Four Christmas Matchmakers

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  “What about hot dates?” He gazed into her fiery green eyes, loving her passionate nature. He goaded her facetiously, “Are we allowed to have those?”

  Mischief piqued her expression. “It depends,” she teased him right back. She let her gaze drift over him slowly. As if mentally undressing him. “Are you speaking literally or figuratively?”

  His blood pulsed all the hotter. “Both. So what do you say?” he asked, keeping his eyes locked with hers. “Will you go out with me when our babysitting gig is up?”

  * * *

  Part of Allison had been waiting for Cade to signal he wanted more out of their resurging relationship than occasional heart-to-hearts and convenient lovemaking. Actually going on a date would be a definite Next Step. Yet it wasn’t a request without complications, which made it a hard question to answer. “You mean in public?” she asked, buying time to formulate a response that wouldn’t get her in hot water.

  He nudged her knee under the table, sending a shiver of awareness running through her. “Well, we could skulk around in hats, sunglasses and trench coats, but I think that would draw a lot of attention, too.”

  She met his gaze. “Funny.”

  His eyes darkened seriously. “You didn’t answer my question.” He nudged her knee again.

  Another shiver of awareness ran through her. “Can I think about it?”

  He frowned, seeming to think she shouldn’t need to consider the pros and cons. “Your brand?”

  Why pretend it was anything else? If she owed him anything, it was complete honesty. And she wanted him to be candid in return. “I’ve got a lot riding on the way things play out over the next few weeks.”

  He paused, his expression turning as thoughtful as his low tone. “I guess we both do.”

  Finished, he rose and helped her clear the table. As he moved, he caught sight of a plastic storage box sitting next to her previously decorated “single woman” Christmas tree. The lid was off. Poorly crafted decorations, similar to the ones the quadruplets had put on their own tree that morning, were in plain view.

  Allison winced in embarrassment. She had meant to put that away before anyone else saw it.

  “What’s all this?” he asked, moving toward it.

  Wishing she didn’t suddenly feel so vulnerable, she quipped, “A half-traveled wrong road.”

  He touched an ornament that said Merry Christmas to Mommy! across the front in white paint. On the back was a crookedly drawn heart and Love, Allison, 3rd grade. Seeing it that morning had brought Allison to tears. Something else she was glad Cade had not witnessed.

  Studying it, Cade appeared touched. “Did you make this?” he asked gently.

  Allison remembered the day she had given it to her mother. How happy her mom had been. Her throat tightened. “Yes. As well as a lot of the other things in the box.”

  Cade studied the handmade treasures with a sentimentality she hadn’t expected. “I’ve never seen them,” he marveled, casting her a curious look. “Even when we were dating.”

  With good reason, Allison thought. “I was a teenager by then.” She flushed in embarrassment. “My mom wanted to put them up, but I thought it was way too cheesy, so my mom put it all away in this box. She told me one day it would mean a lot more than I could imagine. She was right.” More so than Allison could have ever dreamed.

  Cade turned to take her in his arms. “The kids inspired you to get this out?”

  Not the way he thought. Although that was kind of the way it had turned out when she had actually been confronted with the deeply sentimental items.

  Taking a deep breath, Allison eased away from him and the enticing comfort he offered. Still feeling a little off-kilter, she admitted, “I was going to use it in my Dos and Don’ts post.”

  He lifted a brow.

  Appreciating how ruggedly handsome he looked, she continued explaining, “Take the original photos of my elegantly decorated tree, then add all the memorabilia and point out that we all outgrow the sentimentality of our youthful artwork at some point.” She waved an airy hand at the half-finished project. “And that these kinds of things really shouldn’t be seen. But then I began to wonder if it’s ever really too late for a walk down memory lane.” She shrugged, pushing away the heartache she’d felt over missing her mother and the Christmases they’d had, while simultaneously yearning to build something substantial with Cade. At least for this holiday season. “I mean, what are the rules, anyway?” she pushed on uncertainly.

  He drew her against him and stroked a hand through her hair. Then pressed a light, comforting kiss on her temple. “I don’t know that there have to be any when it comes to decorating for Christmas.”

  “Exactly.” She leaned her head on his chest, the intimacy of the moment prompting her to admit thickly, unshed tears burning her eyes once again, “But I do know this. Seeing those ornaments again...along with taking care of the girls with you this last week...has made me realize how much I miss my mom and the closeness we shared. And not having family of my own makes the holidays especially hard,” she rasped. Harder than she had been willing to admit to herself.

  He looked down at her adoringly. “You have to realize I’m only a request away...”

  She drew a breath and tried to get a grip on her soaring emotions. This was all due to the upheaval in their lives, the Christmas season and the bittersweet nostalgia of what might have been, she promised herself. Nothing more. But as his head came down and his lips slanted across hers, it was hard not to feel completely, wonderfully overwhelmed.

  His kiss was everything she wanted. Teasing and tempting. Provocative and lush. Tender and sexy. She rose on tiptoe and pressed her breasts against the hardness of his chest. He cradled her against him. Eyes smoldering, he lifted her legs and wrapped them about his waist. Then, still kissing her, he began carrying her up the stairs to the second floor.

  “We’re really doing this again,” she murmured breathlessly, as he set her down beside her bed.

  “We really are.”

  Desire floated through her, whisper soft. “Well, merry Christmas to both of us,” she said.

  He laughed. “Merry Christmas, indeed.” Smiling wickedly, he caught her lower lip between his teeth, drew it into his mouth and laved it sensually with his tongue.

  She shuddered at the evocative feel of his heated caress and closed her eyes. He made her feel so alive. So...his. She moaned, savoring everything about him. His hardness. His strength. The sheer masculinity that permeated everything about him as they began to kiss and caress each other. And kiss some more...

  “Too slow,” she complained.

  “Slow can be nice.” He kissed his way down the nape of her neck, then turned her so her back was to him. And eased open the zipper on her dress. She shuddered in anticipation as he drew it down her arms and pushed it over her hips.

  Clad in panties and bra, she turned to face him. Shifted her hips. Encountering rock-solid hardness, searing heat.

  She quivered as his hands found the clasp of her bra and drew that off, too. “I think we’re on the right path.” His hands found her breasts. He palmed the weight of them, stroking her nipples with his thumbs, generating raw, aching need. And though Allison had told herself this could be nothing more than a holiday fling, something fun and distracting to get them through the season, she knew, if she were completely honest with herself, that wasn’t true. She wanted so much more from their relationship.

  She wanted to know that she could count on Cade to be there whenever she needed him. That if they were together again, this time it wouldn’t be all about his career, but hers, too. She wanted him to be as patient with her as she had once been with him. To mean the world to each other. And as she swayed against him wantonly and opened her mouth to the plundering heat of his, as he eased her panties off, too, she began to think that maybe this Christmas, all her dreams might finally
come true...

  Cade hadn’t known when he and Allison would make love again. But he had known it was just a matter of time. After all, there was simply no way they could spend this much time together and stay apart.

  And now that she was in his arms again, surging against him, trembling with need, he was all in.

  Not just for the sex. Although that was, as always, fantastic. But for her intuition and her kindness, her understanding and even her sass.

  She got him. She always had. And he knew her, too.

  Knew she liked it when he guided her down onto the bed and held her gaze deliberately when he stripped down to join her. Knew her heart beat just for him when she opened her arms, rolled onto her side and brought him against her, kissing him hungrily until they were both groaning for more.

  A rush of need surged through him, and the frustration and yearning he’d been feeling all day finally began to ease.

  For weeks now, since his last injury, he hadn’t known where he belonged. Or with whom.

  Now he did.

  And soon Allison would know, too.

  Big hands encircling her hips, he shifted her so one leg was drawn over his hip, the other caught between his knees. His hand slid over her limbs, stroking the tender insides of her thighs, finding the pleasure point as even more passionate kisses were exchanged.

  She found him, too. Running her soft hands over the ridge of his erection. Stroking and tempting until he could hardly wait to be inside her again.

  “Now?” he growled.

  She smiled, shuddering with anticipation. “Now...”

  He let her go long enough to find the protection they needed. She surrendered completely, opening herself up to him as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. He slid home. And suddenly there was no more waiting, no more wondering, only the pleasure and the bliss, the fire and the passion of their joining. They made love as if nothing else in the world mattered, and for a while, nothing else did.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “So, what’s the plan for the rest of the day?” Cade murmured, kissing her one last time when they had finished dressing and walked back downstairs.

  Allison knew the last thing she should have been doing that afternoon was snuggling in bed with Cade, but with her heart full and her body still humming with post-lovemaking satisfaction, she hadn’t been any more eager to end their sensual interlude than he had been. And now, with school pickup time fast approaching, she was uncharacteristically disorganized. Yet she couldn’t say she regretted any of it. Since he had come back into her life, and the two of them had started taking care of the quadruplets, her world felt more complete than it had in years.

  “If you need to work more this afternoon, I can pick up the girls on my own,” Cade continued.

  Allison knew that was true. She also realized their time together as a temporary family was dwindling. And she didn’t want to miss any of it.

  Even if it meant leaving her “single woman” Christmas tree, half covered with sentimental items she had never intended to leave on for more than a few minutes, just as it was.

  Easing out of his arms, she put the lid on the storage box and set it beneath the tree, figuring she’d remove the aforementioned items later when she had time. Then went back to gather up her workbag, laptop, cell phone and keys, aware how off-brand her life was beginning to feel. “I’ll finish up my Dos and Don’ts post for HITN later this evening, after the girls are asleep.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure...”

  Allison took in the faint growth of beard and the flush of happiness on his rugged, chiseled face. It seemed impossible he could appear even sexier than he had when he’d been making love to her, but he did. “I am.” She resisted the urge to pull him into her arms again and kiss him wantonly. “The girls were up so early this morning they’re probably going to be really overtired.”

  He nodded in understanding and flashed her a lopsided smile. “And therefore, a handful.”

  An understatement, as it turned out.

  Amber cried after school because she was convinced that Zeus missed Mommy and Daddy as much as they did. Jade became frustrated during their after-school coloring session, because no one else was putting as much effort into their pictures as she was. During dinner, Sienna insisted on assembling her own grilled chicken sandwich, then burst into tears when the excessive amount of mayo she’d slathered on caused the fillet to slide right out and land beside her plate. And through it all, Hazel was exceptionally silly and unable to settle down, and kept falling off her chair only to do acrobatics across the floor.

  “When are Mommy and Daddy going to call us?” Amber demanded on a fresh wave of tears.

  Hoping that might help, Allison met Cade’s concerned look and said, “I’ll text and find out.”

  The girls got up extra early and are in meltdown, Allison typed. Any chance you can FaceTime soon to calm them down?

  A minute later, her phone rang. Allison set it up so all four girls could see. With Cade occasionally acting as referee, they all four took turns talking to their parents.

  Finally, Sarabeth said, in a tone laced with maternal concern, “I’d like to talk to Allison alone a minute and go over a few things.”

  “Sure.” She took the phone upstairs to start laying out pajamas.

  “I just wanted to tell you that we haven’t forgotten. We still plan to FaceTime with the girls Thursday right after school. So we can tell them ourselves we won’t be at their holiday performance.”

  Allison could see that Sarabeth was still really disappointed about that, too. “Do you think that will be enough time for them to come to terms with the situation?” she asked, a little worried, given how moody and oft uncooperative the girls had already been.

  Sarabeth frowned. “I don’t know. I think it’s the best we can do right now, though, so...”

  Allison nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. “You’re the mom, so you know best.”

  Sarabeth’s expression sparkled with mischief. “How are things going with you and Cade?”

  Allison tried not to blush. “Um...good,” she said casually.

  The other woman’s eyes narrowed. “Are you getting back together?”

  “You know what?” She stood. “I think I hear him calling for me,” Allison fibbed, feeling like their reconciliation was too new and fragile to be held up to outside scrutiny.

  “We’ll FaceTime again Thursday, then,” Sarabeth promised.

  They ended the call.

  “What did Sarabeth want to talk to you about?” Cade asked later after the girls were in bed, asleep.

  “The pre-K Christmas show.” The dishes done, Allison brought out the makings for the next day’s school lunches. She explained Sarabeth and Shawn were still planning to FaceTime with the quadruplets right after school on Thursday. “I’m worried about how the girls are going to handle their parents’ absence.”

  He got out the sandwich bags. “Think they’re going to act out?”

  Allison laid out eight slices of bread on the cutting board. She layered slices of cheese on the bottom four while Cade added ham and then their favorite raspberry jam to the others.

  “Well, obviously.” Allison tried not to imagine the possible scenarios, all of them temperamental and overwrought. Together, they cut the sandwiches into triangle-shaped quarters and bagged them. Then slid them into the fridge until morning.

  Allison turned to Cade, her back against the fridge. Once again, leaning on his solid, practical nature, she gazed into his eyes. “The real question is, will we be able to get them to calm down before the performance?”

  He shrugged his broad shoulders, as if it were no big deal. “Of course we will,” he said, hugging her close.

  Basking in his confidence, Allison breathed a sigh of relief. Cade was right. If anyone could charm them into behaving, it was him.


  * * *

  Except, as it turned out, it wasn’t as easy as they had hoped. Especially since the girls’ parents weren’t the ones to break the news, after all.

  “I am so sorry.” Their pre-K teacher came out to the car to speak to them during afternoon pickup on Thursday. “I had no idea the quadruplets did not know their parents weren’t going to be at the performance tonight. I tried to console them that the school was making a video that Shawn and Sarabeth would be able to watch when they returned from Switzerland.”

  Allison caught sight of the quadruplets’ stormy expressions as they walked with the two mom volunteers to the Suburban. Easily able to see how upset they were, she tensed. “It’s all right. We’ll handle it,” she said.

  His gaze narrowing protectively, Cade reached over and squeezed Allison’s hand. “Maybe we should stop by the bakery to get some bite-sized cupcakes to take to the after-show reception...and a few more to try out...before we head home?”

  Appreciating how good he was at changing mess into magic, Allison nodded in relief and squeezed his hand back. “Great idea,” she said.

  The girls did not think so.

  They frowned at the amazing selection and adamantly refused to take sample bites of any of the delicious-looking treats, even after they got the girls home and offered them again.

  Four lower lips shot out in petulant scowls. “Mommy has to come to our performance!” Jade declared.

  Amber put both arms around Zeus’s neck and hugged the family pet close. “Sometimes Daddy isn’t there, and he doesn’t get to see us, ’cause he is traveling, but Mommy always is!”

  Hazel kicked the wall repeatedly with the toe of her sneaker. “They need to come back home!”

  “Right now!” Sienna agreed.

  Cade was already texting a message on his phone.

  A minute later, Sarabeth and Shawn requested a video chat. Over the next ten minutes, they tried their best, but nothing they said wiped the glum looks off their children’s faces.