The Christmas Bride (Brides of Holland Springs Book 4)

by Marquita Valentine

  His face softened. “Oh, sweetheart. Let’s get you dry, so we can talk.” Turning slightly, he grabbed the towel and helped her out of the tub, then dried her off so tenderly that tears started falling.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she said.

  “You’re stressed.” He helped her into her robe and made a loose knot with the sash. “And you’re hungry.”

  On impulse, she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. “Thank you for picking me up from work and cooking.”

  “My pleasure.” His arms came around her, and she felt him kiss the top of her head. “I actually like taking care of you, you know.”

  “I do now.”

  .

  Chapter Nine

  Willow met Haven for lunch at their favorite restaurant in town, ordering their usual and sitting in their spot that was somehow always reserved for them, no matter when they showed up.

  “Hello, married lady,” Haven said as she sat down across from Willow in the booth. Her grey eyes sparkled and her pink hair had strands of glitter woven in.

  “Hi yourself.”

  “How are things with Logan?” Haven asked, cutting right to the chase, just like Willow knew she would.

  “Good.”

  “Only good? The man picks you up from work every day, makes you dinner or takes you out... has been to see no less than three girl movies with you in the past week, and that’s only good? ”

  Willow shrugged. “All right, so it’s better than good.” Only, she wasn’t better than good. She was on a countdown to when it would all end. No matter what Logan said and did, she knew that things would change once they found out if she was pregnant or not. Meanwhile, Logan was sticking around for the... well, her company, she guessed, because they hadn’t had sex in eight days—not that she was counting.

  Haven’s eyes narrowed. “You’re hiding something.”

  “No, I’m not,” Willow said quickly, too quickly.

  “Yeah, you are, and if you don’t tell, and then I find out later, I’m not going to go with you to see the new Harry Potter World movie. You’ll have to wave your wand all by yourself.”

  Willow gasped. “You wouldn’t. It’s our thing. We’ve never missed an opening day. Ever.”

  “I would and you know it.” Haven crossed her arms. “So tell me or I’m selling my ticket. Never know who you’ll end up beside.”

  “You are so mean,” Willow said, then blew out a breath. “I might be pregnant.”

  “Already?” Haven screeched. “That’s... oh crap. That’s not good, I guess.”

  “No, but not because I wouldn’t want the...” She lowered her voice, “The baby. I would, you know that. I’ve always wanted kids.”

  “Does Logan know?”

  Willow nodded. “It’s why he keeps coming around.”

  “And that makes you unhappy?”

  “No, he makes me happy. His reasons are what suck.”

  Haven scrunched her nose. “What reasons are those?”

  “He wants to spend time with me so we can make our marriage amazing.”

  “What a jerk, Willow. Dump him right now.” Haven made a noise of disgust, one that she knew was directed at her and not Logan. “How dare he want to be with his wife?”

  “He only wants to be with me because of the possible baby, and that’s it. You know he was adopted, and I think that plays a big part into this.”

  “I think you’re wrong,” Haven said firmly. “You don’t have to be married in order for him to be a dad.”

  Willow had thought the same thing, but she was convinced there was more to it. “Not for him. It’s all in or... nothing, I guess.”

  “He specifically said that if you’re not pregnant that he wants a divorce?”

  “No, but I might have hinted at it.” Willow blushed.

  “You finally married the ultimate man of your dreams, the same man you’ve been in love with for years, and now you want to divorce him?”

  That sounded dumb even to her ears, but she couldn’t change her mind, not now. It wasn’t fair to him. “Doesn’t matter what I want. We got married because we were drunk and wanted to cross off all the things on my bucket list.”

  “Do you really think Logan Ambrose would have married anyone if he didn’t want to?” Haven asked.

  “Stop being so rational and pointing things out that make sense.”

  Haven laughed. “Sucks to be on this side of it, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah, but our situation is different.”

  “In that you have a man chasing after you who wants to stay married while you keep him at a distance just in case it doesn’t work out and he decides to leave?”

  Willow’s eyes widened. “Oh God,” she croaked. “That’s exactly it, and that’s exactly what I fussed at you about.”

  “Let your guard down, Wills. Bring him lunch today. You be the one to initiate a date and see where it goes.”

  ***

  Logan was in the middle of repairing a padlock when the familiar scent of perfume filled the air. Of course she’d come around now. Of course she’d be the one to try to fix things when he’d been the one to work his ass off for her.

  Dinners, movies... basically whatever she wanted, he went along with it. And what had it gotten him?

  Not a damn thing.

  “Logan!” a sweet voice called out. “Can I pet the cows?”

  Shit. Corinne had brought her little sister with her. He stopped working on the lock and turned to face the duo. Corinne stood there, looking as beautiful as always, in a pink sweater and curve-hugging jeans. Her hair was down, in big curls he remembered telling her he loved.

  The same curls that had bounced all over her shoulders while she fucked his best friend. But that wasn’t Veronica’s fault. She was six years old, the product of a failed third marriage for their mom, and as sweet as Corinne was conniving.

  She was the one thing he missed about his relationship with Corinne. The little girl needed a dad in her life. He thought he could be that guy, but he wasn’t about to stay with a woman who cheated on him in order to do so.

  Yeah, it made him feel shitty, but he had to remind himself that not only was Veronica not his responsibility, but she also had a dad.

  A crappy dad, but a dad just the same.

  Not that it made him feel any better.

  “Sure you can,” he said, keeping his tone cheerful.

  Veronica ran to him and he automatically picked her up, hugging her tightly.

  “No one compares to her Logan,” Corinne said, moving closer to join them. “She never stops talking about you.”

  “That so?” he asked Veronica, and she nodded. “You can come pet the cows whenever you want, sweetpea.”

  “Mr. Lawton’s gonna let me?”

  “Well, I’ll be around now, so you can ask me instead,” he said, falling into their easy pattern. “In the spring, we’ll have babies.”

  “Babies,” Veronica all but squealed. She grabbed his face, touching her forehead to his. “I love babies, Logan.”

  He smiled. So did he. All he had to do was wait a few more days and he would find out if he was going to be a dad or not. In the meantime, though, he had to keep convincing Willow that their marriage would work.

  She wasn’t the most receptive, but now that he knew her fears, he could handle that. Hell, he was handling that so much that he was forcing himself to keep his hands off of her so she could be the one to make the first move.

  “Heard you got married,” Corinne said quietly, placing her hand on his arm.

  “Yeah.” He shifted Veronica, trying to dislodge Corinne, but she stuck to him like a tick on a hound dog. “Want to go see the cows now, cutie?” The faster he got them out of here, the better. Later, when Veronica wasn’t around, he would talk to Corinne about their situation.

  “Logan,” Willow called out. “Are you out here? I brought you some—” She froze in place as soon as she saw them.

  He cou
ld only imagine how it looked. He held Veronica as she squeezed him tight, and Corinne was at side, touching him.

  “Oh, you have company.” She smiled, but there was a wobble to it that made Logan’s gut punch in. “I’ll just leave this here. Um, it’s lunch for you.” She held up a large brown bag, then set it on the closet hale bay. “Nice seeing you, Corinne. Veronica, too.”

  Then she ran out of the barn like a scalded cat.

  Mentally, he went through a list of every curse word he knew and then some he made up, then handed Veronica to Corinne.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Corinne smiled triumphantly. “That went better than I thought it would.”

  He didn’t bother to reply. Instead, he chased his wife down, catching her just as she was unlocking her SUV’s door.

  “Wait. It’s not what you think,” he said. “They came to see me.”

  Willow looked at him, her blue eyes sad. “Y’all looked like a family together, just like you always did.”

  “If you recall, my ex cheated on me with my best friend.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe you want to forgive her and try to work things out.”

  “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, Blue Eyes.”

  “Forgiveness isn’t dumb.”

  He braced a hand against the cold steel of the vehicle. “Not what I was talking about and you know it.” He leaned in, kissing her like he’d been wanting to do for days. “Thanks for bringing me lunch, wife.”

  She let out a shaky breath. “You’re welcome. And if you’re not busy, I’d like to invite you over for dinner and a guy-type of movie tonight.”

  He smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Like a date?”

  “Yes.”

  “Even though you think I want to work things out with Corinne?”

  She nodded, tipping up her chin. It was the most beautiful motion he’d ever seen. “She might want you back, but I’m not going to let her have you.”

  “That’s right, baby. Tell me who I belong to,” he said, dipping his head again to kiss her. “Tell me who I should be kissing.”

  “Me. Only me.”

  He kissed her passionately, with all the desire and pent-up lust he’d been holding back. Her tongue touched his, their mouths opening wider. “Your man is kissing you, Blue Eyes. Your man wants to sleep in your bed, be in your body, and make you come. No one else but you. My wife.”

  Willow pulled away from him, the tips of her fingers going to her lips. “Oh, gosh. What if your parents saw us?”

  “They’re not home, and they already know.”

  “Know what?”

  “That I want to spend time with my wife, who is currently mad at me for doing something stupid.”

  “You told your mother!” Willow looked ready to bolt. “She’s going to kill me.”

  “No. She’s on your side.” He kissed the side of her neck. “Even said she wanted grandbabies with your pretty eyes and my brown skin. Hopefully, our boys won’t be pint-sized like you, but if they are, I’ll love them just the same.”

  “Oh Lord. I’m so out of my league with you,” she moaned.

  “I don’t think so.” He worked his way inside her coat, running his hands up her sweater and cupping her breasts. “If I didn’t think we would have an audience, I’d take you right now, baby. Make you come so hard on my cock.”

  Willow let out a ragged moan. “Please.”

  What the hell was he waiting for? He took Willow by the hand. “Let me show you my old room.”

  “But you have company,” she half-protested, but he noticed she didn’t try to stop him from leading her inside.

  “I didn’t invite them.” He picked her up and carried her the rest of the way to his room. “You sure?” Man, he was a dumb fucker to ask, but he had to make sure with her, had to be certain that she truly wanted him as much as he wanted her.

  Her blue eyes glowed with lust and desire... and something more than that. “Positive... husband.”

  Chapter Ten

  Logan figured he had one thing to thank Corinne for—making Willow decide that she wanted him. The best boost to an ego a guy could have.

  By the time he was finished with Willow and texted Corinne, while Willow looked on, Corinne didn’t bother to text him a response.

  There was no need for her to answer. He reiterated that it was over and he wouldn’t put up with her trying to use her sister to wiggle her way back in. Wasn’t fair to Veronica.

  Willow turned on her stomach, her long, dark hair sliding over her skin and his, making him want her again. Except, he didn’t have any more condoms—that hadn’t expired anyway—and he couldn’t go bare with her again, not until they knew...

  “Nice bedroom,” she said with a giggle. “I feel so naughty being in here, like we’ll be caught at any moment because someone in your family will burst through the door.”

  “Had to share it with Luke. He was a messy fucker.” Because he couldn’t help himself, he put his phone down and ran his hand up and down his wife’s bare back. “I was the neat one.”

  “I didn’t share a room with anyone, but my grandmother lived with us. She had Alzheimer’s. Eventually, she died of heart failure when I was nineteen.”

  “I’m sorry.” He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Were you close to her?”

  “She helped raise me after my mom took off for California, but what can you do when your mother’s a Holland?”

  “Pretty sure that her last name was just an excuse,” he said. “You wouldn’t abandon your kid.”

  Willow smiled sadly. “No, I wouldn’t, and you wouldn’t either.”

  “That’s not why I want to be with you,” he said, dreading where their conversation was headed. However, he was a man and, more than that, he was a fucking SEAL. He’d faced worse. “Baby or no baby, I’m staying with you.”

  “But you don’t love me,” she whispered, her voice laced with tears. “I want love.”

  “I think we’re off to a good start. I like spending time with you. I care about you, about whether or not you’re cold or hungry. If I satisfied you.” He winked at her, trying to lighten the mood. “I hate it when you cry and not because I can’t handle tears, but because you genuinely hurt.”

  “Logan, I have to tell you something,” she said.

  “What’s that, baby?”

  “There is no good start for me because I’m already in love.”

  “With who?” he asked sharply, ready to beat the guy’s ass.

  “With you, you idiot,” she said, and he froze. “I’ve loved you for years. Prom sealed it for me. You saw me, really saw me, even when everyone else ignored me.” She sat up, her breasts bouncing slightly as she did. Sweet, cherry-red nipple puckered in the cool air, and he fought the urge to cover them with his mouth, warm her up. “When we met in Vegas, it was like a dream come true, and when we got married, made love for the first time... I was over the moon. Stuff like that doesn’t happen to girls like me. I’m always in the background, always helping other women’s dreams come true.

  “And I married a man who doesn’t love me, but thinks we’re off to a good start. Not only do you not love me, but you also had no clue how much I love you,” she added.

  “To be honest, you have a weird way of showing it. You’ve done nothing but push me away, no matter what I do. No matter how many times I showed up at your house or swallowed my pride to keep coming back for more.” He caressed her cheek. “I’m not telling you this to cause a problem, but I had no idea, Willow, and that’s the truth.”

  She stared at him for a minute, then got out of bed to start getting dressed.

  “Running away?” he asked, hoping like hell she wasn’t. He’d go after her, of course, but still...

  “Nope.” She bent down, giving him a swift kiss. “I’m going back to work and texting my clients that I’m taking the next two weeks off to spend time with my husband.”

  “What is it with you and two weeks?” he asked, eve
n as hope and joy filled him. He turned on his back and propped his hands behind his head. “Favorite length of time?”

  “It’s standard vacation time, I thought.”

  He laughed so hard that he cried.

  “Why is that so funny?”

  “It just is,” he managed to get out. “You’re the funniest person I know, Willow.”

  She made a face at him. “Gee, thanks. Anyway, I have to go. I’ll see you tonight for dinner. My place, okay?”

  “I’ll be there,” he promised.

  ***

  Willow couldn’t get Logan’s accusations out of her head all afternoon. Okay, so they weren’t accusation per se, but they did ring true. She loved him, but had she shown it? Obviously not.

  “Time to make your man fall in love with you,” she said to her reflection. Wasn’t this the chance she always wanted? To be able to show him how good she was for him if he’d only give her the chance?

  Marriage to him couldn’t be a more obvious chance. So she was going to take it.

  As soon as he walked inside her house, she greeted him with a kiss. “I missed you.”

  “Even after that good loving I gave you?” he asked, sounding like his normal cocky self.

  “Maybe it made me miss you more.” She laced her hands with his. “Although, you did leave me very satisfied. Always do, though.”

  His brows rose. “I’ll be sure to keep giving you exactly what you need, then.”

  She nipped at his bottom lip. “You do that, sailor.”

  “The hell with dinner,” he said and lifted her by her thighs. “I want dessert first.”

  “Me, too.”

  “If you think you’ll make me fall in love with you by screwing me to death, I’m going to have to say that your plan is sound.” He grinned at her. “Keep it up, baby.”

  ***

  They fell into a routine over the next few days of dinners, lunches, and making love every second they got, something that Willow both loved and appreciated because it helped keep her mind off her upcoming doctor’s appointment.