Have Yourself a Christiansen Christmas by Susan May Warren

Author:Susan May Warren
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781943935536
Publisher: SDG Publishing

7

Amelia consoled herself with the fact that Roark wouldn’t have traveled halfway across the world to see her if he didn’t still love her.

Right?

But he was acting capital W, weird, even after she’d launched herself into his arms. Even after she’d kissed him right there in the church lobby, in front of her entire family and the church family.

And he’d kissed her back, although it felt almost…sad. Or maybe it was simply longing and he’d had to, of course, throttle back.

He’d been throttling back for six years, really, and it had started to show, recently, with his ardor waning, as if he couldn’t pour his heart into something that might only get them into trouble.

But she’d tasted something else this time.

Yes, she’d name it sadness, and it had occurred to her during dinner that maybe something terrible had happened. Something he couldn’t tell her over the phone.

She’d tried to take his hand, weave her fingers through his at least twice, but he hadn’t responded.

Yes, something was terribly, devastatingly wrong. And after Owen and Casper left, she just about leaped up from the table to drag Roark out of the house to the open-air conference room that was the deck.

Although, it wasn’t the most private of places, at least not with the sliding door ajar. Poor Owen. Darek’s final words had bled through the glass into the main room and she winced when Owen said Scotty didn’t want to be a mom.

Especially after what Scotty had said in the bathroom.

Another capital W, weird.

“Dessert, anyone?” her mother asked as she cleared the plates. “I have cookies.”

“None for me,” Eden said, and Scotty too shook her head.

Amelia might have wanted some, but her stomach could barely hold the ham and potatoes.

“Me!” Layla said, and so did Tiger and the other kids and her mom got up to retrieve the plate.

“I think I’m going to head over to Casper’s place after lunch. I’m wondering if he needs some help,” her father said.

Amelia didn’t miss the look of relief on Raina’s face.

“I’ll go, too, Dad,” said Darek.

“And me, if that’s okay, Eden,” Jace said, glancing at his wife.

She nodded.

“Amelia, I need to talk to you,” Roark said quietly in her ear, as if reading her mind.

She looked at him and nodded. They stood up just as Max said, “I’ll go too.”

They escaped to the entryway as Grace responded with an, “Are you kidding me?”

“C’mon. It’s going to get sparky in here,” Amelia said and handed him a parka. She donned her own and closed the door behind them.

“Why?” Roark said, zipping up his jacket.

“Because Max just got out of the hospital.”

“What happened?” They walked over to Darek’s chopping block. Usually, his chopped wood was left in a pile for days, but now only wood chips littered the ground where he threw the logs. Instead, they were piled neatly in the woodshed.

“Remember when you learned to chop wood?”

“I also learned how to saw a log,” Roark said. “I did it to show you I could fit into your world.

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