Page 63 of Love, Lies and Sleigh Rides
Already Kyah was at the table, bouncing up and down. Tyler grabbed the seat next to her.
“Think you’re going to win this time, eh?” he said, challenging his niece. He winked at Uncle Mason across the table.
Little Kyah flipped her hand. “No competition,” she said with a precocious air. Those who heard the exchange laughed.
Watching his family interact, Kade felt a twinge of nostalgia. It had been a few years since he’d seen this number of people come over for Christmas. It was exactly what he’d missed during his time in the military, the camaraderie among those he loved most. Fallon’s presence added an even sweeter dimension to the festivities.
“Are you guys going to play?” Tim asked as he sat next to Jeannie, who held Della in her lap.
Kade clasped Fallon’s hand. “Count us out for now. We’re going to check on the herd in a little bit.”
Tyler snorted and covered Della’s ears. “That’s code for ‘we’re going to go make out.’”
Beside him, Fallon snickered, though her complexion turned pink. “Let’s stay inside a little longer,” she whispered. “I think I need to warm up by the fire before venturing outside again.”
“Good idea,” he whispered back and gave her hand a squeeze before they left the couch. Pops had lit the woodstove in his study before dinner. It was his favorite place to retire after a meal. For the time being, playing cards took precedence over Pops’s peaceful escape to his study though. It would be private enough in there.
Away from the commotion in the other room, Fallon sank into the love seat next to him. He pulled the alpaca wool throw around their shoulders and they enjoyed the quiet and the fire licking the glass window of the stove. The heat, the lights of the Christmas tree in the corner, and Fallon’s soft form made him wish this night could last a lot longer than it would.
“You have the best family,” she said softly as she stared at the fire.
“They think you’re pretty fantastic too.”
There was a hint of a smile on her face as she snuggled closer to him.
“Thanks for inviting me,” she said.
Kade could see the firelight in her eyes. A good number of tomorrows too. That is, if she felt the same way. He lifted her chin a little so their lips almost touched.
“Thankyoufor coming.”
Her hand caressed the front of his shirt, his shoulder and wound its way into the hair near his neck before she slowly pulled him into a kiss.
He held his breath and luxuriated in the sensation of her nearness, the velvet softness of her lips, and that heady combination of mint and lavender and another floral scent he couldn’t name but together it raised the hair on his arms when she was close.
And was she close.
Stars winked in his peripheral vision when he closed his eyes. He was still holding his breath.
“Are you all right?” Fallon asked when he pulled away.
He chuckled. “You have no idea how right I am.”
The doorbell rang.
Elaine peeked into the study at him and Fallon on her way to answer the door, but Kade heard the front door open before she made it there.
“Hope we’re not too late for dessert!” Bart’s throaty voice carried throughout the house.
He leaned into Fallon. “You remember Bart, right?”
“How can I forget? The man makes quite an impression.”
A few seconds later, Bart spotted him in the study. He held a pink pie box from Debi’s Donuts in one hand and his toddler son in the other arm.
“What are you hiding out in there for? The party’s out here,” Bart teased. Behind him, his wife held their newborn son. His office assistant Sara and her baby had come with them too.
Kade crossed a foot over his knee. “Just trying to get a little quiet time.”
