Page 43 of Last Chance Seduction
“Good,” he said, letting out a relieved breath.“Well let’s get this inside, and I have a few things for you to decorate it with, I wasn’t sure what you wanted to do with it.”
This time the uneasiness in his tone outweighed the happiness, and I went to my tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
“I have a few things, but let’s look at what you have.Starting new traditions is good.”
“Yeah, it is.”
And I took a step back before I did something silly like kiss him again in front of his family.
“Okay, how can I help?”
“We’ve got this,” Dash said, and I hadn’t even realized the other man was there.He just winked at me, playful as always, and the two of them wrestled the tree into my house.Eliza went down on her knees, crawling underneath it to make sure it was settled, despite all of our protests.
“Dad is going to kill me if he sees you there, taking care of things with me not helping.”
“I’m an adult, I can handle it,” Eliza said.
“Why the hell are you letting your mother do the hard work?”Beckett Montgomery said, and I jumped.
“Sorry about that,” Beckett said as he grinned.“The door was ajar, and nobody heard me knock.”
“Oh, it’s okay.Come on in, Mr.Montgomery.”
“Call me Beckett.”He gave me a tight hug and kissed the top of my head.
“It’s good to see you home, Mercy.”
I met Lex’s gaze, and he just winked at me.Then I rolled my eyes and got to work on decorating.
When Silas joined in, the four Montgomerys of their tiny branch laughed together, as if them standing in my home trying to make my house full of joy was a usual thing.Brooklyn had left soon after dropping us off, because she did have work to do and I didn’t feel out of place.Even in my own home.Silas carried Mr.Darcy around, surprising me, and I just looked at the family of four and how tight knit they were.
No, the boys didn’t look like their parents since they had been adopted when they had been babies, but they still had the same Montgomery mannerisms, and I knew that they had always felt like Montgomerys by blood.
Just like this family was trying to make sure that I wasn’t alone for the holidays.
My heart clutched, and when I tried to lean back into the wall, I realized it wasn’t a wall, instead it was Lex himself.I sighed, letting myself relax against him as he squeezed my hip.
“You like the holidays yet?”he whispered.
“A new kind of holiday.But yes.”
So I settled in and watched how his family drew me to them.
Even as I had no idea what to do with the man currently holding me close.
ChapterTen
Mercy
The next day, after working for four hours when I probably should have been cleaning my house or trying to relax, I stood in my bedroom, hands on hips, partially dressed, wondering what the hell I was going to wear later.Brooklyn would be over any moment to pick me up, and somehow I would have to look presentable.
And by any moment, I meant an hour away from now, but it didn’t give me a lot of time to get ready.My hair was already done, my makeup partially done, I just needed to figure out what lipstick to wear, and I would settle on my jewelry once I had my outfit.
Seriously though, I had no idea what to do for a girls’ night out.
It’s not like I was used to girls’ nights out.I hadn’t done them since Emily had been alive.I put my hand on my stomach, letting out a breath.
“Em, babe, you were so much better at this,” I whispered.And it was true.My sister was great with people.She had been a little quieter than me, but always fit in everywhere she went.She made people happy.I was usually the more outgoing one, or at least I had been before, well, everything had changed.So, with the two of us together, we always found the perfect middle.Only now it was me alone.Trying to find a way to settle down and be normal.Not that anything felt normal these days.
