Page 58 of Welcome Home for Christmas
She frowned and tossed his clothes at him. “It’s for the kids,” she said.
Right. It was a good cause. One he was proud to take part in. “You make me a better guy, you know that?”
She tugged her clothes on and grinned with her sexed-up hair. “We’re good for each other, it seems. Because you make me feel like the most exciting thing around.”
“Oh, you definitely are, baby. And if we wouldn’t disappoint a bunch of kids, I’d show you just how much more excited I can get.”
She laughed. “Come on, Santa.”
—
Allison felt ridiculous in her Mrs. Claus suit. The dress was to her ankles and padded to make it look like she lived on nothing but sweets. She turned as Troy entered the small dressing room of Mercy’s Place and laughed.
“Ho, ho, ho.” He held a piece of mistletoe over her head and waggled his eyebrows. “Care for a kiss?”
She went up on her tiptoes and obliged the tradition. Then she slipped her hand in his. “Thanks for doing this.”
“Hard to say no to something like this.”
She pressed against him, fully aware that every second she spent with him she was falling a little more. Allison couldn’t seem to help herself, though. Troy made her feel good in a way she hadn’t felt in a long while. Ignoring the little warning bells going off deep inside her, telling her that she always fell for the wrong guys, she kissed him again. Then she tugged him toward the door that led to a room chock-full of excited little kids.
“No cursing and no grabbing my butt,” she warned, narrowing her eyes.
“I have nieces and nephews. I know how to act around kids.”
“Good.”
They opened the door and all the kids cheered as if rock stars were entering the room. Allison shared a look with Troy that saidgood luck, and then they spent the next hour and a half making the kids, who ultimately just wanted someone to love them for Christmas, smile.
When the last gift was handed out and the last story was read, Troy belted out a “Ho, ho, ho” as natural as that of any other Santa she’d ever heard. Which made sense because, as Rhonda had said, he was just a big kid at heart. “Now, I want all of you to continue being good little boys and girls.”
“And maybe we’ll get our forever families?” little Lucy asked, hugging her Betty doll tightly.
Allison’s heart ached. She wished she could take the girl home herself. But she wasn’t in the right place for adoption right now. She prayed that the right person would come along for every kid in the room soon, though.
Troy’s Santa beard fluttered as he blew out a breath. “Let me tell you guys something. Your being here has nothing to do with how good you are. You all deserve a family to take care of you and love you. My elves can’t make families, unfortunately. I wish they could. But I know that there’s someone special out there for every one of you.”
Little Lucy stood and charged toward him, wrapping her little arms around him. “I love you, Santa!” she beamed.
Allison beamed at him, too. She wanted to believe he was right; that each of these kids had someone special out there for them. She wanted to believe she had someone special out there for her, too. And that maybe that someone was Troy.
—
T minus one hour until the annual family Christmas Eve party. Allison heaved a heavy sigh as she walked through her house to go get dressed. Troy had gone home after leaving Mercy’s Place. He’d be picking her up in a bit to drive to her parents’ home.
Maybe this time will be different. Maybe Troy will charm her family the same way he’d charmed her over the last two weeks. Well, not the exact same way.
Her chest swelled with a million happy feelings as she thought of him. And he’d completely won the children over at Mercy’s this afternoon. She stepped into a black dress and accessorized with emerald-colored costume jewelry, then splashed festive color on her eyelids and lips. She heaved a sigh as she stared at her reflection. There was no part of her that wanted to take Troy to meet her family. It was a relationship death sentence.
She’d just keep him by her side at all times. And make sure he did and said nothing that her mother would find fault with.
Yeah. She nodded to herself as her phone beeped with an incoming text from Julie.How did it go at Mercy’s Place?
Great,Allison typed back.
Did you hear about Henry?
Allison frowned and typed her response:Yes. I thought I’d go visit him next week.
