Chapter 13
HUDSON
Ayla was chatting in the backseat and wanted to know everything there was to know about this live manger scene.
"Is it like a play? Will there be a real baby?"
I looked at her in the rearview mirror. "Mmm. I don't know about a live baby. I think it's a doll."
Her face fell. "Surely there's someone who has a baby who could let him be in the play?"
"I don't know," I said.
Angela came outside, and I wondered if Clara had said anything about us going to church together. I hoped she hadn't made her rethink her decision to join us.
I reached over and pushed open the passenger-side door, and Angela climbed in.
Once I pulled into traffic, I glanced over at her. "Did Clara need anything?"
"She was just talking about how she broke up with her boyfriend of six years recently, so she'll be by herself this holiday. I had no idea she had a long-term boyfriend, much less that they broke up. I need to be a better friend to her. She's been so good to Ayla and me."
"You've been overwhelmed with opening a new business and then the water damage. I’m sure she understands that you’re dealing with a lot right now."
"I want to be there for these women that have been there for me."
"Speaking of friends, how are the bookstore sales going for you?"
"I restocked several times, which is a good sign. Belle said she might want to keep the themed product year-round: candy canes for Christmas, hearts for Valentine's Day, and flowers for spring."
"What's for summer? Seahorses?" I teased.
Ayla giggled. "Unicorns."
I glanced over at Angela. "Do you have pa—" I glanced in the rearview and course corrected. "Undies with unicorns?"
"We don't yet. But I may have to order them. I've had a lot of requests. It's nice to know that my products did well there. Belle seems to think that they pair nicely with the romance books. She even suggested a blind date with a book where the buyer also gets a mystery pair of underwear."
"How does a blind date with a book work?" I glanced over at Angela.
"For Christmas, she wrapped a holiday-themed book with festive paper, and the buyer gets to be surprised by the book when they unwrap it."
"That's a cool idea."
"It's like a mystery box at the toy store," Ayla said.
Angela gestured with her hands to show the size. "Toy stores have these blind boxes with a theme, but you don't know exactly what you're going to get. The kids enjoy collecting action figures."
"The surprise would be exciting.”
"So much fun," Ayla said. "I asked Miss Belle if she would do a few blind packages with children's books."
"Is she going to do it?" I asked her.
"I'm not sure yet. I told her I'd help her pick out the books kids would want to read. She said I'm the perfect helper."
"You are a good helper." Angela shifted slightly so she could see Ayla in the backseat.
I pulled into the church lot, which was full for the kids' service.
"It's so busy," Ayla said.
"Don't worry. My family is saving seats for us." I got out so I could help Ayla out of the back seat. I lifted her and was just setting her on her feet when Angela joined us.
"Are you ready to go inside?" I asked her.
She took a deep breath. "Yes."
"I promise it won't be scary. There's lots of singing and kids laughing when they mess up their lines. It's fun." It was going to be more fun with Angela and Ayla here with me. I wondered if my family was going to have anything to say about that.
Inside, the pews were filling up, and an usher was setting up metal folding chairs on the sides of the aisles by the stained-glass windows. Aspen turned and waved at us to join them.
"We're there," I said, leading the way to the row.
When I stood at the end of the pew, Aspen scooted everyone down, and we slid in next to her.
Aspen looked at Angela and Ayla and said, "What's going on, dear brother?"
"Angela called and asked me for help with something, and I invited them to come with us. They didn't have any plans."
She gave me a look as if she didn't believe I was telling her the truth. "Is there something going on that I should know about?"
"No." As much as we gave her a hard time when she dated anyone, I wasn't going to tell her anything personal about Angela and me. Especially since I wasn't sure what was going on myself.
Her forehead creased, but she turned her attention to the front of the room when the kids walked down the aisle and toward the makeshift manger that would be the focal point of the show tonight.
Ayla leaned out to watch the kids walk past. I couldn't help but wonder if she'd want to participate in the manger scene. Would I be sitting here with Angela and Ayla at the same time next year, or would I not be close to them? The thought of not being with them sent a sharp pain through my chest.
I didn't want them not to be in my life. That meant I couldn't do anything to screw this up. We should stay friends. I could offer help but not take things any further.
But what if Angela started dating someone else?
I didn't like the idea of someone else spending time with them, going to light trails, or to eat at the diner, helping Angela put together a bike, or sitting next to them in church.
I especially didn't like the idea of another man seeing her in lingerie. That show felt like it was just for me.
But I didn't have any kind of claim over her. I'd stepped in to help her, but I hadn't told her how I felt other than asking how I could win her over, and she hadn't exactly given me an answer.
If I wanted more, I'd have to make a move. But I was worried about losing her and this friendship we'd formed.
The kids gathered in the manger dressed as angels, shepherds, Mary, and Joseph, with a doll for the baby. Ayla was riveted by the production, and I enjoyed watching her.
At one point, Angela looked at me and smiled, and it felt like we were here together as a family of three. I couldn't believe her ex didn't want to be here with them. His loss was my gain though.
Angela probably would have stuck with him if he'd been a good man. He wasn't there for them when they needed him. He wasn't even here now and had no plans to see Ayla on the holiday. I couldn't understand that at all. If Ayla was mine, I'd spend as much time with her as I could.
The minister stood at the podium to talk about peace and hope, and as always, I enjoyed the brief sermon. I could get on board with the message of hope and peace. This year, I was going to go after what I wanted, and for once, it wouldn't be work related because I wanted Angela.
During the collection, glow sticks were handed out to the children, and they turned them on for the last song, "Silent Night." Angela curled her hand around my elbow and leaned close to read the lyrics on the program I held. She was close enough that I could smell her fruity shampoo.
I looked up and caught Aspen watching us.
Then it was over, and we were filing out of the pew. We were stopped often, knowing a lot of people in the area. We finally gathered in the back so we could talk.
We stood around in a half circle, occasionally people stopping to talk to one of my brothers about a job or something else.
"Mom, Dad, this is Angela McAllister and her daughter, Ayla."
"Thank you for coming. Did you enjoy the manger scene?" Mom asked Ayla.
"Oh, yes," Ayla said.
"They have a great youth group here," Dad said.
We weren't members of the church, and we'd never participated in any of the youth groups, not from my parents' lack of trying. I think Mom thought it would make us less wild to be part of something that wasn't related to sports.
I gestured toward my brother, who'd worn a suit. "You haven't met my brother, the doctor in town, Lincoln, and his better half, Penny."
"It's so nice to meet you," Angela said to them, and they repeated the sentiment.
I waved a hand at Ford, Maverick, and Morgan. "And you've already met my other brothers."
Mom leaned close to Angela. "Are you coming back to the house? I was going to have a bit of food."
"Oh, we couldn't possibly intrude," Angela said.
I pretended to pout. "You rode with me though, and I want to go."
Angela paused, knowing she couldn't say no if I wanted to spend time with my family.
"Besides, Mom can give you cookies for Santa so you don't have to bake tonight." I wanted to take one thing off her list. And I knew she'd have fun at my family's house.
"I suppose we can come for a bit then," Angela said.
We made our way to the door, shaking the minister's hand on the way out and wishing her a Merry Christmas. Outside, flurries were dropping to the ground. It only added to the ambiance.
For the first time in a while, I was excited about Christmas, and it had nothing to do with a present I might get. I was too old for those anyway. I was hopeful about whatever this was between Angela and me.
After seeing her in that red teddy, I wanted to unwrap her and see what she was hiding under those clothes. I had a feeling it would be sexy with lots of satin and lace.
We got into my truck, and I drove toward my parents' house.
Angela chewed her lip. "Are you sure it's okay that we come along?"
"The more the merrier. Ford's bringing Natasha, and obviously Lincoln's with Penny."
"Yeah, but they're family. I'm just a friend."
"Friends are family at our gatherings." Besides I wanted her to be more, and I was fairly sure my mother caught onto that. But Angela was a single mom, and I had to take my time with her. Make sure we were on the same page.
My parents' house was decorated with lights and a few blowup decorations, Santa and a snowman. I helped Ayla get out, and then we walked together toward the front porch.
Inside, everyone was gathered in the living room and the kitchen. There was loud talking and laughing. It was a normal gathering for me, but I wondered what Angela thought.
Aspen pulled Angela away from me and took Ayla with her. I ended up standing next to Ford.
I braced myself for the inevitable questions I knew were coming.
"So you and Angela, huh? You're doing more than fixing her pipes?"
I ignored the innuendo. "She asked me for help getting Ayla's bike home. It didn't fit in her car. I invited her along since she didn't have any plans for the evening."
He raised a brow. "You don't have an ulterior motive?"
"And what would that be?" I asked.
He lowered his voice. "To date the single mom?"
"And if I did?" I asked, testing the waters.
"I'd say there's nothing wrong with that if you're serious about her. You know how Mom feels about us getting involved with single moms."
"I wouldn't have invited her if I wasn't serious about her. I just don't know if she feels the same." She'd asked for help a few times, which was a big deal for her. But I wasn't sure how open she was to dating anyone right now.
Ford nodded. "You won't know if you don't ask."
"I tried to ask her the other day, but Morgan and Maverick interrupted our conversation. It's tough getting time to talk about anything when there's always a child and annoying brothers around."
"We're not that bad, are we?"
"Eh." Ford was the oldest, so the one who tried to keep us in line. But he wasn't usually successful. We were a wild bunch, and the only thing that had reined us in was when Aspen was born. We sensed that we had to protect her from us and anyone else who could hurt her.
Aspen said we were overprotective, but that's what happened when you had so many older brothers. I had a feeling she didn't talk about who she was dating because she didn't want us butting in, and now that I was on the receiving end of their curiosity, I couldn't blame her.
"Are you ready for everything a single mom brings to the table?"
I nodded. "I like spending time with them. Tonight, it felt like we were a family."
Ford slapped my shoulder. "Don't screw it up."
"Honestly? I don't know what I'm doing. I've never dated anyone with a kid, and I don't want to hurt either one of them." My gaze was on Angela who was talking with Penny and Aspen.
Ayla had convinced Maverick to play a board game. Maverick looked comical sitting on the floor with his tattoos, listening intently to a little girl explain the rules to him when I was positive he already knew them. I appreciated that he was making an effort with her.
Ford nodded. "That's a good start."
"Are you the expert on love now that you locked things down with Natasha? Or is Lincoln probably a better resource? He made Penny fall in love with him during a snowstorm."
"They made a blanket fort in the living room. Maybe you could hope for a blizzard and hunker down with the girls, under the guise of keeping them safe."
"I mean, I would do that, yeah. But I'm not going to wait for a snowstorm to make my move."
"Christmas is tomorrow. What are your plans?"
"Today just kind of happened naturally. She called me, and I rolled with it. I want to be part of their day tomorrow, but I'm not sure how to invite myself over, or if that's even appropriate."
Ford pulled up his phone and showed me the weather app. "There's snow predicted for the weekend."
I chuckled. "That's plan B then."
He tucked his phone away. "I'm fairly sure Mom will want you here all day tomorrow."
"I have a feeling she'll be supportive once she knows my intentions."
Morgan approached us with mugs of hot chocolate. "These are for you."
"Thanks," I said, accepting mine. There was nothing better than Christmas Eve at church with a woman I was interested in and bringing her home to meet my family. The hot chocolate was the icing on the cake. The sweetness would hold me over until I could get Angela alone.
"And what are your intentions?" Ford asked, and it took me a second to remember what we were talking about.
"To find out if she feels the same way I do. She could shut me down."
"There's one more issue," He gestured up and down at my body. "You're not the prettiest Sterling."
I gave him a look as he chuckled. "Relax. I'm sure she finds you passably attractive."
"I want to be more than passable." I'd seen her practically naked on that chaise lounge. I knew how I felt about her, but was she attracted to me? We'd touched by accident here and there, and I'd felt a spark of something. But that didn't mean that she did too.
"There's something about Christmas. It makes you believe in possibilities," Ford said, sipping his cocoa.
I was feeling the magic of Christmas, and I wasn't going to let that go.