I'll Be Home for Christmas (The Thorntons Book 6.5; Love Everlasting)

by Iris Morland

  It was time to bring out the big guns.

  “If I promise not to tell your mom,” Harrison said, “will you tell me what happened?”

  James’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

  Harrison knew that Sara would tan his hide for promising this, but he nodded. Sometimes you have to play dirty. “Really.”

  James narrowed his eyes, but then shrugged. If Harrison got himself into trouble, that was his own problem. Harrison knew that his stepson was a smart cookie no matter his age.

  “Travis called Eric the b-word because Eric was making fun of me. He saw me give Sophie a flower the day before.”

  Who’s Sophie? Harrison had to practically bite his tongue in half to keep from asking questions.

  “Eric was saying that I was kissing girls under the slide, which is not true. I’ve never kissed any girls. Then Eric and his friends started singing that song. ‘James and Sophie sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.’” James frowned, rather ferociously. “Travis told them to stop and then he called Eric a bitch.”

  Harrison choked. “James, don’t say that word,” he said, although it was difficult when he was trying not to laugh. He set his hand on James’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Eric was making fun of you. That wasn’t nice. But who’s Sophie?”

  A blush climbed up James’s cheeks until his face was cherry-red. “A girl,” was all he said.

  “I figured that. Do you like her?”

  James ducked his head. “Yeah. She’s nice.”

  “Did she like it when you gave her a flower?”

  “She just laughed and ran away. I don’t know.” James sighed. “I think I’m in love.”

  He said it so seriously that Harrison’s initial bout of laughter faded. He could understand falling in love with a girl who seemed not to love you back.

  Up ahead, Caleb and Mark argued as they crested the hill that led to the cabin. Heath said something that made the group laugh. By the time they got to the house, the argument was forgotten in the midst of jokes as they untied the tree to take it inside.

  Harrison hung back with James. “If you like Sophie,” he said, “then you should tell her how you feel. The worst that could happen is that she says she doesn’t feel the same.”

  James frowned. “You think so?”

  “I do. Being honest is really hard, especially with girls. It’s scary. I was terrified to tell your mom how I felt about her.”

  “Really? Why?”

  Harrison thought of how he’d fallen hard and fast for Sara while the world seemed intent on keeping them apart. When Sara had ended things, he’d been afraid he’d never get over his broken heart. Until he’d discovered that his own mother had interfered and had tried to keep them apart. Harrison hadn’t wasted a moment in getting Sara back and convincing her that they were meant to be together—no matter what anyone else thought.

  “Love is scary because you don’t know how it’s going to end.” Harrison gazed off into the distance. “Maybe the person you love won’t love you back. Maybe she’ll break your heart. But maybe she feels the same, and it’ll be worth it. Love is all about having the courage to act on it.”

  James stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I guess that makes sense.”

  Slinging an arm around James, Harrison hugged him close before ruffling his hair. James made a muffled protest.

  “I know I’m not your real dad, but I love you just like if you were my own. You know that, right?”

  James rolled his eyes. “You’re my dad, Dad. Don’t be dumb.”

  The guys were currently trying to figure out how to get the tree through the door without scraping off all of the needles. James ran ahead to watch, leaving Harrison to bite the inside of his cheek to keep the tears at bay.

  What was it about kids that tore you up inside? Not just James, but Bennett, too. Sara had given him so much that sometimes it was overwhelming.

  After everyone went up to bed that evening, Sara practically pounced on him the second he shut their bedroom door.

  “Well?” she demanded, hands on her hips. “Did you talk to James?”

  “I did.” Harrison began to undress. “But I can’t tell you what we talked about.”

  “What? Why? What happened? I’m his mother.”

  “Everything’s fine, I promise. But I told him I wouldn’t tell you.” Sara looked hurt, and Harrison pulled her into his arms. “Don’t be upset, baby. James is growing up, that’s all. And I bet you everything he’ll tell you on his own.”

  “I don’t believe you, but thanks anyway.” She sighed, laying her head on his chest.

  He kissed the crown of her head, his hands moving downward until he cupped her ass. “How about I distract you really well tonight?”

  That earned him a smile. “Sounds like you have your work cut out for you, Doctor Thornton.”

  Her throaty voice sent his body into overdrive, and before she could protest, he tossed her over his shoulder and took her to bed to show her just how well he could distract her.

  2

  Caleb & Megan

  Megan dug around in the box of ornaments before dumping the entire box onto the floor, much to Bea and Evie’s glee. Bea, Lizzie and Trent’s toddler, squealed with delight and reached for a glass ornament.

  “Oh no, don’t take that one. Don’t cry. Here’s your stuffed dog.”

  Bea wasn’t interested in being dissuaded. Lizzie, currently hanging ornaments on the tree the guys had finally gotten inside, laughed.

  “What did you do? Bea-Bea, you don’t need that ornament.” Lizzie picked up her daughter and placed her on her hip, distracting Bea with some twinkly lights. Bea stopped crying within a few moments.

  Megan blew out a breath. At the moment, she, Lizzie, and Trent helped decorate the tree. The rest of the crew was either helping with dinner or hiding in their rooms.

  Evie sat on her boppy pillow, watching the proceedings with her wide blue eyes. She giggled when Trent dropped an ornament that rolled next to her foot.

  “What’s happening in here?” Caleb scooped up Evie and gave her loud smacking kiss on the cheek. “Trent, that dog ornament is crooked.”

  “If you care so much, how about you help us?” Trent countered.

  “Nah. I found the tree.” He sat down next to Megan on the floor with Evie. “It’s a good tree, isn’t it?”

  “Oh, it’s amazing. The best tree in existence. Thank God you found it.”

  Caleb hooked an arm around her waist and gave her a kiss louder than the one he’d given Evie. Megan laughed, pushing him away halfheartedly.

  “Your daddy is very silly,” she said to Evie. “Don’t listen to him.”

  Watching Caleb with Evie never failed to fill Megan with joy. The second Evie had been placed in his arms, Caleb had embraced fatherhood without reservation. He’d changed diapers, gotten up in the middle of the night to soothe Evie back to sleep, dressed her, bathed her. If he could’ve nursed her, he probably would have, Megan had thought wryly.

  Megan loved motherhood, but one thing she didn’t like? The fact that she and Caleb had made love a grand total of three times since Evie’s birth.

  At first, Megan hadn’t wanted to have sex, and Caleb hadn’t pushed her. Once she’d recovered, though, the demands of caring for an infant, plus their jobs, meant that sex was too often an afterthought. Either Megan was too tired or Caleb had to do a late-night shift at the police station, and by the time they were even in the same vicinity, both just wanted to sleep before Evie woke up and demanded the rest of their energy.

  When Harrison had first come up with this Christmas-in-the-woods scheme, Megan knew it was her chance to get into her husband’s pants. Last night, she’d put on her nicest lingerie and had stayed up in their bedroom waiting for him...only to fall asleep before he came to bed.

  I need to come up with a plan, because I’m not leaving this place without getting at least one orgasm in the bargain.

  “Let’s get the star to put on top,” said L
izzie. “Caleb, you’re the tallest. Come on, be useful.”

  “I’m always useful.” He handed Evie to Megan.

  “No, it’s not straight. Put it on that branch that’s sticking up.”

  Lizzie instructed Caleb as he sent her exasperated looks. As a younger sister herself, Megan knew all too well how easy it was to annoy your older siblings. Trent, with Bea on his hip now, just looked amused and wisely kept his mouth shut.

  Seeing Caleb now, Megan felt desire stirring inside her. It didn’t help that his jeans outlined his firm ass, or that his hair was a bit longer than usual and curled near his collar. He laughed when Lizzie growled at him, and the sound made Megan bite the inside of her cheek to keep from shivering.

  She’d put Evie to bed after dinner. After that? She’d corner Caleb by the woodpile if she had to.

  When Caleb looked over his shoulder and winked at her, she knew he wanted to enjoy her as much as she wanted to enjoy him. She gave him a seductive smile, and he got so distracted that Lizzie had to pull on his arm to get him to pay attention again.

  Megan first cornered him in the kitchen. After putting Evie down for her afternoon nap, Megan heard Caleb’s voice and followed it to the source, only to find him the only person in the kitchen.

  Would she really get lucky the first time? Maybe she would get a Christmas miracle early.

  “Who were you talking to?”

  Caleb grinned before taking a large bite of his sandwich. “I always talk while making a sandwich.”

  “Why? Does it need moral support before you eat it? And where is everybody anyway?”

  “Outside, I think. I think a few wanted to go for a hike.”

  “And you decided it was time to eat another lunch.”

  He grinned. “You know me so well.”

  Sidling closer, she fluttered her eyelashes, but to her consternation, he was too intent on finishing his sandwich. This is not getting off to a great start, she thought sourly.

  She poked him in the chest. “Caleb.”

  “What?”

  He swallowed and was about to take another bite when she snagged the sandwich from him and set it on the counter.

  “Hey, I was eating that—”

  She kissed him, only to jump away like she’d been scalded when she realized he’d been eating something with horseradish. She hated horseradish.

  He laughed. “Sorry, babe.”

  Megan wasn’t about to give up yet. Taking him by the arm, she pulled him into the nearby pantry and shut the door. Caleb, not being stupid, didn’t need her to explain what she was doing.

  She trailed a hand down his torso until she reached his belt buckle. “I’ve missed you, Caleb,” she said, her voice husky. “Haven’t you missed me?”

  When she cupped his quickly hardening erection, he groaned. “Baby, I always miss you, but everybody and their dog has been around today—”

  “Since when do you make excuses not to have sex?”

  “Since you gave birth to our nine-pound, five-ounce daughter and needed time to recover.”

  She paused. Had he avoided her because he thought she was still healing? She’d told him she was recovered, but perhaps he hadn’t believed her. Her heart flipping over in her chest, she gave him a sultry smile.

  “I am totally, completely,” she said as she began to unzip his jeans, “recovered, and if you don’t make love to me in this pantry right now, I think I might die.”

  He leaned down to kiss her, but she laughed and pushed his face away. “No kissing. There’s no time.” She stroked his cock.

  Caleb groaned, more loudly this time, and she shushed him with a giggle. Swiping her thumb over the tip, she watched him in the dim light, loving the way the tendons in his neck stood out as he tried to keep himself quiet.

  “Do you want everyone to come running?” She squeezed him just to see his face contort.

  “Someone’s going to be coming.” Turning her so she faced away from him, he kissed the side of her neck as he pushed her sweater up her back. “God, I’ve missed you. When you kept saying you were too tired—”

  She tipped her head back to gaze into his eyes. “You said the same thing. We have both been pretty tired.”

  His lips twisted into a wry grin. “How did we end up becoming so boring? Remember when I arrested you?”

  “I should’ve brought handcuffs.”

  That earned her a smack on the ass. When Caleb unbuttoned her jeans and pushed them down her hips, something clattered on the counter out in the kitchen. They both stilled, waiting.

  And then Mark opened the pantry door, stared at them—with their pants undone and their faces flushed—and he just rolled his eyes.

  “You better get out of here. The rest of the crew will be here in a minute,” was all Mark said.

  Megan was fairly certain he smiled as he shut the door, but with Mark, you could never be sure.

  * * *

  The rest of the day was a series of near misses: Caleb pulled Megan into the bathroom, only to forget to lock the door and for James to open the door and catch them. That time, no clothes had come off, and for that, Megan had said a fervent prayer of thanks.

  After dinner, she pounced on Caleb when he went out to get some firewood. He sat her on top of the woodpile—only for it to go tumbling to the ground, Megan with it.

  “Maybe we should just wait until it’s time to go to bed,” said Caleb with a laugh as he helped brush the dirt off of Megan. “Like normal people.”

  “Tonight we’re wrapping presents after the kids go to bed, and then Jubilee is going to make her spiked eggnog.”

  “Then we’ll just not drink it, like we usually do.”

  She chewed on her lip. “We could sneak out early.”

  “That’s the spirit.” He patted her ass and grinned. “If we aren’t banging like rabbits in a few hours, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.”

  Despite Caleb’s assurances otherwise, they did not, in fact, end up banging like rabbits. Evie wouldn’t go to sleep, and Megan realized she had a tooth coming in that made her especially fussy. Caleb took over when Megan was at her wit’s end, and by the time they were both in bed, they were too tired to do so much as kiss each other on the cheek.

  The next few days—and nights—were taken up with activities and dealing with Evie. By Saturday, both Caleb and Megan were determined to get into each other’s pants (as Caleb put it), even if everyone and their dog interrupted them.

  “Meet me in the woods near the birdhouse at ten o’clock,” Megan whispered in Caleb’s ear that morning before having to go help with breakfast.

  At ten, Megan was waiting for Caleb to show, praying someone hadn’t asked him to do some chore or another. By ten after ten, she was afraid he wouldn’t show when hands grabbed her from behind.

  She yelped and whirled as Caleb burst out laughing. “You scared the crap out of me!” she complained, slapping him on the chest. “I thought you might not come.”

  He waggled his eyebrows. “And miss the chance to ravish my wife against a pine tree?”

  The laughter died between them, and it was only a millisecond later that they were kissing like mad, hands coasting all over each other. Megan tangled her fingers in Caleb’s hair, rubbing against him like a cat in heat. God, she needed him. She’d waited way too damn long for this.

  “Pants. Off. Now.” Caleb unbuttoned his jeans while Megan did the same, although her hands were shaking so much it seemed to take forever.

  He pushed her up against a nearby tree, the bark digging into her back. She couldn’t even care at that point, she was so ravenous for him. With his dark hair falling across his forehead, his green eyes gleaming, he made her heart pound like mad every time she looked at him.

  Caleb kneeled down and pulled her jeans down to her ankles along with her panties. The bite of the wind only heightened the sensations, although being surrounded by trees helped keep the worst of the wind at bay. It helped that Caleb’s hands were hot on her skin, and when he ki
ssed her sex and licked through her folds, all she could feel was him.

  He licked her as she gripped him by his hair. She undulated against his tongue, gasping and moaning. Her release built at record speed until she came so hard the tree shook behind her. Caleb gave one last kiss to her core before he stood up and thrust inside her.

  They both groaned. The sound echoed through the trees, and as Caleb thrust, the tree shook and rained down pine needles.

  Megan couldn’t help it: she started laughing, which then turned into a moan, but it was also still a bit of a laugh. Because she was finally making love with her husband who she adored, and God Almighty, why had they waited this long to get back into the groove?

  “God, I love you,” groaned Caleb as his rhythm got more jagged. “Even if you’re laughing at me.”

  “I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing at our circumstances—” Her last word trailed away as Caleb hit a spot inside her that sent her body into overdrive.

  Panting, she clung to him. Her second orgasm burst upon her right as Caleb came. He kissed her wildly, and she shivered as she felt him fill her with his heat.

  A long moment later, Megan groaned, but for an entirely different reason. Her back was sore, and when Caleb lifted up her shirt, he laughed and swore at the same time.

  “Is it that bad?” she asked, trying to peer over her shoulder.

  “No, the scratches are light, but if you go around wearing a tank top, everybody is going to know what we were doing.” He kissed between her shoulder blades.

  She sighed. “I guess that’s the price I’ll have to pay.” Twining her arms around his neck, she kissed him, not caring in the least that her back was all scratched up.

  When she heard someone tromping through the woods toward them, she said, “Well, they’ve found our hiding place. Where should we meet up next?”

  Caleb’s smile was slow and wide. “Hot tub. Midnight. Be there or be square.”

  “Oh, I’ll be there. I need to make your back look like mine, so we’re even.”