Free His Christmas Wish by Marquita Valentine Page B

decorating their tree.
    Their tree.
    She smiled dreamily out the window, watching as Joaquin gathered more firewood from the woodpile outside. Suddenly, he turned her way and gestured for her to join him. Dressing as quickly as possible, she ran outside and jumped into his waiting arms. He spun her around until she threw back her head and smiled up at the sky.
    “Wanna build a snowman?” he asked, setting her on her feet.
    “How about a snow family?”
    “Husband and wife?”
    “Maybe a baby or two.”
    “Or three or four.”
    “No way!” Scooping up some snow, she threw it at him, hitting him squarely in the chest. “I’ll be fat and tired.”
    Brushing off the snow, he flicked some back at her. “You’ll be beautiful. And I plan on helping with the kids.”
    “I know.”
    They worked together to make a snow family, complete with two kids and a snow dog.
    “You can’t put the carrot there,” Sage said, pulling the carrot out of the bottom of the snowman and placing it on the face.
    “But how will people know he’s the guy?”
    “I think they’ll figure it out.”
    Wrapping a scarf around the snow toddler, he asked, “How would you feel about my parents coming over tomorrow? I asked them to spend Christmas Day with us.”
    “You did?” Usually she spent Christmas Eve and Day at her parents. In fact she had planned on Gage spending it with them, but now she didn’t want to spend Christmas with her parents. Heck, her dad had called two days ago to check on her, since Virginia had told him Sage hadn’t been herself since that Morales boy had gotten back.
    It had been all Sage could do to not give her dad the real story. Instead she’d asked how Virginia was doing and if Charles was going to fry a turkey this year. They avoided the big question of whether or not Joaquin would be welcome at their house.
    Sage still felt like a coward for not bringing it up.
    “Guess I should have talked to you first, but—”
    “No! Your parents are more than welcome to come over. Just…I usually spend Christmas at my parents, and this year”—She shrugged.—“I’m all up in the air with my plans.”
    Catching her hand with his, he laced their fingers together as they walked back to the house. Their boots crunched in the snow as they walked. A stiff breeze lifted the hair sticking out of the bottom of her knit hat.
    “Let me take care of dinner tonight. I’ll grill some steaks. You know, manly stuff involving fire.”
    “Have at it. While you do that I’ll finish decorating Christmas cookies and wrapping presents.”
    A blast of warm air greeted them as they walked in the side door. Kicking off their boots and hanging up the coats, scarves and hats, they made their way to the fireplace.
    “Crazy weather, huh?”
    Joaquin rolled his shoulders and sliced his gaze to her. “Have we already come to this: Boring weather talk?”
    “Yeah, cause it snows all of the time in eastern North Carolina.”
    “Maybe the Hollands put a spell on the weather,” he said with a grin.
    “Maybe one Holland in particular is finally going to get her happily ever after for Christmas.” Sage sighed and held out her hands, wiggling them. “Rose certainly deserves it, after all the trouble she goes to helping everyone else.”
    “Who’s the lucky guy?”
    “Not anyone you would know.” Sage grinned at him. “He’s hot, charming, blonde , and has an English accent. Something every American girl loves.”
    “It’s a good thing that you like tall, dark and Cuban then,” his voice deepened as he turned her to face him, his hands on her hips. “And I know what my Southern accent does for you.”
    Lifting her chin, she stood on her toes. “Don’t be jealous.”
    His hands moved up her body, following the curves of her waist to cup her breasts, thumbs rubbing the tips of her them through her shirt until her nipples tightened. “Show me why I shouldn’t be.”
    Taking one of his hands, she led him to the chair by the