LITMIR.BIZ

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know Winnie. She has a way of convincing even the stillest of hearts to start beating again.”

      Eloise gave her a soft, knowing smile. “I don’t think it’s just Winnie who has that gift.”

      She wasn’t sure exactly what the woman was implying, but the thought made Christina shift her weight uncomfortably. She wasn’t having any effect on Waylon, and whether or not Waylon was making her feel unexpected and somewhat unwelcome things...well, there was no way the woman could have known.

      Before Eloise could make her think of anything else, she escaped down the hall after the keeper of hearts. She stood outside the bedroom door, listening to Winnie telling Waylon about her stuffed animals. Apparently, according to the story she was telling him, her favorite was her orange-and-white plush cat she had dubbed Mr. Puffy Face. Yesterday the cat had been dubbed Hank; regardless, their interaction made Christina laugh. Winnie hadn’t been herself since her mother’s disappearance, and it was nice to see some happiness return to the girl.

      She leaned against the doorjamb, the door open just far enough to see in but not far enough to interrupt the two from their play. Winnie had put on her pink Sleeping Beauty dress, and Waylon had a purple bejeweled tiara perched at an awkward angle on his head.

      Christina chuckled as she turned back to the kitchen.

      Eloise pulled out the roast from the oven as Colter stirred the vegetables. From the formal dining room, she could hear the titters of laughter as Wyatt and his fiancée, Gwen, set the table. As she stood watching, a comforting feeling of home filled her.

      It felt so good to be a part of all of this—and the family. If she had been on her own with Alli’s disappearance, she didn’t know how she would have been able to make it this far—just taking care of Winnie was a full-time event, and that was to say nothing of her job at Dunrovin, taking care of the animals and helping to train the horses, and the daily needs of living. It felt so good, standing here and letting life go on around her.

      It made her wish this moment could last forever—but bad or good, all things in life were dictated by the fickle hands of time. Even intangible things like love fell victim to it—love ebbed and waned, or at least it always had when it had come to the men in her life.

      The only time that wasn’t true was when it came to her love for Winnie. To love a child was an incredible experience. They could drive her to the edges of madness, they could treat her worse than a stranger, and yet at the end of the day, all their trespasses could be forgiven with the whisper of I love you, or their scent on her skin. Christina hugged her arms around herself as she thought about how close those days could be to coming to an end.

      “Is Waylon going to make it out of that bedroom alive?” Wyatt asked, pulling her from the pits of her thoughts.

      “I—” she started but was cut off as Waylon appeared in the kitchen’s doorway, sadly without his sparkling tiara.

      “Is there any tinfoil?” he asked, a childlike smile on his face.

      Eloise opened up a drawer, pulled out a blue box and handed it over to Waylon. “You’re not going to make her dress up like leftovers, are you? Winnie isn’t going to go for the idea,” she said with a chuckle.

      He raised the box like a wand. “No worries, I have this under control.”

      “Is that army-speak for you are letting a two-and-a-half-year-old run you?” Wyatt asked with a raise of his brow and a thin smirk.

      Waylon laughed, and his whole face lit up. His copper skin made the crow’s feet nearly invisible at the corners of his eyes, but if she looked closely, she could just make them out, almost as if they were a secret about him that was there only for her. She tried to control the drive she felt to move nearer to him, but as she stared, her desire intensified.

      “Hey, now, I’ve let worse women control me. At least this one’s cute, she likes me and she enjoys having me around—it’s a lot more than I can say about some others,” Waylon joked, but as he looked at Christina, he shut his mouth like he wished he could have reeled the words back in. “I...I just mean...” he stammered. “Not that I meant Alli or anything.”

      “I’m not going to say anything,” she said, cutting him a little slack. “I have no room to judge anyone when it comes to relationships.”

      She could have sworn she saw Eloise and Gwen share a look. They were wrong if they thought something was happening between her and Waylon. There weren’t any feelings between them—at least not any that came from Waylon—and her feelings were probably nothing more than her trying to come to terms with his new bond with Winnie. Regardless of whatever those two women were thinking, the only thing she and Waylon would share was the love they each felt toward one curly-haired two-year-old.

      She turned away as Waylon brushed against her, making his way back to the girl. Where he had touched her burned with an unexpected and unwelcome heat, and she rubbed her arm as though she could make the feeling disappear by wiping it away.

      The door to Winnie’s room clicked shut, and Wyatt peeked around the corner before turning back to everyone in the kitchen. “Have you told him yet?”

      She glanced down at the floor, afraid that if she looked at Wyatt he would be able to read each confusing thought and feeling that ran through her.

      “Don’t you think he has a right to know?” Wyatt pressed.

      Eloise waved him off. “He has every right to know, but it’s already been nearly three years. What’s another few days?”

      “He’s going to be furious when you tell him. He’s never going to understand. I know I wouldn’t,” Wyatt continued.

      Gwen walked over to him and wrapped her arm around his. “This isn’t our choice, Wyatt.”

      “That doesn’t mean that we aren’t going to be accountable when he learns the truth.” Wyatt put his hand on his fiancée’s and made small circles on the back of her skin.

      The simple action made Christina want to hug herself tighter. Gwen was so lucky to have found love with one of the Fitz brothers. They all had their issues, but they were all good people, even Waylon—or rather, especially Waylon. She could only imagine how good it would feel to have him making small circles on her skin, especially after him merely brushing against her had almost brought her to her knees.

      She forced herself to look away from the cute couple, reminding herself that as picturesque as they were, a relationship wasn’t what she wanted. Sure, it started out with flowers, sweet words and tender touches, but nothing that good lasted forever.

      “If we tell him,” Eloise said, pulling her from her thoughts, “there will be no going back. Once the truth is out there, he’s going to have to make some major choices in his life. He’s innocent in all this. He has always done his best, and I’m sure if we tell him the truth, he will try to make the best choices he can. But who knows what those choices will be.”

      Wyatt shook his head. “We can’t stand in his way.”

      “I know,” Eloise said. “Right now, with all the uncertainty with Alli and what she may or may not do... Well, he’s already burdened enough. Don’t you think?”

      “Give him more credit. He’s strong. He can handle the truth. And he needs to be able to make his own decisions.” Wyatt motioned toward the bedroom.

      “No one is arguing that, Wyatt,” Christina said, trying to come to Eloise’s aid. “It’s just that we need to make sure he’s ready.”

      “Come on,” Wyatt said, shaking his head. “No one’s ever really ready to be a parent. Even if you think you are ready, it’s not until you’re thrown into the situation that you really know what you’re in for.”

      Eloise smiled as she raised her brow. “Is there something you two need to tell us?” She rubbed a small circle on her lower belly.

      Gwen’s mouth dropped open. “No... I... Not yet...” she

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