Page 28 of Enduring Christmas

CHAPTER EIGHT

Xenobiawas happy. Not a little, a lot. It was Christmas Eve and they had the Endurance Christmas Eve celebration in a few hours. And it felt like Christmas was just for her. Luke was magical; he and his darling little girl who wanted her daddy to have a girlfriend.

"X," Luke called.

"Under the tree."

"I got a call from Callie. She can actually take you early."

"Really? Shiloh and I have a lot more decorations to put up. Maybe we can put it off until tomorrow?" Had she disclosed too much about her past?

"We don't want to be in a doctor's office on Christmas Day."

What if Callie gave her a clean bill of health? Her head felt fine, and she slept like a dream for the first time in months. She didn't really have an excuse to stay with Luke and Shiloh if there was no risk of concussion.

"I'd feel better if she checked you out."

"Okay." Was he trying to ask her in a nice way to leave? He'd mentioned cows and Xenobia had given away the milk. Her, she sold Luke Cole's, skillful lover, the entire dairy farm. Was this all the time she got...two days?

Luke frowned at her as she turned to go grab one of his coats.

"Let me grab my shoes." And her heart. Her stomach plummeted when he said nothing.

Before she could walk away, he grabbed her wrist and held on. She looked up, spying his handsome face; she fell a little more in love.

"Go grab a coat and your shoes. Nothing else, X. You are coming back here. Home."

Her heart rate slowed. So this wasn't his way of abandoning her. And why was she so desperate to stay? It angered her how much she wanted to be close to him. This man had promised her nothing. Yet in her head, she was devising a way to plant roots in this cabin, in his life. These feelings, her behavior was Rook all her again. Xenobia had always planned and mapped out how to make a man happy. She structured her life to make a relationship work. In the end, she had failed at her marriage and she didn't even know it.

Xenobia yanked her hand away from Luke. "That should be my decision." She heard him push out a frustrated sigh, noisy and filled with irritation.

"Okay," he grumbled. "Decide to stay."

"Don't try and bully me, Luke. It won't work.

"Bullying," he glared at her. "I thought getting you to a doctor was what we both wanted."

"It is," she snapped, not sure why she'd started this argument. Luke had helped her. He may even love her.

"Then go get your coat, so we can go and come back." They were yelling now. "You want to be here as much as Shiloh and I like having you here. There's nothing wrong with admitting that you want a family, woman."

"Don't tell me what I want."

"Fine," he said, dusting off imaginary dirt. "How about if I tell you what I want? I want you."

She held up both palms. "I'm going to get my coat."

"I'll go get the keys," he growled. "Ivy will watch Shiloh for an hour."

"You do that," she retorted with all the sass she could muster. "We can pick her up on the way home. I have her party outfit ready to go."

His eyes dipped in disappointment. "Fine."

"Yeah, I am." She totally was not fine. Rook had played her for a fool, and they had dated for months before getting serious. Luke's voice drew her back from the edge.

"X, we're great together. The three of us. Everything doesn't have to be a fight. Love can come easy."

"Nothing has ever come easy for me." And with that, she turned and walked away.