She might have said it was fine, but he’d seen from that initial look on her face that she wouldn’t have told them it was okay. He glanced at the clock and realized that it was almost bedtime. Maybe saying yes to sugar wasn’t the best idea ever.
“Yes!” Aiden pumped his fist. Then, to Holly, he said, “I told you she would say yes to anything!” Then the two of them ran over to the kitchen counter to get the cookies before racing off, the dogs at their heels.
He wouldn’t have thought anything of Aiden’s statement if it weren’t for the way it made Rachel’s cheeks redden, so he had to ask. “You’d say yes to anything?”
Her cheeks went redder and she rubbed her nose and then waved her hand. “It’s just a bet with my coworkers. I’m doing a ‘Season of Yes’ because they think I’m too much of a planner and it’d be good for me.”
Oh, interesting. He’d seen glimpses of her planning side, like when he’d seen inside her perfectly organized pantry when he and Holly had joined them for snowflake making, and anytime she opened her planner or the schedule in her phone, and when she’d unzipped her purse to grab lip balm, but he suddenly wondered how many things she’d said yes to that she wouldn’t have chosen to do. “So, saying yes to helping with this set piece. Was it because of the bet?”
“Idefinitelyonly said yes because of the bet. I didn’t have the first clue how to make this on my own.”
“Going on a date with me?”
“Yes, because of the bet.”
Oh.
She gave him a playful shove. “I’m kidding. That Icouldn’thave said no to.”
The tension he hadn’t realized had gathered in his shoulders released and a smile spread across his face. Rachel grabbed the caulking gun with the adhesive, knelt in front of the fake fireplace, and started spreading the glue where the next faux brick section would go. Since the answer to the last question was, apparently, good for his shoulder muscles, he thought it might be fun to push it some more.
“And what about saying yes to coming over tonight? Was that because of the bet?”
She tapped a finger on her lips like she was deep in thought, and all he could think of was kissing those lips. “Well, I might not have changed plans… I was really looking forward to the wrapping presents party Aiden and I were going to have. But it turns out that going three days without seeing you is about my max.”
Nick grabbed the next piece of bricks they had cut, knelt in front of the fireplace, and he and Rachel both fit it into the correct spot, both pressing on it for the thirty seconds theadhesive called for. Their shoulders were touching, their arms entangled, their knees bumping. “So what would’ve happened if we didn’t work on this until tomorrow as we’d originally planned?”
Rachel shrugged. “I might have, say, gotten stuck in the wreaths at The Home Improvement Store and had to call for help. It’s hard to say.”
He shook his head, chuckling.
Aiden popped up from behind the kitchen island and said, “Mom said that we would probably make gingerbread cookies and bring some to you!”
Rachel put a hand over her face. “Aiden! What are you doing spilling all my secrets?” Then she looked down at her watch. “Oh, wow. I didn’t realize it was that late. It’s bedtime.”
The kids got their teeth brushed and pajamas on, then he and Rachel worked together to get the kids and the dogs all snuggled into their makeshift beds. Aiden pulled out the Christmas book that he had packed and Rachel read it to them.
After the book, as they were both straightening the blankets on their kids, Aiden said to Rachel, “You know that paper I left for the dove in the park? I want to tell you what I wished for but I can’t say it out loud or it won’t come true.” He paused a moment, then said, “So how about I whisper it in your ear?”
Competitive girl that she was, Holly had to whisper something in Nick’s ear while Aiden was whispering in his mom’s. She motioned for him to come close, then cupped her hands between her mouth and his ear and said, “I think I am ready for a mom.”
He pulled back, blown away by Holly’s declaration. She was? He just looked at her for a moment as she gave a satisfied smile and lay back on her pillow again. Then she and Aiden shared a look, probably because she also whispered something into aparent’s ear. He took Rachel’s lead and said goodnight to the kids before quietly leaving the room.
The whole evening—having dinner, working on a project together while the kids and the dogs played, tucking the kids in bed, all of it—had just felt so… domestic. Which was especially incredible, considering that they were in an empty house that hadn’t been moved into. Regardless, it had almost felt like they were a family and it stirred something in him that made him crave more of it.
It took hours after the kids were asleep to finish all the details on the fireplace and get it fully decked out for Christmas, complete with stockings hanging on the mantle. But he didn’t mind even a little bit, because it meant he got to spend more time with Rachel.
They swapped stories about their lives. He told her about his two sisters and brother and all the places they’d lived when he was growing up, and she told him funny stories about her and Jack and all the crazy things they’d done as kids. There were times when they’d laughed so hard that he was surprised they didn’t wake Holly and Aiden.
He glanced at his watch—just past midnight. They took a seat on the hearth of his actual fireplace and admired the work they’d done on the fake one. “I kind of wish this was staying in my house—it makes the place feel more homey and Christmassy.”
He caught a slight smile from Rachel out of the corner of his eye. “Of course, you moving in tomorrow will probably do the same thing.”
He laughed. “True.”
They gazed at it in silence for a moment before Rachel said, “We make a good team.”
“We do.” His voice came out lower, huskier than he’d meant. But the words were authentic—they’d made a great team. He stopped looking at their project so he could turn his gaze to her.They’d been working hard for many hours, but she still looked beautiful. Vibrant. Full of life. Her eyes still radiated spunk and caring kindness. She’d pulled her hair up into a ponytail when they’d started working, and it exposed the most exquisite neck.
