Page 99 of Hero for the Holidays

“Yeah. You have.” Her sister looked at her carefully. “Should you have to go through any more?”

“I thought you were a big proponent of my hooking up with Landry.”

“Well, that was kind of before I knew how difficult what you went through was.”

“Yeah, what I went through was difficult. So trust that I can handle just about anything now.”

“Listen,” said Alaina. “You do not have to tell me about the allure of the cowboy. Or the trouble they can get you into.”

She frowned. “Do you mean Travis?”

Travis was the biological father of Alaina’s baby. But Gus had married Alaina. Gus had truly become Cameron’s father. And the love of Alaina’s life.

“I do not,” said Alaina. “That wasn’t sex appeal. That was stubbornness on my part. No. Gus was undeniable. When I needed to have a cool head. When I needed to be measured. Reasonable. And instead I fell madly in love with him, and took all my clothes off for him.”

“Well, I amnotmadly in love with Landry. I’m realistic about Landry.”

“Actually, Fia, I think maybe don’t be realistic for once. How long has it been since you’ve had a good time?”

She looked around, at the barn, at the party. Lila.

“Actually, I’ve been having the time of my life for the last few weeks.”

“Well. Might as well keep it going with a bang.”

“Very nice.”

“Just be careful,” said Alaina.

“Neither of us is in any position to give the other safe sex lectures.”

Alaina laughed, doubling over. “True.”

She got up and crossed to Gus and their baby, kissing him on the cheek and taking her daughter into her arms. She loved watching them together. Really, she loved watching all of her sisters with their partners. And she ignored the tug in her chest that tempted her to think that she could have the same thing.

It was different. She and Landry were different. But tonight, they were going to have something even better than love. She had yet to see evidence that love could be permanent. But this? This was about the most long-lasting thing she’d ever experienced. This need for him.

Why not indulge it?

Who was she kidding, pretending to rationalize. There was no rationalizing this. There was nothing but need.

For the first time in a long time, there was nothing but need.

It made her feel like she’d slipped into an old pair of jeans that somehow still fit. That she loved even more for that reason.

Tonight, she would have Landry King. Tonight, everything really would go full circle. And then, she would be able to move on. And they would be able to make their family.

And everything would be fine.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

FIADROVELANDRYand Lila back to his place. Now he just needed to get Lila to scurry up the stairs so he and Fia could sneak down to the old cabin. They could probably do this in the bedroom. The house was probably reasonably soundproof.

He appreciated the nostalgia of the cabin, though. And the practicality of it. Because while he was pretty sure the sound wouldn’t travel from that room over to Lila’s... He also had no idea how intense this was going to be. For the first time in weeks, the biggest thing on his mind wasn’t the stress of fatherhood. The joy of it. The intensity of it. For the first time, everything was Fia. His need for her obscuring everything else.

Fia was invited upstairs first, though, to help feed Gort crickets, which he had to admit was an amusing pursuit. The little leopard gecko always wiggled its tail before it shot across the cage to grab a cricket, and seeing such a tiny predator in action was always entertaining.

“If Gort was alligator sized he would definitely eat you,” he said to Lila.

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