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Brand picked up his daughter and swung her in a circle.“Youwill put it there.”
The next few hours flowed by. While he worked on the lights for the tree and trimmed the upper boughs, Mia helped Toni put decorations around the living room and trimmed the lower boughs. They spent the most time on the crèche scene on the mantlepiece over the fireplace. If his daughter repositioned the baby Jesus once, she did it a hundred times.
“Can I take baby Jesus to my bedroom?” she pleaded.
“What sort of crèche scene would it be without the manger? How about this… How about we get you your very own crèche scene for your bedroom. Would you like that?”
She jumped up and down, barely favoring her bad leg. “Yes, yes. I’d like it very much.”
“I saw the perfect one at a store near the pier. Let’s pick it up tomorrow. What do you say?”
“I say yes!”
“I have some shopping to do, too,” Mia said. “Maybe we can all go and then have lunch at one of the restaurants along the bay.”
For an instant, the old Toni made a reappearance, annoyance flashing through her gaze and her jaw jutting out. But to Brand’s relief, the promise of an outing won her over in theend.
The final tree decoration emerged from the box, the Christmas star. Lifting his daughter high in the air, he let her place it on top of the tree. After setting her down, he connected the electric cord from the star to the string of lights.
“Our guiding light,” Brand murmured. He always found this a bittersweet moment, one he wished with all his heart his mother was still a partof.
As though sensing his thoughts, Mia came beside him and slid an arm around his waist. “She’s with you in spirit. And I guarantee she wants you to be joyful, not sad.”
He pulled his wife close and kissed her. “Thank you,” he said simply.
She smiled up at him and for that brief moment he saw a future filled with the joy she’d wished for him. Afuture he shared with Mia. Afamily unit of three. Alife filled with love and laughter and forever after.
If only that were possible came his initial thought, followed by another …whynot?
Chapter9
The next morning,he had to practically drag his wife and daughter out of their respective beds. Though Toni revived fairly quickly, Mia required several cups of coffee before coming to. It would seem the intensity of their nighttime activities had finally caught up withher.
“Are you going to be okay to go shopping?” he asked softly. “We’ll understand if you’d like a quiet morning at home.”
“Tempting,” she admitted, still nursing a final cup of coffee at the breakfast table. “But considering how close it is to Christmas, Ireally do have some urgent shopping. Plus, I’m looking forward to some fresh fish at lunch.”
“Fair enough. Ican always run you home if you wear out. I’ve noticed you’re limping a bit more frequently.”
She dismissed his observation with a wave of her hand. “I’m on my feet more than usual, Iguess. And Toni and I have been doing exercises together. She isn’t as resistant to working with me on them, anymore. Ithink it helps that there are two of us. I’m sure she’ll be willing to return to physical therapy after the holidays.”
“Thank you for following through with her. You’ve made a huge difference in her life.”
He leaned down and snatched a quick kiss. Then unable to resist, took another deeper one. In response, she stood and stepped into his arms, her hands linking behind his neck. His name whispered from her lips. Soft. Needy. Imperative.
Brand struggled to remember the temporary nature of their relationship. He didn’t want to remember, not when the “now” held him enthralled. Their nights together had become filled with burning urgency, their lovemaking a driving frenzy of irresistible desire. He couldn’t get enough of her and based on her response, she felt the same. Even the early days with Carina didn’t come close to the time he spent withMia.
Even out of bed, he couldn’t be apart from her for too long. And for the first time the desire for permanency called ever so softly, offering a possibility he’d rejected out of hand only a few short weeks ago. But now…
Now the idea of temporary felt wrong.
He attempted to end the kiss three different times before succeeding. To his amusement, Mia swayed on her feet and clutched his shirt for support. She kept her eyes closed and her face upturned. “If we don’t go now, we’ll end up spending the day in bed,” he warned.
She moistened her lips. “I can live with that.”
“So could I. But I suspect Toni can’t.”
Her eyes opened in alarm. “Oh, no. Itotally forgot. I’m so sorry.”
