Page 155 of Beyond the Blue Horizon

A soggy laugh rolled out. “I certainly wasn’t responsible for all those bags.”

Curiosity arched her brow. “How’s that?”

I blew out a long sigh. “More of that charming.”

A knowing chuckle rumbled out of her. “That boy has it bad.”

“Whatever is going on between us is just temporary.” I ignored the quivering of my heart when I said it.

Knowing eyes speared me as she continued to chop. “And when did you two decide that? Before or after he came slinking out of your room right before dawn this morning?”

“Nelly.” It shot out of me like reproach.

“What? Did you think I wasn’t going to notice that you two nearly burned the house down last night?” She casually tossed the carrot slices into the pot.

Aghast, air rushed from my lungs. “We did not. We were…just talking.”

She picked up the pot and shuffled for the stove. “Whatever you kids want to call it these days.”

I placed my hand over Finn’s ear and pressed the other against my chest to keep him from the sordid details. “I didn’t sleep with him.”

“No need to lie on my account.”

“Nelly. I didn’t.”

She turned the knob for a burner, bringing a ring of fire to life. She settled the pot over the top. “Well, if this thing is only temporary, then I sure don’t understand why you’re wasting time. I’d be all over that like glue.”

I gave an exaggerated huff. “Great, my grandmother telling me to get naked with the hot guy next door.”

“I have to be good for something.”

“Hugs!” Finn shouted, wiggling out from under my hand that kept his ear against my chest.

“Awesome. Best mom ever,” I mumbled.

Nelly fully turned around, and all the teasing drained from her face.

“That’s exactly what you are, Piper. The best mom ever. Willing to sacrifice it all. But maybe you don’t have to.”

Emotion clotted at the base of my throat. “You’re the one who’s the best, Nelly.”

She let a playful smile take to her face. “Now who’s trying to charm who?”

With a soft giggle, I turned to Finn, bouncing him a little as I carried him back into the living room. “How about we check out what we have to decorate the tree with?”

“We got lights?”

“I bet we do,” I told him as I set him onto his feet next to the pile of bags.

He immediately dropped to his knees and started digging through them and tossing everything out.

Lights and ornaments and bows.

“Wookit, Mommy!” Finn squealed in glee. “I got a owl.” Finn held up a red box that contained a large snow owl ornament.

Warmth crawled and whispered and wound.

How was Theo so thoughtful?