His Texas Christmas Bride

Becca was never so glad to get away from anyone. As she and Nick walked away, the sinking feeling hit her that bringing him here had probably been a bad idea. A very bad idea. How the heck had she figured she and Nick would get lost in the crowd when every night at a Celebration High School football game was like homecoming? Especially when most of the people in town had never met Nick and probably thought she didn’t even date.

She wondered for a moment if it was too late to suggest that they do something else. In fact, she glanced up at him ready to ask him if they could leave, but his eyes met hers, and in that split second she didn’t care if the two of them stayed or went. She didn’t care if people asked questions or wanted to meet the new guy.

Things would work themselves out the way they were meant to.

But tonight, he was there with her.

That was all that mattered.

“I noticed how you evaded her question,” Nick said. He looked as if he was trying not to laugh.

“You think it’s funny, huh? What was I supposed to say?”

Her heart dared her to tack on the words boyfriend, fiancé, baby daddy, but her mouth chickened out.

“Actually, I thought it was pretty skillful.”

“And I noticed that you just skillfully evaded my question,” she said.

He smiled at her again. “Did I? I guess I didn’t understand the question.”

“I’ll give you that. It’s sort of a hard one to understand, isn’t it?”

Thank God the color announcers chose that moment to inform the crowd that tonight was senior night and that the football players, cheerleaders and band members would have their photos taken on the field with family members during the halftime break.

“Oh, shoot,” Becca said. “I completely forgot it was senior night.”

“Did you forget you were supposed to have your picture taken at halftime?” Nick teased. “After we get our food, I’ll hold your cheeseburger for you if you need to go freshen up. Although if it’s as good as you say it is, I can’t guarantee it’ll still be here when you get back.”

“Very funny. My nephew Kevin is on the football team, and he’s a senior.”

“You have two nephews? Victor, the one who was in the emergency room that night, and Kevin?”

“Three, actually, and a niece. Victor belongs to my sister. Kevin and Marshall, who is a junior, are my brother Mark’s sons. They’re all on the football team. My niece, Nora, who is Mark’s daughter, is a cheerleader.” She waved it away. “I have a big, complicated family. If my sister realizes I’m here and I avoided the photo, it could cause a pretty bad scene. But the funny thing is, if I wanted to be in the photo, she would probably find a reason that I shouldn’t. You remember my sister? She’s the one who threw me out of the emergency room the night we met.”

“Oh, right. I do remember her. She was kind of scary. Although, I have thought about thanking her for throwing you out, because if she hadn’t...”

Oh. Oh!

Becca could read a whole lot into that. Again, her brain wanted her to ask him if he realized that if Rosanna hadn’t been in such a rage that night, they probably wouldn’t be expecting twins next May. But her mouth couldn’t ask the question. And if she couldn’t ask the question, he couldn’t refute or clarify exactly what he meant, and she could go on believing that he was happy they met.

Thank goodness her parents wouldn’t be there tonight. She wouldn’t have suggested going to the game if she thought they’d be here.

They never went to the games when the temperature dipped below sixty degrees, which it was tonight and on most Friday nights in November. Her mother had suffered a case of pleurisy ten or fifteen years ago. The cold aggravated the condition—even after all this time. Becca suspected Isabel used it as an excuse to avoid certain functions—such as football games, which were at the bottom of her mother’s list of fun things to do, along with root canals and gynecologist appointments.

Of course, Rosanna would be there because Victor was second-string varsity. He didn’t play much, if at all, but it was rare for a freshman to make the varsity team. Even if he rode the bench, he did it proudly. Rosanna would be holding court in the bleachers with the other football moms.

Since it would be shoulder-to-shoulder crowded, Becca didn’t worry about running into Mark and Rosanna. And, honestly, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if she did. She’d simply introduce Nick and tell them—tell them what?