A Heart For Christmas (Heartwarming Romance)

by Callie Timmins

  By mid-morning, the aroma of cinnamon and brandy filled the air while Christmas carols played through the speakers in the living room. Marie and Kara sang along in the kitchen, their voices harmonizing as they added the finishing touches to the egg nog, Christmas pudding and roast vegetables all set for a delicious Christmas feast.

  “Looks like we’re feeding an army!” Kara laughed as she poured egg nog into mugs on the counter and sprinkled nutmeg over the top.

  “The way David and the girls eat, we may as well be.” Marie peered through the oven door at the vegetables roasting on a tray. The turkey had been carved and was all ready to be served.

  “Thanks for having me this year.” Kara’s parents had traveled to the southern hemisphere to experience a warm Christmas, and Marie had opened her home to Kara so they could enjoy Christmas together.

  “It’s so great you’re here. The last time we had Christmas together was, what, when we were twelve?” Marie wiped the back of her hand across her forehead and leaned against the counter as she waited for the oven timer to ding.

  “Something like that. It’s hard to believe it’s been so long.”

  Previous Christmases had mainly been spent with Steve and his family. Any time with her family had been short-lived as Steve had never given priority to her parents.

  But that was in the past, and thankfully, she rarely gave much thought to Splitsville or Steve these days. Her thoughts and dreams were consumed with a certain doctor who had captured her heart and made her happier beyond what she could ever have imagined.

  Soon, Jennifer and Violet set the dining table while Marie and Kara carried the Christmas feast - consisting of turkey, ham, mashed potato and roast vegetables - from the kitchen. Candlelight flickered from gold and silver candles on the mantel above the gas fireplace creating a cozy ambience as everyone took their seats around the table.

  Kara smoothed over her black pants and inhaled deeply. Filled with gratitude for her family, tears pooled in her eyes as she glanced around the table. The laughter from Jennifer and Violet as they pulled on the Christmas crackers and found silly trinkets and paper crowns inside. The love in the glances shared between David and Marie as they ate their meal. All cares were forgotten as simple conversation mixed with excitement, reminding them all of the spirit of the season. Love and joy flowed around the table, and Kara swiped a finger beneath her eye as she reached for her glass of mulled wine. She was indeed blessed.

  Towards the end of the meal, the doorbell rang. Marie hurriedly shoveled a fork of mashed potato into her mouth. David excused himself to the bathroom while Jennifer and Violet continued playing with the trinkets from their crackers.

  “Would you mind getting that, please, Kara?” Marie mumbled through a mouthful of food.

  Kara nodded and wiped her mouth on a napkin. Pushing to her feet, she strode down the hallway and opened the door.

  “Caleb?” she gasped. At Kara’s insistence, they had arranged to meet at Caleb’s house for supper, allowing him to make the most of the time with Molly and Lucas - his first real Christmas with the children since Camille had passed away.

  “Merry Christmas, beautiful.” With his broad shoulders filling the doorway, he leaned down and pressed warm lips to hers. Her senses filled with a heady mix of sandalwood, pine and his manly scent.

  “And to you, too,” she murmured, her heart fluttering in response to how good he looked in his jeans, dark gray sweater and black woolen coat.

  “Kara!” Molly slammed into her legs, almost knocking her backwards into the apartment as she wrapped small arms around her waist. “Santa came!”

  “Did he?” Kara chuckled at Molly’s enthusiasm. “That’s fantastic! You’ll have to tell me all about what he brought.”

  “Come in, come in.” She gave Lucas a hug as he entered Marie’s apartment, and helped Caleb remove his coat, hanging it inside the hall closet before leading the way to the living room.

  “Caleb’s here,” Kara announced, not missing the glances exchanged between Marie and Caleb.

  “Welcome, Caleb!” Marie grinned. “And you two must be Molly and Lucas.” The children nodded shyly, their mouths gaping wide and their eyes even wider as they took in the large tree in the corner of the room with colorful presents in various shapes and sizes piled beneath.

  Molly tucked her hand inside Kara’s and clung to her side as they settled on the sofa in front of the window. Lucas sat beside her, while Caleb sat in one of the empty armchairs adjacent to the sofa. He nodded his thanks as David handed him a glass of wine.

  “Isn’t this nice?” Marie patted David’s knee as he joined her on the sofa across from Kara. “It’s so wonderful to have family all together.”

  Kara quirked an eyebrow at her cousin. What was she talking about? And why was she overly cheerful? Had she had too much wine or egg nog?

  “What brings you here, Caleb?” Kara asked, ignoring Marie. “I thought I was supposed to go to your place later.”

  “We missed you.” He gave a shrug as the corner of his mouth curved into a grin.

  “You should have seen what Santa gave me,” Lucas interrupted. “I got an awesome train set and a hockey stick.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful!” Kara grinned at the boy seated beside her.

  “And I got a baby doll and a kitchen.” Molly climbed onto Kara’s lap and nestled against her chest. Kara wrapped her arms around Molly, warming at the little girl’s unconditional acceptance of her.

  “They sound like the best gifts ever. Santa knew just what you wanted.” She glanced over the top of Molly’s curls to find Caleb’s heated gaze on her. Her cheeks warmed and she offered a soft smile. Could she possibly love him any more?

  “We’ve still got a few presents to hand out,” Marie announced. “Violet, Jennifer, would you please do the honors?”

  The girls sat in front of the tree and read the gift tags before handing out the presents. Molly and Lucas gasped with delight as they tore off the wrapping to reveal the gifts from Marie’s family. Books, toy cars and dress up dolls were among the bounty for Caleb’s children.

  Colorful paper soon covered the floor, and Kara couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Violet and Jennifer playing with Molly and Lucas and their new toys. Molly’s shyness had all but gone as she sat on the floor with Marie’s girls.

  Nestling against the cushions on the sofa, Kara soaked in the atmosphere. With snow falling outside, the sound of laughter floating on the air, warmth radiating from the fireplace, and the joy on everyone’s faces, her heart was beyond full. Surrounded by family and with the surprise visit from the man she loved, she couldn’t be any more happier.

  “Kara.” Molly tapped on her arm, causing her to startle. She must have dozed off, because she hadn’t seen Molly move away from the group on the floor.

  “Yes, sweetie?”

  “This is for you.” Her gorgeous brown eyes sparkled with excitement as she handed Kara a box wrapped in gold paper and tied neatly with red ribbon.

  “Oh, thank you.” Kara untied the ribbon and peeled back the paper. Opening the lid of the box, her brow furrowed as she lifted out a piece of paper.

  “Open it.” Molly clapped her hands together and shuffled her feet on the ground as she tried to contain her enthusiasm.

  “She’s a little excited!” David laughed from across the room.

  Kara slowly unfolded the paper to reveal a pencil drawing.

  “Did you draw this?” She glanced up at Molly. The little girl pressed her lips together and nodded, her curls bouncing wildly around her head.

  Lowering her gaze to the paper, Kara gasped. Four stick figures stood in front of what appeared to be the fountain at Disney World. And the words - Will you be my Mommy? - were printed in Molly’s childish handwriting across the top of the paper.

  Sucking in a breath, her fingers traced over the family, a name written below each figure - Daddy, Lucas, Molly and Kara/Mommy.

  Someone cleared their throat and Kara glan
ced up. Caleb had moved from the armchair and now knelt before her. Reaching for her hand, he tenderly placed a kiss on the back of her knuckles. Tears pricked her eyes as she held his gaze.

  “Will you be their mommy? More to the point, will you be my wife? You have turned my world around, Kara. You have made me feel again, and you’ve healed this broken heart by showing me what love is. You’ve given me hope when I’d almost given up. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. Will you marry me?” A single tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek.

  Kara swiped her thumb across his smooth skin before clasping his face in her hands. She tenderly pressed her lips to his, delighting in the sensations their connection elicited.

  “Of course. Yes, I will marry you! And yes, I would be delighted to be their new mommy.” Pressing her forehead to his, she closed her eyes, tucking the treasured moment away in her heart.

  “Yay! Kara’s my new mommy!” Cheers and laughter erupted throughout the room as Molly jumped up and down and clapped her hands. With a laugh, Kara opened her eyes and pulled away from Caleb. His eyes glistened with unshed tears of joy.

  “Merry Christmas, beautiful.”

  “You too,” she mouthed as the pop of a champagne cork filled the air.

  “Here’s to the happy couple!” David strode across the room and handed Caleb and Kara a flute of champagne.

  “Like I said earlier, it’s so wonderful to have family all together. To Caleb and Kara.” Marie raised her glass in the air.

  “To us. Merry Christmas, Caleb.” Kara clinked her glass against Caleb’s, her heart exploding with joy and the anticipation of what the future held for her and the handsome doctor.

  “To us. And to the first of many, many more wonderful Christmases to come.”

  * * *

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading A Heart For Christmas. I hope you enjoyed Caleb and Kara’s story. I had a lot of fun writing it, and it was nice to imagine a white Christmas while I swelter in an Australian summer!

  If you would be kind enough to leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads, I would greatly appreciate it. Honest reviews help other readers find my books, and your support means the world to me. Thank you!

  To keep up to date with all my new releases, follow me on Facebook.

  Thanks again!

  Callie.

  About the Author

  Callie Timmins lives in beautiful Queensland, Australia with her husband and four children. When she’s not busy wrangling kids, finding odd socks, and being the family’s Uber driver, she enjoys running, spending time at the beach, and hiking. She loves nothing better than a strong cup of coffee and basking in the sun, daydreaming of her next story idea.

  Keep an eye out for her new releases by following Callie on Facebook.

  Keep in touch with Callie:

  E: callietimminsauthor@outlook.com

  Subscribe: Callie’s News

  Callie also writes Inspirational Christian Fiction as Kristen M. Fraser.