Christmas Sugar (Insta-Spark)

Her eyes lit up.

“So, that’s a definite yes to both?” I loved how happy such a little thing could make her. All she wanted was a warm place—I’d give her that—a private beach, a villa, and us naked. Naked a lot.

“Yes.”

“Then we need to get the license when they open the day after tomorrow.”

“Sounds perfect.”

“We’ll go there in the morning, then have lunch with George and Doug and see the house.”

“You never do things half measured, do you?”

“Nope. I’m goal-oriented. And my current goals are simple. Marry you, move into a place where I can keep you beside me all night long, and start making more babies.”

“I like these goals.” She hummed. “But . . .”

“But what?” I asked, worried. Maybe she didn’t want more children.

“Can we wait a bit on the babies? There’s so much to grasp . . . and I don’t want Seth and Noelle upset by so much change, and I just need . . .”

“A little time?” I finished.

She nodded. “I want more children, Dylan. I want them with you. But I want time for us first. Time for the kids to adapt and for this not to feel like a dream.”

“So, it’s not a no. It’s a wait a little while?”

“Yes.”

“I can handle that. It makes sense,” I admitted. “I do like the idea of just us for a while.”

“Thank you.”

I grinned at her, then rolled, and in a second, I had her underneath me, my mouth hovering over hers. “I think we should practice, though.”

Her hands tugged me closer, our bodies meshing perfectly. “Yes, yes, we should. Lots and lots of practice.” She pulled me down to her mouth.

Once again, I was home.

I WALKED AROUND THE MAIN floor of the inn, the silence bliss to my ears. The tree lights were still on, some of the gifts under the tree, yet to be put away. It had been such an amazing day. Upstairs, Alex and the kids were asleep.

After we’d spent hours together, making love and talking, discussing plans and our future, Alex had fallen asleep. I carried her down the hall and tucked her into her little bed. A few more nights, we’d be married and I could keep her beside me, but for now, she needed to be close to Noelle. I couldn’t sleep, though, and had come downstairs to get a brandy, hoping the liquor would help me relax. I glanced at my watch, to note it wasn’t quite midnight yet, and suddenly, I knew why the day didn’t feel done. Why it wasn’t complete.

I reached into my pocket for my phone and dialed a number I knew by heart.

“Hello, dear boy.” Arlene’s warm voice came over the line. “I was wondering if you’d forgotten me today.”

“Never.”

“Was it a good day?”

“The best day of my life.”

“Oh, Dylan.”

“They were so happy to see me, Arlene. Me, not my gifts. Me.”

“Of course they were. They love you.”