by Jody Holford
Kate’s stomach dipped—in a good way. Elliot. Elliot Peters was one of her brother-in-law’s officers. He looked more like a raven-haired, sun-kissed surfer than he did a cop. Laidback and sweet, he had adorable twin daughters and an ex who often made his life difficult. Kate had had a crush on him before she’d left for New York. Most women with a pulse had a crush on Elliot. Especially when he was around his daughters In addition to the hot factor, the kind and funny factors, or the sexy cop factor, he was a trusted friend and not far away.
Kate: Why the hell are the girls in Wisconsin and since when?
Kate sidestepped a couple of teens sprawled out on the floor, heads resting on their large backpacks. Her stomach growled, and she looked around to see what she could grab. Her phone whistled with her sister’s incoming text.
Lucy: Crazy ex has a sister there she thought she could live off of. Sis doesn’t want kids there. E finally doing a hard push for full custody. This should seal it. Yes or no? Can I text him? Tell him to wait for you? Can you get somewhere to meet him?
God. As if it wasn’t bizarre enough that Gina hadn’t appreciated having Elliot as hers, she was also a shit mom to two of the sweetest children ever. All three of them deserved better. A thought for another time.
Kate: Yes. Tell me where. I’ll go find a cab.
Lucy texted an address a few minutes later. Elliot texted approximately ten minutes later as Kate was climbing into a taxi.
Elliot: You on your way?
She sent a quick reply after giving the cabbie the address. Elliot’s response made her smile.
Elliot: Grace and Beth are going to make you wish you’d waited for the next flight. I’ll be glad to have backup.
Kate pictured Elliot and his two dark-haired little girls who had his gorgeous skin tone, his happy smile, and rich, stare-worthy eyes, so brown they were nearly black.
Kate: LOL. I won’t tell anyone you needed it for those two sweet little girls
Elliot: I am going to enjoy watching you eat those words. I love them, but they do not love car rides. You’re stuck now, Aarons.
Kate: Technically, I could turn around and wait for the flight
As if she’d give up the chance to spend seven hours in a vehicle with Elliot. Or get home as quick as possible. That was the main reason she reminded herself. Because she was certainly in no position to start up anything with anyone. Let alone Elliot, who had enough drama in his life.
Elliot: Sure. You do that and I’ll just try to console my sweet babies who are so excited you’re joining us.
Low blow. But she chuckled and imagined the smile widening on his face. It was a really good face. She’d put it out of her mind when she’d left for New York to do an internship at a top fashion house. Then of course, another face had gotten in the way and distracted her. Not that dating Elliot was an option. They were only friends. Kate had so many things to sort through—going home, finding a space to lease, spending time with her family—she didn’t have time for any activities involving her heart or her body. Besides, Alex, Lucy’s husband, would lose his mind. He definitely considered Kate a little sister and thus saw her as untouchable. And he was Elliot’s boss.
Best to leave that stone forever unturned.
Lucy: Are you in a cab yet? Are you almost there? When will you be home? Hurry up.
Kate laughed. It felt good to be wanted. Missed.
Lucy: Get home now and you can wrap my gifts for me.
The cab swerved slightly, catching Kate off guard as she rolled her eyes at her sister’s text. Patience and subtlety weren’t Lucy’s strong suits. “Sorry about that,” the cabbie said, putting up a hand. “Guy cut me off.”
Kate nodded. “No worries.” She checked the tightness of her seat belt and pushed her shoulders against the seat. This guy should be a New York cabbie.
Elliot: Hey. I was just teasing.
Kate: I know. Was going to give sarcastic reply but cabbie thinks he’s on the race circuit.
Kate: Luce, breathe. I’ll be there when I get there. And I bet your presents will be waiting. Luv u.
Her sister sent a long string of smiley faces and hearts, making Kate grin. Then she sent a gorgeous selfie of her and Emma, Lucy and Alex’s almost two- year-old. Her heart pinched tightly. Home was exactly where she wanted to be.
Kate’s phone buzzed throughout the entire drive, as she sent playful, innocent texts back and forth with Elliot to pass the time. She didn’t watch through the window to take in what she could of Wisconsin because it just didn’t matter. All she wanted was the view of Angel’s Lake.
Snow would be covering everything, making the town sparkle like a sheet of glass. The lake would be frozen, and the plows would be trudging through the streets. Her dad would have already stocked up on salt to make sure none of his girls slipped on their way up icy front steps.
There’d been no snow or ice when she’d gotten hurt in New York. It was an invisible pain, right in the center of her heart. Not really heartbreak, but more heart-shame at being so gullible. Going home, being with her family would hopefully fill the hole that burned there, reminding her how stupid she’d been. How naïve. Never again. She wouldn’t be duped by another man. And for now, Kate wasn’t even thinking of a man. Or men. She had priorities, including her career and establishing herself. No room for men in that plan.
Now, if she could just remind herself of that once she was in cramped quarters with Sexy Elliot Peters.
Chapter Two
Elliot felt like he was playing that game the girls loved where they moved their hand up and down in front of their face, changing their expressions from happy to sad. Only his was going from amused to pissed off. Amused. Pissed. Kate was making him smile, and Gina was pissing him off. He wasn’t even going to respond to her last text, asking if he was mad. Jesus. It was like high school with her.
“Daddy, can I have more hot chocolate?” Beth asked, coming to stand in front of him.
His hands were hanging between his knees, holding his phone as he stared at Kate’s latest text. Looking up into his daughter’s eyes, he felt the same tug he always did. He loved both of them so much it overshadowed his constant irritation with their mother.
“No, sweet pea. Don’t want you to feel sick in the car,” he said.
Gracie came back from the bathroom. If people looked really closely, they noticed the small beauty mark next to Beth’s lip and used that tiny difference to tell them apart. Now that they weren’t babies and had distinct personalities, Elliot saw distinctions in the way they talked, stood, and even laughed. But he’d trained himself to pay attention to those subtleties.
“When’s Kate gonna be here?” Grace asked. “Can I play with your phone?” Beth asked at the same time. “It’s my turn to play with it,” Grace chimed in.
Elliot shook his head and rubbed at his temples where a headache was beginning to spread like a crack in the earth. “No more hot chocolate, no phone, Kate will be here soon. Now both of you sit down and color or draw, okay? Please.”
Maybe it was his tone or maybe his seven-year-olds were both as tired as he was, but they sat down with the coloring books he’d grabbed them at the dollar store and chatted quietly with each other.
He was thinking about topping up his coffee for the first part of the drive when he saw Kate get out of a taxi. The café windows were painted with happy Christmas scenes: elves, toys, and reindeer. He could see the full length of Kate’s body, bundled in a long wool coat, between two of the hand-drawn presents. Yeah, she’s a present all right. One he’d love to unwrap one slow piece at a time. And then Alex can kick your ass to hell and back again.
She laughed at something the driver said and waved. The Aarons sisters were a sight to behold. Sexy, sweet, and smart—all three of them. Alex was married to Lucy, and the oldest sister was married to Luke, who Elliot played cards and pool with. Char and Luke had two daughters, one of whom was close to Grace and Beth’s age. They all played together now and again.
&n
bsp; Elliot was a fan of Kate’s whole family, but she’d always stood out to him. She had a sultry voice that felt like fingertips grazing over his skin and when she spoke to someone, her eyes stayed fastened on theirs, like she was fully invested, regardless of the conversation. Like she cared.
As she walked into the café, he had an “if only” thought. If only he’d seen who Gina really was before she’d told him she was pregnant. If only he was in a place to make Kate Aarons his.
Beth giggled and his gaze shifted to his girls. Gina was a pain in the ass, but he wouldn’t trade them for anything. Not even Kate. Besides, Gina had shown him happily ever after had a shelf life when the reality of living together and raising kids encroached.
“Is this seat taken?” Kate asked the girls.
The squealing pierced his ears like needles, and Elliot winced, even as he tried to smile. Kate laughed and bent down to hug his girls. They were excited to see her, sure, but mostly, they wanted to get home and jump into all things Christmas. Now that Kate had arrived, they could get going. Elliot had learned the hard way: waiting was not considered fun in the eyes of his girls.
The girls asked her a dozen questions, not even waiting for a response while Kate tried her best to answer them, shooting him a gut-clenching grin over Gracie’s head.
“Do you like country music? Daddy hates it.”
“Can you sit in the back with me?”
“How come you’re not on a plane?”
“We got hot chocolate. Are you getting some? Daddy, can we get doughnuts?”
“Do you got snacks?”
“Daddy said it’s supposed to snow more.”
Elliot stood and grabbed Kate’s forearm, pulling her out of his girls’ clutches. “All right, let her breathe you two. And Beth, it’s: do you have snacks. Come here, Aarons.”
And even though pulling her close was a stupid thing to do, when she gave him an all-out, no-holds-barred, squeeze-him-tight embrace, he was glad he did. Partially because she was his friend, partially because she was really fucking hot, and a surprising amount because he really needed a hug. And Kate Aarons gave exceptional hugs.
“You okay?” she whispered.
He pulled back and brushed a stray hair from her cheek. Her eyes watched his and this close, he could see they were a deep, shimmering blue, like water rippling. Unstill but soothing.
“Yeah. Eager to get home. Look at you,” he said and did.
If she had on make-up, he couldn’t tell. Her skin was flawless but he saw the subtle creases of fatigue and hoped they were just from traveling. Looking at her now, he realized that he’d missed her. Even putting aside the deeply rooted attraction he tried to ignore, Elliot enjoyed being around her as much as, or maybe more than, the rest of her family.
Kate shook her head, sending strands of hair fluttering. “Right, look at me after being on a plane, hanging out in an airport, feeling rumpled and grumpy. Please, look your fill,” she said, laughing and releasing him.
The invitation tightened his stomach and he shut down the sensation quickly by taking a step back from her. Fuck. What was he doing? She’d been off limits from the minute he’d met her. He was in no place for this shit. Things needed to change for his girls. A steady life with a predictable routine was what he needed to focus on, not hooking up with someone. Or starting a relationship. Certainly not with Kate Aarons, who was one of Angel’s Lake’s three sweethearts. He was just nursing an old crush, feeling sentimental. Or, maybe he needed to get laid. At one point in his life, this hadn’t been a problem. But since Gina and the girls, most of his time was focused on work or being a single dad. Didn’t leave much room, or energy, for anything else.
“Daddy, can we go?” Grace sneezed and Kate “blessed her,” pulling a tissue out of her pocket and handing it to her. “Did you girls use the bathroom? It’s a long drive,” Kate said. “We did. Daddy didn’t. Do you have to go pee, Daddy?” Beth asked.
Kate muffled her laugher, or tried to, but his face still flamed. He shot Beth a look that she just smiled back at. With a mockingly stern gaze, Kate said, “You better try. It’s a long drive.”
He narrowed his eyes at her, and this time she didn’t try to hide her giggles. The girls joined in immediately and Elliot rolled his eyes and went to use the bathroom.
It still took another twenty minutes to get the girls loaded and situated. They had their earphones in and the DVD set up to play. He’d stocked snacks, water, Kleenex, and a host of stuffed animals—each with names he was supposed to remember—in between them. By all accounts, they were good to go.
“You want me to drive for a bit?” Kate asked as he loaded her bag into the back. “Nah. Maybe later. You good? Alex said you might stay longer than Christmas,” Elliot said.
He couldn’t imagine living in New York, but Kate had been pumped to move there a couple of years ago and had been full of stories during her visits home. The icy breeze blew through them and she hunched her shoulders.
“I’m good. Time to come home is all.”
He kept staring even though she looked down at her feet. Ignoring his own warnings about keeping some distance, he reached out and tipped her chin up with his fingers.
“Time to come home…for Christmas you mean, right? Angel’s Lake is hardly the fashion capital of Minnesota.”
Kate smiled, but it was only a shadow of the real thing. “Actually,” she started then paused. Straightening her shoulders as if she was steeling herself against a storm, she continued, “for good. And don’t give me your cop eyes, mister. Maybe it’s not the fashion capital, but it could do with a decent dress shop. I’m going to make that happen.”
He didn’t know what to do with the knowledge that Kate Aarons was coming home to stay. Elliot shoved his hands in his pockets and shook his head, wishing her motivated attitude didn’t make her even sexier.
“You three were born with more drive and energy than most of our town put together.”
Kate laughed, a hint of her genuine, heart-felt laugh. “We’ll see how it pans out. For now, I need to get home, let my mother feel like she’s healing my chakras or whatever the focus of her newest book is, and find a place to live. Because as much as I want to go home, I do not want to move back in with my mom and dad.”
Elliot’s thoughts tumbled over that knowledge: She needed somewhere to stay and he needed someone to watch the girls while he was at work. Not a good idea.
“Daddy! Are we going?” Beth yelled through the partially rolled-down window. Kate grinned. “Better get on the road. They sleep for any of it?” “No such luck, Aarons. But the DVD will keep them busy for a bit before they make us do a Disney sing-a-long.” She didn’t look scared. But she’d see. Only so much of the Frozen soundtrack any adult could take.
Chapter Three
The 94 North was fairly smooth sailing, and the girls had settled into their movie easily enough, singing along with the songs. Kate played around with his iPhone, switching the music before any song had a chance to end.
Elliot glanced at her as a new song came through the speakers. “Do you just not like endings?”
Kate looked over, her brows drawn together. “What?”
He pointed to the iPhone. “You haven’t let one song finish.”
“They are finished. You don’t need to hear the last of it because it’s just the singer wrapping up the chorus for the final time. It’s over.”
“It’s not over until the song ends.”
“You’ve heard all the lyrics, the music is dying out. It’s over.”
“Weirdo. You need to take things all the way to the finish line, Aarons.”
She smiled at him and switched his phone for hers. A Christmas song came through the speakers. He groaned, knowing it was payback.
“Don’t worry, Peters, I’ll let it go all the way to the end.”
They’d settled into a comfortable drive, her telling him about interning, crazy models, and Lucy’s good friend, Kael, whom Kate had interned for. She didn
’t mention much of a social life or what it was that brought her home. He didn’t think it was his place to ask, though he was definitely curious. Curiosity killed the cat and Alex will fucking skin you like one if you don’t shut this down.
Kate turned and checked on the girls, who were still quiet. Then he felt her eyes on him. He felt her arm close to his and the scent of her shampoo and skin was all he could smell. She leaned toward him a little.
“So, Gina ask you if she could take the girls to Wisconsin?”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Nope. Gina’s more of a seek-forgiveness woman. Does what she wants and backpedals after.” “You have a lawyer?”
He shook his head, threw her a quick glance to see her face was as dark as he felt inside. “I need to get on that. This shit has to stop. I want them with me. They won’t be going back with her. I’ve got them now. She wants them, she’ll need to move in and that sure as hell isn’t happening.”
Kate’s hand covered his arm, squeezed, then was removed just as quickly. “They should be with you. You’re a great dad. They need the stability you can offer them.”
He nodded. He knew this, and it was time to stop hoping his ex would get her head out of her ass long enough to think about their daughters more than herself. Since she wouldn’t, it was on him to get them settled into a life and routine they could count on. Which meant no time for dating or even entertaining thoughts of taking the woman next to him out for an evening, or more.
“You go to school with any lawyers?” he asked, mostly joking.