A Celebration Christmas

“Aren’t you going to join me?”

“No, but thank you,” she said. “I ate with the kids, but I’m happy to keep you company. Unless you want some peace and quiet?”

“Please stay,” Cullen said.

Lily nodded and slid onto the stool next to Cullen. “How would you feel about George participating in a basketball camp? There’s one at the community center over the holiday break and I think it would be good for him. It would let him burn off some of his excess energy. It would get him out of the house away from his video games. I’ll take him and pick him up.”

Cullen chewed his bite and swallowed. “This stew is delicious. I think basketball camp is a great idea. Let me know how much it costs and I’ll leave a check so you can get him registered.”

They sat in companionable silence while Cullen spooned up a few more bites.

“Did he help with the decorations you put up in the living room? I think they’re a lot of fun. They really make the house festive.”

“He did,” Lily said. “A little bit, anyway. But speaking of being festive… The kids were asking whether you were going to get a tree. No pressure. I just promised them I’d ask. If you’d rather not go to the trouble, I could bring in a little tabletop tree I have at home.”

A tree? Of course the kids would want a tree. Why hadn’t he thought about that before now?

“I think that’s a great idea.” Cullen glanced at his watch. “In fact, it’s only seven-thirty. Why don’t we see if the kids want to go pick out one tonight? Would you come with us?”

* * *

Lily hadn’t planned on being included in the tree shopping. Or maybe it was more apt to say she hadn’t planned on Cullen taking an interest in it. In fact, she had been thoroughly surprised to look up and see him home so early, standing there in the doorway, watching her.

She’d been mortified that he’d caught her singing along to “Jingle Bell Rock” like a fool. But she had to admit that she’d loved the way he’d been looking at her. There was something in his eyes that was like a soft caress…something in the way all his attention seemed to be trained on her. For a glorious second, she reveled in it, but then the embarrassment set in and that had been the end of that.

Now here they were, piled into the SUV that Cullen had rented for the month that she’d be watching the kids. They probably looked like a family to anyone who didn’t know better. Even if it wasn’t true, it was fun to pretend.

When they got to the tree lot, the kids tumbled out and took off running into the tens of dozens of Christmas trees.

“Stay together,” Lily called after them. “And don’t go too far. Stay where you can hear us call for you.”

The temperature had dropped. Lily turned up her coat collar to fend off the chill breeze.

“Are you cold?” Cullen asked.

“I’m fine,” she said as the two of them walked side by side under the golden glow of the small globe lights strung over the forest of firs, pines and spruces.

For a foolish moment, Lily wondered what it would be like to be nestled in the warm crook of Cullen’s arm or, better yet, safe and warm in his embrace. With arms like his, it was the best place she could imagine on a night like this. But the sound of the children laughing snapped her out of it and landed her firmly in cold reality.

Those were the same arms that held Giselle, she reminded herself, just in case there was any temptation to continue the ridiculous fantasy.

Why had he changed his mind about seeing Giselle tonight? She hadn’t expected him to come home so early. She certainly hadn’t planned on him eating dinner at home—especially after he’d told her not to count on him and to go ahead and feed the kids. She was suddenly glad that she’d had the foresight to make extra stew. Granted, she’d planned on asking him if he wanted to take it with him for lunch tomorrow.

It was even better that he’d been home to enjoy it fresh and hot off the stove…and far away from Giselle, sender of naughty texts and instigator of mental pictures that she hadn’t been able to get out of her head all day.

Like right now.