Page 36 of Under the Mistletoe

“Every time,” Londyn snickered. “I just don’t get it. What is it with these Fury men and their enormous children?”

“Must be in the genes,” I giggled.

“Must be,” Mia groaned. “But I love him, and I can’t wait to meet our little guy. I just gotta make it through Christmas and New Year's, and then, I’ll be set.”

“Same, girl. Same.” Londyn shook her head. “At least I’m almost done with my Christmas shopping.”

“Me too, but that’s only because Mom has done most of mine for me.” Mia leaned over to me as she asked, “So, how about you? Have you finished all your shopping?”

“I’m pretty close. I just need to figure out what to get Thomas.” I let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t have any idea what to get him.”

“He hasn’t given you any hints?” Londyn asked.

“Nope, not a single one, and if I ask him, he says he already has everything he wants.”

“Don’t you hate when they do that?” Mia complained. “I can push and push, but Charlie never tells me anything. Last Christmas, I got him a pair of sunglasses and some new boots, but he’s never worn either of them. I have no idea what happened to them.”

“Malcomb does that, too!” Londyn groaned. “I bought him a couple of new shirts last Christmas, and they still have the tags on them.”

“I have to think of something, even if it’s something small,” I told them. “This is our first Christmas together, and it needs to be something memorable.”

“I wish I could help, but I suck at the whole gift-giving thing.” Jules was Q’s ol’ lady and had tagged along with us. While I didn’t know her very well, I was growing to like her more by the minute. “Quinton is always so thoughtful and buys the perfectgifts for the boys and me, and I end up getting him something stupid like a keychain or a razor.”

“You could get him some new riding gloves or slippers,” Mia suggested.

“I don’t see Thomas wearing slippers, but gloves aren’t a bad idea. The ones he has are a little worn out.”

“Then, get him the gloves, and you could always try a little romantic getaway,” Londyn added. “Just you two at the coast or at a cabin in the mountains.”

“I thought about that, but I just started my new job, and I’d hate to ask for time off so soon. And there’s the whole Ava thing. I’d have to get Mom and Dad to watch her—not that they’d mind watching her.”

“Yeah, I don’t think you have to worry about that.” Mia smiled. “Sweet Ava has your daddy wrapped around her little finger.”

“You’re telling me,” I scoffed. “It’s like he’s completely forgotten he has a daughter.”

“Oh, he hasn’t forgotten,” Mia argued. “That man is just as crazy about you as my dad is about me. It’s the only-daughter thing. It can be a blessing and a curse.”

I don’t know how long we sat there talking about our crazy fathers and how much we loved them, but I could’ve spent all day there talking with them. They were the family I didn’t know I needed, and now, they were mine. We left there, and after spending another hour or so at the mall, we all headed home.

As soon as I got to the house, I took my gifts inside and hid them in my closet. I called Mom to see if she and Dad would keep Ava a little longer, and it was no surprise when they offered to keep her for the entire night—giving me a chance to have a night alone with Thomas. Of course, I accepted and got busy making dinner.

In a blink, it was after eight, and then, it was eight-thirty. Nine came and went, but there was still no sign of Thomas. I tried to busy myself with reading, but I couldn’t keep my focus. I was starting to worry that something was wrong, and it didn’t help matters that he hadn’t called or texted and neither his truck nor his bike was in his drive.

I was looking so forward to our quiet night alone, but now, dinner was cold, the wine was still untouched, and the candles I’d lit had flickered out. It wouldn’t have been so bad if I just knew if he was okay or not. I hated the not knowing. It was the biggest downside of being an ol’ lady.

I’d seen my mother go through it a thousand times.

Dad would be off with the brothers, doing whatever it was they did, and if he wasn’t home exactly when he told her he’d be home, it would send her spiraling.

She would start to pace and send him message after message.

She’d try to track his location, but nothing eased the worry until he walked through that door.

I promised myself that I wasn’t going to do that, but it was hard. I cared a great deal for Thomas—even more than I wanted to admit, and my heart ached at the thought of something happening to him. I was teetering on the edge of losing it when I heard the familiar rumble of Thomas’s motorcycle.

I closed my eyes and let out the breath I’d been holding, and once I got it together, I went out to the kitchen and waited for him to come inside. As soon as he walked through the door, I could tell that he’d had a long night. His jeans were dirty, and his hair was a mess, and he looked exhausted. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

“Are you okay?” I didn’t move. I wanted to, but I couldn’t seem to make my feet move. “Did something happen?”

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