The bathroom door opened and Tori came out much more composed than when she went in. Wade watched her paint a smile on her face and curl her hands into fists before she took a few steps toward the dining room. The kiss seemed to have thrown her for a loop. He was glad. Perhaps keeping her off balance was the best thing to do. Kill her with kindness. Use any information Brody came up with to charm her. Being nice might confuse her, make her like him and his family. Maybe then she could understand how important buying the land back was to him.
“Wade, I’ve put you here,” Julianne said, indicating a chair on the far side of the table.
He nodded and made his way over. His sister smiled wickedly at him as she seated Tori next to him and Brody to her left, his good side facing the guest. The rest of the family took their places.
The table was laid with a red-and-gold tablecloth that was barely visible beneath the edge-to-edge casserole dishes, platters and bowls. In the center were thick red pillar candles, poinsettias and golden ribbons that sparkled in the light. As always, Molly had outdone herself.
As tradition dictated, they stood at the table and held hands. Wade reached out and took Tori’s hand, trying hard to focus on his father’s words instead of how her touch affected him.
“I’m thankful that all of us are back together again. It’s been a tough year for everyone,” Ken began. “But certainly not the worst we’ve ever had. We’re fighters. We have each been blessed with perseverance and drive and have been brought together for a reason. May we each have a glorious and prosperous New Year and may we each find ourselves back here again next year, blessed in life, love and happiness.”
Wade felt Tori gently squeeze his hand. A lump formed in his throat. She understood. At least, she understood his family. She could never truly understand what he was dealing with. He doubted she had such dark secrets buried in her past. Few people did.
Ken smiled. “Merry Christmas, everyone. Let’s eat.”
Five
Tori was glad she hadn’t chickened out after that kiss. She had stood in the bathroom for longer than necessary and toyed with the idea of trying to climb out the tiny window. Reason and hunger trumped her flight reflex, and for that she was grateful. She was stuffed almost as full as the turkey had been before the feasting started. She’d had no idea what a real Christmas dinner was like—one cooked without chafing fuel or charcoal briquettes—until now. There had been mashed potatoes and chestnut-oyster bread stuffing covered in gravy. Maple-glazed carrots. Hot yeast rolls. Then dessert. Good Lord. She’d never known pumpkin pie could melt on your tongue like that.
Everyone had been very friendly, engaging her in their conversations, including Wade. There was a lot of family banter, laughter and tall tales. Tori supposed this was what it was like to have a large family. Growing up as an only child, she’d always longed for a home with a family like this. She’d imagined holidays with merriment and shared stories from childhood.
Tori had sometimes thought that when she married and built her home she’d want to have a lot of children. Four. Maybe five, like the Edens. When things fell apart with Ryan after two years, she’d decided to go ahead and build her dream house anyway. Hopefully love and children would follow. But at the rate she was going, the dreams of that large family were dwindling away. She might end up living in that big house alone.
Perhaps that was why every attempt to start drawing up an architectural design had failed. Even her pen knew there was no point in a home without lively discussion or shared memories to be made there.
Tori turned to listen to Heath as he very animatedly talked about one of his obnoxious advertising clients. They were all such great storytellers. After hearing Ken talk, she knew where the children had learned their skills.
It was a welcome distraction from the night’s wildly swirling undercurrents. Having Wade only a few inches away all night had been its own form of torture. She couldn’t help but be hyperaware of him. For one thing, he was like a radiator. She could feel the heat of his body penetrating her sweater. Tori tended to run cold, and it took everything she had not to curl against his side and lean into his warmth.
They also kept touching one another. First, holding hands during the blessing before dinner. Then passing food around the table. Without fail their fingers would brush or their shoulders would bump. Innocent, meaningless touches that sent a jolt through her body each time. And the kiss certainly hadn’t helped. Whenever her mind drifted away from dinner, it would go back to the moment under the mistletoe.