A Billionaire for Christmas

Two giant German Shepherds break free from their owners and descend on Chuckles and Declan, one of the dogs encasing the cat’s head entirely with its mouth, though Chuckles maneuvers just so, leaving the dog with a mouth full of antlers, clinging to Declan’s lap.

“Off! Down! Ho ho ho!” Declan shouts. Chuckles sprints to a giant water fountain and springs into the air, landing with a furtive grace on the very edge of the top marble tier of a five-layer water cascade. He pauses to lick a paw as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Chuckles!” Mom screams, racing to the fountain. “Get down!”

SPLASH! A Great Pyr jumps into the fountain, followed by a rush of dogs that resembles something out of 101 Dalmatians. A gaggle of Segway-powered mall cops appears, blowing whistles and accomplishing absolutely nothing as Amy, Dad, Carol, Jeffrey, Tyler, me, and Declan all run to the fountain to try to do, well, something.

Tyler crawls into the fountain and shouts “Wa-duh! Wa-duh! Da dog is in da wa-duh!”, splashing with glee.

Carol stares in surprise. “That’s a new sentence!”

Mom, Dad and Amy grin as Jeffrey jumps in, too, and begins scooping his hands into the water and stuffing handfuls of something in his pockets. He’s soaked, and tiny dogs swim past him in the eighteen-inch-deep water, their heads tipped up, eyes on the prize of Chuckles, who now rules over his domain.

The King of the Mall.

“Money!” Jeffrey shouts. “Fwee money! Look, Mommy. It’s fwee!”

I hear laughter behind us as a crowd of mall shoppers just takes in the scene, a few taping it. Josh is laughing in the crowd, across the large fountain from us, and he pulls his phone out. He snaps a ton of pictures as Mom cries out for Chuckles and the rest us just laugh, the kids throwing handfuls of “fwee money” from the wishing well into the air.

A white-haired old man lingers by Santa’s seat, and I realize it’s Declan’s replacement. He’s standing next to a shapely young woman.

“Hi!” I ask. “Are you the new Santa and elf?”

She eyes me up and down. “I, uh, brought my own suit.”

“What’s ‘O O’ for?” the old man asks, looking at my boobs. I look down.

“Great. More sequins fell off,” I mutter. My breasts tell people what to say when they’re coming. Excellent. Directing the replacements to the changing area, I sigh a big, long blast of relief. We’re done.

We made it through the miracle of Christmas.

Two strong arms wrap around me, bending me backwards in a dip so low my loose hair brushes the carpet. Soft, hot lips cover mine and a fake beard presses into my face, a welcome tongue exploring and teasing as Declan’s hands hold me in place, his heart cradling me, too.

He pulls back and I look up, dizzy with desire and joy. “I love you,” I say.

“I love you, too,” he says back, then leers. “And you’re bringing that costume home.”

“My family Christmas picture! It’s ruined!” Mom cries.

Josh comes over and says something to her, the two hovering over his phone. He taps a bunch of times, then does one final tap.

“I got one. And I think it’s the best family Christmas picture ever.”

And it is.

But I don’t appreciate it when Josh sends it in to the website Awkward Family Photos, because, um, I have another wardrobe malfunction.

And their caption when they post it?

Jolly Old Saint Nip.Thank you so much for reading Shannon and Declan’s story. What started out as a short novella turned into a 600+ page saga of life, humor, and crazy love.Readers have asked me to continue the story of Shannon and Declan, and so I have. You can read about Declan’s proposal in the next book in the Shopping series...Shopping for a Billionaire’s FiancéeAll of our best dates end up in the emergency room....

I planned the perfect proposal. Plenty of lobster, caviar, champagne and—her favorite—tiramisu. The perfect setting. The perfect woman. The perfect everything.

Dad gave me my late mother's engagement ring, platinum and diamonds galore. Shannon wouldn't care if I slid a giant hard-candy ring on her finger instead of a three-carat diamond designed to impress.

But my future mother-in-law, Marie, will pass out when she sets eyes on that rock, which will give us two minutes of blessed silence. That woman talks more than Kim Kardashian flashes her naked backside on the internet.

I was going to make it perfect, from the color of the tablecloth to the freshness of the roses. And it was perfect.

Until Shannon swallowed the ring.Shopping for a Billionaire's Fiancée gives near-billionaire Declan McCormick the chance to tell his story in this continuation of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Shopping for a Billionaire series.Delight Me: Author’s noteJ. KennerI hope you enjoy this holiday novella featuring Nikki & Damien!