Page 22 of Christmas with the Denton Billionaires

When Amelia got a text from her mom suggesting they both come to the house for dinner, Josh was more than ready for the family time. “Let’s just try to keep talk about wedding stuff to a minimum,” Amelia was saying as she pulled on leggings. “I hate lying, but even more with specific information. It’ll be too easy for things to blow up in our faces.”

“Deal.” He couldn’t keep his eyes off the curve of her ass as she checked herself out in the mirror. He gave a low whistle.

“Yeah? You like what you see?” she teased, reaching for an oversized gray sweater. Once it was settled around her, perfectly slouchy but still revealing her curves, she worked on pulling her hair into a low bun. “Gonna have to keep it in your pants for a few hours, stud. My parents won’t take kindly to us fucking in the bathroom like teenagers.”

“Did you fuck in your parents’ bathroom when you were a teenager?” he asked.

She faltered. “Well…no…”

“How about this: I’ll wait to fuck you when we get back to the room. Deal?”

She snorted, wobbling where she stood. “Yeah. Deal.”

He pressed a kiss to her cheek as he breezed past, reaching for his coat. Yes, things wereverycozy. And he liked it more than he could even describe.

They called for a rideshare to take them to her parents’ house, since they both planned on drinking there. It wasn’t more than a ten-minute ride, though, just like practically all of Cedar Grove, everything was close by. Her parents had a secluded house out on a country road, flanked by woods on one side and an apple orchard on the other.

When they got out of the car, Amelia’s mother was already hanging out the front door, urging them in. “Come on! Hurry up, lovebirds! Dinner’s ready!”

Josh laughed while Amelia groaned. “She’s alwayshurrying me,” she complained with a grin tugging at her lips.

“Finally I get to see the family dynamics that shaped you into the woman you are today,” Josh said.

“I wish it were more interesting than it really is,” she remarked.

Inside the house, a flurry of hugs and chatter greeted them. Rob and Rebecca were there, while Elise ran around underfoot. Amelia’s mom immediately led Josh toward the platter of meats, where she carefully explained all of his options.

“The lamb is over here,” she said in a low voice, lifting up some slices with a knife. “But I have ham too, because I don’t know how you feel about lamb.”

“Whatever you made is fine by me,” Josh said, fighting a grin.

“She’s very attentive to people’s meat options,” Amelia said behind them. Once they shucked their coats, she squeezed Josh’s side as she headed for the dining room table. Two empty seats remained on the far side of the table, which Amelia’s father indicated were for “the lovebirds.”

The whole thing was so unlike his childhood experience, which had always involved nannies and someone running late. His parents ran empires, and while the love was there, the physical presence had sometimes been lacking with the exception of the time they spent at Cedar Grove.

Amelia’s house burst with warmth. With genuine interest and presence and it was clear this was a regular occurrence.

As the dinner began and everyone got to talking and eating, it became hard not to fall in love with everyone and everything. Red wine flowed as conversation easily shifted from sports teams to jokes to casual work talk. Once dessert was brought out, Amelia’s father leaned in close to Josh.

“Hey,” he said, in a conspiratorial whisper. “Want to see some of Amelia’s high school pictures?”

Amelia snorted. “Dad, I can hear you!”

Her mother squealed, leaping up from the table. “I’ll get them right now!”

Rob rolled his eyes, but a grin tugged at his lips. “I think theylivefor this moment.”

“Yeah, and with this one, we barely get the chance to embarrass her,” her dad complained jovially.

“Are you trying to say that I never have boyfriends?” Amelia asked in mock injury.

“Yes, dear, he is,” her mother confirmed, returning with a stack of books and what looked like a pile of photos on top. “Now, Joshua, I have all the damning evidence anyone could ask for, so I hope you have a few hours available.”

“I have days available for something like this. Weeks, even. Oh, but wait. I do have to ask. Are there any pics of Amelia playing the angel in the nativity play?”

Her mom smiled broadly. “I do believe there’s a few in the albums and I’m sure there’s video if you want to see more.”

Amelia groaned. “Pretty sure I feel a stomachache coming on. Maybe we should go.”

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