Page 73 of Take Me Home for Christmas

“Simone.”

She stopped and looked over at him. Hayden wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Thank you for having my six,” he told her. “And for being one of the most important people inmylife.”

“I still think you’re focused on the wrong thing here. But if my grandmother’s books have taught me anything, it’s that men are idiots about love.” She nudged him in the side. “You gotta do you, though. Good thing I know a doctor. She can sew up the pieces of your heart come New Year’s.”

“Did you get ’em?”little Emily whispered when she and her two partners in crime slipped into the back room of the book shop that afternoon.

Everett nodded.

“Yes!” Henry whooped.

“Shh,” Emily and Whitney hissed.

It was all Everett could do to maintain a straight face. He hadn’t had much interaction with kids during his adult life. Not that he felt like he was missing out. Yet, over the past couple of weeks, these three had wormed their way into his afternoons until he looked forward to their grimy faces and silly stories each day.

Emily held out her hand. “Lemme see.” She opened and closed her palm. The eldest McAlister granddaughter was the undisputed ringleader of the trio. The girl would be a force to be reckoned with when she was older.

He pulled the crocheted snowflakes from his bag. All three were unique and crafted by Kitty. She thought it was adorable that he wanted to give them to his “fan club” as she called them. Technically, they weren’t gifts. They were a bribe to keep the kids from interrupting while he worked. They could stay, but only if they were silent.

He held them out of Emily’s reach. “We have a deal?”

“Yes.” She wiggled her fingers again. “We have a deal.”

All three kids nodded solemnly. He almost laughed at their earnestness. He didn’t have huge expectations that this would work. Emily couldn’t help bossing the other two around. And Henry was a wiggle worm who “forgot” he was supposed to be quiet most days. Not that it mattered. West had finished all his research. Now, all he could do was wait.

He handed them each one of the snowflakes. “Here’s my end of the bargain. Now each of you can give your mom a special gift for Christmas.”

“But I have two moms,” Whitney moaned.

“That’s right.” He made a show of patting his pockets before pulling a fourth one from his bag. “Here you go.”

The little girl’s blue-green eyes lit up. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“We need to wrap them so I can put mine under the tree. That way, my mom won’t see it until Christmas,” Henry said.

“I’m way ahead of you.” West pulled out a roll of wrapping paper from behind his chair.

Emily frowned. “But we don’t have scissors. Or tape.”

“In my satchel.” Everett reached for his bag, but Emily beat him to it. No surprise, she was rifling through it before he could stop her. She yanked the scissors and tape from the bag and put them on the table.

He hoped she’d stop her snooping there, but of course she didn’t.

“Hey. What are these?” She pulled out Keeley’s journals. “They are pretty.”

His heart smashed against his chest as he watched her finger the precious books. He reached across the table and grabbed them from her hands. “Those are private,” he said with more force than necessary.

Emily’s blue eyes were instantly shiny, and her bottom lip began to quiver.

“You can’t touch other people’s things without asking, Em,” Whitney chastised Emily before wrapping an arm over the girl’s shoulders. The littlest one was the empath of the group.

“I’m sorry.” Emily’s lip was still wobbling.

Everett felt like a beast. He reached over and gently cupped Emily’s chin.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you. These notebooks are very important,” he explained. “These are very pretty, aren’t they?”

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