“Me!” Violet yells.
“I wish you could, darling, but you have to be at least ten years old to hold the ax.”
Violet frowns.
Gavin lifts his hand. “I could take a few swings.”
Rhys passes off the ax, then steps out of the way. Gavinholds the handle like he knows precisely what he’s doing and takes a powerful swing. The crack of steel against wood splits through the air. Gavin hits it again, then again, before the tree falls.
“Wait!” Violet screams when the men move forward to pick up the tree. “I need to check for chipmunks.”
Luna glances at Ruby. “What?”
“We’ve been watching old Disney cartoons. Chip and Dale.”
“Got it.” Gavin steps out of the way while Violet looks through the branches for wayward animals.
I stroll to his side and lean close, a triumphant smile fighting its way onto my lips. “Guess I won too.”
“She was forced to choose it.”
“Still chose it.”
Gavin scowls. “Very well. What’s your question?”
I put my hands on my hips and grin up at him. “I think I’ll save it for later.”
“That’s not part of the game.”
I point at him. “We didn’t make that rule. It’s not my fault you wasted your question.”
“On the contrary, Callie.” He leans close, his eyes never leaving mine. “It wasn’t a waste at all.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
GAVIN
The tree is setup in the corner of the living room with the fireplace glowing off to the side. Violet and Oliver took the lead on decorating once he woke up from his nap, so the majority of the ornaments are hanging low on the tree, but it looks beautiful anyway.
Ruby and Hamish are seated on the overstuffed chair together, she’s draped over him, and Luna is helping Oliver place the final remaining ornaments. Rhys is in the kitchen making dinner for everyone, giving me a break. I can’t remember the last time someone made dinner for me in my kitchen, let alone a professional pub chef. To say I’m looking forward to it is an understatement.
Callie takes a photo of Oliver hanging an ornament, then shows it to her sister. Their family bond doesn’t seem to have been negatively impacted by the distance between them.
Mum and Dad disappeared this morning while we were getting the tree, and now the truck is gone. I’m trying not to worry about it, but I can’t help looking at the door every few minutes and wondering where they went. They didn’t leave a note or send a text or anything. Are they coming back? Was onenight enough in their old house, and now they’ve decided to hit the road again?
It wouldn’t be the first time.
Why is my heart racing at the prospect of disappearing parents when I’m a well-established twenty-eight-year-old man?Get a handle on yourself, Gavin.
My phone rings, so I pull it from my pocket as Patty’s name flashes over the screen. The minute hope Mum was phoning to let me know when she’d be home dies a fervent and speedy death. Swiping to answer, I leave the room and slip into the hallway. “Hiya, Patty.”
“Och, it sounds like a right party. How come I didn’t get an invite?”
“Young Hamish and his family are all here. Callie’s sister and her husband and the others.”
She clicks her tongue. “Aye, that house was meant to be full, wasna it?”
The hall is dim, but from here I can see a glass-fronted cabinet at the end of the room. It shows a reflection of the tree and the glowing fire. I can’t make out each person in the room through that glass, but I can see Callie in her pink sweater and my heart flips.
