by Linda Seed
They’d made love twice—energetically the first time, with the urgency of two people who knew they’d found The One. Then again, more slowly, savoring every touch and taste.
Now, Delilah felt deeply relaxed and happy as she gazed at him in the pale moonlight coming through the window.
“Thank you for what you did. I don’t know if Mitch—”
“Maybe we could not say his name while we’re both naked,” Quinn suggested.
“Right.” She smiled. “I don’t know if everyone who should have thanked you actually did. But I wanted you to know how much it meant to me and the boys.”
He ran his hand down the glossy flow of her hair. “The person we’re not mentioning—the one who should have thanked me—did. Sort of. As much as he could manage, anyway.”
“Well, good. The boys had a wonderful time. And I did, too.”
“I’ve got a bonus good time for you, if you want.”
“I think you already gave it to me. Twice.” She cuddled up to him, pressing her body against his.
Lying with Quinn, Delilah thought that he’d given her everything. Love. Hope. Joy.
And more than that, he’d given her some semblance of peace with her ex.
“What did you think of that house on Lodge Hill?” she asked him.
“The one with the big stone fireplace? I loved it.”
“I did, too. I think I’m going to make an offer on it. If the boys like it.”
“They will.”
“And I was wondering …” Delilah ran a finger along his bicep. “If maybe you might like it enough to live there with us one day.”
“One day?”
“One day sooner rather than later. I’m not ready yet—and the boys aren’t ready yet—but we’re going to get there. If you want that.”
He squeezed her a little tighter. “This is the Christmas that just keeps giving.”
“Is that a yes?”
“That’s a yes, absolutely. When you’re ready.”
Delilah drifted off to sleep in his arms, thinking that she felt happier and more at peace than she ever had at any point in her relationship with Mitch.
It would take a miracle for it to stay this good.
But if she was asking for a miracle, Christmastime—especially a Christmastime they’d manufactured themselves out of love and good will—seemed like as good a time as any.
***
To learn about Love and Joy, the third novel in the Otter Bluff series, click here.
Read more by Linda Seed
Learn about the Main Street Merchants here:
Moonstone Beach
Cambria Sky
Nearly Wild
Fire and Glass
* * *
Learn about the Delaneys of Cambria here:
A Long, Cool Rain
The Promise of Lightning
Loving the Storm
Searching for Sunshine
* * *
Learn about the Russo Sisters series here:
Saving Sofia
First Crush
Fixer-Upper
Loving Benny
* * *
Learn about the Otter Bluff series here:
The Icing on the Cake
Love and Joy
Then, Now, and Always
