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“That would be amazing.”
It didn’t take much to impress kids, not at Addy’s age. But I had to admit, the farm was magical. With the lights at night, it would be even more so. I never imagined that the man who worked landscaping around our neighborhood lived on a Christmas tree farm. “Can you imagine growing up here?”
“I’d run through the trees all day,” Addy said wistfully.
“What did you think about him and his brothers decorating one of the live trees?”
“I’d decorate them all,” she said, gazing out the window.
I smiled. “I guess it’s good you don’t live there, then. We’d run out of decorations.”
“Just buy more,” Addy said, like it was no big deal.
I tried to keep worries about finances from her. But the reality was, I was a single mom. Even with Gary’s checks, I had to be careful about how I spent our money. I wished things were as easy as she thought.
When I was alone at night, I longed for companionship. Someone to share my hopes and dreams with. I’d resigned myself to raising Addy alone and assumed most men weren’t interested in the baggage that comes with being a single mom. But Knox made me wonder if there were guys out there who would be interested in me and my daughter.
We stopped at the store on the way home and bought enough baking ingredients to make several batches of cookies. I wanted to show Knox how appreciative I was that he spent his morning with us when he could have been drinking his coffee alone on his deck, or even going for a hike.
He’d thought it was important for us to have a tree of our own, and I was forever grateful he’d shown us his farm. We played holiday music in the background as we baked.
“I can’t wait for Knox to come. Then we can decorate the tree and eat cookies.”
“I think you’re eating plenty of cookies now.” I pointed at the empty spots where cookies had been.
“I’ve only had a few,” Addy insisted.
“Uh-huh.” I was sure she’d snagged more when I went to the bathroom earlier. When they were cool, I placed them in tins. We managed to make gingerbread and sugar cookies. In the afternoon, we decorated them with white icing and red and green sprinkles.
We made a mess, but it was so much fun. I couldn’t remember the last time I baked cookies for the holidays. I was usually so tired on the weekends that we just went to the playground or watched movies on the couch. It was normally a low-key day. I never had something like Knox to look forward to at the end of the night.
Today we created memories I knew I’d hold on to for the rest of my life. Even if nothing came from it.
Chapter 4
Knox
A Saturday had never flown by so quickly, and I think it had everything to do with my impending date to set up Sarah and Addy’s Christmas tree. I wanted to see the looks on their faces when the tree was draped with twinkling lights.
Mom insisted I take some fresh-cut garland in case they wanted to decorate a mantle or a railing. I loved that she wanted to make them happy, too.
When I pulled into their driveway, the lights we’d hung on the porch were shining brightly. I unhooked the tree from the truck and carried it to the porch, where I leaned it against the siding.
The door opened before I could ring the bell, and Addy stood in the doorway. “You’re here.”
Sarah appeared behind her in dark jeans and a hunter-green sweater. “Addy, you’re not supposed to answer the door when you don’t know who it is.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know who it is. It’s Knox.”
I moved closer, my lips twitching at her cuteness. “Listen to your mother.”
“Can we put up the tree now?” Addy asked me.
The smell of cookies wafted outside, and my stomach rumbled.
“Have you eaten?” Sarah asked me.
“Mom brought me a sandwich this afternoon. I can’t remember when, though.” On days like today, the hours blurred together, and I had no sense of time.
