A Match Made at Christmas by Patty Blount

Author:Patty Blount
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Christmas, New York
ISBN: 9781942240112
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Published: 2014-10-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

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“Hi, guys!” Kara said brightly from her favorite spot on the sofa. The baby name book was now accompanied by a legal pad, on which dozens of names had been scrawled and crossed out.

Elena rushed across the apartment and folded her sister into a hug. “I’m so sorry.”

“Me, too.” Kara sniffled. “Is that what this is for?” She waved a hand to the huge tree in front of her window.

Elena shook her head. “This? This is Christmas. The baby’s crib, though? That’s an apology.”

Kara’s eyes went round. “The crib? I didn’t go in the other room. Oh, Lord, haul me up. I need to see.” She held out both arms. Luke laughed, took one arm while Elena took the other. Together, they helped Kara reach her feet, followed her into the bedroom. “Laney, oh wow, this is adorable.” She brushed a hand over the blanket, the crib bumpers. “It matches the walls perfectly.” She turned, caught Elena’s hands. “Thank you.”

“I’m so glad you like it.”

“I love it. And—” She winced, put a hand to her side. “I think Milk Dud does, too.”

Elena’s hand followed her sister’s. She gasped when she felt the baby kick. “Whoa! Doesn’t that hurt?”

Kara shrugged. “When the baby hits my kidney or liver, yeah. Otherwise, no. It’s pretty cool.” And then her face crumbled. “Oh, Laney.” She fell into Elena’s arms. “There’s a little human inside me and Mom isn’t here to see it—him—her.”

Elena swallowed hard, squeezed her eyes shut and held her sister as tightly as she could given the swell of baby between them. She opened her eyes when Luke’s hand squeezed her arm.

Not your fault, he mouthed.

But it was.

“Come on now, no tears. It’s Christmas time.” Lucas rubbed Kara’s back. “Let’s make some dinner. Elena and I got dessert, so I hope you’re hungry.”

“Like pretty much all the time.” She patted her belly. “Milk Dud is a bit of a pig.”

“Hmm, well, the little Milk Dud is gonna love these.” He tugged her back to the living room, pulled a container from one of their bags and opened the lid on one of the monster cupcakes he and Elena had purchased earlier. “It may need to thaw out for a while. It’s damn cold out.”

Kara’s eyes popped and she shuffled to the kitchen for a fork. “I don’t care how cold it is, I’m eating it. So what else did you two do today?”

“Lucas took me to Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, and a Lego store.”

Kara’s face softened. “Lucas, you really are a saint for showing my baby sister a fun time.”

But his face clouded. “No. I’m really not.” He sat down on the sofa on the cushion opposite Kara’s favorite spot and grabbed her TV remote. “What do you ladies say to watching a Christmas movie?”

“Yes!” Kara clapped. “When we were little, we used to do this all the time—spend an entire weekend watching all the holiday classics. Laney used to love those clay cartoons, remember?” She lowered herself to one of the kitchen stools.

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