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Myles nodded. "I'll give it some more thought. Thank you."
"What are your Christmas Eve and Christmas plans?"
Myles tucked his thumbs into his front pockets. "We're going to her parents this afternoon for lunch. Then her parents are leaving town to spend Christmas with her brother. So, we'll be here tomorrow with the whole gang."
Tate nodded. "Sounds good. Have a great day today and I'll see you tomorrow. I have a meeting with Rafe in a few and then I'm hoping I'll be able to set work aside for the holidays."
Myles laughed. "Good luck with that."
He watched his friend leave the room and then decided to finish the project he'd started for Shianne. It was her Christmas gift from him.
He packed a few items of clothing from his room. Striding through the HOG to the garage, he tossed his duffel in the back seat and climbed into his truck. He backed out and drove down the road to the boutique. He was nearly finished with her Christmas gift. Then, he'd drive out to her parents’ house, where Shianne was now, cooking and baking with her mom.
* * *
Myles finished his Christmas gift to Shianne and climbed into his truck. It was a weird first Christmas gift to give, but he had precious little time to shop, and he couldn't think of a thing to get her that would be better for her than this. That's what he told himself anyway.
He drove up the curvy driveway to the Brown's home, just outside of Glen Hollow. They had a picturesque cattle farm on one hundred and twenty acres. Her father worked hard keeping the farm in top-notch condition and it showed.
There wasn't any snow this year, but the weather had certainly cooled off. The temperatures hovered in the mid to high forties each day and dipped into the twenties at night. That made it perfect weather for snuggling in bed. Something that just a few months ago, he'd have bet anyone a million dollars he didn't do. He did now. Good thing there wasn't anyone to bet with.
As he strode to the front door, it opened and Shianne's father, Troy Brown, stepped out onto the large wraparound porch.
"Nice to see you, Myles." He held his hand out and Myles shook it readily. They'd had many conversations over the past few days. It didn't hurt that Troy and Klaire Brown were grateful he'd saved Shianne from Dieter and company. Myles was grateful it all went as good as it did too.
"Nice to see you too."
Troy slapped him on the back a couple of times. "Come on in. I'll get you a drink. The girls have every pot, pan, spoon, bowl, and other utensil in the kitchen dirty. I'm trying to stay out of the way, but it smells good, so I go in and sample here and there until I'm shooed away. It’ll be nice to have someone to be my partner in crime."
Myles laughed. "Count me in. I can smell the food from here." To make his point, his stomach growled.
Troy laughed. "Let's go on a raid, shall we?"
"I'm right behind you."
They moved through the living room, and he could hear banging and pans moving about.
"I come bringing support," Troy announced.
Shianne turned her head and bestowed the biggest smile on him. It was radiant. She was radiant. Happiness oozed from her in everything. He'd seen her leave the house this morning and knew she looked beautiful in her black slacks and Christmas red, fuzzy sweater. Her dark hair curled slightly at the ends and her bangs framed her face perfectly. But, standing in the kitchen right now, with her mom, who looked remarkably like her, or is it the other way around? Anyway, she'd been having a great time this morning with her mom.
Shianne neared him, that smile still gracing her face. Her eyes sparkled. "Hi, you."
He smiled as she approached. "Hi, you." He leaned down and kissed her lips.
She giggled and stepped back. "So, Lara is the cook in our family. She's always been like family, so I say it that way on purpose. And Mom and I are not Lara. But Mom is a better cook than me, so this is your Christmas surprise. A big feast and leftovers for the week."
He laughed. "Sounds perfect."
He moved to Klaire and wrapped her in a hug. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas to you, Myles. I'm so happy you're here."
"I'm happy to be here."
Shianne held a bowl of meatballs up to him and handed him a fork. "Try one of these."
He forked a meatball and put it in his mouth. As he chewed, Shianne asked, "Is there a baby yet?"
