Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28300 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28300 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
Everything was going swimmingly.
Darcy and Sally were helping with the decorations.
This was going to work.
She didn’t know why it was so important to her. It wasn’t like this wasn’t their first-ever Christmas together. In the twenty-plus years she’d known them, they had spent many Christmases together, as well as many apart. This was different though; it felt different to her.
Angel moved toward the front door, and there outside, shoveling snow, were Daisy and Anthony.
Daisy was Lacey’s adopted daughter, and Anthony was her son. Her eldest living son. Before him, she had been pregnant, but— She cut that thought off. That had been a dark time, and she wasn’t going to dwell on the past.
The power of looking forward and positive thinking, that was what she planned. It was what she always did.
Staring at the two young people, she couldn’t compare them to her or Lash. They had a completely different start compared to her and Lash. First of all, they had grown up together. She and Lash didn’t have that luxury.
From the moment she and her husband were together, there was never any chance of anyone else being with her. Lash owned her, body, mind, heart, and soul. She didn’t have a problem with that.
Considering she’d been kept due to a debt with her father, it had soon turned into something magical. Sure, they had their moments, but didn’t all couples?
Lash had never once strayed, and neither had she. She wasn’t even tempted.
With Anthony and Daisy, she didn’t understand what was wrong with them.
Her son had been smitten with the girl since they were kids. Angel remembered them sitting together. How Anthony would sit and listen to Daisy read. He rarely picked up a book himself, but the moment Daisy had one in front of her, he’d sit, listen, and he was completely enraptured by her.
She knew they’d gone on a couple of dates, but from all appearances, that hadn’t turned into anything else. She had to wonder what the problem was. They were an amazing couple.
Even now, Anthony was making sure Daisy didn’t hurt herself shoveling the snow. He was working twice as hard as anyone else, building up speed.
“Why are you spying on our son?” Lash asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.
“I don’t know. I’m just trying to think of ways to help them, you know?”
“You’ve got to give them time. That is, in truth, all they need.”
“Aren’t you worried?”
“About Anthony, no.”
“What about Daisy?”
“No,” Lash said, laughing. “First of all, our son is a damn hard worker, and trust me when I say this, he knows what he wants.”
“And Daisy?” Angel asked.
“She’s got all of us. Lacey, Whizz, and of course she has Anthony.”
“What do you think went down between the two of them?” Angel asked.
“Have you ever considered the fact that they might just be private?” Lash asked. “That they are in fact together, but they don’t want to deal with their parents butting into their lives?”
“Is it butting in when you’re trying to make them happy?”
Lash laughed. “No, it’s not butting in, if you consider that rare condition, but come on, babe, give them time. You and I, we wouldn’t want anyone meddling in our life.”
That was true.
She sighed, resting against him. “I love you, you know that?”
“I don’t doubt it. I’m the most loveable fucker in here.”
“You’ve been hanging out with Adam for too long.”
“That is the truth. Before long, I’ll be telling people to bugger off and to make me a cup of tea.”
Angel laughed as Lash made a British impression of Adam. “Do you happen to know why he’s so grumpy?” she asked.
“Not a clue, babe. I never know what’s going on in that head of his, but I’m not going to make it my mission to find out, either.” He kissed her temple. “Just something for you to enjoy doing.”
“How do you know I enjoy doing this?” Angel asked.
“Simple, you enjoy helping people and fixing their problems. It’s what you always do.”
That wasn’t wrong. She hated seeing people hurting or in any kind of pain. Over the years, she had heard many people describe her as a doormat or a waste of space, and plenty of other adjectives to describe how weak people saw her. This was purely because she wouldn’t hurt anyone. She didn’t think violence was necessary. As far as she was concerned, there was already so much horror in the world, and she wasn’t going to be a person to help it. Instead, she fought against it, and she always tried to find the good in everyone.
Much to Lash’s annoyance.
****
Lash climbed out of his truck with Anthony, stepping into ankle-deep snow. He was pleased he had thought ahead to putting snow chains on his tires.
“Lacey and Whizz already got a tree,” Anthony said.
“I know. They got one for the clubhouse, but we both know your mother. She would like a tree for the house as well.” Lash was used to his woman wanting to be completely immersed in all things Christmas.