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Holly expected the need for privacy would occur more frequently as Emme and Wren got closer to their teenage years. It certainly had for Holly and her older sister Kit.
Once she heard the water running in the shower, Holly went in search of Chace to inform him the girls already had a plan to get and decorate a Christmas tree for the following day. Hopefully, Holly could talk him into siding with her on waiting another week.
Or even two.
Maybe even scrub the entire idea altogether.
It wasn’t that Holly didn’t want a Christmas tree. She did. Just not a live one with needles dropping all over everywhere. Or she’d need to remember to water it so it didn’t dry out and become more of a fire hazard than it already was.
That’s why Holly put up a small artificial tree each year. Less mess. Less hassle. Less dangerous. And less likely to initiate a lecture on fire safety from her firefighter baby brother Nick.
Holly entered the family room with her talking points ready to sway Chace to her side of the Christmas tree debate only to find him sound asleep on the couch. Her heart hitched a little at the sight.
Holly used to love watching Chace sleep. Sometimes, she would lightly trace the thickening stubble shadowing the hard line of his jaw. Other times, she would count his chest's slow rise and fall with every breath he took. Mostly, she just admired how ridiculously handsome he was and thanked her lucky stars to have him in her life.
One time he’d told her he knew she studied him while he slept. Whether he did or not, Holly had no idea. He’d never opened his eyes or confronted her. Not that it would have stopped her if he had.
Even eight years later, Holly found it nearly impossible to tear her eyes away from him. The attraction between them was still that freaking strong. But she couldn’t risk Chace waking up to find her staring at him with her hands stuffed into the front pockets of her jeans to keep from touching him.
Turning, Holly forced herself to move, returning to the girls’ bedroom to prevent them from barreling down the stairs and waking Chace up. A few minutes later, they emerged from the bathroom wearing wooly pajamas and slippers.
“Did you talk to Uncle Chace?” Wren inquired.
Holly shook her head. “He’s asleep.”
Emme wrinkled her nose. “Asleep? But he’s a grownup, and it’s not even nine o’clock.”
“He’s probably jet-lagged from the time difference between here and Cairo, not to mention the long flight and the drive to Hickory Ridge.”
“The airport isn’t that far from here,” Wren disputed.
“It is after a twelve-hour flight.”
“I guess,” she replied in resignation. A second later her eyes lit up. “Do you think he’ll wake up before we go to bed?”
“I have no idea about that, but I do know we aren’t gonna wake him up.”
“Oh-kay,” Emme drew the word out, and both their little shoulders slumped in disappointment.
That lasted all of about three seconds.
They plopped on the bottom bunk and bounced as if they had some kind of internal combustion system revving them up. “Can we go ahead and bring the Christmas decorations down from the attic?” This from Wren.
“Not tonight.”
Both bottom lips poked out. “Why not?”
“Because your uncle is asleep, and I’m not climbing up there by myself.”
“We can do it.”
“Nobody’s doing it,” Holly replied firmly. “Not tonight, anyway.”
Emme pursed her lips together. “You’re no fun.”
Holly arched her right brow. “Oh really? So, does that mean you didn’t have any fun at the Christmas festival we took you to earlier today? Because I could have sworn you did.”
Chagrined, they lowered their gazes. “We did,” they confessed in whisper-soft voices.
