While Aiden heads into his home office to take care of whatever Asher needs him to take care of, I decide to tackle the mounding piles of laundry. After I’ve separated the whites and the lights and darks, I gather up the darks and head into the laundry room. As I always do, I check all the pockets before shoving anything into the washing machine. Once you’ve washed and dried gum once, you learn to check your pockets.
I reach my hand into the back pocket of a pair of my jeans and pull out an envelope. My heart sinks and I know exactly what this is. It’s the envelope from my aunt. That day in the storage unit, I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted to open it and read what possible lame excuse she had as to why she did what she did. Now I know exactly what I want to do with it.
I head into Aiden’s office and grab his metal trashcan from under his desk. Aiden gives me a confused look, but goes back to his laptop. I empty the contents into the kitchen can, then put the trashcan in the kitchen sink and place the unopened envelope on the bottom. I open the drawer next to the stove and take out the matches. I take a deep, cleansing breath, then light the match. Holding it over the trashcan, the flame quickly travels down the wooden stick closer and closer to my fingers. Just before it reaches my fingers, I blow it out and toss it into the sink.
I set the matches on the counter, grab onto the ends of the counter and close my eyes. I grab the box again, then light another match and hold it over the can. Aiden’s body presses against my back, then his hand runs down my arm to my wrist. It was the strength that I needed. I let go of the match and watch the paper quickly light on fire. The smoke spirals upward. The burning fire is beautiful as it races across the envelope, eating up any and all lies and excuses it contains. It only takes a few minutes for it to completely burn. All that’s left are the ashes. I’m better off not knowing what was inside. In the end it didn’t matter. What could anything I read in the letter change? I don’t hold any anger anymore, why give that ugly emotion a chance to creep back into my life?
Aiden kisses the back of my neck, then heads back down the hall to his office. I smile, then head back into the laundry room and do our laundry.
Chapter 16
Aiden
The once beautiful clear blue skies of fall, have faded into the grey, cloud-covered cold ones of winter. Savvy and I have been married for four months now. We’ve since welcomed a new puppy into our house, Theo. He’s a cute, white fluff ball, otherwise known as a Samoyed. After everything settled down, I knew it was time to make another one of Savvy’s dreams come true. I knew having a puppy is one of the things she’s always wanted. Theo just adores Savvy, and he’s never more than a few steps away from her. When she does her homework on the couch, Theo rests his cute little puppy head on her ankle. When she washes dishes, his little puppy butt is sitting on her foot. And much to my dismay, when she sleeps, he curls up next to her side.
I catch Savvy several times a week just standing in the hallway, staring at the photos lining the walls. Mixed among the ones she loves so much of the family, are photos of us, and our wedding photos. But nothing compares to the photo that hangs over the fireplace in the family room. There is her favorite photo. We had it blown up to 20X30, framed and hung it over our mantel. It’s Savvy’s absolute favorite photo. It’s her and I on our wedding day standing out by the marina. I’m dipping her into a kiss, while fireworks light up the star-studded night sky. You would have thought her cumbersome, orange cast would somehow mar her perfect day. But to Savvy, it was perfect in every way. And this is where I find her and Theo. Theo is slouched on Savvy’s ankle, as she stares at the photo above the mantel. I wrap my arms around her and kiss the side of her face.
“Are you ready to go?” I ask in her ear.
“Yep, all ready,” she says, turning in my arms.
“Jade or Ruby?” I ask.
“Ruby and I’m driving,” she answers.
We head into the garage where Ruby and Jade finally are parked side by side again. It took Savvy two months to go through all the boxes and decide what to do with the furniture. Some of the smaller personal items are scattered throughout our house, and some of it is in a local storage unit waiting for the day that maybe we’ll be blessed with a daughter of our own. Savvy also donated a fair portion of items to Goodwill.
Savvy heads to the passenger side of Ruby.
“I thought you were driving?” I question, confused. She opens the door and gestures with her hand for me to get in. “Sir,” she says.
“You’re a goof,” I tell her. I get in, then she closes the door.
She heads around the car and gets into the driver seat, and then I watch for it. Every time she gets in the car, her entire face lights up like a kid on Christmas morning. She lovingly runs her hand on the soft leather, red trimmed steering wheel every time before she starts it.
As she drives to my mother’s for Sunday family dinner, I rest my hand on her thigh. She smiles at me out of the corner of her eye, as she pulls up to the curb outside my childhood family home.
The noise is at its usual deafening level. Children run around shrieking and screaming. Savvy joins the women in the kitchen to help finish dinner, while the men set the table and keep the kids entertained. Of course, we still set a place setting at the head of the table for my dad. Just as Savvy once said, there are mismatched chairs gathered from all over the house sitting at the table, just to accommodate my very large family.
“Dinner’s ready,” my mother says, setting a roast on the table.
There are mashed potatoes, carrots, dinner rolls, and red wine. Everyone takes their seat. Some kids even sit on laps, but no one ever minds. Family Sunday dinner is the one time when we can all come together and just be a family. No work, no television, nothing but family.
“Doesn’t that annoy the crap out of you?” Ava leans in and whispers.
“Does what annoy the crap out of me?” I ask confused.
“Savvy’s incessant gum smacking!” she replies.
“She’s chewing gum?” I ask, turn the other direction and look at my wife.
Huh, I actually thought she’d given up chewing gum.
“Oh God, it’s happened. Never mind, you’ve gone love blind,” she replies, then rights herself in her seat.
Savvy digs in her pocket, removes a gum wrapper, then puts her gum in it and shoves it back in her pocket. She digs her fork into her mashed potatoes and just before it enters her mouth, Asher stands and clinks his glass.
“If I could have everyone’s attention,” he starts. He looks down at his very pregnant wife. Willow’s due to give birth any day now. I’m surprised my mother didn’t make her sit on the plastic covered chair. Hey, it’s happened before. Willow and Asher’s third child is a girl, and they’re going to name her Avery. Asher takes her hand in his, and continues. “Every December I have the unbelievable honor of adding to my wife’s charm bracelet. This year marks the fifth anniversary of Willow being cancer free,” he continues, but starts to get choked up. He takes a ragged, deep breath, then continues, “I know I say all the time that I’m the luckiest man alive to have met you. On a daily basis, you prove that to me over and over again. I stand here today, and I look at our family and at our children, and I just don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t have run into me and thrown up on my shoes.”
“Oh my God, get out!” Amelia shouts.
“What?” Ava questions.
“Do you all realize that we’ve all, like literally, run into our spouses?” Amelia replies.
“You know what? You all actually have! Willow, you ran into Asher while going through chemo and barfed on his shoes. Amelia, you ran into Kyle at the hospital the day Abbey was born and cut your hand. Then Shay, you ran into Adrian ice skating on the pond at the family cabin. Then Ava, you ran into Jax and were knocked on your ass at Samuel’s grave. Then Savvy ran into Aiden while she was being tossed out of a bar,” Chloe says. “I’ve never thought about it, but it’s true. Each of you met the loves of your lives by physic
ally running into them.”
“I think it’s romantic, and I think it’s a fantastic way to meet someone. I think everyone should do it,” Amelia says.
Asher clears his throat, then he reaches into his pocket and takes out a small box and hands it to Willow. Asher leans down, kisses his wife, and has a seat.
Willow takes the box and cracks it open. Tears run down her face as she takes out the charm. Asher reaches for her bracelet, then unclasps it from her wrist. Willow places the charm on, then he clasps it back on her wrist.
She kisses him and whispers, “Thank you.”
She wipes the tears from her eyes, then squeezes Asher’s hand.
“Here’s to throwing up, cutting hands, ice skating, being knocked on your ass, and being tossed out of bars,” I say, raising my glass in the air.
Everyone laughs, then Max and Kyle both stand, and start clinking their glasses.
“Good gravy, I’m starving. Now what?” Willow asks, slamming her fork back down.
“Oh, you go first,” Kyle says to Max.
“No, after you,” Max quickly returns.
“This is your first time clinking a glass at family dinner, I insist,” Kyle says, waving his hand toward Max.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Amelia says. She stands up, then gives Chloe a smile. Chloe stands, then smiles back at Amelia. Amelia walks over to Chloe, takes her hand and at the same time they both say together, “We’re pregnant.”
“Yay! Double baby shower!” Ava screams, rushing over to Chloe and Amelia.
“Triple,” Savvy says next to me.
“Triple what?” Chloe asks.
“Triple baby shower,” Savvy says with a smile.
“What?” I ask stunned, turning toward Savvy.
That’s the only word I can squeak out. I had no idea. I have so many emotions running through my mind right now, I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. I grab Savvy around the waist and twirl her around. I set her back on her feet and bury my face in the crook of her neck, and cry happy tears.
“Are you happy?” she asks.
God, I love this woman.
“Am I happy?” I return, playing the all too familiar game.
“Yeah, are you happy?” she smiles.
“Savvy, I’m over the moon happy. I love you so much,” I say, and hug her again.
Everyone stands and congratulates Savvy and I, along with Max and Chloe, and Kyle and Amelia. Dinner tonight, just like so many dinners before, will go very cold before anyone takes the first bite. No one will mind. It will taste just as amazing as if it were piping hot straight out of the oven. I look down the table at my mother. She sits at the end of the table just looking at all of her children. She has the most beautiful smile as tears stream down her face. This family has evolved, grown, and changed so much over the years. All of us are married. All of us have children of our own, either by blood or by adoption, or are expecting. Some in this family aren’t related by blood or marriage at all, but are a family all the same just because we say so. But family is what we are. Together, we’re one crazy, amazing, happy family.
The End
I want to thank you so much for reading and enjoying the Wellington family with me. Although this is the last book and the last Wellington sibling, keep a look out you may just hear from the Wellington’s again soon.
Acknowledgements
To my amazing, loving, supporting, wonderful husband, I love you forever and always. And to my two boys, you are the light in my life given from above. Thank you for always standing by me and encouraging me to follow my dream.
To my fabulous beta readers, thank you so much for all of your valuable feedback and continued support. I love you all. Master Beta Erin Dolin, Kellie Donaldson, Kristine Barakat, Amanda Farmer, Cristie Lagarde, and Crissy Sutcliffe. I have mad love for all of you!
To my amazing, fabulous editor Lindsay from LTE Editing, you are amazing and I absolutely love working with you! Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.
Alissa Glenn, thank you so much for your mad grammar skills! Thank you for proofreading and making my book shine!!
Najla, from Najla Qamber Designs, you’ve done every cover in the Running Into Love series and each of them have knocked my socks off, they’re so amazing and beautiful! Thank you!
Ena from Enticing Journey Book Promotions, thank you for organizing all of my blog tours. You have mad skills.
Tami, from Integrity Formatting, you are a rock star and do amazing formatting! Thank you for always being there for me!
Julie Franke, thank you for always being a constant in my life. Thank you for always listening to me and encouraging me to live my dream. I love you to the moon and back.
Kellie Montgomery from Eye Candy Bookstore, thank you for always being there for me when I need someone to talk to. Thank you for your friendship and for your mad PR skills. You are a superstar!
Di from Di’s Dazzling Dezines, thank you for the amazing awesome Kindle Couch creations! I love them all SO much!!
Thank you to you the readers, reviews, and bloggers for continuing to stay with me on this amazing journey. Thank you for continuing to read what the crazy characters in my head make me write. Thank you for all the wonderful personal messages, the emails, and the reviews. I read each and every one of them. From the bottom of my heart thank you!
A Very
Wellington Christmas
A Running Into Love Series Novella
by
Annalisa Nicole
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2015 by Annalisa Nicole
This book is a written act of fiction. Any and all names, places, or similarities are coincidental. No part of this book may be used without written permission except for brief quotations for reviews or blogs. This book may only be distributed by Annalisa Nicole, the owner and Author of this series.
Wishing everyone, everywhere
A
Very
Merry Christmas
A Very Wellington Christmas Table of Contents
Master Table of Contents
Take a Chance
I’ll Take a Chance
Second Chance
A Fighting Chance
Unavoidable Chance
Unexpected Chance
A Very Wellington Christmas - Novella
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Acknowledgements
A Christmas Miracle by Chance – Short Story
Other Books by Annalisa Nicole
Where you can find Annalisa Nicole
A little about Annalisa Nicole
Character Glossary
Chapter 1
Quinn
Here I sit at the famous Wellington family dinner table on the first Sunday in December, thinking it’s the absolute, best place on Earth. I say they’re famous not because they’re literally famous, but because their family Sunday dinners are both epic and crazy fun. They’re also mandatory. No matter what you may have going on in your life, with the exception of childbirth or if you’re out of town, you’re expected to be at Sunday family dinner.
There are mismatched tables lined up end to end and run from the dining room all the way into the living room, bursting with loud, happy people and conversation. There are kids screaming with laughter, adults talking over one another so they can tell each other about their week, and there’s also the possibility of a food fight starting. They're famous for those too! At least once a month I go home and need to wash mashed potatoes out of my hair.
I can’t help but feel grateful to be a part of this amazing family. There are five Wellington siblings, and they’re all married and most have kids of their own.
My br
other, Jax, is married to Ava. She’s the youngest of the Wellington siblings. Before Jax met Ava, he was a widower and I was helping him raise his two daughters, Sky and Hope. Since Ava and Jax got married, I moved out, and I now live in Ava’s old condo.
There’s the oldest Wellington, Adrian, he’s married to Shay. They have two adopted children, Micah and Makayla, then they had a surprise birth of their son, Samuel.
Then there’s, Asher, he’s married to Willow, and they have three children, Abbey, Aaron, and the newest addition, little Avery Joy. Then there’s Aiden, he’s married to Savvy, and they’re expecting their first child soon. Next, there’s Amelia, she’s married to Kyle. They have a son, Noah, and they too are expecting soon.
And we can’t forget the honorary Wellingtons, which, I guess I’m one of those, too. There’s Kyle’s twin sister, Chloe, she’s married to Max, who’s been a longtime friend of the family. They are also expecting their first child. Max owns a PI company and he has two employees, Levi and Chase, who are also included in family dinners. But there is also a whole other slew of people who are related to any of the aforementioned people that show up from time to time for dinner too. There can be anywhere from ten to twenty-five people here on any given Sunday.
Family isn’t just a word to these people, it’s everything. Dinners sometimes move from house to house, but like tonight they’re mostly held at their mother, Samantha’s house. No matter whose house it’s at, there’s always, and I do mean always a place set for their father, Samuel, at the head of the table. He passed away not that long ago and it was a huge loss to the family. I never met him, but from the stories I hear every Sunday, he was an incredible man.
Running Into Love - The Complete Box Set Page 106
