Page 47 of Blame It On the Lattes

It was our first Christmas without her dad, and while I knew she was feeling angry toward him, I didn’t know how she would feel Christmas morning with everything being different. I hated that I couldn’t give her the familiarity of doing Christmas in the house she grew up in, but deep down, I hoped that these new experiences would be enough to shape some happy memories for her.

I sent Kennedy off with Cassidy for a bit while I made my way back around to all of the booths we could keep track of and bought the last gifts for Kennedy. Amelia and Ron were champions at remembering exactly which items she wanted and went out of their way to take the shopping bags to their car so she didn’t see them.

By the time we were done, I was exhausted and ready to call it a day.

I texted Sam to let him know we were finishing up and that I would get a ride back to his place with his parents since they were dropping off all of the gifts we were hiding from Kennedy.

He replied to let me know he would grab takeout on his way home and that he was leaving soon. The plan was to have dinner, drink some wine, and then put on Christmas music while we spent the night wrapping all of our gifts together—minus the ones we got for each other. It was weird how we fell so easily into a relationship and how my heart was so open to it. I’d felt a happiness with Sam that I hadn’t ever felt with anyone before, including Grant.

Twenty-Four

Sam

“How’s your chickenlo mein?” I asked Avery as I popped a piece of orange chicken into my mouth and chewed.

“It’s delicious. You should try it.” She leaned over on the couch and held her hand beneath the noodles she’d twirled around her fork as she held it out for me.

I took the bite and closed my eyes, savoring the flavor as it hit my tongue.

“That is good,” I said, wiping my mouth as I finished chewing. “Do you want some orange chicken?”

“Sure.” She grinned and waited for me to feed her and I couldn’t get over how incredible it felt to be having moments like this with Avery.

“Oh my gosh,” she moaned, making my dick twitch. “That’s delicious, too.”

“I think it’s safe to say that everything they make there is going to be five-star. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten food from them I didn’t like.”

“Well, they might be my new go-to when I don’t feel like cooking. I bet Kennedy would love it, too.”

“Does that mean you’re planning to stay in Sugarplum Falls for good?” I asked with a little too much hope in my voice.

“Honestly? I haven’t decided. When I was little, I kept telling myself that someday I would grow up and move away to a big city where the opportunities would be endless. When I had Kennedy, I always felt that I wanted the same for her. But being back in Sugarplum Falls, it’s kinda nice not having the rush of a big city, even if everyone knows your business all the time.”

“I know big cities have their appeal, but where else can you go that has a hot barista that makes thebestgingerbread lattes?” I teased with a wink.

“You have a point,” she replied with a giggle. “But it’s hard because it’s not just me I have to worry about. I have to think ahead to the future and what might be best for Kennedy. I want to make sure that I give her everything I can and that I set her up for whatever path she decides to go down. Sometimes, I worry that I will limit her if we stay here.”

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