"Alix?"
"She's one of the bakers and a friend of Lydia's— and Lydia's the lady who owns A Good Yarn. But that's not important. What is important is that Alix received an engagement ring for Christmas. She's so happy and in love, and Lydia is, too, and Susannah from the flower shop and just about everyone on the street. It's so full of Christmas out there, and all at once it came to me that…that I couldn't let this Christmas pass with things between us the way they are." She stopped to take a deep breath.
"Katherine, I— "
"Please let me finish, otherwise I don't know if I'll have the courage to continue."
He motioned for her to speak.
"I'm so sorry, Wynn, for everything. For wanting to be right and then subjecting you to Zoe and Zara. Their behavior did change after Zelda read your book and while I can't say I agree with everything you— "
"This is an apology?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"I'm trying. I'm sincerely trying. Please hear me out."
He crossed his arms and looked away. In fact, he seemed to find something behind her utterly fascinating.
This wasn't the time to lose her courage. She went on, speaking quickly, so quickly that the words practically ran together. "Basically, I wanted to tell you it was rude of me to assume I knew more than you on the subject of children. It was presumptuous and self-righteous. I was trying to prove how wrong you were…are, and that I was right. To be honest, I don't know what's right or wrong. All I know is how much I miss you and how much it hurts that you're out of my life."
"I'm the one who's been presumptuous and self-righteous," Wynn said. "You are right, Katherine, about almost everything. It hasn't been easy for me to accept that, let alone face it."
"Oh, for heaven's sake, aren't you two going to kiss and make up?" Max demanded, coming back into the foyer. Apparently he'd been standing in the living room, out of sight, and had listened in on every word. "Wynn, if you let this woman walk away, then you're a fool. An even bigger fool than you know."
"I— I…" Wynn stuttered.
"You've been in love with her for weeks." Max shook his head as if this was more than obvious.
Wynn pinned his father with a fierce glare.
"You love me?" K.O. asked, her voice rising to a squeak. "Because I'm in love with you, too."
A light flickered in his eyes at her confession. "Katherine, I appreciate your coming. However, this is serious and it's something we both need to think over. It's too important— we can't allow ourselves to get caught up in emotions that are part of the holidays. We'll talk after Christmas, all right?"
"I can't do that," she cried.
"Good for you," Max shouted, encouraging her. "I'm going to phone LaVonne. This calls for champagne."
"What does?" Wynn asked.
"Us," she explained. "You and me. I love you, Wynn, and I can't bear the thought that I won't see you again. It's tearing me up. I don't need time to think about us. I already know how I feel, and if what your father says is true, you know how you feel about me."
"Well, I do need to think," he insisted. "I haven't figured out what I'm going to do yet, because I can't continue promoting a book whose theories I can no longer wholly support. Let me deal with that first."
"No," she said. "Love should come first." She stared into his eyes. "Love changes everything, Wynn." Then, because it was impossible to hold back for another second, she put down her purse and the Yule log and threw her arms around him.
Wynn was stiff and unbending, and then his arms circled her, too. "Are you always this stubborn?" he asked.
"Yes. Sometimes even more than this. Ask Zelda."
Wynn kissed her. His arms tightened around her, as if he found it hard to believe she was actually there in his embrace.
"That's the way to handle it," Max said from somewhere behind them.
Wynn and K.O. ignored him.
"He's been a real pain these last few days," Max went on. "But this should improve matters."
Wynn broke off the kiss and held her gaze. "We'll probably never agree on everything."
"Probably."
"I can be just as stubborn as you."
"That's questionable," she said with a laugh.
His lips found hers again, as if he couldn't bear not to kiss her. Each kiss required a bit more time and became a bit more involved.
"I don't believe in long courtships," he murmured, his eyes still closed.
"I don't, either," she said. "And I'm going to want children."
He hesitated.
"We don't need all the answers right this minute, do we, Dr. Jeffries?"
"About Santa— "
She interrupted him, cutting off any argument by kissing him. What resistance there was didn't last.
"I was about to suggest we could bring Santa out from beneath that sleigh," he whispered, his eyes briefly fluttering open.
"Really?" This was more than she'd dared hope.
"Really."
She'd been more than willing to forgo Santa as long as she had Wynn. But Santa and Wynn was better yet.
"No hamsters, though," he said firmly.
"Named Freddy," she added.
Wynn chuckled. "Or anything else."
The doorbell chimed and Max hurried to answer it, ushering LaVonne inside. The instant she saw Wynn and K.O. in each other's arms, she clapped with delight. "Didn't I tell you everything would work out?" she asked Max.
"You did, indeed."
LaVonne nodded sagely. "I think I may have psychic powers, after all. I saw it all plain as day in the leaves of my poinsettia," she proclaimed. "Just before Max called, two of them fell to the ground— together."
Despite herself, K.O. laughed. Until a few minutes ago, her love life had virtually disappeared. Now there was hope, real hope for her and Wynn to learn from each other and as LaVonne's prophecy— real or imagined— implied, grow together instead of apart.
"Champagne, anyone?" Max asked, bringing out a bottle.
Wynn still held K.O. and she wasn't objecting. "I need to hire you," he whispered close to her ear.
"Hire me?"
"I'm kind of late with my Christmas letter this year and I wondered if I could convince you to write one for me."
"Of course. It's on the house." With his arms around her waist, she leaned back and looked up at him. "Is there anything in particular you'd like me to say?"
"Oh, yes. You can write about the success of my first published book— and explain that there'll be a retraction in the next edition." He winked. "Or, if you prefer, you could call it a compromise."
K.O. smiled.
"And then I want you to tell my family and friends that I'm working on a new book that'll be called The Happy Child, and it'll be about creating appropriate boundaries within the Free Child system of parenting."
K.O. rewarded him with a lengthy kiss that left her knees weak. Fortunately, he had a firm hold on her, and she on him.
"You can also mention the fact that there's going to be a wedding in the family."
"Two weddings," Max inserted as he handed LaVonne a champagne glass.
"Two?" LaVonne echoed shyly.
Max nodded, filling three more glasses. "Wynn and K.O.'s isn't the only romance that started out rocky. The way I figure it, if I can win Tom over, his mistress shouldn't be far behind."
"Oh, Max!"
"Is there anything else you'd like me to say in your Christmas letter?" K.O. asked Wynn.
"Oh, yes, there's plenty more, but I think we'll leave it for the next Christmas letter and then the one after that." He brought K.O. close once more and hugged her tight.
She loved being in his arms— and in his life. Next year's Christmas letter would be from both of them. It would be all about how happy they were…and every word would be true.
ISBN: 1-55254-633-0
CHRISTMAS LETTERS
Copyright © 2006 by Debbie Macomber.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the re
production or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, MIRA Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
MIRA and the Star Colophon are trademarks used under license and registered in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.
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Christmas Letters Page 15