Page 41 of Cakewalk

“Nope. Even after I got married, Bradley was insistent that was something we hired people to do. The tree had to be perfect looking, like something out of a magazine, in case clients came over. I was always jealous of the trees I saw with handmade ornaments, or the ones you could buy at the mall and have your names put on them. I bought one for our tree the first Christmas after we were married and secretly put it on the tree in a spot I thought no one would see it. But the next day it was gone, and I never saw it again.”

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” he said, pulling her in close. His heart ached thinking about how she didn’t have happy Christmas memories. Just one more thing to add to his list of things to take care of for her. “What do you say? Spend Christmas with me and my family?”

“Of course!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing. He shifted in his chair, making sure she didn’t fall out of his lap, squeezing her back just as tightly. “Christmas isn’t a trigger for you like Thanksgiving?”

“It’s not. I guess maybe because it was already a St. James-Montgomery family thing, and Thanksgiving was a Hannah thing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been hard, but we won’t have a repeat of the flying turkey,” he promised. He hated that she was worried about that, even if she didn’t voice the concern, but he loved that her first thought was of him and his feelings. She had one of the biggest hearts he’d ever known, and he was incredibly grateful to have worked his way into it. “My mom says that since the kitchen is yours now, that dinner is your call. She’s all about helping but doesn’t want to step on toes.”

“I would love her help! I’ve never done it, and I have no idea even where to start.”

“She’ll be thrilled to hear that.”

Gigi twisted toward the desk, eyeing the laptop. He’d wondered how long it would take for her to notice that. Prior to his mom’s call, this had been the most productive afternoon he’d had in a long time. Probably years. The idea had struck him while he was out on his morning run, and by the time he’d finished his shower, he couldn’t get up to the loft and the keyboard fast enough. It was as if the flood gates had been opened, spilling years of pent-up energy and words. It all flowed through him in a way that it never had before. The only difference now was the stunning creature currently occupying this chair with him.

“What’s that?” she asked, nodding toward the screen.

“That, is almost seven thousand words,” he told her, feeling pretty proud of himself.

“Holy cow! That’s a lot!” she said, looking back at the screen and then returning her focus to him. “That is a lot, right?”

“Depends on the author, but generally speaking, yes. Seven thousand words in a day is a lot. For me, it’s a shit-ton.”

“Holden, that’s amazing!” The joy that spread across her face tugged at his heart, making him even happier about the day he had.

“Well, for all I know they are shitty words, but at least they are words. Step in the right direction.”

“So, your muse is back?”

“I think I have a new one.” He wanted to tell her that she was the reason he was writing again, and that she was the inspiration for each and every one of those seven thousand words. But he also didn’t want to come on too strong.

“Willing to share her?” she asked.

“Ummmm, threesomes aren’t really my thing, sweetheart…” he joked.

She smacked his chest playfully with the back of her hand while sticking her tongue out at him, like she was a kid on the playground. “Not what I meant!”

“Why do you need her?”

“Zara and Audrey asked me to come up with a signature item for the Busy Bean,” she answered with a heavy sigh. Holden watched as her shoulders slumped and her entire demeanor changed. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

“You said that once before, sweetheart, and you landed on your feet pretty quick. You’ve come a long way. Don’t give up now.”

“But I need something fun and clever. Something that will stand out!”

“Call Hunnie—I’m sure she has all sorts of weird and out-there ideas. Maybe that will spark something. And once you two have concocted some crazy cupcake, you and I will head to the kitchen and make them.”

“You don’t mind another kitchen project?”

“Mind? Sweetheart, I look forward to it. It’s kind of our thing.”

“You spoil me, you know that?” she asked, leaning in so their foreheads were touching.

Holden closed his eyes and inhaled her sweet smell and savored the feel of her body against his. He was the one who was spoiled, having someone like her just dropped in his lap. As crazy as it probably sounded to anyone else, he really was starting to believe that Hannah had sent him Gigi. How else could it have worked out so perfectly? She was everything he needed, and he hoped she was falling just as hard as he was.

“It’s not spoiling you to give you what you deserve, sweetheart. And you deserve to be cherished and adored. I’m just grateful that I get to be the man in charge of that.”

18

Gigi