“Here’s to a dynamic threesome!” Robin cheered.
“Here, here!” said Sasha. “And to Keira enrolling in law school today.”
“Here, here!” Robin held her glass into the air.
With a clang of the glasses, the women sipped.
* * *
Vince, wearing a tuque, poked his head inside the door.
“Hi,” he said with huge sexy grin—one that made Sasha’s heart soar. “I have a surprise for you ladies.”
They waited with anticipation as he rushed to his truck and then appeared several minutes later.
“You ready?” he asked before coming in from the cold.
“Yes!” they said in unison.
He opened the door wider and pushed his way inside, carrying a huge Christmas tree. “Merry Christmas!” he exclaimed.
“Oh, wow, babe!” said Sasha.
“How pretty!” Robin exclaimed. “Put it right over here, in front of this window.”
Vince lifted the tree, careful not to scratch the hardwood floors. He placed the tree in front of the office’s picture window and steadied it on its stand.
“The evergreen smells so good.” Keira stood and walked around to the front of her desk.
“Baby, that is a beautiful tree.” Sasha gave Vince a hug.
Beneath his wool coat, he wore a tan cardigan that accented the brown in his eyes. His boot-cut jeans fit well with his brown Timberland boots. She didn’t even mind the stubble on his face. It made him appear bit rugged.
“I have decorations in the storage closet,” Robin announced. “Vince, can you give me a hand with them?”
Vince followed Robin to the storage closet and came back carrying a cardboard box filled with ornaments, bulbs and holly.
Keira began singing. “Hang all the mistletoe. I’m going to get to know you better...”
“This Christmas!” Robin joined in.
Sasha sang, “And as we trim the tree, how much fun it’s gonna be together...”
“This Christmas!” Robin and Keira sang the chorus.
* * *
Vince stood back and watched the ladies as they decorated the tree and sang Donny Hathaway’s song off-key. He poured himself a glass of champagne. As Sasha went around the tree with a stream of lights, she caught Vince’s eye. He smiled and blew her a kiss. He was everything she wanted for Christmas and then some. She felt like the luckiest woman in the world.
He held a piece of evergreen in the air and swung it from side to side. “Look what I found.”
“Oh, girl, he’s got some mistletoe!” Keira took a sip of her champagne.
Sasha dropped the lights and headed toward Vince. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Holding the mistletoe in the air, he kissed her lips with a certain tenderness that she’d become accustomed to. The two of them watched as Robin and Keira put the finishing touches on the tree. When they were done, Vince placed the star on top. Sasha glanced out the window and thought she saw snow flurries bouncing against the glass. It never snowed much in Atlanta—just a few flurries here or there. She went over to the window to get a closer look. The ground was covered with a beautiful white layer.
“It’s snowing,” she announced.
“Really?” Robin rushed over to the window.
“It’s so pretty out there,” said Keira, who had joined them.
Vince pulled Sasha to the side.
“I almost forgot,” he said and handed her an envelope. “This came in the mail today.”
She looked at the postmark. It was something from Nassau, Bahamas—a letter from Clara. She opened the envelope and read it:
Dearest Vince and Sasha:
Greetings in this holiday season. I have enclosed the recipe for the peas and rice that I promised you. I hope that you will enjoy every delectable bite of it. I’ve come bearing happy news. My Roger is much better and he and I renewed our vows. I love him dearly. I’m so thankful for the time that we have had together—the many years that we have been blessed to spend together. I know that the two of you will be blessed with many years too. It is hard work, but you have to be strong. I wish the two of you many happy years together. If you haven’t eloped already, please send me an invitation to the wedding. I promise to be there with bells on. Have a wonderful Christmas, and a spectacular new year!
Clara
Sasha held the letter close to her heart. “That was so sweet!”
As Vince held her in his arms, she couldn’t even remember what her life was like before now. She loved her new job. She didn’t have an office with a view of downtown Atlanta, but she had a view nonetheless. When she went home at night, she left work exactly where it needed to be left—in the office. A posh office and nice salary were no longer at the top of her must-have list. Happiness was a priority, and she had that.
Sasha walked over to the window near the tree. She breathed on the cold window until it steamed up. In the steam, she drew the picture of a heart with her fingertip. It was her heart that Vince had stolen. So far, he’d taken good care of it, and she prayed that he would continue to treat it with delicacy. He was the man of her dreams. The one she’d waited her whole life for.
He was her man, and she was his woman.
* * * * *
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Kimani Romance story.
You dream in vibrant hues! Harlequin Kimani Romance stories feature sophisticated, soulful and sensual African-American and multicultural heroes and heroines who develop fulfilling relationships as they lead lives full of drama, glamour and passion.
Enjoy four new stories from Harlequin Kimani Romance every month!
Visit Harlequin.com to find your next great read.
We like you—why not like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
Read our blog for all the latest news on our authors and books: HarlequinBlog.com
Subscribe to our newsletter for special offers, new releases, and more!
Harlequin.com/newsletters
TROPICAL FANTASY
ISBN: 9781460312445
Copyright © 2013 by Monica McKayhan
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com
Tropical Fantasy Page 18