Your Christmas Love (The Bennett Family 10)

Pippa: OMG I NEED DETAILS.

I typed and deleted about five messages to Pippa before settling on a final version.

Sienna: That would be a very long message. I’ll tell you in person.

Pippa: You’re mean.

Chuckling, I pocketed my phone. For sure the next time I saw them, I’d have to spill the beans on everything. I couldn’t wait.

Sharing was natural to me. Victoria and I had always been close, and when we joined the Bennett family, well... Pippa took everything to the next level.

I just loved dissecting every detail with the girls. It was also helpful to uncover red flags. I wasn’t kidding myself. I was naive when it came to certain things, and Pippa and Victoria had more experience. While I was with Trevor, they’d pointed out he was spending a lot of his evenings separate from me. I still remembered how small I’d felt when he’d clarified that he’d felt pressured and just couldn’t deal with me anymore.

Even though I didn’t want to bring up work again, I had a burning question.

“What will happen to you and your parents if the store closes down?” I asked when he came into my room after we changed out of our suits.

“They have enough savings, and I’ve made investments since I went to college, so I’m all set. This isn’t about us. It’s... the flagship store is my family’s pride, and a lot of people work there. Their lives would be turned upside down. Some have been with the store since my parents ran it. They’re an integral part of it. They’re my responsibility, and I won’t let them down.”

I think I fell a little more for him right then and there. But damn, I’d had to spoil the mood by bringing this up again. Those pesky worries were weighing on him again.

“I have rules for this afternoon,” I announced.

“You don’t say. What did I tell you about that?”

I held up a finger. “Wait. Hear me out first. You’re gonna love them. No to talking or thinking about work. Yes to having fun, and double yes to sexy shenanigans.”

“I’m on board with that.”

He came closer, and by the way his eyes smoldered, I knew we weren’t going to go out right away.

“I still want to see Vermont,” I warned.

“Whatever the lady commands.”

I had to give Winston credit; he did stick to his original plan of showing me the surroundings. The city was lovely. We spent an inordinate amount of time in one of the residential neighborhoods, because I just couldn’t get enough of those idyllic homes. I kept making up stories about how the lives of those inside them could potentially be.

By the time we were done, I was so drunk on Burlington and Vermont in general that I could barely believe it.

***

Winston

“I know it sounds crazy, but I could see myself living here. I mean, hypothetically, of course. I wouldn’t leave San Francisco in a million years. But I could totally see myself living in one of these houses, with the white fence and the perfectly sized garden. I’d have an indoor and outdoor Christmas tree. And I’d—”

She stopped talking. “Why are you watching me like this?”

“You fascinate me, that’s all.”

For me, a house was a house. But with Sienna, it was a place to live, a story, a life that could unfold inside. I couldn’t wait to experience more with her at my side.

“It’s Saturday. That means there’s a chance there is a tree lighting ceremony in the area if we’re lucky,” I said.

“Yes. I love those. I know we have a ton in San Francisco, but I’d love to see one in a city where we don’t have palm trees next to the Christmas tree, you know?” She clapped her hands, making me laugh.

“Let me check.”

I googled nearby events and stumbled upon a list.