Mistletoe Mommy

“Yeah, I know. And it doesn’t all suck. Some days I feel like I see more of Dad now than when he was at home with us. I couldn’t believe it when he said he was staying away from the hospital so long just to spend time with us! I think he’s having fun. He likes you,” Geoff blurted.

“I like him, too.” Oh, for crying out loud-was she blushing? “So, are you clear on what I need you to do with those?”

Geoff looked in the direction she’d waved, at the motley collection of different-size receipts she’d unearthed from her car, her desk drawers, her purse and half-a-dozen other miscellaneous places. “Yeah, I need to organize all of these by date, and if I finish that, I can cross-reference them into these groups you gave me, like Transportation and Promotion.”

“Perfect. Then I’ll just-”

“Seriously, I’ve never seen him like this,” Geoff continued smoothly, his train of thought apparently able to run on multiple tracks at a time.

Well, what else should she expect from a generation that grew up with picture-in-picture television and was capable of texting one friend while physically talking with another? Sheesh. Nothing like a teenager to make you feel old.

“Do you like him, too?” Geoff asked.

Should she tell him politely but firmly that it was none of his business, or remind him that she’d already said she did?

“Get to work, kid.”

He grinned at her. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

He turned to the task at hand, but she found it difficult to follow suit. What did he mean, he’d never seen his father like this? Maybe Adam was just more relaxed and seemed happier because he was on vacation. Don’t read too much into it. But she couldn’t help feeling secretly pleased.

ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES before they expected Adam to show up with the girls, Natalie knocked on Brenna’s front door. She had shopping bags hanging on both arms.

“Josh is coming behind me with the cake. It turned out so cute! Let me squeeze in and put this ice cream in your freezer before it starts to melt all over everything.”

Brenna’s stepbrother approached with a sheet cake balanced across his hands. A large metallic helium balloon with a Puppydale character was tied to his fingers. As Brenna helped them unload the party goodies, she saw that the same adorable, big-eyed puppy was on the napkins and plates.

“She’ll love this,” Geoff enthused. Then he pulled a face. “Wait, do I have to wear one of these hats?”

The adults assured him that he did, then Natalie showed Brenna the small birthday corsage she’d made at her flower shop for the guest of honor. “Plus, we grabbed these from the Fourth of July display.” She held out a couple of boxes of sparklers.

“Cool!” Geoff was definitely more interested in the pyrotechnics than the Puppydale party favors. Cocking his head to the side, he said, “They’re here. I just heard Dad’s engine cut off.”

Brenna tossed him a hat and secured another on her own head. Muttering under his breath, Geoff put it on. Then they all went into the living room and waited quietly.

Adam opened the door for his daughters, and everyone yelled, “Surprise!” when Morgan walked inside. The little girl clapped her hands in delight. Eliza, in contrast, looked leery, as if party hats were immediate cause for suspicion.

While Morgan showed off her pink-and-purple glitter nails to Natalie, the twelve-year-old sidled up to Brenna. “What’s the catch?” she demanded.

Brenna sighed. “No catch. There is, however, cake. You like chocolate?”

“Well, duh. Who doesn’t?” Eliza frowned. “Are you doing all this because you’re crushing on my dad? Because you said you never date.” Her tone rang with accusation.

“I’m doing this because I like Morgan,” Brenna said firmly. However much in favor Geoff might be of Brenna and Adam seeing each other romantically, clearly Eliza didn’t feel the same way.

“Okay. Good.” Eliza turned, but before she walked away, she muttered, “Thank you.”

“What she said,” Adam echoed, his expression tender. “It was really great of you to go to this trouble.”

Her face warmed. “Trouble? You handed me a twenty, Josh and Natalie picked up the cake. It was no big deal.”

He pointed to the radiant five-year-old who was adjusting the elastic of a party hat under her chin. “It is to her. Listen, can I talk to you?”

She raised her eyebrows. “As opposed to what we’re doing now?”

“Alone.”

The single word shivered through her. “Yeah. Hey, guys? Go ahead and put the plates on the table, get candles on that cake. We’ll be right back.”

She led Adam down the hall, hoping people would assume they were checking on Ellie, and that cake and ice cream would be enough to distract the kids from following.

At the far end of the hallway, she leaned against the wall. “Everything okay?”

He didn’t stop coming toward her until his toes bumped hers. She sucked in a breath as he braced one arm next to her.

“Everything’s great. I just wanted to let you know…” He lowered his head, his mouth moving over hers with avid thoroughness.

Her mind went blank. But her body didn’t need coherent thought to respond, merely instinct. She rose on her toes, lacing her fingers behind his neck and pulling him even closer. Her lips opened beneath his, and he stroked his tongue inside. His kiss was hungry with need yet unhurried, as if there weren’t a roomful of people in the opposite end of the house who might catch them. As if Brenna were the only other person in the world and he’d be content to kiss her for an eternity.

She nearly moaned at the thought, his kiss sending pulses of pleasure throughout her entire body. It had been too long since she’d felt a wanting like this-she wasn’t sure it had ever been quite like this. So raw and undisciplined. She’d tried to sustain the same control in her love life that she sought in all areas of her life. But now she felt reckless and bold and off balance. It was both exhilarating and terrifying.

Trying to catch her breath, she broke off the kiss, leaning her forehead against the hard plane of his chest. “Well, I hope you’re happy. The annual Mistletoe fireworks are going to pale in comparison to that.”

His low laugh rumbled through her.

She lifted her face. “Don’t take this as a complaint, but I thought we weren’t going to-?”

“I’d thought not acting on the way I feel about you would be best for the kids.”

The way he felt? Did he mean the palpable attraction between them-or more? Her heart thudded wildly, but she found she didn’t quite have the confidence to ask for clarification. Did it really matter? Either way, he’d be gone within the next two weeks. She was curious to hear the rest of his explanation, though.

“This morning, I talked to someone who changed my mind,” he said simply.

“Geoff?” That might explain the boy’s earlier conversational gambits.

“No, why would you think that? It’s not like I get my romantic advice from a fifteen-year-old.” He was a smidge defensive, amusingly so.

“It seemed likely since Geoff was trying to give me romantic advice. He didn’t come right out and say that you and I should get together, but he hinted at it. Strongly.”

Adam grinned. “Smart boy, my son.”

“Hey! Aren’t you guys coming back?” Morgan called. Her voice escalated as she asked, signaling that she was headed for them.

Adam sprang away, putting a respectable distance between himself and Brenna. “Be right there, sweetie.” Then he dropped his voice. “Can we talk about this more?”

“‘Talk’?” She waggled her eyebrows.

“Well.” He shot her one last sizzling glance that his daughter couldn’t see from behind him. “Among other things.”