“Maybe we should tie it to the wall?” Luther suggested.
“You put a hole in my mother’s brand new living room, and she’ll shoot you,” Adam said. “Don’t think she won’t either. That woman has a mean streak wider than the Mississippi.”
“That’s the God’s truth,” Lily said. “You remember when we brought snowballs in the house and they melted all over the hardwood?”
Adam shuddered. “Don’t even think about it.”
“It gives it character,” Nikoli said thoughtfully. “Kids, do you like it?”
The twins jumped and down, their shouts of ‘yes’ all that Nikoli needed. “See? They love it. That’s all that matters.”
Lily slipped an arm around him and laughed at his logic. She had no doubt as soon as the parents saw the Christmas tree nightmare, they’d make them redo it. Her mom loved Christmas, and it had to be just perfect. Her mother had swooped in like a hurricane and descended on the Christmas decoration bins like a tornado. Now the quaint farmhouse was decked to the nines and looked like they’d stepped into some kind of holiday showcase home.
“Promise me you’ll never make us live in a place where Santa threw up,” Nikoli whispered in her ear, and she laughed out loud.
“I never make promises I can’t keep,” she teased.
He groaned.
“Duct tape!” Adam shouted, and they both looked up, startled.
“Duct tape?” Nikoli asked, staring at them like they’d lost their minds.
“Duct tape fixes everything,” Lily said, and he looked down at her in amusement.
“Well, it does,” she said defensively.
Adam went running and came back a few minutes later with one of those heavy duty Command hooks and a roll of duct tape. He put the hook on the wall, and then wrapped duct tape around the trunk near where the tree started to lean, and then pulled until it was straight. Luther held it in place while Adam tied off the end of the tape to the hook. Then they maneuvered the tree so you couldn’t see the tape, and Nikoli burst out laughing. It had worked. The tree stood straight, and Adam looked like he was going to strut around the living room.
He looked at Lily, and then Luther, and then his gaze took in Adam and the twins. One thing struck him. If he hadn’t met Lily, he’d be the same old Nikoli, spending Christmas at Luther’s, feeling like he was a third wheel. Instead, he had friends and family to spend the holiday with, and he owed it all to the woman wrapped around him. She’d made him whole and given him back his ability to love someone other than himself. She was his home, and would always be.
Lily’s phone rang, and she pulled it out of her pocket. A small gasp escaped her, and he looked down at the screen. Suzie Daniels. It was her literary agent.
“Hello?” she said. “You did? Really? How much? Wow. Merry Christmas to you too, Suzie, and thank you so much!”
She ended the call and looked up. Her eyes were wide and excited. “Joanna sold my book to Simon and Schuster!”
“Congratulations!” Adam grabbed her and swung her around. “You deserve it, Lils!”
Luther took his turn next before Nikoli reclaimed her and planted a kiss on her mouth. “Congratulations, Milaya.”
Adam started laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Nikoli demanded.
“Ask her what the name of the book is,” he said, chortling.
Nikoli quirked an eyebrow at her. “Well?”
She shook her head and grinned. His eyes narrowed. “What is the name of the book, Lily?”
It was Adam who answered.
“Manwhore.”
Lily burst out laughing and took off running.
“Milaya!” he roared and chased after her, happier than he’d ever been in his life.
The manwhore had found his peace at last.
The End
Acknowledgments
There are so many people I have to thank. This book wasn’t one I thought I could write, as it’s a romance novel, but you guys pushed me, and I did it. So thank you to everyone who made me leave my comfort zone and write something so unfamiliar, but so endearing to my heart as well.
Jennifer Hewitt deserves a big thank you for all she has done for me this year. She has been such a huge help to me with social media and just telling the honest to God truth when my writing sucks and gives me ideas on how to fix it. I don’t know what I’d do without you! You are a blessing, my friend. This novel would not be where it is right now without her listening to me, reading, and complaining until I fixed it. Gracias, chica!
As always, a huge shout out to my girls, Ang, Susan, and Delsheree. Without your help, this book would still be collecting dust in the WIP folder. You gave me so much help in the beginning of this endeavor. So, thank you, ladies.
I have to say thank you to my friend Layth. You showed me how to be silly again and gave me back my laughter. Thank you for being my friend. I'm glad I met you, and despite your asshat gene, I still love you.
Thanks to everyone at Limitless for being so patient with me while I struggled with this. You guys rock.
My editor, Lori, has had to put up with me during this process and I know she’s had to count to ten a few times, so thank you for all the hard work you do and for putting up with me.
Huge shout out to my family for putting up with me when I write and forget the rest of the world exists.
Last, but not least, thank you to all my wonderful readers. You guys are why I write, and I just want you to know how grateful I am for your support. Thank you all so much.
About the Author
So who am I? Well, I’m the crazy girl with an imagination that never shuts up. I LOVE scary movies. My friends laugh at me when I scare myself watching them and tell me to stop watching them, but who doesn’t love to get scared? I grew up in a small town nestled in the southern mountains of West Virginia where I spent days roaming around in the woods, climbing trees, and causing general mayhem. Nights I would stay up reading Nancy Drew by flashlight under the covers until my parents yelled at me to go to sleep.
Growing up in a small town, I learned a lot of values and morals, I also learned parents have spies everywhere and there’s always someone to tell your mama you were seen kissing a particular boy on a particular day just a little too long. So when you get grounded, what is there left to do? Read! My Aunt Jo gave me my first real romance novel. It was a romance titled “Lord Margrave’s Deception.” I remember it fondly. But I also learned I had a deep and abiding love of mysteries and anything paranormal. As I grew up, I started to write just that and would entertain my friends with stories featuring them as main characters.
Now, I live Huntersville, NC where I entertain my niece and nephew and watch the cats get teased by the birds and laugh myself silly when they swoop down and then dive back up just out of reach. The cats start yelling something fierce…lol.
I love books, I love writing books, and I love entertaining people with my silly stories.
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