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On Christmas Eve, Hunter Knox’s home buzzed with festive energy. The three Knox brothers, each with their own unique personality, engaged in traditional holiday ribbing, much to the amusement of their dad.
I felt so privileged to be part of such an amazing family, and I was thrilled that Millie, Jackson Jr. and Sr., Carter, Maya, Grace, Izzy, and Nina all showed up.
But the clock was ticking on Nate. He was supposed to be here already.
“Alright, alright,” Maya said, watching her husband, Cash, rough-house with Beckett, the oldest Knox brother. Cash’s deep, boisterous laugh got the attention of Hunter, who’d been leaning against the fireplace with a mug of hard eggnog in hand.
I walked over to Hunter and waggled my brows. “Hey there, stranger.”
He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. “How are you doing, you sexy little thing?”
I chuckled and shook my head. “I think you’ve had one too many eggnogs.”
He winked at me. “You wish, but in all seriousness, where is Nate?”
“I don’t know, but Amy is going to be here any second, and I wanted Nate here first.”
As if on cue, the doorbell rang, and Hunter’s mom, who was holding Tate, nodded toward the front door for Cash to go open it.
I rushed over to see Amy standing outside, bundled in a silver coat, holding a tray of appetizers.
“Come in,” I said, nearly pulling her inside.
I glanced at the tray of tortilla roll-ups and smiled. “You know the way to my heart, Amy.”
She grinned as Cash took the tray from her, sliding one of them out to munch on. “And mine, too.”
Amy chuckled as I helped her with her coat. “I really can’t thank you enough for having me over.”
“You are part of the family. Of course.”
“How’s Tate doing?” she asked, scanning the room and finding him in his grandmother’s arms.
“I’d say pretty darn good.”
“There’s a lot of love in this family,” she said softly, and I nodded.
“And the best part is that they don’t mind sharing.” I winked at her.
Her expression lit up as I closed the door behind her and introduced her to the rest of the family.
Hunter’s dad offered her a cranberry fizz, whatever that was, but she happily accepted it as I scanned the time on my phone.
And no message from Nate.
Right when I was about to text him, the door chimed again, and I tried to hide my sloppy grin.
Millie’s eyes locked on mine like a wild cat about to feast on its prey, and I chuckled as I walked to the door to see Nate.
“Thank goodness you’re not dressed like the elf,” I said, teasing.
He took off his cowboy hat and chuckled, still dressed in his uniform. “I’m sorry for being tardy, but I had to deal with a nuisance call.”
My eyes widened. “Give me the deets.”
“Two neighbors quarreling down by the hardware store. Apparently, the one neighbor thought it would be funny to hide the other neighbor’s life-sized Rudolph in his bed.” He shook his head. “While his wife was napping there.”
“Boy, you do have your hands full.”
