Hailey grabbed for the ribbon and yanked it off.
“Hailey, what do you say to Easton?”
“Thank you.” She paused and gazed up at him with her big blue eyes. He smiled down at her, and his eyes were suspiciously moist.
“You’re welcome.”
With that out of the way, she ripped the gold and green wrapping paper off and tossed it aside. The text on the box indicated it contained athletic tape, and she frowned, glancing up at Easton.
“It’s the only box I could find.”
Her smile returned. Easton bent down and helped her peel the tape off the top of the box and open it. Tissue was discarded as she dug through the box and finally pulled out her prize. She held it up for all to see.
“Mommy, it’s a real saddle.”
I gaped at him in surprise, but he avoided my gaze.
“Ice’s wife, Avery, told me that’s one of the best children’s saddles you can buy,” Easton said.
“Am I getting a pony?” Hailey screeched with excitement, and Heath scowled and held his hands over his ears. I didn’t blame him. Hailey’s decibel level hurt my ears at times too.
Easton didn’t respond but grinned and ran his hand over the smooth leather of the saddle.
I glared at him, ready to rip him a new one—in private. A pony? We hadn’t discussed this. “You did not buy her a real pony?”
“Not exactly. She’ll be taking riding lessons once a week with Avery. If she loves it, then we’ll talk about a pony.”
Hailey threw her arms around him. “I love you, Easton!”
She hadn’t told me she loved me when she’d seen the rocking horse. Easton had upstaged me. He hadn’t bothered to consult me regarding his gift ideas. I was their mother. Damn it.
Jealousy curled inside me, and I fought to hold it back. His gift was too extravagant and inappropriate for someone who was currently posing as a friend of the family. I’d thought he’d understood that he’d done enough for us this year with the tree and decorations and all the money.
“A simple card would’ve sufficed,” I growled at him in a low voice meant only for his ears.
He glanced up at me, rose to his feet, and gifted me with one of his disarming grins, making it difficult to be mad at him. “It’s my first Christmas with them.”
“I know, but they see you as a friend of the family. This gift is too much.”
“We’ll discuss your concerns later, but you know I won’t back down.” He glanced at his phone and tapped out a response to a text.
Heath tugged on his shirt. “Where’s mine, Easton?” His soulful brown eyes just about tore my heart apart.
“On its way, buddy.”
A few seconds later, the doorbell rang, and Easton opened it with a flourish. “Meet Mona!”
A gigantic beast of a dog bounded into the room and headed straight for the kids. I watched in horror, certain she’d mow them down until there was nothing left of them but two flat spots on the carpet. She slid to a stop in front of them and licked Heath’s face while her madly wagging tail cleared off the coffee table.
Steele scrambled after her, grabbing for the leash she’d wrenched out of his hands. He shot us an apologetic look. “Sorry, she got away from me.”
I was in a state of shock, not believing what I was seeing. Getting a face bath, Heath laughed louder than I’d heard him laugh in months, while Hailey wrapped her arms around the dog’s furry neck.
“I guess I’m yesterday’s news,” said Kaden, stepping forward.
“Yeah, buddy, she’s a fickle female. Out with the old, in with the new.”
Kaden rolled his eyes. “Story of my life.”
I didn’ have a clue what they were talking about, but I had bigger problems. This huge, slobbering, hairy dog was the focus of my attention and Rusty’s. My cat leapt onto the back of the couch, hissing and spitting, the hair raised on his back. Seemed he and I shared a mutual opinion of this monstrous dog in our domain.
Easton was on his knees, petting the dog along with the kids. His two buddies plopped down on my couch and helped themselves to Christmas cookies, oblivious to the chaos or embracing it. Junie carried a tray of mugs full of hot chocolate from the kitchen. She winked at me as she strode by. I scowled back. She and I were going to have a talk. I had a feeling she knew all about this gift.
I nudged Easton with my foot. “Can I have a private word with you?” I spoke through gritted teeth, and his guileless grin was full of fake innocence. Like he didn’t have a clue what I was pissed about.
Once we were in the privacy of my room, I counted to ten before turning to face him. I was on the verge of losing my temper, and I wouldn’t ruin Christmas for my kids.
“Go ahead, let me have it.” He leaned against the closed door, arms crossed over his chest, and a huge, unrepentant grin on his face. His smugness infuriated me.
“What were you thinking?”
“All kids need a dog.”
“That’s not a dog, that’s a buffalo.” I paced the floor trying to work off some of my anger. “He weighs more than me and the kids combined.”
“She… And I doubt she weighs that much.”
“Now you’re saying I’m fat?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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