Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45529 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45529 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
I narrowed my eyes. We didn’t know what the boys were planning, but we were prepared for anything. We had a plan B.
Hearing Luke leaving the bathroom, I gave Kit another kiss before I returned to my side of the bed. I had more questions about the Secret Santa exchange, but I could be patient sometimes. It was part of the fun to see if they could throw us off our game.
When I’d spoken to Greer yesterday, we’d theorized a little, and we’d decided tomorrow would be a good day to do some digging. Archie had apparently spent two days baking up a storm, so they were bringing a bunch of it here so the brats could decorate cookies together. Archie wasn’t staying long; he was taking their youngest out for Christmas shopping with his sister, but Corey and Kit would be in the kitchen, supervised by Luke and Sloan. Meanwhile, Greer and I were gonna listen in and tend to final preparations for the party.
With only Sloan and Luke nearby, Corey and Kit might lower their guards a bit.
“Ivy’s morning sickness has worn off,” Luke mentioned as he joined us. “I’m going to miss her this holiday.”
Yeah, me too. But a fairly large crowd in our community left town over Christmas. Many of us had family in other parts of the country. Hell, Luke and I were usually with his folks or mine.
“Just keep your focus on me, and you won’t miss anyone, darlin’.” I stretched out comfortably and slipped a hand under my head.
Kit snorted at me. “Can you imagine if I responded like that, Daddy?”
Luke shook his head, amused. “One cocky pilot is enough, don’t you think?”
“Yeah,” Kit laughed. Then he turned his head to me. “But we love you anyway.”
“Of course you do. I’m irresistible.” I winked.
“Lord.” Luke returned his reading glasses to the case on the nightstand, proceeding with his little nighttime routine. Another one I liked to watch when he wasn’t paying attention. He was such a creature of habit—from the cereal he ate for breakfast to how, fifty percent of the time, he forgot those glasses in the bathroom and had to go back for them.
He’d recently showered too, and for some reason, he always put on his slippers—when it was cold out—his flannel bottoms, and a white tee, even though he’d take it all off a couple minutes later when he snuck under the covers.
“Is it story time now?” Kit yawned and pulled the duvet up to his chin. “I want to hear about the reindeer.”
“Hmm, okay. Bedtime story with Santa’s reindeer.” Luke turned pensive and got comfortable next to our boy.
This had become the highlight of December for me. Every night, Luke had improvised a short, Christmas-themed bedtime story for Kit, serving as another reminder of how much our lives had changed since last winter.
I turned off the light on my side and yawned too. Completely blissed out. Kit’s hand found mine under the duvet, and I gave his a little squeeze.
“I suppose I can tell you about the year Santa almost fell off his sleigh,” Luke offered.
“Gosh, yes.” Kit was hooked already.
I grinned sleepily. Before Kit, I’d had no idea Luke was such a good storyteller.
This needed to be a new tradition for December, where I became his very willing audience.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Luke went on. “I saw it with my own two eyes. I was in third or fourth grade, and I would sneak out to my treehouse in the middle of the night to see Santa land on the roof with all his presents.”
I let out a long breath of utter contentment and felt his imagery sweep me away.
“That had to be super cold,” Kit said.
“I brought my coat and hot chocolate, obviously,” Luke added.
“Oh, good. That’s so yummy. And blankets?”
“Three of them,” Luke confirmed. “And never in a million years had I thought I’d be ready to use those blankets to save Santa’s life. But that night, as my nose got colder and my toes started numbing, I heard the faint sound of bells in the air, followed by a distant ‘Ho, ho, ho! Easy now, Prancer. Careful, careful!’ I immediately knew it was Santa and that he was in trouble.”
I yawned again and glanced over at Luke.
“The entire sleigh was shaking and skidding across the sky,” he said. “Then Vixen came to an abrupt stop right as they reached my street, and I watched the sleigh almost flip forward—and Santa was nearly catapulted from it. So I grabbed my blankets and rushed down the tree, then darted out on the street.”
Maybe Vixen was sick of Prancer’s bullshit?
“Then what happened, Daddy?” Kit pressed urgently.
“Rudolph came to the rescue.” Luke smiled. “He did some sort of maneuver that prevented Santa from falling.”
Some sort of maneuver.