Page 57 of Holiday Hook Up

Brandon came up behind her, bringing her in his arms. “We’rehaving a baby.” He chuckled. “And I actually remember when it happened this time.”

Adam laughed out loud at that, spitting a little of the beer he’d just sipped. He’d heard the story of how Abby had enchanted a cupcake to reverse Brandon’s attraction to her that caused a bit of amnesia of the magical kind. Luckily for both of them it worked out in the end, but it was a tangled up mess for a while since she was already pregnant when she’d done the spell.

“Okay, so Aunt Sheila will run the bakery. Is she going to do Batter Up?” Abby asked.

“Yes. She can’t wait. So the single guys in this town have nothing to worry about while I’m gone.” Emma turned to Adam. “And as for our bachelorettes, Adam, my mom said she’d love to work with you on perfecting the spell with the blue mixing spoon. Anytime you’re ready, feel free to see her.”

“I’d love it. I’ll stop in tomorrow.” His dad had him working on a new project across town for most of the day, but since they were planning on starting at 7:00 a.m., he could knock off work by three.

The group continued to celebrate Abby and Brandon’s big news while discussing Emma and Jason’s upcoming trip. At one point, Jason and Brandon headed upstairs to Brandon’s office followed by Abby and Emma to surf the Internet for B&Bs.

Josh and Caitlin had disappeared into the kitchen for God knows what, leaving Adam and Bethany alone by the fireplace. Adam suspected they wouldn’t be seeing them return for a while. The newlyweds had a hard time keeping their hands off each other.

He stood and grabbed a poker, giving the logs a few pokes before taking his seat next to Bethany. For now, they had the cozy fire all to themselves. He took a swig of his beer and watched the flames. “I could move into this place.”

Bethany laughed. “And give up your cottage?”

“Probably not. I like it there, too.” He grinned, adding, “I have the best neighbor.”

“I’ve heard that.”

“How was your Christmas?”

“Good. I’m sorry I wasn’t around. I decided to go into the store and then spent some time with Emma.”

“Did you talk to your parents?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “We Skyped in the afternoon for an hour. They’re having a great time. If my mother has her way, they might not come home. How was your mom’s?”

“Low-key. Got my annual handmade Christmas sweater.” He patted his chest and then cracked his neck. “The gift I could have used was one of those massages we had the other night. Mom thought it would be fun to pick out and decorate the tree on Christmas Eve. Yeah, hauling a six-foot Douglas fir up the driveway and into her house was ever so much fun.”

Bethany stretched her fingers in front of her. “I might be able to offer some assistance.”

He did a double take. “For real?”

She motioned for him to slide down onto the floor, and he did just that. In no time, her hands were kneading his shoulders.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, rather enjoying the sensation running through him that her touch caused.

Completely relaxed, his head fell to the side as he listened to the crackling sound of the fire. The perfect ending to a great evening. “Thank you,” he finally said after a few silent minutes.

“Anytime.” She squeezed his shoulders.

He moved up to the sofa, this time sitting even closer. “Maybe I could return the favor.”

“I think I’d like that,” she said softly.

He gazed into her dark brown eyes, his heart racing. He might not be the smartest man at the Inn tonight, but Bethany was definitely flirting with him. He inched closer, touching her face. There was no mistake that her lips were moving closer to his, and he knew this because he wasn’t about to close his eyes this time.

Finally, their first kiss was going to happen.

A loud ring forced her eyes open and she moved back.

Dammit!His phone was going off in his back pocket with the fire station’s emergency ringtone, signaling to drop everything and report to duty. “It’s the fire station. I have to go.” Kissing Bethany Wilson was going to have to wait.

“I’ll get our coats.” She beelined for the foyer, handed him his coat from the coat rack, and started to put on her own.

“Hey, why don’t you stay here? I have to go right to the site, and it could take a while. You don’t want to be stuck sitting in my truck on this cold night with nothing to do. Besides, you’re having such a good time.” He nodded to the upstairs and slid on his coat. “Make sure they are behaving themselves up there and not looking for any more magical spoons.”

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