AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Surprisingly, Milly, Lily and Peanuts followed behind, cozying up on the edge of the bed. Obviously, they weren’t ready to cuddle up with him just yet, but they were definitely going to keep an eye on him for sure since he’d just stolen their bed.
“Is it my imagination, or did that go as well as I think it did?” Lex asked.
Gabe smiled. “It’s not your imagination. I didn’t expect their meeting to go half as well as it just did.”
A few minutes later, Lucy walked into the solarium, looking in astonishment at the scene in the corner. “It looks like I missed all the excitement.”
Gabe reached for her hand, tugging her into his arms and kissing her quickly on the lips.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of excitement. I’m not sure but I think it was lust at first sight,” he growled, continuing to hold her tight.
“Promises, promises,” Lucy muttered, wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissing him again, this time more passionately.
“Please, dear. Not in front of the children,” Gabe said dryly once they finally surfaced for air.
Lex blinked, looking uncertainly at Izzy first and then at Amy, who were both smiling widely. Apparently, this was nothing unusual.
“They’ve been on their best behavior for the last few months since you and Zane and Caleb have been around,” Amy admitted.
“I guess they’re finally adapting to the new normal and feeling more comfortable exhibiting their affection in front of their newly extended family,” Izzy agreed.
Gabe and Lucy both rolled their eyes, laughing.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lex really didn’t know how Gabe and Lucy were able to keep up with everything they were doing. Cooking, cleaning, working—their lives were nonstop. Strangely, it seemed like work energized them. Occasionally, everyone sat down and watched a movie together, or went out for dinner. Most evenings, everyone ate dinner at the same time. There was also a weekly family meeting.
Sometime after Lex, Zane and Caleb had arrived, a large dry-erase board had been hung in the conservatory with a chore list for everyone. Each of them was doing some cleaning here and there, along with laundry, and Lex was even learning how to cook a few things. It was easy heating things up or making quick dinners in the microwave when Lucy and Gabe were either held up at the winery or at school.
Another board had been set up for everyone to write down where they were going to be throughout the day, since even Izzy went off on her own to visit friends somedays. Lex would work irregular hours at the airport because he was trying to avoid inconveniencing Gabe or Harry by always having one of them drop him off or pick him up. There was a community bus that stopped at the winery during the week, so whenever Lex was able, he’d take the bus back and forth. In the summer, he might even be able to ride a bike if he could finally learn how.
Even Zane and Caleb had ridden one, so it somehow made Lex feel lacking that he’d apparently never learned. But instead of letting him feel sorry for himself, Harry, Izzy and Amy encouraged him. He was still bumbling along, but he was finally getting the hang of it before the weather started to get bad.
Brownie was fitting in great. During the day, he’d keep an eye on the property or keep the other dogs company. When Lex was around, Brownie was always with him. Lex had been surprised when Lucy and Gabe had allowed him to sleep with him in his room at night. Most nights, Brownie slept with him on his bed instead of his pillow on the floor. He was sure a snuggler, but that’s what made Lex love him even more.
Christmas with the Giardanos was an experience that Lex would never forget. There was an entire month of preparation, decorating the house, both inside and out as well as the winery and surrounding property.
Their excitement was infectious, especially Amy’s. And when they all gathered to go cut down some trees at the Christmas tree farm, Lex was the one who went running through the trees at the farm to keep an eye on her so she wouldn’t get lost.
He was wearing his new boots and winter coat and gloves that were apparently a gift from Jake and Danielle Loughlin, who’d sent them over for Caleb and Zane as well, even though he was still on tour with Eve and her band. He’d become a sensation, and Danny was already lining up dates for Zane to perform after Christmas. The entire family had gone to see Zane when he’d performed at an outdoor concert at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn, and then Lex had been able to attend a concert with Harry and some friends, who’d traveled with him to Madison in mid-October.
Zane would be home in time to perform at a holiday charity concert here in town a few days before Christmas, and Lex was looking forward to spending some time with him again.
“Amy?” Lex called out. “Where are you?”
“Over here, Lex. I found the prettiest tree for the living room,” she answered excitedly.
Lex finally found her standing before the most perfectly shaped tree that Lex had ever seen. “It’s so perfect, it looks fake,” Lex agreed. “It’s kind of big for the living room, isn’t it?”
“There are really tall ceilings in there. I don’t know if you noticed. It’s actually taller than the solarium. Mom and Dad like to look for the solarium tree because it has to be kind of narrow since we use it as our family room, and we’ve got so much stuff in there. I think they’re going with artificial at the winery.”
“Let’s give Mom and Dad a call,” Lex said absentmindedly as he tugged his new phone from his pocket. “I finally got the knack of using this thing. It was harder at first when I couldn’t really read as well.”
Lex looked up when Amy remained silent, a look of wonder on her face.
“What?” Lex asked, puzzled.
“You called them Mom and Dad,” Amy confessed, smiling widely.
