by Kaira Rouda
Cole had kissed Lily’s cheek and took her hand as everyone assembled.
“Avery, dear, what is the commotion all about?” Evalyn had said, hurrying in from the kitchen. “The gingerbread is almost ready and needs to be taken out of the oven.”
“Mom. Lily and Cole have an announcement,” Avery had said, her eyes sparkling.
Lily had looked up to the top of the stairs where James stood, surveying the scene. She had smiled up at him and he had raised the Stella bottle in his hand in a silent toast.
“We’re engaged, everybody. We’ll be married this summer, right here on Indigo Island. Thank you all for bringing Lily into my life and for helping me surprise her with the ring. It’s only been a short time, but I couldn’t ask for a better extended family,” Cole had said as Lily wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Well, isn’t this great news,” Richard had said, offering to open a special wine to celebrate. Lily and Cole had explained they had to go back to the restaurant for Christmas Eve dinner, but they’d be over for Christmas, as planned.
And they were. The meal was spectacular, of course: tomato bisque with blue cheese straws, juicy slices of beef tenderloin with horseradish sauce, sage-crusted pork racks with pear chutney, asparagus with curry dip, mini corn cakes with salmon and fresh dill cream, au gratin potatoes, sweet potato casserole, carrot and cauliflower salad, green beans with hollandaise sauce, and a selection of fine red wines. She tried to save room to try all the desserts. She stood and walked with Cole to the arrangement of Christmas goodies. She was wearing a simple, black velvet A-line dress with short sleeves and black patent pumps. A strand of shiny pearls was around her neck and the only jewelry on her hands was her sparkling engagement ring. Her dark hair was curled in soft waves, shining on her shoulders.
“You look gorgeous, Lils,” Cole whispered in her ear.
“I love you so much,” she said.
As she helped herself to one of each of the deserts, Lily had a quick flashback to picking petals, alone. She realized with a start Bob’s wedding was today. Something so important just a short time ago had happened without Lily giving it a thought. She took a bite of the tip of Avery’s Christmas tree cookie, savoring the rich buttery taste, smiling as the silver ball melted in her mouth.
The trouble with Christmas wasn’t because of the holiday at all. Christmas was what people made it. It was their choice to focus on the bad things that had happened to them and the people who had hurt them, or choose to focus on the magical, light-filled, sparkling season that promised hope and dreams would come true.
Lily chose happiness.
The End
Don’t miss Kaira Rouda’s Indigo Island Series
Weekend with the Tycoon by Kaira Rouda
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Lines in the Sand by Kaira Rouda
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Southern Born Christmas Series
If you enjoyed The Trouble with Christmas, you’ll love some other Southern Born Christmas stories!
Holiday at Magnolia Bay by Tracy Solheim
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Just in Time for Christmas by Kim Boykin
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A Very Married Christmas by Erika Marks
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About the Author
Kaira Rouda is an award-winning and bestselling author of both fiction and nonfiction. Her books include: Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs, Here, Home, Hope, All the Difference, In the Mirror, and the short story, A Mother’s Day. She lives in Southern California with her husband and four children and is at work on her next novel. Connect with her on Twitter, @KairaRouda, and on Facebook at Kaira Rouda Books. And of course, on Pinterest! For more about Kaira and her books, please visit her website KairaRouda.com.
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