“Jordan, can we have a quick chat?”

Damping down the feelings that normally burst into flower when her mother asked for a chat, Jordan nodded and followed her to the kitchen. She slipped into a chair and looked around for the cookies. Although their relationship had improved since Luke had been around, the remnants of Jordan’s previous frustration sometimes squeezed through.

“What’s up, Mum?”

“It’s nothing bad.” Patricia pulled out a seat and settled herself opposite her daughter. “I want your opinion on something.”

“Come on, then, don’t keep me in suspense.”

“Well,” she paused, “I don’t really know how to say it, so I’ll just blurt it out. Dad wants us to spend Christmas in Germany!”

Jordan’s eyes widened and she bit the inside of her mouth to keep the grin from spreading across her face. “That sounds nice,” she said in as normal a tone as she could manage.

Wait until I tell Luke!

“I’m sure it will be nice, dear, but what about our family Christmas? What will you do if we’re away over the holiday?”

“I have Luke—I’ll be totally fine. Germany at Christmas will be amazing.”

Patricia frowned and glanced through the doorway where her husband flicked through the television channels. “Your father insists that, since we’re paying all that money to fly there, we should stay for a decent amount of time.” She rolled her eyes and screwed up her mouth before she continued, “He says we’re going to stay in a hostel in Berlin so we can see the remains of the wall.”

“Sounds fun. I wish I could see it.”

“Hmm… I should have made you and Luke come along.” Her eyes lit up. “There’s still time, we could—”

“No, Mum!” Jordan raised her hand. “These trips with Dad are long overdue. You owe him this time, and you don’t need other people tagging along.”

“You’d hardly be tagging along, Jordan. You’re our daughter and Luke is our son-in-law, now. We’re allowed to take family holidays together.”

“Yes, but we can’t be away for months at a time. I’m fairly mobile, but Luke has the business to run.” She reached out to cover her mother’s hand with her own. “Don’t overthink it. You loved the trip to Paris, and the time you spent in Bali was great, wasn’t it?”

“Of course, dear. I’ve been surprised by how great it was. Your father makes it easy on me, but really, a hostel?” She frowned again and put her other hand over Jordan’s. “Anyway, I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t miss us if we were away for Christmas. We’ve never spent it apart before.”

“I know, Mum, but it’s all part of growing up. You’re a big girl, now.” She grinned as her mother laughed—a sound that didn’t often pass Patricia’s lips. Maybe all this travel really was having a positive effect on her. “How about we exchange presents in the new year when you’re home?”

“That sounds like a lovely idea. I can do my Christmas shopping in Germany! I’m sure Luke would like one of those Christmas sweaters with a reindeer on the front.”

Jordan laughed as her mother’s face took on a look of excitement. Since the first day she’d introduced her to Luke, Patricia had fussed over him and included him in their family events. Even before Jordan knew he was the one for her, he’d been visiting her parents and helping them. She had no doubt he would endure a reindeer sweater with his usual good humour.

“I’m sure he will. Don’t worry, I won’t ruin the surprise. Just don’t bring us matching ones, okay?”

“Oh, of course not! I’ll choose a special gift for you.” She glanced through the door again. “Maybe you could talk to Dad about the hostel idea?”

* * *

“Can you imagine how relaxing it’s going to be, Luke?” Jordan put her arms out to the side, as though she planned to spin around their kitchen. “We can sleep in on Christmas Day, finally! I’ve waited my whole life to sleep in and not have a schedule of events for Christmas.”

“Last year wasn’t so bad.”

“You have selective memory loss, husband.” She stood behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist as she peered over his shoulder. “Have you forgotten the first wake-up call before eight o’clock? Or the run around she sent us on to find whipping cream and chocolate flakes? What about the fact that we were late to your brother’s house that night because my mother thought it important to start a new family tradition?” She let go and moved away. “I’ll never forget the fifty attempts at that family photo in front of the Christmas tree. We don’t have to do that this year. We can lie in, have hot sex and make our own traditions. Ooh, maybe we can have lunch at a restaurant and be totally lazy. I’m going to call the others and ask if they’re interested. Do you think they’ll be booked up, already? It’s already November.” She gave a contented sigh and leaned against the counter. “A Christmas without having to answer to anyone…”

“Sometimes you’re really mean to your mother.” Luke kept his back to Jordan as she celebrated the quiet holiday she anticipated. He rinsed their dinner dishes and placed them on the drainer. “Your mum’s not that bad.” He turned to face her, a frown etched on his features.

“That’s easy for you to say, but you know I’m the first to admit she’s a lot better since you’ve been around. You didn’t have to endure years and years of her trying to marry you off.” She crossed the empty space in their kitchen and slipped her hands around his neck. “Since you stepped into that coffee shop, a lot of things have improved in my life.”

“Oh, really? Like what?”

“Well, there’s the Mum improvement for one, but that’s the least of the positives.” She tickled the back of his neck with her fingertips. “I’m eating better. My dog is happier.”

“Rex? That’s all you can come up with?”

“I haven’t had to date a douche canoe in almost two years.”

“Come on, I know there’s more.”

“I get to gaze at you across the dinner table every night.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Hmm… what else? Let me think.” She frowned and looked out the window, pretending to search for inspiration. “Oh, I know: you complete me.”

“Oh har-har, very funny. No more Tom Cruise movies for you!” He pulled her close and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I make your life better in all the ways and you know it.”

“I do know it.” Jordan kissed his unshaven chin. “I’m not good at telling you in detail, though.”

“Words are your thing. This should be easy.”

“It should be, but it’s not. I’m more of an ‘I love you’ type of girl, and you should glean what you need from that.”

“Well, I do enjoy those three words.” He squeezed her again. “Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to spell out how awesome I am. I already know.”

She laughed and slipped away from him. “Your confidence is part of the reason I love you. You’re always so sure of how your life will turn out.”

“I was sure about you.”

“Really? From when?”

“From the day you agreed to take me, practically a stranger, to the grocery store, and we helped Tina move, instead.”

Jordan sank into the nearest kitchen chair. “You decided we were meant to be together the day you met my mother?” Her eyebrows rose and her mouth hung open as she stared at Luke. “I find that hard to believe.”

“It’s true. You were so stressed that day and your mum kept making all those comments and welcoming me to the family. You didn’t once snap at her, although I did see you roll your eyes quite a few times.” He sat in the chair opposite and took her hand. “I knew right then that you were the girl for me. Anyone who can endure that and maintain their good humour is a keeper.” He squeezed her fingers. “The look on your face when I rode away that night and said you could go upstairs was truly priceless.”

“I couldn’t believe you knew!”

“I know. I hung around, then, and Rex fell in love with me. I knew it was only a matter of time until you would, too.”

“How could you know that? I was dating all those idiots.”

“You were, and I figured if you weren’t able to see me there, you weren’t really the girl for me, after all. Of course, I was right all along: we were meant to be.”

“I really do love you.”

“I know. I’m not sure if you love me as much as Rex does, though.” As if on cue, Jordan’s dog appeared in the doorway. He looked at each of them, slipped under the table, and settled on Luke’s feet as the two of them laughed. “See? He loves me best.”

“What a traitor. He’s been obsessed with you since the first day you came upstairs to the apartment.”

“And it doesn’t look like he’ll change his mind about me any time soon.”

“That makes two of us.” Jordan smiled across the table where they sat, holding hands. A smug feeling settled in her chest as a single shaft of sunlight fell through the window and bathed them in its warm glow.

My life with Luke is perfect.