Tame Me (The Macintyre Brothers 3)

1

Ella

I always loved Christmas in New Hampshire.

Over the years, our family had spent time in tropical locations during the Christmas and New Year's holidays, but I always loved when we stayed in town. I loved the snow at that time of year. It felt more like real Christmas, especially with the lights decorating the streets and the big Christmas tree in the city plaza. The annual Christmas parade was something I always looked forward to as a child.

So, I usually anticipated Christmas with a great deal of excitement.

Unfortunately, this year, I dreaded it because I knew that my father, The Governor, would be grilling Josh like he was a prime catch of the day.

Which, of course, he was.

My mother was in seventh heaven at the thought I was engaged to one of the wealthiest bachelors in all of America. She actually held her hand over her heart when I told her about our engagement after our weekend at Josh's beach house in Montauk.

"Oh, my God, I think I'll faint," she said when we Skyped the following Tuesday after I got back into town. I could see tears forming in her eyes. "You're engaged? To Josh? My goodness, that was fast. And here I thought that you two were going to break up!"

"I know," I said. "I thought we were going to as well, but I was wrong. When Josh explained what happened with Penny, I had to kick myself for being so quick to think he'd cheated on me."

"Old wounds leave a scar," she said, wiping her eyes and smiling. "Sometimes, it makes it harder to trust, but it often makes us that much stronger. What doesn't kill you, right?"

With Christmas was just a few days away, it was time for Josh to meet my father and hopefully, quell all the questions he had about Josh's dad.

I hoped so. I didn't want any hard feelings between them, especially over the holidays. We had ten days off -- ten glorious days -- and I wanted them to count. We were going to spend a few with the parental units before flying to California so I could finally meet David. Josh's brother insisted that we come out for a few days and stay with him at the mansion, and Josh had asked me if I'd be willing.

"Of course," I said and smiled enthusiastically when Josh asked. "I'd love to meet your family. All your brothers."

"They're going to LA to stay with David, so it will be a real family get together. I don't want to miss it and I want to be with you. I’m greedy that way.”

"I'm all yours," I said. "We'll spend two days with my mom and dad, and then we'll go to LA. You're the boss."

He tickled me. "Don't say that," he said. "Makes me feel guilty, like I'm taking advantage of my power over you as your employer."

"You're not paying me, so I don't think it matters."

"Oh, so that's the solution, is it? Hire beautiful women and seduce them but make sure not to pay them? Is that how it works?"

He pulled me into his arms, and we kissed. I loved it when we teased each other. He laughed so easily and was a bit of a rascal.

He was fun to be with.

Jerkface had been so serious, so focused on his career, and moving up the corporate ladder that I always felt like an interloper in his life. Like he'd made this small space for me to fit into and made sure I didn't impinge on the rest of his carefully arranged life.

Josh was the opposite. He was very busy, of course, as the CEO of MBS, and all its subsidiaries, and of course, his hands-on management of the Chronicle, but I felt totally integrated in his life. A priority.

That meant a lot to me. I wasn't just an add-on, and I wasn't a means to a business end, the way I had been with Jerkface.