“One.”
The feel of Sawyer’s lips on her skin.
“Two.”
Betzy, turning to face him.
“Three.”
Sawyer moving in, pressing his masterful lips to hers, and giving her a kiss that outshone the unforgettable kiss they shared over ten years ago.
She blinked after the camera flashed, and forced herself to come back to the present. The kitchen, bright compared to the dark evening outside, had transformed into a candy factory fit for the North Pole. Now was the time for making candy canes. Or, candy shapes, since the pliable vines could be shaped into whatever the mind could imagine. Until the candy solidified, that is.
Camila and James were heading the project. The couple demonstrated a whole lot of team work while one kneaded the massive ball of mint flavored candy while the other smoothed pieces at a time into one long vine, only to cut and distribute them to the waiting crowd.
When she wasn’t distracted by thoughts of Sawyer’s kiss, Betzy was admiring the way the newlywed couple complimented one another so well. James really was the perfect one to get married first. She hoped the example would help Zander relax about the idea of getting serious with someone, and that Duke might shed his undying need to be, as he put it, shackle-free.
She glanced over at Sawyer, who was sandwiched between Lilly and Link. They’d taken a real liking to him, and Zander too.
“Hold up your candy this time,” Grandma prompted. Betzy glanced at the selection among them. Mom and Matthew had shaped their latest candy strips into wreaths. Duke had simply wrapped his around his finger, while Betzy had opted for a traditional cane.
She couldn’t help but grin as Lilly proudly lifted the golf putter and ball for the camera. Something Sawyer had helped her with.
Zander and Link held up what looked like footballs, wide grins aimed right at the camera while the flash went off once more.
At the other side of the counter, James reached for the scissors. “Who’s ready for more?” he asked.
“I am,” cheered the kids as they jumped up and down.
“Will you help me do a race car this time?” Lilly asked Sawyer through a set of dark lashes.
“I’ll sure try,” he said.
“And will you help me do a basketball this time?” Link asked Zander.
Dang, they were cute. Emmy had snuck off to take what Betzy assumed was a much-needed nap. She could only imagine how much they all missed havingDadaround.
Betzy was glad the men could step in and take part in the activity with them, but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t looking forward to getting Sawyer alone once more.
The thing was, that kiss had led Betzy to one very important conclusion: she was bound to get hurt no matter how this thing went. She’d been in love with him for all these years. And now, she had the chance to be close to him, spend family time with him like she’d always dreamed of, and if she was lucky, she’d even get to steal a few more kisses along the way.
Maybe he was, like Grandma warned, just being a guy—willing to take what he could get from her. But maybe, just maybe he secretly felt the same. But would Betzy ever find out if she was set on keeping him at arms’ length?
No. So it was decided. She’d let that seed in her heart grow into a massive, thriving tree—Sawyer’s tree—and she’d worry about how to prune it when the time came.
Betzy stared at her candy vine as she shaped the top part into a shepherd’s hook. Already it was starting to harden. Just like her resolve. Firm and unmovable—that was her.
“Why doesn’t anyone askmeto make something?” Duke asked over her shoulder. He tugged the hardened spiral candy off his finger, inspected it for a blink, then clanked it against the counter where it broke into pieces.
“Cuz you’ll break ours,” Link accused.
Duke rolled his eyes. “Kids hate me.”
“Oh, I bet I know who you’re doingthatfor,” Betzy heard Lilly say next.
“Shh,” Sawyer said. “We don’t want her to see it yet. We need two more. Get two more.”
“Go ahead and make your next ones,” Grandma instructed, “then I’m going to get another picture.”
