by Jody Holford
“I give up. These must be magic invisible elves,” Kate said. She pulled out a chair and flopped into it. Both of the girls squealed and Kate dropped to her knees. “Found you!”
A chorus of giggling and tickling ensued and Elliot wasn’t sure who was sillier, or cuter, his daughters or their nanny. How could a grown woman act so silly and still be so incredibly alluring? Because she’s making your daughters laugh and enjoying it. He hadn’t known that could be attractive.
“Hi, Daddy!” Beth came out from under the table and rushed to him. He bent and picked her up as Grace followed.
“Hi, Daddy,” she said.
He leaned over and boosted Grace up into his arms as well. “How are my two favorite girls?”
“We’re good. But we gotta have a bath,” Beth said.
Grace ran her hand over his jaw then nuzzled into him. His heart flip-flopped. “Good thing. You smell like elves.”
The girls laughed. He gave them a squeeze, kissed each of their cheeks, and set them down.
“Should we feed you before you have a bath?” he asked.
Grace took Beth’s hand. “We already ate. Will you read our stories?”
Elliot locked eyes with Kate. “I didn’t mean for you to have to cook each night too. Sorry. Thanks for getting them fed, again. I’ll give them a bath and put them to bed. I meant to grab groceries so you wouldn’t have to. We can sort some of that stuff out after they’re down for the night.”
Kate smiled and pushed the chair back in. “Sure, we can talk later. Dinner is in the oven. I’ll get them into the bath. You unwind, have something to eat, and then you’ll be ready for stories.”
Without waiting for an answer, she followed the girls, who were already headed for the bath. Elliot stood in his kitchen, staring after them. Never mind magic elves, Elliot had found himself a magical woman. She was still smiling at the end of another twelve-hour day, she’d cooked him dinner three nights in a row, his daughters were happy, and his house smelled like a combination of excellent food and sexy female. What the hell was he supposed to do with that? He couldn’t have guessed how awesome it would feel to come home to his girls and Kate, laughing and smiling. It refreshed him, and as he zapped his plate of roast pork and potatoes in the microwave, he wondered how he could make it last without messing it up.
Elliot tucked Grace into her bed, which was next to Beth’s. Kissing her on the forehead, he breathed in the scent of her freshly washed hair.
“I missed you guys today. Was it fun hanging out with Kate?”
He leaned over and kissed Beth, sitting down beside her on the edge of her bed.
“Kate’s funny. And nice. And she smells pretty,” Beth said, reaching out for Elliot’s hand.
“She is.” Very funny. Extremely nice. Way too pretty.
“We got you a Christmas present today. Kate helped us pick it out, but it’s not a puppy,” Grace said, sitting up and taking a drink out of the glass beside her bed.
Elliot choked on a laugh and made a mental note to thank Kate later.
“Let’s get settled with us first and we’ll see about puppies in the future.”
“Beth and me wanna get Kate something for Christmas. She really wants a puppy,” Grace said.
“A puppy is a pretty big gift, sweetie. But we can definitely get her something. We need to go shopping anyway so we’ll do it in a few days. I missed a bit of work coming to get you guys so I’ve got to work for the next four days.”
He stood up, walked to the door, and hit the switch on the wall. Their night table lamps had star cutouts, which created shapes that danced across the ceiling and walls.
“I love you girls.”
“Love you, Daddy,” they said together, then giggled.
He stared at them a moment longer and went to find the third best thing that had happened to him. Kate was more than a godsend; she was a damn miracle worker. He knew she couldn’t stay long, but he wondered how the heck his home—and his life—would run without her. He’d had the girls for weeks at a time before and it had felt like a juggling act. Today felt like a well-rehearsed skit he wouldn’t mind performing again and again. Indefinitely.
Don’t go there. Look how well forever worked out last time, Peters.
The thought was stuck in his head as he walked through the kitchen, snagged them both a beer from his fridge, and found her in the living room. The lights from the tree glowed, even from the hall. The peaceful scene of Kate sketching on his couch stopped him in his tracks.
The flames of the gas fireplace danced, sending shadows over the softness of Kate’s body curled into the corner of the cushions. Her dark hair fell across her cheeks, curtaining her view of him. His heart beat like a drum, heavy and loud, then increased in tempo, like a marching band building up to the crescendo. He couldn’t move. What the fuck was he scared of? He’d liked her since the day he’d met her. Every woman was not Gina. No other woman was Kate. She didn’t run and she didn’t hide. She was strong and fearless and so goddamn sweet it made him ache.
He must have made a noise because her head snapped up and her eyes locked on his. She gave a small gasp of surprise that echoed in the quiet. The neck of the beer bottles were numbing his fingers but still, he stood staring at her, lost in her.
His voice was rough when he spoke. “What are you working on?”
Eyes not leaving his, she turned the book and he saw two dresses, similar but different. She was designing clothes for his girls. Fuck. He was sunk.
Chapter 10
Kate’s hands trembled slightly as she held the sketchbook so Elliot could see. Was he even looking at the adorable gowns she’d drawn for the girls? His eyes darted to her sketchbook quickly and then locked back on hers. What the actual hell? She’d been mortified for days now, her nights practically sleepless, every time she’d thought of their conversation. She’d made sure to be in the middle of something or unable to talk when he came home at night. How could she face him when she’d made such a fool of herself?
It was like being naïve —and wrong—was her new hobby. She’d been sure New York was for her. Wrong. She had thought she’d had a real connection with Darby. Stupid. She’d thought her family would weep with joy at her return. Not so much. When she’d been wrong about Elliot’s feelings, the last of her confidence in her own ability to be sure about anything had turned tail and fled.
Now he was looking at her and everything inside of her was going haywire like circuits being blown. He was not looking at her like a goddamn friend. She might be wrong about a lot of things and she might have no idea where the hell she’d go from here, but she could read him, better than he thought.
The air pumped with tension and their combined breathing. He didn’t blink as she set the sketchbook on the couch and rose. The Christmas lights played tag on the wall, blinking on and off. Her heart wouldn’t settle. Instead, it urged her forward. Two beers hung loosely in his grip and she watched his jaw tighten, but still, his eyes held hers. The closer she got and the more she could see the hunger in them, the surer she became. She hadn’t been wrong. God that mattered. She needed to feel sure about something. And she was sure that Elliot Peters wanted her every bit as much as she wanted him.
When she was within touching distance, she stopped, held his gaze. Don’t do this. Don’t. But she had to; she needed to know.
With another small step, the front of her body brushed his. He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes, breathing through his nose. Kate’s heart smiled.
“You’re a liar,” she whispered.
He opened his eyes. “Excuse me?”
“Friends don’t lie to friends,” she said.
The bottles clinked together. Neither of them moved.
“Kate.”
“Tell me again,” she said, feeling stronger, surer. Braver.
His eyes darted to her lips. “Tell you what?”
Did Elliot Peters’ voice just squeak? Power and desire surged through Kate and she felt like…like herse
lf again. Not lost in a city that really never slept. She felt like she had when she’d been in charge of rebuilding the rec center in Angel’s Lake a couple years ago: certain that only good could come from her actions.
“Tell me you only have feelings for me as a friend,” she said. Her fingers itched to touch him.
With a deep sigh, Elliot leaned down, put the beers on the small side table.
When he stood straight again, he tunneled his hands into her hair, his eyes locked onto hers. She pressed her hands to his chest, unable to look away as his mouth came toward hers. Right before their lips touched, he sighed again, filling her with the sweetness of his breath.
“I lied.”
And then it didn’t matter because his mouth was on hers, tasting, testing, and teasing. His fingers tightened in her hair as one hand snaked down, pressing against the small of her back, and bringing her so close that she became part of him. It was like being absorbed, surrounded, by warmth and tenderness. And a passion so strong it had claws. Her hands moved restlessly, up around his neck then back down to the hem of his T-shirt. She found skin and her stomach tumbled, like when she’d spun around too many times as a young girl. She didn’t want the spinning to stop.
Elliot boosted her up, and Kate wrapped her legs around his waist, moaned when his lips and the gentle scruff of a few days’ growth scraped along her neck. When tremors coursed through her body, over her skin, sanity knocked lightly. Lifting her head, she looked down at him and cupped his jaw in her hands.
She had to ask; she couldn’t be someone else’s mistake. “Do we want to talk about this?”
Elliot turned, with her clutching him, and walked toward his bedroom. “We’ll talk after.”
He shut the door with his foot, holding her with one strong arm like a vice as he turned the lock. Padding toward the bed, Kate thought that if looks could burn, she’d go up in flames.
With more gentleness than she expected, he lowered her to the bed, his eyes doing more to consume her than his roaming hands. When he reached for the buttons, his fingers grazing her breasts, she stopped him. His eyes went to hers again.
“Just tell me you won’t think it’s a mistake,” she whispered.
Elliot’s eyes flashed with surprise and his hands came up to cradle her jaw. He leaned down and brushed his nose along the bridge of hers, kissing her cheek.
“Kate. You could never be a mistake. You’re perfection,” he said, holding her gaze.
She knew, because she’d come to know him, that he was waiting for her go ahead, for her to be sure. So she could see the truth. So she could feel it. And believe it.
She placed her hands on his and slid them back to where he’d had them. Elliot grinned but before her lips could curve into a full smile in return, he’d erased the distance between them.
Elliot’s fingers traced up and down her side, along her bare skin. His warm breath was in her hair, on her neck, and she was snuggled against him, certain she’d never felt so at home. It was like driving around in circles, continuously looking for a better parking spot. Finally, one opens up and confirms the waiting, the extra effort, was completely worth it. Kate felt like that now—like this was where she was meant to be. There was no other spot in which she’d fit so perfectly. And it scared the hell out of her because her life was a precariously balanced, over-stacked tower of blocks: any quick movements and it could come tumbling down.
“What are you thinking?” he whispered.
“I was wondering how I missed this. Wondering if it’s been here the whole time, simmering between us, and I’ve just been oblivious.”
Elliot turned her so she was looking up at him. His fingers went to her face and traced along her hairline down to her jawbone.
“I think, to some extent, it’s always been here, but neither of us were in a position to act on it,” he said.
It felt true. She’d been attracted to him from the beginning, but there was school, the rec center, and then New York. Now she was home. Was the time right? Was there ever a right time?
“Are we in that position now?”
Elliot laughed, his breath fanning her ear and his body leaning into hers. “I think we’re in a great position now.” His palm flattened on her stomach and trailed up. She would have laughed but his mouth found hers again.
Pulling back only far enough to speak, he whispered, “Now we’re here. You’re in my bed. And it feels like it’s exactly where you belong. With me and the girls. I thought it was the wrong time—you just getting home, me with the girls. I told you I wasn’t attracted to you because I wanted you here so badly. I thought I could just…push this down. But now, now I don’t know what to do with everything I’m feeling.”
He was, quite possibly, the sweetest man she’d ever met. Her heart was pulsating, beaming from his words. Kate put her arms around his neck, drawing him down so she could bury her face just under his ear, so she could hug him and hold him tight. His arms wrapped around her and they stayed like that, perfectly surrounded by each other. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so free.
“This is where I want to be,” she whispered into the quiet.
Chapter 11
Kate snuck back to her own bed around four in the morning. Even after she’d curled under the covers, sleep hadn’t been easy. Not with the sexy play-by-play of the hours before looping in her mind. By the time she got up at seven, Elliot had gone to work. He’d left a note by the coffee maker: Ready to go, just press start. Thought you might be tired ;)
She was exhausted, she thought, listening to the coffee drip with a silly smile on her lips, a delicious and delightful kind of tired. Beth padded into the kitchen carrying the rag doll she and her sister shared. How ridiculous was it to buy only one gift for two girls and make them share it? Kate was almost finished sewing the second one. She’d make sure it got done today.
“Good morning,” Kate said.
Beth shuffled right to her and buried her head in Kate’s stomach, working her way further into Kate’s heart at the same time. She put her arms around the little girl and kissed her head.
“Want pancakes?”
Beth nodded against Kate’s pajamas. Grace came in looking much more awake than her twin.
“I want pancakes,” she said, joining the hug.
So they made pancakes. Together. Kate tried not to think too much about how perfect it was to make breakfast with the girls in Elliot’s kitchen. She hadn’t even known she could want something like this—whatever it was—because she’d been chasing a different dream. If she got her Christmas wish, both dreams would be hers. But first, she had some work to do.
When the girls finished dressing, she grabbed their coats and boots.
“Put em’ on, ladies. We’ve got errands to run,” Kate said.
“Where we going?” Grace asked.
She’d finally pressed send on her application for a loan. “There’s a store I want to rent so I can sell pretty dresses. We’re going to go check it out.”
Beth groaned. “I don’t want to.”
Kate stopped. It couldn’t all be holiday songs and cheer, she supposed. “We won’t be that long, sweetie.”
Beth pulled on her boots while she complained. “But Tara gets to go to the Christmas party at the rec center. How come we can’t go?”
Kate looked at Grace while she tied her own boots. “Who’s Tara?”
Pulling her jacket on, Grace frowned. “Beth’s best friend other than me.”
“What time is this so-called party?” Kate helped Beth zip her jacket when it got stuck.
“I don’t know but it’s going to be really fun. Can we go?”
Kate grabbed her jacket and pulled it on, then looked up the number of the rec center’s front desk.
A very musical voice answered, nearly singing, “How can I help you?”
“Hi. I’m just curious, do you have a children’s Christmas party happening today?” Kate looked at the girls who watched her, eyes wide. Listenin
g to the woman tell her about the festivities, she exaggerated her own responses to make the girls smile. “You do? And what time is it at? Can anyone attend? Right. Thank you. Merry Christmas to you, too.”
When she put her phone in her purse, she pretended to go about zipping up her jacket, ignoring the girl’s stares. Finally they laughed, filling the kitchen with their own brand of music.
“Kate!” they chorused.
Kate looked up in mock surprise. “Yes? Oh. Did you want to know about the Christmas party?”
“Yes,” Beth said. Grace nodded.
“It starts at one o’clock, which means,” Kate said, checking her watch, “we have enough time to go check out the shop, stop by and visit my mom, who makes the best cookies ever, and still get to the party in time.”
Both girls walked to the car smiling and laughing. Kate wondered how Gina could let go of these moments. But as sad as it was, Kate felt selfishly grateful she was getting to share in them, to be part of their lives. And Elliot’s.
Kate collapsed onto a plastic chair next to Lucy. Beth and Grace ditched their coats, rubbed noses, and made oddly loud cooing noises at Emma, then dashed off to the cookie decorating station. Unbelievable. How did they still have energy? Kate had thought checking out the store space, stopping by the bank, and running a few errands would be simple. But nothing was simple when Grace forgot her doll, Beth was thirsty, or they both had to pee—at different times.
Lucy let Emma toddle around with the other kids, even though she was younger than most of the children playing in the open gym. Stations were set up around the festive space: cookies, coloring, gingerbread making, and ornament decorating.
Lucy looked Kate up and down. “You okay?”
Kate glanced sideways. “Uh, I think so. I can’t believe how tired I am from running around this morning.” She fanned her face with the flyer she’d been given at the door. Her hair was falling out of its ponytail, and she’d spilled coffee down the front of her sweater. Lucy, however, looked radiant. Her dark hair glistened and her cheeks were still bright from the cold outside. Emma gave her mom a board book.