On the Naughty List

by Lori Foster

  “I want you to meet Ben too.” She left her mother’s side and linked her fingers with Ben’s. “He’s really good to me.”

  “I know. He’s brought us all back together.”

  * * *

  Being around her family was different this time around. There was no tension, no animosity, no reliving the past. They were just happy and together. And she had Ben to thank for it. Her family was in the kitchen, somewhat taking over the prep for tomorrow’s meal. Mike and Ellis were baking pies. Dina’s stepfather, Walter, was brining the turkey. Her mother was mixing the drinks. Dina felt so stupid for thinking they had turned their backs on her. She could have had them all along. But maybe, she thought, they needed this time apart. She needed this time away from them to grow. It took a lot of time and some help from Ben to make her realize that she wasn’t a bad person, that she had something to offer somebody else. She wanted to thank him for that, but when she looked up from her conversation with Ellis she realized he wasn’t there.

  He had snuck away from them all. She knew how hard this must be for him. He had no family of his own to celebrate with. None besides her and Dash. She needed to remind Ben that they were there for him. That he wasn’t going to be alone anymore. That they would be the family they both needed. She could picture future Christmases and family get-togethers and him and her and Dash as a family.

  She found Ben in his office, a place she hadn’t seen him go in days. It was such a different picture from the first time she saw him there. Long gone were his three-piece suit and supertidy hair. Long gone was that stern expression, and the little bit of unhappiness that floated around him. He was a different man from the one she had met. It didn’t seem like she had walked into his life only twelve days ago; it seemed like she’d known him for a lifetime.

  “Hey,” she called to him, and he looked up and smiled softly at her. “I was missing you.”

  He placed the small piece of paper he had been staring on his desk and opened his arms to her. “I was just taking care of a little business so I can enjoy the rest of the holidays.”

  She sat in his lap and immediately his arms came around her, his lips resting on her forehead. “How are you, sweet girl?”

  “I’ve got a bone to pick with you.”

  “What is it?” He kissed the bridge of her nose.

  “You invited my family without asking me. What if I didn’t want to see them? What if I wasn’t ready? This could have been a huge disaster. You shouldn’t do things without consulting me.”

  He kissed the tip of her nose, then each of her eyelids, before his kiss settled on her mouth. “In the future I won’t, but Dash could use all the love he can get. We could use all the family we can get. I quite like having loud holidays.”

  “Me too.” It was extremely hard to be miffed at him when he said things like that. “Everybody seems so happy, but my stepfather isn’t fond of Dash’s name at all. He said it’s a grammar symbol and not a name. He says we should have named him Walter and been done with it.”

  “I like the name now. Maybe he’ll become some kind of track star. Dash Rowe, world’s fastest man.”

  “What a proud papa you would be. I think we need to talk about getting his last name officially changed and all the stuff that comes with it.”

  Ben kissed her brow. “As soon as the New Year comes. I promise. Maybe we should head back downstairs. Your family is going to notice we’re missing. They might get the wrong idea.”

  “We’re not doing anything.”

  “I know, but if I feel this beautiful bottom in my lap any longer I might get the wrong idea.”

  “Perv.” She stood up, glancing at his desk as she did. There was a picture of his wife there. Just sitting there for Dina to see. That must have been what he was looking at when she walked in. He didn’t even bother to hide it from her. That told her a lot. Even after everything, even after all the plans they were making, he still wasn’t ready to let Karen go. Her heart sank. As much as she loved him she was never going to more than second or third place in his heart. She had too much pride to live her life like that.

  Her decision was made. She couldn’t marry him.

  Chapter 13

  And So This Is Christmas …

  Ben didn’t fail to notice that Dina had been somewhat subdued when they returned to her family last night. He knew why. He knew she had seen the picture of Karen on his desk, but in that moment he couldn’t explain to her why it was there.

  He loved his first wife, a big part of him always would, but she was no longer going to be the person who ruled over his life. It was now time for him to live. To be with the living. He went to explain it to Dina last night, but when he went to her he found her sleeping, or at least pretending to be. He knew that day had been long for her and he didn’t have the heart to wake her up to talk about it. But maybe he should have. Today was the day they had agreed on. Today was the day she was going to decide if she was going to be his wife.

  She was missing when he woke up that morning, but he knew where to find her. It was the first place he liked to go in the mornings too. She was sitting by Dash’s crib, her knees pulled to her chest, just staring at the surroundings. She and Ben had decorated this room too, with a tiny tree and antique train set that traveled around the base. Dash’s first ornament hung prominently in the front, along with the one Ben had made when he was just a child.

  “When I was a kid,” she said without looking up at him, “I used to wake up at six just to see what Santa had brought. I’m well over thirty. I don’t believe in Santa anymore and I still can’t seem to sleep very long on Christmas day.”

  “Me either.”

  She looked up at him. “I can’t marry you, Ben. I’ll never take Dash away from you, but I’m going to stay with my parents for a little while.”

  No. He wasn’t accepting that. He wasn’t going to let her go. He lifted her from her spot on the floor and sat with her on the plush rocker that was nestled by the window.

  “I’ve been very happy since you came into my life.”

  “Ben…”

  “I was saying good-bye, Dina. To Karen. That’s why her picture was there. I loved her very much, but she’s gone now. And I had been so busy mourning the loss of everything we could have had that I stopped living. But then you come along and in less than twenty-four hours made me want to live again. You gave me hope for the future and at first I didn’t want to talk about her because it seemed so wrong to think about her when I was falling in love with you, but if you want to know about her I’ll tell you everything.”

  “What?” Her eyes snapped up to his.

  “We can talk about Karen if you want.”

  “No, go back to the part about falling in love with me.”

  “I love you.” He smiled. “It’s very foolish and impetuous of me to fall in love so quickly, but I think it’s about time I started acting a little foolishly.”

  “Ben…”

  “And that’s why I don’t want to marry you either. At least not yet. I don’t want you going in with doubts.” He slipped a ring out of his pocket and placed it on her finger. “I want a fresh start for both of us. That means we leave the past and all our old demons and start over together. I know you love me, but I would like you to take a year and really think about if you would like to spend the rest of your life with me. Dina, the only thing I need is for you to be happy.”

  “A year?” She sat up straight, shaking her head. “I changed my mind. Hell, I’m getting old. I want to pop out some more kids before I dry up. And you expect me to twiddle my thumbs for a year. Screw that. I want the old deal.”

  He wasn’t expecting to hear that, but it was exactly what he needed to hear from her. “Okay, Dina.” He gave her a very long, deep kiss. “Whatever you want.”

  “Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “But don’t expect me to just sit around here and be your wife. I was serious about wanting to open my dance studio. I want to work for somethin
g. I don’t want you to think I’m marrying you for any other reason than love.”

  “I know, sweet girl. I couldn’t have fallen for you if you didn’t.”

  “Da?” Dash sat up, rubbing his eyes with his fist.

  “Good morning, son. Did we wake you?”

  “Did you hear that?” Dina looked at him wide-eyed and then rose to collect Dash from his crib. “He called you Da.”

  “I did.” He collected them in his lap, holding them close. “It’s official now. We have to be a family.”

  “We already were,” she said. “From the moment we walked through the door.”

  “Merry Christmas!” Phillipa burst into the room, her family following close behind her. “How is everybody this morning?”

  “Great. Do you guys have to rush off tomorrow?” Dina asked.

  “No, we’re all off this week.”

  “Good. Because we have a wedding to plan.”

  “A wedding!” Ellis screamed. “How soon? I need at least two weeks, Dee.”

  “For what?”

  “I have to make your dress. I have one already started down at the shop that we can make over in a few days, but if you want one from scratch it’s going to take me two weeks.”

  “I could buy one, Ellie.”

  “Over my dead body.” She turned towards the door. “Mikey, take me to the shop. I have to get my things.”

  Her husband sighed as he followed her out. “But, baby, it’s Christmas day.”

  Ellis just blinked at her husband before she walked out the door.

  “Don’t you think you should eat breakfast first?” he called after her as he followed her out.

  “We have to go too, Walter,” Phillipa said to her husband. “I need to get my address book. I have to invite Cynthia Silverman. That woman said my Dina would never catch a man as good as her precious Becky’s, but I’ll show her. My girl has snagged a billionaire.”

  Suddenly they were alone again. He had his family in his arms and contentment in his soul. And he thought for the first time that this was what it must feel like to truly have it all. “Are you ready to start your life over with me, Miss Gregory?”

  “I am.” She smiled at him. “And I couldn’t be happier about it.”

  Lori Foster is a New York Times bestselling author. She received the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Fantasy. Visit her website at www.lorifoster.com.

  Carly Phillips has published over forty sexy contemporary romance novels, and is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Visit her website at www.carlyphillips.com.

  Beth Ciotta is an award-winning author to whom storytelling comes naturally. Dubbed “fun and sexy” by Publishers Weekly, Beth specializes in writing romantic fiction. Visit her website at www.bethciotta.com.

  Sugar Jamison, author of the Perfect Fit series, is a Southern belle trapped in a New Yorker’s body. With a love of big hair and high-heeled shoes, she spends her days at her very normal day job and nights dreaming up sweet and sassy romances. Visit her website at www.sugarjamison.com.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  ON THE NAUGHTY LIST

  “Christmas Bonus” copyright © 2000 by Lori Foster.

  Previously published in 2000 in the anthology All I Want for Christmas.

  “Naughty Under the Mistletoe” copyright © 2001 by Karen Drogin.

  Previously published in 2001 in the anthology Naughty or Nice?

  “Some Kind of Wonderful” copyright © 2013 by Beth Ciotta.

  Previously published as an eBook in 2013.

  “Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas” copyright © 2013 by Sugar Jamison.

  Previously published as an eBook in 2013.

  All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

  www.stmartins.com

  Cover art:

  Cover design by Kerri Resnick

  Cover photo illustration by Patricia Schmitt (Picky Me)

  Illustration of ornaments © graphixmania/Shutterstock.com

  eISBN 978-1-4668-6601-0

  First eBook Edition: October 2014

  eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.