Sadie gathered them in her arms and drew in a deep breath.
A long stretch of silence passed between them, and he said so many things to her in his head.
Sadie swung her attention to Adam’s old boots. “Where’s your change of clothes? You’re staying overnight, aren’t you?”
He shrugged as they lingered in the hall. “Maybe.”
She plucked a daisy out of the bouquet. “I’m keeping this one for myself, and Silver’s going to love these. Daisies are a perfect idea for the table arrangement. Simple, classy… You’re so thoughtful, Scratch. And you’re totally staying overnight.” She had a jaunty swing in her step as she strutted down the hall. “I’ll tell Leo to lend you something to sleep in.”
Adam snorted. “That’s all right. I’ll pass on wearing another man’s pajamas.”
She twirled the daisy between her fingers and gave him a coy smile. “Sleeping in the nude? That should be interesting if you’re taking the futon downstairs.”
Sadie moved briskly through the building, her wavy hair swinging back and forth and her boot heels clicking on the floor. Adam loved that woman and loved her hard. A beauty like her would never want a beast like him with all the scars on his face and body. Not that it mattered. He liked their relationship just as it was and didn’t want to ruin it. Sometimes, when he wasn’t working, he’d go to one of her shows and sit in the back to watch her play. Sadie had the voice of an angel and could stop a clock.
Just as she had his heart.
He didn’t bother to tell her that he’d bought the flowers just for her; that remained his little secret. Sadie was a generous spirit and would have placed them on the dinner table anyhow to share them with everyone. That was just her nature.
Maybe next year.
Chapter 6
Silver and Finn
Iwas aboutto collapse beneath a mountain of pies until Logan swooped in like the hero that he was and banished me from the kitchen. I took a short elevator ride downstairs to inspect the family room and see what needed to be done before it got too late.
The men had bought long tables and lined them up to the right of the door. Straight ahead, the leather couches were facing each other in front of the hearth. Usually the dark rug was in the center of the room, but someone had moved it closer to the fireplace, and the coffee table was parked in the corner by the door. The built-in bookshelves gave the room an inviting appeal, as did the fact that someone had moved all the lamps near the front by the game table, leaving the remainder of the room drenched in firelight.
I curled up on the sofa and draped a blanket over my legs. The log in the fireplace cracked like a whip as the fire gathered up momentum, radiating a heavenly warmth. Justus and Simon had just assembled the plastic tree and were arguing about location.
“It’s too close to the wall,” Justus barked.
“Hurry up, Ghuardian. I’m dying to see what you’ve got in all those bags. You were a shopping machine today. The Shopinator.”
He gave me a frosty glare with those blue eyes and then rubbed his bristly scalp. “The tree is crooked, Simon. Fix it.”
“Who the bloody hell do I look like, Martha Stewart?” Simon appeared from behind the tree, a long green-and-red-striped elf hat on his head. “This thing is in four sodding pieces, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to take it apart and reassemble it so it can meet your high standards. All you need to do is spin it around and no one will notice.” He reached for the center pole and dragged it away from the wall.
The tree suddenly began to topple over, and Simon buckled beneath the weight of it.
Justus caught it, obscenities flying out of his mouth.
“Need some help over there?” Adam asked from across the room. There was nothing in his voice to indicate he was serious about helping so much as giving Justus a hard time. He was too busy playing backgammon with Sadie.
Justus dragged the tree a few feet forward and straightened it, but not before a branch thwacked him in the face. “Everything is under control.”
I was facing the tree but couldn’t see over the couch. “We need to move the furniture,” I pointed out. “You’re not going to be able to see the kids opening their gifts.”
Simon gave me a mirthless smile as he approached the sofa in front of me and shoved it around until it was facing the fireplace. “Problem solved. Anything else, love? Shall I repaint the walls or fetch your slippers?”
The door opened and Finn strode in, shaking snow off his hat. Lucian appeared behind him with an armload of boxes that he set down in the corner. Finn slung two plastic bags on the table and carried the rest to where I was sitting.
“Hey, sis.” He collapsed next to me and reclined his head. He still smelled like snow, and I noticed a little sweat on his face.
I glanced at the trail of water he’d left behind on the floor. “Take your shoes off and warm your feet by the fire.”
Without opening his eyes, he used his feet to kick off his shoes. “Never again.”
