A Celebration Christmas

She tried to blink away the image of a bare-chested Cullen before her mind’s eye could meander to places it had no business going. But it was an exercise in futility; telling herself not to think of something simply made her mind zero in on the thought.

The only solution was to distract herself.

“This is a pretty tree.” She pointed to an eight-foot blue spruce and then realized that it would be dwarfed under the high ceilings in Cullen’s house. “Maybe something like this, only taller?”

Then again, maybe a smaller tree would better serve the kids, since they’d be the ones decorating it. At least she suspected they would since Cullen said he’d likely not be home most evenings…yet here he was with them tonight…instead of spending the night naked with Giselle…and just what would he look like naked—?

Stop it!

“That one does look good,” Cullen said, considering the tree she’d pointed out. He was holding it up and rotating it slowly.

She nodded, suddenly at a loss for anything to say.

When was the last time a man had rendered her tongue-tied?

But Cullen Dunlevy, with his easy charm and disarming smile, made her as shy as a schoolgirl walking with her crush.

And that was precisely the problem. She wasn’t a schoolgirl and he wasn’t her crush. He was her boss. She needed the job and the kids needed a nanny. It was so inappropriate to even think about mixing business and pleasure—or what he’d look like naked.

Stop it!

“May I ask you a personal question?” he asked.

Her breath caught. Personal? That certainly didn’t sound like small talk about the tree or the weather.

“Sure,” she said.

“Why aren’t you married with kids of your own?”

She felt herself flinch.

He must’ve noticed, because he turned his attention back to the tree and said, “You just seem like the kind of woman who’d be married with a family of her own. Like someone would’ve snapped you up by now. Now that I’ve said that out loud, it sounds way too personal. I’m sorry. Pretend I didn’t ask.”

“No, I don’t mind.”

Well, she did. Sort of. It wasn’t exactly her favorite subject to talk about, but she’d wanted a real conversation and this was their first one of substance. She wasn’t about to go back to shallow.

“Honestly, I thought I’d be married by now. I should’ve been. I was engaged. I was supposed to get married last fall, but it didn’t work out.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “But if you want to know the truth if it wasn’t going to work out, it’s better you found out sooner rather than later.”

“Do we speak from experience?”

“Yes, I do. I was married once and it didn’t work out. Divorce is hard. When the relationship isn’t right, someone always gets hurt.”

“Was that someone you?”

The answer was written all over his face.

It was her turn to say, “Now I’m getting too personal. You don’t have to answer that.”

He smiled, but she saw the sadness in his eyes. “You were forthright with me—”

“Hey, Uncle Cullen and Lily, come here.”

Lily looked up and saw Bridget motioning them toward a cluster of Fraser firs. “I want to show you something.”

“Lucky you,” she said. “Saved by the kiddo. You’re off the hook for now. But this conversation is to be continued.”

He gave her a warmer smile this time as he returned the tree back to the display. “Somehow I know you’re going to hold me to that, aren’t you?”

“Of course I will.”

She and Cullen joined Bridget, who was with Megan, who had appeared from behind one of the trees.

“Uncle Cullen, what is this down here?” The older girl pointed to something under the tree.

Hannah clasped both hands over her mouth, but the gesture didn’t contain her giggle.

What were they up to? Something was going on.

“I don’t see what you’re talking about,” said Cullen.

“Lily, you see it, don’t you?” The girl pointed and scowled seriously as if the unknown object was very important. “Here, look closer.”