Page 155 of Theirs for the Holidays

She’s sweet and bubbly, and she gets plenty of tips by being friendly with her small town charm.

“I can wait for you to be done,” she says with a bright smile, waving a hand. “My family knows not to expect me until at least eight tonight.”

“They’re going to think I’m a terrible boss.”

She shakes her head. “Not when I bring them this.” She holds up the box of treats that I made for her family as part of her generous Christmas bonus. “I think all they’re going to do is sing your praises until the new year.”

I laugh at that, and together we finish serving the last of the customers before we finally flip the sign to ‘Closed’ just after five.

“Have a wonderful Christmas, Violet,” Samantha says, hugging me before grabbing her things and darting out into the cold to her car.

I lock up, making sure everything is shut down and clean in preparation for being closed tomorrow. As I’m heading toward the door to leave, my phone rings. Smiling when I see Rhett’s name and picture on the screen, I pick up, already happy to hear from him.

“Hey,” I say. “I’m on my way out the door right now.”

“Good.” He chuckles. “I was just about to say you need to kick everyone out. Tell them you have more important Christmas Eve plans.”

I laugh. “No need for that. Everyone’s been served, and I am heading to my car as we speak.” I can hear a hint of grumpiness in his tone, and I poke at it. “What’s going on? Did Sawyer burn dinner?”

“No,” he says, huffing a laugh. “I just miss you. Haven’t seen you in too long.”

“But I saw you this morning!”

“Like I said. Too long.”

I smile, sliding into my car and turning the key in the ignition. There’s something about how much he hates being away from me—even just during the day when all of us are working—always makes me feel warm. People before have had a way of making me feel clingy and annoying, but Rhett never has.

Someone who preferred being alone more than anything else in the past, now wants to be with me whenever he can. It’s a heady feeling that settles nicely in my heart.

“How was work today?” I ask as I pull onto the road. The guys did end up starting a new company—something in the same field as their previous security firm but with a more specialized focus, and it’s really taken off, growing by leaps and bounds. The three of them are equal co-owners, their bond deeper and stronger than ever.

“Not bad.” I can almost see his smile through the phone. “Just a few video conferences, meeting with our team to make sure everything will run smoothly while we take time off for the holiday.”

I nod. “That sounds good.”

Video conferences are a regular thing for all three of my men. Even though their new venture has been going well, I’m sure they could’ve probably built it up even faster if they had basedit in a major city, but they all refuse to leave Sweetwater Lake. They travel sometimes, for client meetings and other things that can’t be done remotely. But for the most part, they’re always here with me, in the big house we bought not far from the bakery.

When I asked them once if they wouldn’t rather be somewhere with more opportunities, they spent a whole evening reminding mevery thoroughlythat they just want to be where I am.

I never brought it up again.

It’s nice having them here. More often than not, they’re home when I get there, and having people to come home to never stops feeling amazing.

“We beat you back to the house, so we’re all waiting for you,” Rhett says as if he can read my thoughts. “You still sure you want to go tonight?”

I purse my lips but nod again. “Yeah. Just for a little while. I may not get along with them well, but they are my family, and it’s the holidays. But we don’t have to stay too long.”

He makes a little noise in his throat. “You’re a better person than I am, Tink. Your family really doesn’t deserve you. But if you’re in, so are we. I’m holding you to that ‘not too long’ thing though. My brothers and I were just talking about how we were so disappointed we didn’t get to spend Christmas with you last year. We had to be apart, and we hated it.”

“I hated it too,” I tell him softly.

“That’s why we want you to ourselves this year. We’re going all out. It’s going to be a Christmas to remember.”

“It would be one to remember even if you didn’t go all out.”

He laughs, warm and deep. “Well then, it’ll be doubly special. See you soon, Tink.”

He’s not wrong about that. Our house is so close to the bakery that I’m already almost home. We hang up, and less thanfive minutes later, I pull into the driveway outside our sprawling house.