My heart slammed hard in my chest as I listened to his words. Unable to think of an appropriate response, I was flippant. “That must be some strong eggnog you bought,” I joked, but his gaze remained serious.
“Caro. I want us to try again. Start over, as best we can. Put yesterday behind us and look ahead. I want us to be a family.”
“Easton, do you know what you’re saying?”
“Yeah, I do. I mean, when I walked in here, I wasn’t sure what I wanted. I vacillate between just sex, friends with benefits, and something more. I didn’t know what I wanted until I just verbalized my wants to you right now.”
I covered my face in my hands, unable to look him in the eye, and tried to make sense of his words and make sense of my feelings. Finally, I met his gaze.
“I don’t know. I don’t know if we can start over. I’m not sure. We need to see how we do together, how the kids do. They don’t know you’re their father yet, and who knows how that’ll affect them. I’m still getting over the loss of Mark. So many things are going on, and I don’t want to cling to you because I’m on the rebound.”
“I understand. Take all the time you need. I’ll be here.”
Everything about him reeked of sincerity, but I remained skeptical. Perhaps because he’d broken my heart once before after pledging his undying love and devotion for the rest of his life. Yeah, we’d been teenagers, but we weren’t seasoned adults right now either. Did he mean what he said? Was he in this for the long haul through not just the good but the bad? He hadn’t been tested under fire yet. The kids’ meltdown earlier today had only been the tip of the iceberg.
“Would you like some help?” He gestured toward the wrapping paper, ribbon, and gifts spread across the table.
“I’d love some.”
“I wrap a mean present.” He winked at me.
“You’d better.” I winked back.
Easton point of view
Sleeping alone wasn’t how I’d wanted to spend my Christmas Eve. I’d considered more than once as I tossed and turned to text Caro and invite myself over. Only I didn’t. My pride wouldn’t allow me to behave in such a desperate manner, while my dick would’ve gladly thrown pride out the window, gotten on its knees, and begged for any crumb she might throw our way. My dick had no shame. I wasn’t sure I did either.
At some point, I must’ve fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, it was daylight.
I wasn’t a morning person, but I woke early and staggered into the kitchen for a cup of super-strong coffee. I caught a whiff of Kaden’s cooking, but I was on a mission to get a cup of joe before I delved into breakfast.
Christmas morning.
My first with my kids and Caro. The first of many or the first and last?
Last night I’d been honest with her and myself thanks to Ice’s hockey analogy. I’d put my heart out there and told her how I truly felt, even though I hadn’t known until that very moment. I’d been so baffled by the right direction to take. To some extent, I still was, but I needed to try.
She hadn’t reacted as I’d hoped, but she hadn’t rejected me either. Time, we all needed time. And time we had plenty of. I was known for my patience when it came to waiting for just the right shot at the net. I’d practice that same patience with Caro. Good things came to those who waited.
I carried my cup of coffee to the living room, where Kaden and Steele sat on the couch, balancing heaping plates of bacon and eggs on their laps.
“I don’t suppose you saved any for me?” I asked.
“Nope. You snooze, you lose,” Kaden said.
“Asshole,” I shot back.
“That’s what you get for sticking us with dog-sitting duties last night while you hung with Caro.”
“She was sleeping when I left,” I countered.
“You’re getting awful tight with her.” Kaden pointed his fork at me to punctuate his words. “You’re going to be paying up on that Puck Brother bet in no time. Cannot wait.”
“Fuck you,” I said, as it seemed to fit the occasion.
“That fucking dog ate my sock.” Kaden held up a sock with a huge hole in the heel.
“At least she didn’t pee on your leg like she did mine,” Steele countered.
“I’m sorry, guys. I thought an older dog would be trained. I think she has a little anxiety.”
“Anxiety?” Kaden snorted and rolled his eyes. “Hardly. She slept on my bed half the night and was snoring so loudly I had to sleep on the couch.”
“You could’ve kicked her off the bed.”
“Yeah, right. You try that. The dog weighs as much as I do.” Kaden glared at the black Newfoundland dog sitting at his feet, staring up at him with soulful brown eyes, lines of drool stretched from her mouth to the floor.
I hadn’t counted on the drooling, but I’d fallen in love with the dog’s temperament. Ice and Avery had mentioned the dog last night, since she was living temporarily on the farm where his wife trained horses. I’d immediately left the party and gone to the barn to pick up Mona. She loved kids, and she was absolutely adorable, like a huge teddy bear. The twins would fall for her, but I suspected their mother would be furious.
“Mona’s in love with you,” Steele snickered.
“All the females love him,” I quipped.
“She’s in love with my cooking.” Kaden glowered at the drooling dog. She took that as an invitation to jump on the couch and curl up next to him, not an easy feat considering she had to weigh one hundred and sixty pounds or more. “How much longer do we have to house this monstrous drool machine?”
“I’m giving her to Heath this morning.”
“Oh, yeah, and that’s going to go over well with Caro,” Kaden said.
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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