Page 76 of His Christmas Wife

Then he pulled up in front of a magnificent, white, three-story Queen Anne home with multiple galleries and ornate stained-glass windows.

Especially since she’d seen pictures online, the home shouldn’t shock her or leave her in awe, but it did.

Even the magnificent photography couldn’t capture the estate’s grandeur. The landscaping was beautiful, and an oak tree out front was decorated with twinkling white lights while garland and red ribbons were wrapped around the white fencing, along with every post and rail. She could only imagine it had taken an entire crew a couple of days to make the surroundings so festive.

“Did your mom grow up here?” Kaylee had never been invited into this kind of home before, and if it wasn’t for Frost, it wouldn’t have happened in this lifetime.

“Yes, and my grandmother also.”

She couldn’t conceive of that kind of history. Once again, the differences between her and Frost stood in stark and real contrast.

“Are your grandparents the original owners?”

“Actually we’ve had it a generation longer than that. Evidently my great-grandfather extended a personal loan to a friend who used the home as collateral. When he defaulted, my great-grandfather got the deed, but I understand the house was in shambles. Once he’d brought it back to its original glory, he proposed to my great-grandmother. They were together almost forty years.”

So maybe it was good that it ended up in his family’s hands.

“He named it the Magnolia Manor. There are a number of trees in the backyard, some that he supposedly planted. In late spring, early summer, they’re spectacular. She hosts a barbecue every year when they’re in bloom. You’d enjoy it.”

She attempted a smile. After today, the closest she’d get to this home was a walking tour of the neighborhood. “It’s a jewel.”

“It is. But the upkeep is significant as well. Mason Sullivan’s company did a second complete restoration on the property about three years ago.”

No doubt Master Mason was also a Titan? How deep were the connections between the city’s wealthy elites?

“Are you ready?”

Am I?“I’ll be honest; I’m a little nervous.”

“Don’t be.” He shot her a wolfish grin. “Unlike me, she doesn’t bite.”

Warmth spilled through her. “That doesn’t reassure me.”

“My darling Kaylee, it wasn’t meant to.” Dropping the conversation and grabbing the gift he’d picked up for his grandmother yesterday at the spa, he jogged around the hood to open her car door.

For a moment, she debated whether to actually take the candle inside. It seemed insignificant compared to the splendor in front of her.

Finally, with a sigh, she reached for the present. She was who she was, no apologies. And after all, this was all Frost’s idea. If he wanted someone who understood the rules of his game, he should have chosen a woman from his own social circle.

He offered his hand, and she accepted.

Instead of letting her go, he continued to draw her toward him. Then, when they were against each other, he cupped one of her shoulders. “Gran will adore you. I promise you.”

Then gently he moved one hand into her hair and tugged back on her head.

Evidently uncaring that anyone may be watching, he claimed her lips.

If he’d been forceful, she might have been able to deny him. Instead he was tender and reassuring, revealing a side of him she hadn’t seen before, and she couldn’t help but respond.

“Better?” he asked when he ended the kiss.

She wasn’t sure about that, but she certainly was no longer thinking about his grandmother. “Yes,” she whispered.

He traced her lips. No doubt her lipstick was smudged, but she was past caring.

The sounds of excited barks and yips rent the air, bringing her back to the present.

“Grandmother’s pack.”

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