Page 26 of Carpenter's Christmas Bride

“Thank you,” Kenzie said, smiling as Santa handed her a candy cane. “I’m saving mine for tomorrow too.”

“Merry Christmas,” Santa told them, moving on through the crowd to hand out more sweets.

“Whoa,” Walt said. “That was Santa.”

Kenzie glanced up at Aidan to find him smiling down at his son. When he caught her looking, he shared his smile with Kenzie too.

Thank you, he mouthed.

She smiled back and turned to Walt, helping him get the granola bar open.

“So sorry,” a woman’s voice said. “We got stuck behind Santa. I know you wouldn’t want him to eat that right now.”

“No problem, Aunt Leticia,” Aidan said. “Kenzie had some special granola bars in her bag, and we’re all saving our candy for tomorrow’s snack.”

“Hey there,” Simon Webb said as Kenzie straightened up. “It’s good to see you, MacKenzie.”

“Hi, Mr. Webb,” she said.

Walt spotted a blinking reindeer decoration and yelled about it as they all moved along though the rest of the yard together.

There was something really nice about seeing Aidan with his son and his aunt and uncle. He wasn’t exactly the charismatic charmer he’d been back in school, but he seemed… more relaxed.

Too soon, they were back where they started and everyone was saying their goodbyes.

“We’re giving you a ride home, Kenzie,” Aidan told her in a low voice. “Stick around.”

“I live right—” she began.

“I know where you live,” he growled. “I’m giving you a ride home. Period.”

Leticia and Simon hugged their great-nephew, and waved goodbye as they headed to their car.

“Watch this!” Walt yelled a moment later.

Kenzie watched in awe as he put his rain boots to work tearing through an absolutely enormous puddle that took up at least four or five sidewalk squares.

“Hold on a sec, buddy,” Aidan called out, then glanced down worriedly at Kenzie and her bag-wrapped boot.

“Go on,” she told him. “I’ll figure something out.”

“Give me your crutches,” he said.

For some reason, she handed them over without argument. The next thing she knew, he was lifting her up in his arms like she weighed nothing at all. He cradled her to his chest, with the crutches pinned under one arm as he walked them briskly through the puddle to Walt.

Of course, Kenzie had been lifted about a million times by dozens of colleagues. But that was work, where both partners were laser-focused on making the lift look effortless, and not getting hurt. Lifts for Kenzie were feats of athleticism, without any kind of sensation attached.

No one had ever made her feel light-as-air the way she did right now. The warmth of Aidan’s broad, muscular chest felt incredible in the frosty night, and his delicious scent invaded her senses, like a touch of spice surrounded by the heat of a crackling fire.

She let herself rest her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes for a second, soaking in the unexpected feeling of comfort that radiated from the grumpy carpenter.

“Ha,” Walt laughed suddenly. “You’re like Batman.”

“I saved Kenzie’s cast from the big puddle,” Aidan said, setting her down gently and handing her back her crutches.

“My hero,” she quipped, blinking her eyes really quickly and smiling.

“That’s not what you say,” Walt laughed, delighted.

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