Free Mission of Christmas by Candice Gilmer

shoulder. “Is there something you need to tell me?” I raised my pinky finger as I said it.
    He smirked. “You’ll just have to see.” He leaned in and nuzzled my neck.
    Nope, he was still very masculine . I let out a purr.
    Then he released me, continuing speaking, like he didn’t just flip my trigger. “My ex left it here, along with most of the decorations. She wanted bigger, brighter, better, all that.”
    “Do you feel weird looking at it?” I tried to avoid remembering my former marriage as much as I could.
    “I bought new decorations for it. You’d be shocked what you can find on sale the day after Christmas.”
    “Why do you know about after-Christmas sales?” I asked.
    “My sister. Black belt in sales and clearance shopping.”  
    I smirked and dropped on his big plush couch. “So now you have me here, what are you going to do with me?”
    He joined me and wrapped his arm around me. “Probably ravage you mercilessly for hours.” He nuzzled my neck again, sending more shivers down my spine.
    I let out a sigh.
    He sat up a bit. “Will you tell me now what made you change your mind?”
    “I didn’t change it,” I began. “I just understood what you were trying to tell me. We will always be friends. We will always trust each other and be together. I thought I would lose those parts of our relationship if we carried it further.”
    “So you didn’t want to change it.”
    “No, I didn’t. I valued it too much to lose it. And then, when I lost it anyway, I knew I had to reevaluate my assumptions.”
    He smiled. “Very practical of you.” He reached across me and grabbed the present he’d told me to wait to open. “Here. Open this one now.”
    I nodded, adult excitement running through me. I started peeling away the wrapping paper to find clear plastic. I ripped the paper down the front.
    And the famous blue eyes and blonde hair stared back at me, the Holiday Barbie doll, dressed in a full red dress, long blonde hair, perfect makeup, still in her package.
    She was new.
    I didn’t realize I was crying until I saw the tears on the plastic.
    “You bought me a Barbie.”
    “I want to give you everything you’ve never had, Erica.” He sat the doll down on the ottoman and pulled me in his arms.
    “I think you already have.”
    He held me and we watched the twinkle lights. The two of us curled up on the couch together, just holding each other. After a few minutes, though, I couldn’t resist the allure of the Barbie, and I started to open the package. Andy got up and grabbed a knife from the kitchen to help me remove the three billion hooks and strings and other things used to keep the doll in place in the box.
    Practical me wondered if it was a good idea to take her out of the box, since I thought I’d read Barbie was collectable.
    And my inner child proceeded to beat up practical me. I was going to hold that doll, not stare at it through plastic.
    We got it open, and I just sat there, smoothing out her dress and looking at her from all angles.
    Then a thought occurred to me. “Why did you want me to open the Barbie here?”
    “Those girls might have fought you for it, considering it was the newest, and by far the prettiest Barbie there.”
    I had to laugh at that, because it’s very possible he was right.
    He ran a hand down my cheek. “Merry Christmas, Erica.”
    “Merry Christmas.” For the first time in years, I really meant it.

Look for these titles by Candice Gilmer
    Now Available:
     
    Fantasy Girl
    The Reluctant Prince  
     
    Guys and Godmothers
    Under His Nose
     
    Coming Soon:
     
      Before His Eyes

All it takes is faith, trust, and fairy dust. A swift kick never hurts, either.
     
    Under His Nose
    © 2013 Candice Gilmer
     
    Guys and Godmothers, Book 1
    Christy is due for retirement from her fairy godmother gig, but she agrees to take one last case. Helping Roark Turner find his perfect girl shouldn’t be much of a challenge—after all, she is a veteran fairy