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"It does," she agreed.

"We already cheated death, slept together, made a kid, broke up, and then pined over each other for a decade and a half. If we can turn that into something that feels good in the moment…" He shrugged, trying to make it sound as casual as possible, knowing that she didn't want to feel trapped.

She raised her brows. "A little casual, fun kissing? That's all you want?"

"No. It's not all I want," he said honestly, unwilling to lie to her. "But it's a start. See where it goes."

She grimaced. "About the breakup—"

He cut her off with a kiss. A kiss that he poured every bit of convincing into that he could summon. To his delight, she sighed and melted into him, wrapping her free arm around his neck. It wasn't until he was certain that he had her that he finally broke the kiss, but he kept his forehead resting against hers. "I missed you, Sascha. Let's go spread some Christmas cheer. Shall we? Have some fun? Appreciate the gift that brought us together for the holidays?"

She took a breath, then nodded. "Okay."

Okay. Victory seemed to explode through him as he stepped back to let her exit. When he put his hand on her lower back as they walked out, she didn't move away, and she didn't try to stop him.

The door had been opened…and it was staying open.

Yes.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Six hours later, Sofia knew she was in trouble.

Big. Trouble.

Really. Big. Trouble.

Because she'd just had the best day she could remember having in a long time. Laughter seemed to flow like a waterfall from the Harts, and she and Gabby had been swept up in their zest for life.

They'd visited three more stores, and everyone had been so delighted to see Keegan. People's love for Keegan was genuine and warm, and she could see the impact he'd had on people, simply by bringing them fresh breads he'd made for them.

No. It wasn't the baked goods that made people so happy to see him. It was because he brought a sense of warmth, appreciation, and joy with him. He made everyone he spoke with feel like they mattered, including herself. Including Gabby.

She had a feeling Gabby was falling as hard for Keegan as she was.

Sofia wasn't blind. She knew Keegan was turning the full force of his charms on both of them, making them both come out of their shells, igniting Sofia with stolen kisses every chance he got.

They'd even stumbled across a group of local townspeople out caroling at one of their stops, and they'd joined in.

Yep, celebrity billionaire Keegan Hart and his equally famous and rich sister had donned borrowed Santa hats and marched around the icy streets belting out Christmas carols with a bunch of strangers who most celebrities probably wouldn't even notice, let alone take an hour to sing with.

He'd even given Gabby a shoulder ride for part of it. A sixteen-year-old getting a shoulder ride! It was adorable and hilarious, and Gabby had been shrieking with laughter.

And now…they were out in the cold night, watching a local Christmas concert right outside the charming lodge they were staying in. The locals had a big bonfire, and Santa was wandering around, handing out candy canes to kids.

Bella and Gabby had taken Millie to get some hot chocolate, and Sofia smiled as she watched them laughing and having such a great time.

Keegan's arms went around her waist, and he rested his chin on her shoulder. "I like hearing your laugh."

She leaned back against him and wrapped her hands around his forearms. "This feels so surreal. This morning, I was at home, stressing about telling Gabby about you, and now we're running around delivering Christmas goodies, and singing Christmas carols, like we're a—" She stopped herself before she could say family. They weren't a family. This was a wonderful moment, but that's all it was.

A moment.

"This morning I thought you were dead, and I thought it was possible that I'd had a daughter I'd never met, who was also dead. So yeah, I'd say the day turned out to be a nice surprise." His body was warm and reassuring against her back, his arms snug and protective around her waist.

But she tensed at his reminder of real life.

He swore under his breath and kissed the side of her neck. "Shit. I didn't mean to bring that up. Let's just appreciate this moment. That's what I was trying to say."