Take Your Heart (The For Better Or Worse Series Book 1) by Kalila Black

Author:Kalila Black [Black, Kalila]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kingston Publishing Company
Published: 2022-01-20T06:00:00+00:00

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“Can we open a present, mommy, please?” Gabi begs, hands tucked underneath her chin, lips pursed into an adorable pout. She dances from one foot to the other, barely containing her excitement.

“It’s Christmas Eve, sweetheart. We don’t open gifts until tomorrow.”

“Please, mommy! Just one?”

Mom uses her coffee cup to hide her smile, squinting at Gabi while she pretends to think it over. “What do you think, hon?” she asks dad. “Think we should let them each pick a gift to open?”

Dad is kicked back on the couch, legs stretched out in front of him, arms tucked beneath his head. “Hmm. I don’t suppose opening just one gift each could hurt. After you clean up, of course. Your mom cooked. The least the three of you could do is help her out with the cleaning.”

I could care less about opening any of the gifts under our tree, but I do want to open that package. My brain is still turning over all the possibilities. There isn’t another Grayson Desrosiers in Holly, so I know for sure that it isn’t a mistake that it was sent to me. I still can’t think of who could possibly be behind it, though, or what could be inside. Gabi is already carrying a dish into the kitchen, so Gid and I get up and follow suit. It only takes about half an hour to get all the leftovers put away in the fridge, get the stove and counters wiped down and sanitized, and all the dishes rinsed and put into the dishwasher or hand washed.

Gabi is the first to streak back into the living room, shouting that we’re finished. Mom tells her to pick her present, and nods for Gideon and me to do the same. Gideon joins Gabi in poking through the packages under the tree, while I grab my brown cardboard box and drag it over in front of my favorite chair—an old, threadbare rocking recliner that once belonged to my grandfather.

When we’ve all three made our choices, Mom gestures for Gabi to start. “Go ahead, sweetie. You first. Who is your gift from?”

Gabi turns the package over in her hands until she finds the tag. “It’s from Gideon.”

She rips into the paper with gusto, tossing pieces every which way. She reminds me of the Tasmanian devil with the miniature tornado of paper flying around her. Her eyes light up brighter than the Christmas tree, and she holds up the DIY kit complete with a book that teaches you how to make friendship bracelets and everything she’ll need to make a least a hundred of them.

“This is AWESOME! Thank you, Gid!” She runs to him, throwing her arms around his neck.

“You’re welcome, Gabicakes.” He squeezes her back, resting his cheek on her head.

Smiling at the two of them, Mom surreptitiously wipes away a stray tear, blinking rapidly to ward off more. “Grayson? Your turn, honey.”

Wasting no time, I lower myself to sit cross-legged on the floor next to the box. Pulling my house

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