Page 24 of Stolen Holidays
The emu hears me and lets out another bleating drumroll in response.
Eli taps the window, and the bird glares at him. “Jeff mentioned something about needing to lock Lucky up. I didn’t know what he meant before, but I think I do now.”
I step out from behind Eli and place my hand on the window. “Is that your name? Lucky?”
The bird pecks at my hand with its beak and bleats again. Then Lucky’s gone, running away as fast as possible on its spindly, stick legs.
Eli drapes his arm over my shoulder and chuckles. “This is going to be one hell of a vacation.”
I can’t help but grin as I lean into his embrace, watching the mischievous bird disappear. “It really is.”
ten
Eli
Eight Days Until Christmas
Thesun-soakedlandscapecomesinto view along the horizon as Callie and I approach the top of the hill on horseback. Breathing through my nerves, I focus on the lake below lazily lapping at the shore while the snow-capped mountains surround the water and lush greenery. The sight is incredible.
My eyes search for Callie, and the wide smile on her face has my shoulders falling in relief as she takes in the scenery and breathes in the cool, fresh mountain air. This is the perfect setting for presenting Callie with one of the many gifts I have picked out for our first holiday together.
Today is the last day I’ll have Callie all to myself, and since the weather has held up nicely these past few days—sunny and only slightly chilly—I wanted to do something special for my girl. I want to soak up the last bit of our alone time before my brothers and their families arrive for the first official Miller Family Holiday vacation and all the chaos starts.
While I’m excited about my entire family spending the holiday together, I’ve been enjoying this time alone with Callie. Even though it feels like we’ve been together from the start, it’s only been a few months and, selfishly, I would much rather spend the holiday just the two of us. Which is why I’m planning to whisk her away in the new year for a trip around the world for our honeymoon.
My girl spent the last decade caged and tied up in chains, bound by a woman determined to wring every ounce of happiness from her. Now, it’s my job to show Callie what the world is like free from those shackles.
Callie looks over at me, tears brimming her eyes, as she sees the surprise waiting for her. “Ohmigod, Eli. What did you do?”
“Do you like it?” I ask, already knowing the answer as her eyes eat up every inch of the sight before her.
Beneath the large white oak tree is a small cream-colored A-frame tent, sitting on top of a matching carpet and a variety of pillows in all shapes and colors. A thermos of hot chocolate sits beside a large wicker picnic basket filled with sandwiches and a side salad, and a rustic wood platter filled with cheeses, meats, fruit, and crackers.
It’s perfect. When I asked the owner, Hilly, to help me set up this little lunch for me and Callie, she was thrilled, and it turns out she—like my sister-in-law—has a calling for setting up romantic dates.
“Are you kidding? It’s just like our first date. I love it,” she answers, her voice thick with emotion, as we approach our waiting hosts—the inn owners, Jeff and Hilly.
Our horses come to a stop at the edge of the camp area, where Jeff takes the horses’ reins from us and ties them to a hitching post.
I expel a breath as I watch Callie shift her weight and throw her leg over the horse with such grace.
Is there anything she can’t do?
She looks sexy as fuck in her tight blue jeans, creamy puffer coat and matching wool beanie with a pom on her head. My bloodrushes south at the thought of peeling her out of those tight pants and taking her right here on the top of the world for everyone to see. To know that she’s all mine, forever.
“Ready to get down, lover boy?”
I glance at Jeff, who is smirking at me with his arms crossed over his chest. He reminds me of Jace, with similar wise eyes and big, brotherly smile. Also like my brother, I’ve walked in on Jeff railing his wife, so I reply, “I feel like I know you well enough to tell you to fuck off.”
Jeff chuckles. “Touché.”
I climb off the horse and shake his hand, thanking him for his help setting this up for me and Callie. After chatting for a few, Jeff and his wife ,Hilly, switch places with us and head back to the inn on the horses, leaving behind a golf cart for me and Callie to return in, along with the tent and the rest of the supplies.
Stepping behind Callie, I wrap my arms around her waist and kiss her neck, where the cool metal of her collar meets her warm skin. I love knowing that, like me, the necklace is a permanent fixture on her body.
“What do you think, Cal? Want to have a picnic with me?”
Callie spins around in my arms as she wraps hers around my neck. “I want to have everything with you, Eli.”
