Page 8 of All I Want for Christmas

I didn’t respond, because while I suspected he was right, I was still racked with guilt.

“Hey,” Joe said, stroking the back of my hand. “I didn’t mean to dredge this up. I was just feeling overwhelmed with gratitude.” Leaning closer, he pressed a gentle kiss on my lips. “I’m a very happy man, Rose.”

A wry smile twisted my lips. “At Ned’s X-mas Tree Farmpozium? That’s a very sad statement, Joe Simmons. It’s a far cry from the Simmons family’s fancy Christmases.”

He made a face. “Don’t remind me. And besides, there’s no Simmons money left after the FBI took it all, not that I wanted a penny. I was glad to be done with it.” After his father’s death nearly two years ago, the FBI had raided the Simmonses’ house in El Dorado and his mother had been tossed out penniless. Joe had told her he was done with her and their messed-up family, and she’d moved in with her elderly parents who weren’t people of means.

A loud bang hit the passenger window next to me. I jerked in surprise and turned around to see Neely Kate rapping on the window.

“You all can make goo-goo eyes at each other when you get home,” she said through the glass. “We’re burnin’ daylight.”

I gave Joe a grin. “Let’s make this the best Christmas tree cutting excursion ever.”

“As long as it doesn’t resemble the scene from Chevy Chase’sChristmas Vacation, I’m good.”

We got out and Joe leaned into the backseat to unstrap Hope from her car seat.

“What were y’all talkin’ about?” Neely Kate asked, bouncing Daisy on her hip. Daisy was wearing a red and black flannel dress with black tights, and a red and black hat on her head, covering her wispy blond hair. The collar of the dress and the brim of the hat were bedazzled with silver gems. Neely Kate’s outfit matched Daisy’s. I would have looked ridiculous if I’d worn it, but Neely Kate pulled it off beautifully. She and Daisy looked like they belonged in a Hallmark movie.

Before I could answer, she looked me up and down and made a face of disapproval. “Is that what you’re wearin’?”

I glanced down at my lightweight Christmas sweater and jeans. “I didn’t know there was a dress code.”

“We’re gonna get pictures.”

“We can take pictures, Neely Kate,” Joe said as he lifted Hope out of the car. “We followed the theme and wore Christmas clothes.” He pointed to his long-sleeved black T-shirt that had a Santa leaning back and laughing while holding his hand against his belly. Minions dressed as elves surrounded him.

Neely Kate sent him a scowl. “That’s a T-shirt withMinions.”

Joe shrugged. “Hope likes it.” His gaze dropped to her face. “Don’t you, baby girl?”

She babbled in response and waved her pudgy fists.

“Your family is the one getting photos, Neely Kate,” I reminded her. “Not us.”

“You don’t want a family photo?” she asked with a frown.

“We had professional photos taken before Thanksgiving to send out with our Christmas cards.” Mike’s parents had been furious when they found out we’d included Ashley and Mikey in the photo session, then they were even more furious when they realized we’d sent them out in our cards. I’d considered just sending a photo of me, Joe, and Hope, but they were part of our family, whether Mike’s parents liked it or not. Besides, Ashley had been so excited about signing her name in the cards, there was no way I was telling her she wasn’t included.

“You can’t have too many Christmas photos,” Neely Kate protested. “Besides, I thought we could all get photos together.”

“We’ll take photos with you if you want. We’ll make y’all look good.”

Joe laughed as Jed walked up, carrying a band saw and an ax. He was wearing jeans and a red and black flannel shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to expose his forearms. “Ned says the biggest trees are out on the far south side.”

“How tall are we talkin’?” Joe asked as he opened the tailgate with one hand while holding Hope on his hip. “Seems like those trees can’t be more than five feet.”

“I want a big one,” Neely Kate said. “I want it to touch the ceiling.”

Jed laughed. “I know. You’ve told me about ten times today.”

“If you want a seven-foot tree,” Joe said, “I think you came to the wrong place.”

I walked around and took the baby from Joe so he could get the stroller out of the back.

“Don’t worry,” Jed said. “Maybe we can put it on a box,”

Neely Kate glanced around the parking lot. “I wish there was snow.”

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