the process of finding another dog as well, because Arden needed a medical alert animal around her in case she had another spell or reaction to her meds. Jasper was great at what he did, but as he was getting older, we all wanted to make sure that Arden had someone else trained and would let Jasper relax a bit. Jasper had many more years with us, but he didn’t need to be working full time.
And now that meant that Lake would get a new puppy brother or sister. And maybe one day a human one too. But as we were only a few months into this big family thing, I didn’t want to put the cart in front of the horse. After all, the rest of my brothers and sisters were having all the babies these days, and Arden and I felt like we were catching up.
“Sorry if I worried you,” Lake said and winced. She ducked her head, and I swallowed hard. I knew all that was in Lake’s file, everything that she had gone through before we had found her. Or, in essence, she had found us. But we didn’t talk about it outside of therapy. That was fine. We had time to do so. And I hoped to hell she would. If not with me, then with Arden or one of her many aunts and uncles. I didn’t like the fact that she had gone through what sh
e had, but she was ours now. Our perfect daughter, and now that she was in her double digits, one day, she would be a teenager, and I’d have to deal with the next phase of being a parent.
“Why are you growling?” Arden asked as she walked in, her eyes bright. She was wearing a sexy red top that showcased her curves, but not too much, just enough for me. She wore black leather leggings with lace cutouts, knee boots and looked gorgeous.
“Just thinking about the future.”
“You’re doing that whole Papa Bear Montgomery thing, aren’t you?”
“I can’t help it. Just thinking about the guys or girls she’s going to want to date later, and it’s going to freak me out.”
My wife laughed. “It’s only been a few months. Breathe first. We have time.”
“I’m going to have to talk with Austin. He’ll know what to do.” I’d make lists and read books in order to figure out how to be a father of a teenager. Giving her boundaries while not acting like an overprotective idiot was going to be a balance I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find.
Arden rolled her eyes. “I guess Lake and Leif are decently close in age when it comes to the cousins,” she said, speaking of my cousin Austin’s oldest son.
“Yeah, everyone else seems to be a bit younger. But Leif has already taken her under his wing and drives up here to hang out with her and show her the Montgomery ropes. I kind of like it.”
“He’s a terrific kid. And, your cousin Meghan has a son and daughter close to Lake’s age, and everyone else isn’t too far down the line in the grand scheme of things.”
Hearing Arden’s voice relaxed me, and I tried not to let the unknown of the future bother me as much as I was letting it. It was odd since it was usually the opposite when it came to Arden and me. “That’s true. And who knows, maybe our next kid will be the same age or even older.”
We were whispering now, aware that talking about it too much might stress out Lake. But she knew that we weren’t done creating our family yet, and I wanted to make sure Lake had all the family she could handle. Lake wanted siblings just as we wanted a larger family.
“One step at a time. We’re still getting used to this whole thing,” Arden said, before she kissed my jaw. “Plus, my brothers are all working on starting families, and Macon’s son wants to hang with Lake more. So, it’s not just Montgomerys. You have to deal with the Bradys too.”
“You’re right, you’re right,” I said, before I kissed her softly on the lips.
She scrunched her nose. “Watch the lipstick. I don’t want it to come off.”
“That’s why you’re not wearing gloss.”
Her eyes narrowed. “It’s starting to scare me how well we know each other, especially since you know why I’m wearing matte lipstick instead of lip gloss.”
“Because I want to kiss you. I learn what I need to in order to have those lips on me.”
“Are we ready to go?” Lake asked, before she stood up and twirled around in her dress.
“We are, but first you need to find your shoes,” Arden said.
Lake blushed. “Oops. I forgot.” She padded off to her room, Jasper, on her heels.
“Christmas dinner with the Montgomerys. It’s going to be interesting.”
“Mom’s been stressing out,” I said softly.
Arden looked at me. “Why? Is everything okay? I thought things were good between everybody.”
Finding out that the secrets of my family had been a little deeper than we had all ever guessed hadn’t been easy for us, but we were better because of it. However, that wasn’t what was wrong for the evening.
“This is her first real Christmas as Grandma. I think she’s stressing Grandpa out to the point that he’s ready to come sleep on our couch,” I said dryly.
“Just joking, right? They are doing okay?” Arden bit her lip. I wanted to lean forward and lick at the sting, but I knew Lake would be back into the room at any moment.
I nodded. “Just joking. We know that Grandpa Montgomery is ready to play Santa to the hilt. He actually has a suit, you know.”
Arden laughed. “That I can picture. He has to compete with his brothers.”
“We all know that each Grandpa Montgomery likes to make Christmas the biggest that they can. At least we’re not having a huge conglomerate dinner. Tonight is just the Boulder Montgomerys.”
Arden smiled. “And at least my brothers aren’t coming to this since that adds an entire football team.”
“No, but they’ll be here for New Year’s. Along with Marcus’s family and a few others. As it is, we have my family, Zia, and Meredith, and Ronin, Kincaid, and Julia. I don’t think my mom even owns enough chairs, come to think of it.”
My wife laughed. “I’m sure they’ll make do. It does get a little confusing around you guys, though.”
“I’m ready.” Lake walked in and twirled again.
“Almost,” Arden said, and held out her hand. “This morning, we opened nearly all the gifts, and last night we opened your Christmas Eve gift.”
Lake smiled. “And it was awesome. I’ve never had a Christmas like this. I mean, you always saw it in the movies, and I thought it was just something that they did for Hallmark and all that. But like wow. I just...thank you guys. I didn’t really need anything for Christmas. Because I had you guys, and I know that’s cheesy to say. But we’re Montgomerys now. Cheese is what we do.”
That made me laugh, I couldn’t help it. “Have you been talking to my sister?”
“Aunt Bristol says that cheese is life. And I tend to agree.”
My ten-year-old sounded so prim and proper just then that I knew she was mimicking a family member, but she was right. We had a fascination with cheeses in our family, and now it just became a snowball of jokes, hilarity, and damn good cheese.
“I’m glad you had a good morning with us for Christmas, and you have all your gifts, except you have one more that I’d like you to open.”
Arden met my gaze, and her eyes twinkled.
I nodded, and I went to go sit next to the tree.
“There’s one more here. Did you see it?”
Lake’s eyes widened, and she and Jasper came to the tree, and she looked around.
“I thought we did everything. You didn’t need to get me anything. I promise. I love you guys so much.”
I swallowed hard and nearly started crying just then. But I knew that if I did, we wouldn’t stop, and we’d be late for dinner.
“You are the best Christmas gift, birthday gift, 4th of July gift, any gift a dad could ask for,” I said as I tucked a curl behind her ear.
“Okay, great, now I’m crying,” Arden said, and she wrapped her arms around Jasper as her favorite dog licked her chin. “Seriously you guys are so cute.”
“We try,” I said dryly.
“Now, Lake, your surprise is right at eye level. Do you see it?”
Lake looked around, her eyes wide, and she shook her head. “Is that a new ornament? Is it for Jasper? I don’t get it.”
I met Arden’s gaze, and she rolled her eyes. “I knew you would make it complicated,” she said. “We should have just wrapped the thing.”
“But I liked the ornament,” I said dryly, and I pulled it off the tree before handing it to Lake.
It was a little snow globe with a tiny dog bone inside.
“What’s this?” She asked, holding the ornament with care. “It’s so pretty. I love it. Is the ornament for me and the tree?”
I met Arden’s gaze, and I couldn’t help but give her a wobbly smile. “It’s part of it,” I whispered.
“Is it for Jasper too? Because of the dog bone.”
She let him sniff it, and I winced, afraid that he was going to break it. Not that Jasper wasn’t the most careful dog I had ever met, but things happened. But both were so careful and reverent with each other that I shouldn’t have been worried.
“It’s for the family, but it means that there will be one more family member in our tiny little Montgomery family
.”
She froze, her eyes wide before she looked between the three of us. “You mean I’m getting a brother or sister?”
“Liam, you need to stop being the writer and just put it all out there,” Arden said softly, and she moved to hold our daughter close.
“Yes, one day we’re going to do our best to get you a baby brother or sister. We’ve already talked about that, remember?”
“I remember. And I’ve always wanted a brother or sister. I’m okay with that. Even if she comes from your belly.”
Arden kissed our daughter again, and I swallowed hard. “You are the greatest treasure we could ever imagine having. And I love you very much, and one day if we are blessed, you will have a brother or sister. However, for now, remember what we talked about with Jasper?”
Lake froze, and her eyes widened. “We’re getting Jasper a brother or sister?”
“Yes,” Arden said, laughing.
Lake looked at me and started bouncing on Arden’s lap. My wife winced, but she didn’t say anything. It didn’t matter what happened just then, not with the joy radiating off of Lake’s face.
“What does that mean? Is this ornament for them?”
I nodded. “We are getting another puppy, just like Jasper, but you are going to help us pick them out.”
Lake moved her gaze between us. “But I thought he was supposed to help Mom. Isn’t he supposed to be trained to be able to get along with Mom first? I’ll love whatever puppy you bring. I promise.”
That did it. I wiped my face as Arden openly wept. “I love you so much,” Arden whispered.
Lake looked confused between us. “Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?”
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