AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Knox!” Addy yelled, as she hopped from the steps into my arms. I tucked my chin into her neck, loving her exuberance. “I’m going to invite you over every day if this is my greeting.”
“Yes,” Addy said, as she wiggled down a second later.
Addy pressed her hands together as if she was praying. “Can we go inside? I want to see the tree. Do you have a fireplace? Santa can’t come if you don’t have one.”
“Luckily, I have a fireplace.”
“Addy, give him a minute to answer your questions before you ask another one,” Sarah chided.
“I don’t mind.” I reached for Sarah and pulled her into my side, kissing her temple. “It’s good to see you, too.”
I kept the interaction brief, not wanting to concern Addy with our relationship. There was something about inviting these two into my space, where I’d lived alone for years. It felt right, almost as if they belonged here.
Chapter 11
Sarah
The front porch was large and wrapped around the side of the house. Knox unlocked the door, allowing us to precede him inside. The interior was open and airy, with wood beams on the ceiling and stonework on the fireplace. It looked rustic, yet still warm and inviting. The cabin fit with the wooded property.
The kitchen was traditional, boasting wood cabinets and a large island with white countertops, overlooking a sunken great room. There was a study, with a natural wood desk and black leather chair to my right, where a tree stood in the front window. A large staircase curled to the left, separating the kitchen and great room from the office.
“This place is amazing.”
Addy ran from the tree in the front room to the one in the great room. “There are two trees.”
“You normally have two trees?” I asked, my heart thudding in my chest.
Knox’s lips twitched, and he lowered his voice. “I don’t usually put up a tree. But please, don’t tell Addy.”
Something about his request struck me square in the chest. “Don’t worry. I won’t. Is there a reason why you did this year?”
“I wanted an excuse to invite you over.” Knox smiled at me as if we shared a secret, then he joined Addy in the sunken great room. “I always have lights on the deck.”
He turned on the lights outside, and I was immediately drawn to the wide deck that spanned the length of the house, where there was nothing but trees.
“It’s like living in a treehouse,” Addy said, her voice full of wonder.
This deck was the one I’d been imagining for my dream house. When I thought about where I wanted to live, there was always a deck backing up to the woods. I imagined drinking coffee out there in the morning, working during the day, and eating dinner with my family in the evening. Knox’s cabin was so close to my actual dream house that I was having trouble drawing a deep breath.
Knox returned to me. “Are you okay?”
I pasted a smile on my face. “I was just admiring your deck.”
“You have to be on it to get the full effect.” He opened the French doors and gestured for me to follow him. Addy squeezed between us and darted onto the planks. The entire deck was open, with a grill and a table on one side and large couches with cushions on the other.
“If I lived here, I’d spend most of my time out here.” The deck was private.
“I do when I’m home. I drink my coffee here and then relax at night. I don’t watch much television.”
“Why would you when this is your view?” The lights gave it a warmer quality.
Addy had stopped running on the deck and stood expectedly in front of us.
“Are you ready to decorate a tree?” Knox asked, probably sensing Addy’s growing boredom with the deck.
“Do you have decorations? We brought some for you.”
“My mom stocked me with the basics, but what did you bring?”
