“And I’m here for you, too, you know, if you need guidance and comfort. Or maybe for a drink sometime.”
Is he asking me on a date?She stopped in front of her car.
“I’ve gotta tell you,” he said, stepping closer, “you kinda blew my mind with that video.”
Her skin crawled.Fuck off.She yanked out her car keys and faced him. “Don’t discuss that video with me again.” She wanted to tell him to stay the hell away from her sister, too. Instead, she jumped into her car and drove away.
Dammit. I’m off my game. I should have gotten his last name.
She called Hannah.
“Did you forget something?”
“What’s Joey’s last name?”
“Um, I don’t know. Do you want me to get it for you?”
“It’s okay.” She paused. “I didn’t know you were considering adoption.”
“I wasn’t, but I’m going to read the pamphlet.”
Adoption is a great option, but I thought she was excited to be a mom.Evangeline didn’t want to get into it over the phone, so she told Hannah they could discuss it after she learned more.
By the time she got home, she had a massive headache. Her career was on hold for something she didn’t do, and her sister was allowing some stranger to direct the most important decision of her life. For a woman who was obsessed with control, she had absolutely none.
What a total cluster fuck.
7
Santa Has Landed!
Dressed in a Santa hat and loaded down with presents, Sin knocked on his twin’s front door. Seconds later, his adorable niece squealed. “Uncle Lalla’s here!”
From behind the closed door, Dakota said, “Sammy, we can’t open the door without checking first.”
A few more seconds passed before Dakota swung open the door. “Hurray!” Sammy hollered. Dakota set her down and she started jumping with excitement.
Laughing, Sin stepped into their spacious McLean home. “Merry Christmas, you two.”
Dakota slapped him on the back. “Merry Christmas, brother.”
Sammy beamed up at him. “That’s a lot of presents.” Her eyes were huge, her smile contagious. No matter how much Sin had going on, he found time for family. Both families were his anchors.
“Where can I put these, Sammy?”
Sammy tugged him into the living room. “There.” She pointed to the lit tree. “Can we open them?”
“Maybe Uncle Lalla would like a cup of coffee first,” Dakota said.
“Nah, let’s open presents,” Sin said, depositing the gifts under the tree.
Sammy plopped onto the floor. “I’ll play Santa.”
Sin smiled at his brother. “This’ll be easy.” He loved spoiling his niece.
Dakota left the room while Sin settled onto the sofa. When he returned, he handed him a mug of black coffee.
Six presents later, the child sat amongst a sea of torn wrapping paper. “This is the best Christmas, ever.”
