The gorgeous white, gold, and silver angel that Liam had placed atop the tall tree reminded her of her mother. Her gorgeous blonde hair and cool blue eyes, the serene smile she always wore and that graceful beauty she carried inside and out.
Adria shed a few tears as she sat quietly letting her sister sleep. So much emotion welled up inside her, she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Everyone always thought Becca was the emotional one, but little did they know the secret she had, that she was a hot mess on the inside all the time. It was one reason she helped and volunteered.
Without moving her sister, she reached around and grabbed the jolly Santa and Grinch blankets off the back of the couch and covered them. She stared at the beautiful Christmas snow globe that her mother loved so much. Its lights twinkled in blue on the coffee table in front of her.
Finally, sleep took over, and everything was quiet for a while as her body settled into a restful sleep. Morning came fast, with someone nudging her. Blinking her eyes only a little open, she saw it wasn’t her sister.
She didn't register what they were saying, but both Devin and Liam were standing in front of her. Adria closed her eyes again.
“I don’t know what happened, but I think they are both out cold.” Devin stepped away and grabbed two cups of coffee. At this point, he knew Liam wasn’t dangerous but he didn't like it yet. He was warming up, so offering to grab a cup of coffee for them both was a simple gesture he hoped Liam wouldn’t confuse for a friendship.
“Thanks.” Liam sat down in a chair next to the couch Becca and Adria occupied. “It’s so strange, I can’t understand what happened here.”
Devin studied the room. He was a lawyer, not a detective or officer of the law, so he had no clue what he was looking for or what happened. “They must have changed their mind and did something else. That’s the only explanation because I don’t have a clue what could be going on here. The good news is the snow is melting so maybe we can work on your truck soon.”
“Yeah, that would be great. Listen, I know you don’t like me very much, but clearly you can see I’m not a psycho. These two ladies are really special and I would do nothing to hurt them.”
Devin rocked back on his heels, happy to hear that. Still, he needed more. “Do you have a record?”
Liam smiled. “You mean a criminal record? No. Nothing at all, not even a traffic violation that I know of. Sorry, now that I think about it, there might be a parking ticket I need to pay that I missed, but otherwise nothing.”
Devin shook his head impressed. “Okay, I'll have to take your word for it right now since I’ve got no way to verify it, but if I find out otherwise…”
“Yeah, I know. Hey, do you think we should try to wake them up again? They have some explaining to do.”
“Yeah.”
The sensation of someone shaking her awake again was too much to ignore. Adria felt agitated, blinked her eyes open, feeling the pain in her neck and remembered where she was.
Devin was looking down at her. “Wake up, Adria.”
“What? What’s going on? Is something wrong?” Adria sat up.
Becca was still sound asleep with no intention of waking up, apparently. She blinked and frowned, then her eyes focused and shock hit. “Oh my! What in the world happened to all the decorations on the tree?”
