Page 92 of His Secret Wish

He crawled out from under the tree, his hair sticking up, pine needles threaded through the dark strands. She rolled in her lips to stop from laughing again. There was only so much teasing he could take before he got huffy. Her cranky, sweet cowboy.

“Okay, girls.” She stood up, balancing Marissa on her hip. “Owen and uncle Declan are going to put the lights on the tree, while we go and finish dinner. After we eat, we can put on the decorations.”

Claudia squealed and jumped off the sofa, racing around the corner toward the kitchen.

Isabella walked over to Owen and brushed some of the pine needles out of his hair. Some of them were sticky with sap and were going to take more than a finger comb to dislodge.

He smiled at them, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He tousled Marissa’s hair. “Well, what do you think, moppet?” He indicated the tree with a wave of his hand.

“It’s booteeful.” Her eyes were wide, excitement sparkling in her dark gaze. He laughed, the sound one of true happiness. Something they had both lost somewhere along the way to their breakup. But she was sure glad they’d managed to find it again. And each other. The love she had for this man was unfathomable.

Declan was stringing the lights on the tree behind them, muttering something under his breath. It was most likely less than favorable, given that every once in a while, he would slap a branch out of the way. She hated to tell him, but there were at least seven more strands of lights that needed to go on the tree. A Christmas tree needed as many lights as possible.

Both she and Owen were determined to make this the best Christmas the girls had ever had. And it would be a special one for them too, since it would be there first as a family.

Technically, they were still only fostering the girls, since the adoption wasn’t final yet. But they had the best people working on it, and sometime in the next few months it would be official. Claudia and Marissa would become Callahans.

Isabella pushed up onto her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Thank you for getting the tree.”

He slipped his arm around her, pulling her close. Not as close as it would be if Marissa wasn’t still in her arms. But that was okay. He rubbed his nose against hers. “Thank you for making my dreams come true.” The words were quiet, just for her and Marissa’s ears, not that the little girl truly understood what he was saying.

Tears burned her eyes, but she blinked hard to stave them off. “Right back at you.”

“Umm, guys, could I get some help here?” Declan’s voice smashed through the moment.

Owen turned, taking her and Marissa with him. The tree had come out of the stand and had been about to fall over before Declan grabbed it.

“Oh, for f... cr... sugar sake.” The fact Owen was trying so hard to not swear was super sweet. And utterly hilarious.

She laughed again, so much joy inside her, it felt like if she didn’t let it out, she was going to float away. Owen glanced at her, his eyebrows scrunched together. But there was a twinkle in his eyes that belied his annoyance. She pressed another quick kiss to his lips and then stepped away.

He gave her a pat on the ass and then turned to help Declan.

She hurried out of the room, hitting the hallway just as the swearing started. There was only so much restraint she could expect from her gruff cowboy, so it looked like she was going to be keeping the girls occupied in the kitchen for a while. At least until the lights were on the tree.

She deposited Marissa on a chair at the table. Claudia was already seated there, drawing a picture on a piece of printer paper. Owen had bought them both a couple of coloring books—all horses and cowboys and cowgirls—and a huge box of crayons. When Claudia had opened it, she’d stared at all the colors for a long time.

Kissing the top of Marissa’s head, she ruffled Claudia’s hair, and then walked over to the counter. She’d put some chili in the slow cooker this morning, and it was probably just about ready. She lifted the lid, the aroma of tomatoes and spices making her mouth water and her stomach growl.

Hopefully, the girls liked it. Getting them to eat stuff they didn’t recognize was a bit of a challenge, but she was trying to be patient. A lot had changed in their lives over the last little while, so it was understandable they’d be a little skittish. If push came to shove, she’d make them some chicken nuggets.

She turned the oven on and popped the loaf of garlic bread she’d made earlier inside. It wouldn’t take too long for the garlic butter to melt into the bread, and then they could eat.

Someone wrapped their arms around her from behind, and she jumped, her stomach smacking into her lungs.

Owen laughed, the sound deep and dirty. A shiver slid through her, making her pussy throb. He kissed her neck, and she tilted her head and moaned quietly. Her belly quivered, the anticipation making her skin tingle. He didn’t know it yet, but he was getting so lucky tonight.

“Look, look, look.” Claudia ran over to them, the picture she’d been drawing clutched in her hand.

Owen spun them around, still holding her close, her back pressed against his front. “What have you got there, peanut?” His voice was soft, just like it always got when he was talking to the girls. Isabella rubbed her fingers against his hands, which were clasped over her middle.

“I drawed a pitcher.” She held it up, waving it back and forth.

“I see you drew a picture.” Isabella tried not to correct either of them too often when they mispronounced a word or two, but she did try to reinforce the correct way to say it. Maybe something would sink in. “What kind of picture?”

Claudia grinned. “A family pitcher.”

“Aww, that’s nice. Can I see?” Isabella held out her hand.