Free A Heart of Stone Christmas by K.M. Scott Page B

a villa, though? We’re like a baseball team now,” I joked.
    We stepped into the triplets’ room, and Tristan picked up Ethan from his crib to calm his crying. Holding him in his arms, he gave me one of those sexy smiles that never failed to make my stomach flip. “I was thinking we might give Cara and the kids one villa and we could have the one next to it. That way we could have some time to ourselves at night.”
    I took Tressa into my arms and rocked her gently. “I like that. You tell me when and I’m there.”
    Tristan kissed our son gently on the forehead and winked at me. “Good. It’s a date.”
    *     *     *
    Six hours and three babies in bed for the night later, I found Tristan lying in bed watching some Christmas special. Wearing only a pair of black silk pajama pants, he looked sexier than any father of three should. If only I looked that good as the mother of triplets.
    I looked at the television and saw a Peanuts special. “Enjoying Charlie Brown and his sad Christmas tree?”
    Tristan crossed his arms behind his head. “He never gives up, even when that tree of his gets all droopy. I can respect that.”
    “I think it’s Linus who never gives up. Giving up is sort of Charlie Brown’s thing, if I remember correctly.”
    Laughing at me, he said, “I just watch it to see if Charlie falls for Lucy and her football trick. There’s a barracuda in the making.”
    I rolled my eyes. “You’re the first person I’ve ever known who thinks of poor Lucy in those terms.”
    He clicked off the television and waved me over toward him on the bed. “Enough with Charlie Brown and his droopy tree and women problems. Come here and let me show you how much I missed you today.”
    Suddenly, my out-of-shape body made me feel self-conscious. Pushing my hair off my face, I shrugged. “I smell like baby food. Maybe if I’m not tired after getting shower.”
    I knew that wasn’t the answer he wanted, but as he sat there looking like he should be on the cover of GQ and I stood there looking like a disheveled, overweight mess, all I could think of was hiding away in the bathroom. I’d been working out since I came out of the post-partum depression, but there was no missing that I was still carrying some baby pounds.
    He stood up and wrapped his arm around my waist, refusing to let me go. Nuzzling my neck, he said in a low, sexy voice, “I don’t care what you smell like, but if you’re really needing a shower, count me in.”
    “I’m a mess and—”
    Turning me to face him, he tilted my chin so I had to look at him. “I know what this is about, Nina. For months you’ve been uncomfortable in your own skin. You don’t have to be. You look as sexy today as you did that first night we drove out to this house, and I’m crazy about every inch of you.”
    His words brought tears to my eyes. “I feel like a stuffed pig. I still don’t fit into my clothes the right way, and then I see you sitting there looking all hot and buff and I can’t help wanting to hide away.”
    Tristan kissed me softly and pressed his forehead to mine like he always did when he wanted to say something sweet. “I love you this way and the way you were before. How I feel about you and why I get turned on every time I lay my eyes on you isn’t because of how your body looks, Nina. I get hard just being next to you right now because you’re you, no matter what weight you gain or lose.”
    I hung my head. “I just wish I could go back to the way I looked before. At least then I felt like you were only a few levels above me.”
    He chuckled and shook his head. “You’re crazy. You’ve never been anything but the most beautiful woman in the world in my eyes. Now let’s get into that shower and rinse out all the mess from your hair.”
    I looked down at the ends of my hair and saw the telltale yellowish-white stain that I always seemed to wear since we brought the babies home. I’d exchanged my favorite perfume for its sour