by Kati Wilde
What I’m not feeling…is anger, or resentment, or any of the shit that’s eaten me up for so long. I still hate the Wyndhams. That won’t ever go away, I bet. But any desire to do anything more to them is gone. Over with. I’ve barely thought about them since meeting Audrey, and all the poison that was left in me disappeared after the night at their mansion. So going forward, I don’t want to give them any more room in my head or in my heart. Not even enough room for spite.
But this sign is pretty fucking amazing. Too amazing to go to waste. “What I’ll do is hang it up in your garage—our garage,” I tell her. Because that’s where my other business will be, restoring cars. “And seeing this sign up on the wall will make me laugh every time I look at it.”
“Me, too,” she grins, then suddenly bites her lip again, clutching her fist to her chest. “I feel so full right now. It almost hurts, how full.”
“I know, baby. I do, too.” I cup her face in my hands, searching her beautiful eyes. “You know what it is?”
“How much I love you,” she whispers.
“That, too.” With my thumbs, I gently caress her cheeks. “But it’s also the new world we’re building together, right here between us. It’s a hell of a lot to take in.”
She nods solemnly. “Like your cock is.”
A laugh shakes through me. “Yeah, baby. But you managed that.”
“I did.” Her smile is wide and she reaches up, her fingers tracing my lips—tracing my smile, I realize. “I have a proposal for you, Caleb Moore.”
“Do you?”
“Mmm-hmmm. What do you say to the thought of trying to make our new world even bigger? Because I’m not quite ready for it yet…but maybe in a year or so, I can toss my birth control and—”
My mouth interrupts the rest. And I’m kissing her too hard to say it right away.
But my answer is yes.
15
Epilogue
Five years later…
“’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds;
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads…”
Our children are snuggled in bed, too—with Audrey between them as she reads from the oversized book on her lap. By the look of it, they’re almost out. Three-year-old William’s chubby cheek is half-smushed against Audrey’s shoulder, his head slowly dipping forward, and a line of drool darkens the silk sleeve of Audrey’s dress. On her other side is Nicole, his older sister by all of six minutes, and whose thick brown lashes are drifting downward even as I watch from the bedroom doorway.
Audrey glances up, never pausing in her gentle recitation, but giving me a clear signal with her eyes: Get out of here before they see you standing there and get excited all over again.
I grin and blow her a kiss, but get the hell out of there as commanded. Our kids are little miracles, but bedtime is always a challenge. Most nights, that doesn’t matter so much. If they keep us awake half the night, we adjust our schedules. But this is Christmas Eve, and I want to spend my anniversary night with my wife.
While waiting for her, I busy myself bringing presents up from the garage, where we’ve been hiding them from the kids. It’s the first Christmas that we haven’t spent at the lodge, though we’re heading up to the cabin right after Christmas. But the kids took part in a preschool play today—with William dressed up as a lamb and Nicole pretending to be a rabbit—and we wouldn’t have missed it for the whole fucking world. Neither had lines, but they were dedicated to their roles. We’ve had a rabbit and a lamb running around the house for a month.
I’m not surprised that when Audrey makes her way downstairs, the silk dress she wore to the play has been exchanged for her long flannel shirt—my old shirt that she makes me wear now and again so it smells like me—and fuzzy socks.
Pride fills her voice. “They’re already better actors than me!” she announces.
I laugh and pull her close, wrapping my arms around her. “You won’t be so glad about that when they’re fifteen and trying to convince us that they really, really are only going to the library to study.”
She blinks. “You think they’ll be lying? I was always in a library at fifteen.”
“Yes, but we’ve already agreed that they take after me.” Nuzzling her pale hair, I begin to sway with her. It’s Christmas Eve, the anniversary of our wedding, and I’m going to dance with my wife. “How many times did you have to read that poem to them?”
“Five.”
And even though they fell asleep near the beginning of the fifth time, she would have finished it before leaving them. Audrey couldn’t not finish. “You’re such a good mom, baby.”
“Do you really think so?” There’s a slight catch in her voice.
“I know so, Audrey. Our kids are as lucky as I was—we all have amazing mothers.”
Her breath shudders and she buries her face in my chest. I hold her close, letting her work through whatever emotion is hitting her so hard—though I can guess. Her own parents did a real fucking number on her, and although she’s mostly dealt with it all, now and again an insecurity creeps up on her.
But she’s the best damn mother. And has been from the beginning. Knowing how she fears pain, I suggested that we could adopt instead of getting her pregnant—but Audrey decided that she wanted to do it. So she did. And we had a whole lot of discussions with her doctors about pain management before and after, yet sheer panic still hit her a couple of times leading up to the birth.
That’s why we stopped after the twins. Not because she didn’t want to go through it again. I’m the one who can’t.
But two is a good number. Just like zero would have been. Just like a thousand could be. As long as she’s with me, the world we’ve made together will always be exactly the right size.
And she’s changed my world in ways that I hadn’t expected. Like quitting my job at the auto shop not long before the kids were born. Partially to spend more time with them—we both cut down our working hours, but I cut mine way back—and partially because Audrey’s more of an inspiration than she knows. Living with her, seeing the way she approaches work and pursues what makes her happy, made me realize how fucking stupid working at my job was. Because I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it. And I’m not in a situation where I needed that job just to eat or put a roof over my head. So I saved up what I didn’t spend on rent that first year, and put it all back into my remodeling business. Which is still small and still slow, but between my work and my kids and my wife, I spend every minute doing what I love doing, and being with the people I love being with. Not everyone is this lucky. Hell, very few people are this lucky. So I won’t squander what I’ve been given.
And I’ve been given everything.
After a few minutes, Audrey softens against me. “I love you, Caleb.”
“I love you, too, baby.” I press a kiss to her silky hair. “You’re all right?”
She nods. “Yes,” she whispers. “You?”
I truly couldn’t be better. “Hell yes. The kids are asleep, I’m holding the most incredible woman in the world in my arms—all because five years ago, she married me. And because in about five more minutes, I intend to be deep inside her pussy.”
“In five minutes?” There’s a smile in her voice—and a husky edge that tells me five minutes might be too long.
“I want to finish dancing with you first.” I bend my head to tease her lips. “Why? Are your panties wet?”
“No,” she says.
She’s not lying. But her panties are always wet when I’m dancing with her. Which means one thing—and that one thing sends a surge of lust the length of my erection, hardening the thick flesh to steel.
“You’re not wearing any panties, are you?”
Her head
tilts back and she gives me an impish little grin. “Nope.”
Fuck. Well, there’s only one solution for it. Hauling her up against my chest, I get her long legs wrapped around me, and we both groan as I slide deep, deep. Five years, and the wonder and pleasure of being this close to her never lessens. Instead it simply grows. Just like my love for her does. Five years ago, I gave her all the love I had. But she keeps filling my heart up with more love to give.
So I kiss her while she holds me tight inside her, and we keep dancing. Because tomorrow might be Christmas, but Audrey’s in my arms, making love to me—so I’ve already got the greatest gift a man could ever receive.
END
Looking for more holiday romances from Kati Wilde? Simply turn the page!
Holiday Romances by Kati Wilde
Secret Santa
After years of struggling to make ends meet, Emma Williams finally lands a job that suits her perfectly—she enjoys her work, likes her new boss, and especially loves knowing her first paycheck is coming just after Christmas. That is, if she lasts that long. Because Logan Crenshaw, the creative force behind the company, doesn’t seem to want her there. She can’t afford to lose this job, so her plan is to keep her head down and try to avoid any contact with him—no matter how big and sexy and unavoidable he is.
Available for $2.99
or borrow in Kindle Unlimited.
All He Wants For Christmas
Detective Cole Matthews has worked toward one goal: being damn good at his job. But after taking a bullet in the line of duty almost destroys everything he’s worked for, there’s only one woman he wants by his side: the sweet angel who saved his life. But this Christmas, heaven might be a little closer than one grumpy detective could ever believe…
Available for $0.99
or borrow in Kindle Unlimited.
The Wedding Night Before Christmas
When an opportunity to take everything from the powerful family who destroyed his mother’s life falls into Caleb Moore’s lap, he needs help from the one person with more power and money than they have—business mogul, Audrey Clarke. The trick is getting her attention. So he approaches the infamous ice queen with an unusual proposition: marriage. He never expects her to say yes…
Available for $2.99
or borrow in Kindle Unlimited.
The Midwinter Mail-Order Bride: A Fantasy Romance
Some might call Princess Anja of Ivermere brave for offering herself up as a bride to Kael the Conqueror, a barbarian warlord who’d won his crown by the bloodied edge of his sword. It was not courage that drove Anja from her magic-wielding family’s enchanted palace, however, but a desperate attempt to secure a kingdom of her own—even if she has to kill the Conqueror to do it.
Available for $0.99
or borrow in Kindle Unlimited.
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Also by Kati Wilde
Contemporary Romance
Going Nowhere Fast
(a new adult romance)
Secret Santa
(a holiday romance)
All He Wants For Christmas
(a holiday romance)
Paranormal/Fantasy Romance
The Midwinter Mail-Order Bride
(barbarian fantasy romance)
Beauty In Spring
(a short Beauty & the Beast romance)
High Moon
(a werewolf romance novel)
The Hellfire Riders Motorcycle Club
The Hellfire Riders, Volumes 1-3: Saxon & Jenny
(includes: Wanting It All, Taking It All, Having It All)
The Hellfire Riders, Volumes 4-6: Jack & Lily
(includes: Betting It All, Risking It All, Burning It All)
Breaking It All
(Gunner & Anna)
Giving It All
(Saxon & Jenny)
Craving It All
(Bull & Sara)
Faking It All
(Duke & Olivia)
Coming Soon
Losing It All
(Stone’s book)