Three Christmas Wishes: A Love Letters Collection by Kristen Blakely

Author:Kristen Blakely [Blakely, Kristen]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2020-11-15T16:00:00+00:00

As with many things in life, imagination did not match reality. The evening Holly had so dreaded was spent in ad-hoc science experiments utilizing common kitchen utensils and ingredients. By the time Hope, Grace, and Aidan were done shrieking with laughter over makeshift volcanoes that spewed blue and green lava, thanks to lavish application of food coloring, the kitchen was an outrageous mess.

It was a small price to pay for an incredibly fun evening.

Grace reluctantly went home when her parents called for her and for Hope, and after she left, Aidan helped Holly clean the kitchen. His help was slipshod, befitting a male child who had not often been tasked with cleaning up, but he went through the motions without fuss. It was certainly more than Holly had expected, and when they were done, she made hot chocolate for the both of them and they sat together at the kitchen table, sipping at the marshmallow-topped beverage.

“Is my mommy coming soon?”

Holly glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was slightly past 10 p.m. “I suppose so. The restaurant should be closing any minute now. If you’re tired, you can nap on the couch, and I’ll wake you when she gets here.”

“I’m not tired,” Aidan said quickly. His feet swung back and forth beneath the table, his sneakers kicking a regular rhythm against the table legs. His eyes drooped with exhaustion, but his lips were set in a faint smile.

He almost looked happy, Holly thought. A faint ache settled in her chest. Aidan’s high cheekbones and a strong chin held the promise of Peter’s masculine good looks. Without his usual scowl contorting his expression, she could appreciate the intelligent and thoughtful gleam of his eyes. They took in a great deal without giving anything away.

He hadn’t been bad, Holly conceded. He had not needed to compete for attention, and as a result, he had been lively and cooperative through the evening. By the end of the evening, he had even lapsed once or twice and imitated Grace in calling Holly “Aunt Holly” instead of “Miss Langford.”

Somehow, hearing her name on his lips hadn’t hurt the way she had imagined it would.

The glare of a car’s headlights flashed through the kitchen windows. “That’s probably your mom pulling into the driveway.”

Aidan leaped from his chair and followed Holly to the door. She flung it open as Debra was raising her hand to knock. Debra’s gaze flashed between Holly’s and Aidan’s face; her expression was set in stiff lines. “Everything okay?”

“Yes,” Holly said. “I think we had a good time.”

“We did lots of cool experiments in the kitchen,” Aidan said. His tone was lighthearted as he followed his mother to the car. Within minutes, the sound of his voice was silenced behind the closing of the car door.

Holly shut the door and rested her head against the cool wood. Exhaustion mixed with relief and a hint of pleasure. She hadn’t just survived babysitting Aidan. She had actually enjoyed spending time with him.

One step closer toward forgiving Debra.

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