“Is he feeling left out because he was the only Daniels brother without a Little of his own?”
“I think so, little fox. It’s hard to see everyone else enjoying what you worry you’ll never have. We need to leave him be for now.”
She sent him a little wave anyway. He’d be cold up there. Maybe she could find a certain friendly baker to keep him company.
“Foxy, whatever you’re thinking, stop it. You do not want to get involved in affairs of the heart. Tanner will find the Little girl for him when he’s ready. Do you understand?”
“Of course, Daddy,” she said, but she had her finger crossed behind her back. From the look he gave her, one that made her nether regions twitch, she didn’t think she fooled him.
They joined the family in the snow globe their Daddies had gotten for them. The dinner was delicious, with prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, warm rolls, and chocolate cake for dessert, which made her moan out loud. Trace wiped a bit of frosting from her lip with his thumb and licked it off, eyes locked on hers the whole time.
Then the caroling started. Someone handed out sheets, but no one needed them. Tildi, Joy, and Kenzie had been practicing with her every night. They sang every word of all the songs, loud enough to rattle the globe walls. Kip’s voice cracked on “Silent Night” because Trace’s hand had slipped under the table and was drawing slow circles on her thigh. By the end of the song, she had a feeling her night was going to be neither a silent night nor a holy one.
Halfway through “Jingle Bells,” Tanner’s voice crackled in Trace’s earpiece. Trace stood and took Kip by the hand. “Time for your surprise,” he said, as he led her from the crowd. “Well, one of them, anyway
He led her out of the globe, through the soft falling snow, to theentrance arch. Were they leaving already? She wasn’t ready to go yet. “Daddy?” she asked, but he shook his head.
“Close your eyes, little fox.”
She obeyed, heart hammering. Surprises were such a mixture of sweet and scary. Especially when she had no clue what the surprise was about.
She wanted to peek, but his hands covered her eyes anyway, warm and rough. Sneaky Daddy. He walked her forward a few steps.
“Open.”
She did.
Ten feet away, in Wilder, Wyoming, her mother stood, tears running down her face no more than ten feet away. To her mother’s left stood her father, with his arms over the shoulders of her sister, Ellie, on one side and her brother, Max, on the other.
They were right there. All of them. Bundled in coats, eyes wide, mouths open. They were probably mirroring the expression on her own face.
Kip’s knees gave out, but Trace caught her around the waist before she could fall.
“Mom?” The word came out as a sob. Fear, as Kip had never known, filled her. What if her family had come all this way to scream at her about what a disappointment she’d been. What if they demanded explanations for how she could have been so cruel, not contacting them even once in all this time.
Everything inside her wanted to run to them. To feel the arms of the people who she’d loved her whole life wrap around her again. But fear had her feet planted to the ground. She commanded her legs to move. Move! But they didn’t budge.
Her mother ran toward her, arms open. And Kip was free. Kip met her halfway. Crashing together, she buried her face in the familiar neck that still smelled like home.
Her dad’s arms came around both of them. Then Ellie. Then Max. They were all crying. She couldn’t stop. Six years. Six years of silence because she’d been terrified that Rios would go after them to get to her. And now they were here.
Trace stood back, hands in his pockets, letting her have them.
Her dad finally looked up, eyes wet. In a gruff voice, he asked, “That the man who brought my girl back to us?”
Kip nodded, couldn’t speak.
Her dad walked over, stuck out his hand. Trace took it. Her dad pulled him into a hard hug. “Anything you ever need, son. Anything.”
Her mom cupped Trace’s face. “You gave me my daughter back. I can never repay that.”
Trace’s voice came out rough. “Just love her. That’s all I ask.”
Ellie squealed and tackled Kip again. “I can’t believe you’re married! I wish we could have been there. Did you get any pictures?”
Kip looked over at Trace and mouthed “Thank you.” Tears still trickling down. Trace just smiled and nodded. Turning back to her sister, she said, “I wish you could have been there, too. More than you’ll ever know. And I do have pictures. Lots of them, thanks to my friend, Joy. She’s a photographer.” Her mom and dad exchanged a look, but Kip was too happy to try figuring out what it meant.
Max walked over and punched Trace’s shoulder, grinning. “You hurt her, I hurt you. But damn, man. Thank you.”
