Page 53 of A Christmas Changes Everything

“Brush our teeth.”

Holly cocked a brow. “And?”

“Wipe up any water that gets on the floors,” Emme answered.

“And hang our towels on the hooks,” Wren added.

“Exactly,” Holly replied with a wink.

“After that, Uncle Chace will read usonebedtime story,” Emme lifted one finger in the air, “and tuck us into bed.”

“You got it. Now get busy.”

Brushing past him, Holly exited the bathroom through the door leading into the hallway. Since he hadn’t received any further instructions, Chace followed her out. “How’d you know?” he asked, impressed by everything he’d just witnessed.

“Know what?”

“That I was in deep shit up here.”

Holly chuckled, the gesture lighting her eyes and spearing him right in the gut. “After grading five essays and not hearing any bathwater running, I suspected you might have fallen victim to their manipulative ploys of prolonging bedtime.”

“Were those suspicions a result of firsthand experience?”

“Let’s suffice it to say this isn’t my first getting-our-goddaughters-ready-for-bed rodeo.”

No, Chace doubted it was. From what Lyss had shared with him, since Sean’s deployment, Holly often helped with Emme and Wren. A helluva lot more than he did. That was for damn sure. “You handled them like a pro.”

“Well, I have a lot of daily practice with their teenage counterparts. Besides, kids of all ages are gonna test the waters and push the limits. The key is to establish boundaries, set expectations, and stick to them.”

Sounded a lot like his military training.

“Uncle Chace! We’re done!”

“Sounds like you’re up.” She looked him in the eye. “Just remember—onebedtime story, tuck them in, and lights out,” she restated his objective.

“Any chance I can talk you into tag-teaming it with me?”

Smiling, Holly shook her head and patted his cheek. “Nah. You’ve got this.”

Chace sure as hell hoped so, but one thing was for certain—he would never again wonder how hard anything could be where his nieces were concerned.

Or with the woman who seemed a little too eager to throw him into the seven-year-old lion’s den.

* * *

Holly had just gottenherself settled on the sofa to grade a few more essays when her phone vibrated. A quick glance at the screen indicated her sister was calling. While she wanted to let the call go to voicemail, she also didn’t want to risk having Kit or any other family members show up on the doorstep in a few minutes.

Guess that meant she needed to answer. Reluctantly, Holly accepted the call and brought the phone to her ear. “Hey.”

“Glad you decided to answer, since I’m already in my jammies and really didn’t want to get dressed and haul my ass all the way over to Lyss’s.”

Precisely the reason Holly had decided not to let the call go to voicemail.

“How are things going?”

“The same as they were last time we talked.”

“That’s not what I’ve been hearing.”

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