Merrily in Love by Melissa West

Author:Melissa West
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2017-10-03T21:08:03+00:00

Chapter 11

“Ho, ho, ho. Ho, ho, ho!” Brady stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His tanned skin contrasted sharply with the white, cottony mustache and beard and the long white wig left no question that it was fake, but he could do the ho, ho, ho thing as good as anyone.

A soft knock came from the other side of the door. “You ready, Santa?”

He opened the door to find Kylie dressed in the elf hat and elf shoes she’d pulled from one of her weekly craft shops. She’d put on red lipstick and extra blush, then some shimmer stuff on her eyes. She looked beautiful.

“Confession?” he asked.

Kylie glanced down at her outfit, then back at him with a grimace. “Yeah?”

He leaned into her and whispered, “Santa is having very naughty thoughts about his elf right now.”

A laugh broke from her lips and as he peered down at her, that bright smile on her face, it took everything in him not to kiss her.

“You two coming?” Ally called from the swinging door. “These kids are getting restless.”

Kylie took a step back, and Brady wished he could reach out to stop her, force her to stay instead of always leaving. “I’ll go out and announce you. Then you come through the door. We have everything set up out there for you.”

With a nod that he understood, she turned away. Once she cleared the door, Ally started for him. “Be patient with her. She’s scared. Don’t confuse her fear with disinterest, ’cause that girl wants you. Badly. I can see it all over her face. Just be patient.”

“I’m trying.”

Ally planted her hands on her hips. “Try harder, Santa. It’s Christmas. Let the magic do its job.” Then she followed after Kylie.

Drawing a breath, Brady let Ally’s words soak in. He had always been the kind of person who operated at a faster speed than everyone else. He did, while others planned. He reached the answer, while others were figuring out the problem. And that fast-thinking attitude had cost him Kylie once. Ally was right—he would have to learn patience if he hoped to win her trust again.

“Are you ready to see Santa?” Kylie’s voice carried through the door, followed by cheers. A lot of cheers. The shop must be packed out. “Here he is!”

Brady pushed through the swinging door and immediately sounded off with his perfected, “Ho, ho, ho!” The kids all went crazy.

“This way, Santa,” Kylie said, her eyes sparkling with happiness, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

The store was more crowded than he’d ever seen it, with a line winding around inside, and then outside and along the sidewalk. Franny and Ally passed out hot chocolate, coffee, and warm cookies. Everyone, every single person, wore a grin of excitement. Now this was Christmas.

Brady took his seat at a throne-like chair with holiday decor all around it. A Christmas tree sat to his right, an elaborate Polar Express train set ran around and around its track to his left. The photos would be amazing.

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