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December 19th

6 Days before Christmas

Sgt. 1^st Class Logan Edwards stood at the Will Rogers International Airport and waited for his luggage to make its way around the carousel. He was feeling antsy. Not because of the luggage or the crowd of people around him, but because he was home. Back in the States after spending nine months in a dry and dusty wasteland. And he felt more out of place here than he ever had there.

He looked around him. There were families everywhere. Mothers and fathers with happy children and impatient babies waiting to be reunited with the missing members of their families. Hundreds of people filled the space, but not one of them was there for him, and he doubted anyone ever would be.

It wasn’t that he felt sorry for himself. He didn’t. He was used to being a loner. Growing up in foster care, he’d learned to depend on himself. Other people would let you down. He didn't do family, or holidays. And he was only this uneasy was because he was about to do both. For some inexplicable reason, he had ignored his better judgment and agreed to spend his mid-tour R&R and worse, with Captain Adam Wakeland and his entire family.

Adam was also his best friend and his commanding officer, which had made it pretty tough to say no.

He was smiling at him as he came across the floor. He’d been smiling ever since they’d set foot on U.S. soil. Actually, he’d been smiling for the entire week before they’d left, and it was really starting to creep Logan out.

“You know,” Logan said, “we could’ve gone anywhere in the world for R&R. We could be sitting on a beach, drinking beer and looking at girls in bikinis. I’m not sure Oklahoma City is gonna beat that.”

Adam’s smile widened. “We’re not staying in Oklahoma City. My family lives north of there in a little town called Big Falls. And my mother would kill me if I skipped a family Christmas.”

“Big Falls? I’ve heard of that.” The name was familiar. He didn’t know why, but it wasn’t the kind of name you would forget.

“Nobody’s heard of Big Falls,” Adam laughed. “I’m from there and I barely know where it is.”

Logan shrugged. “So, you’re saying we’re not likely to find a beach or pretty girls in bikinis?”

“No beaches. Pretty girls, sure, but my sisters are off limits,” Adam said. And it was funny how his smile turned into a scowl when he said that, and how he emphasized it by catching Logan’s eyes and turning up the intensity of his stare.

“Got you. No hitting on your sisters. You think I’m stupid or just suicidal?

“Let’s hope neither.”

He gave an exaggerated salute. “Yessir, Cap.”

 Adam’s features relaxed again. And then that smile popped back into place like it had become his face’s default setting.

Logan figured he was Adam’s polar opposite on the family front. Adam was a devoted son, a protective brother, and the pride of his small hometown. He relished being an uncle to his sister’s two kids, whose dad was KIA a while back. IED on a road he and Adam traveled themselves a couple of times a week.

Adam had been married once, but he didn’t talk about that. He was everything that Logan would never be. A brother, son, uncle, husband.

“It’s not too late to change our minds. We could buy tickets on the next flight to Tahiti. Or maybe Fiji?”

“Forget it,” Adam said. “I told Mom you’re coming. There’s no escape for you, Sergeant.”

“Sergeant first class,” he corrected. His rucksack finally emerged through the carousel’s rubber eyelashes. Logan grabbed it and waited. After a few minutes, the carousel stopped spinning and Adam sighed. His bag had not appeared.

“I swear they lose my stuff every time. I’ll be right back.” He walked toward the help window and Logan swung his own bag onto his back and headed over to one of the many sets of dark glass doors to look out at the Oklahoma skyline.

The night sky was clear and full of stars. It looked calm and peaceful and it made him feel even more out of place. He wondered if it was too late to change his mind. Christmas with a big family had never been his idea of fun, but he and Adam had been through a lot while they were deployed. They’d saved each other’s asses more than once, and when Adam asked him to come home with him for the holidays, it had sounded like a great idea. It might be a chance for them to hang out without death and danger looming over their heads.

Now that he was here, though, he was having doubts. He wondered if he could fake a family emergency and sneak off to a hotel for a couple of weeks. Probably not, since Adam knew he had no family and no one else who would call him for help. He wished he’d never spilled his life story.

It was too late now. He was stuck, and he was just going to have to make the best of it.

A woman pushed through the glass doors in front of him, and ran into him at full speed. He didn’t even have time to sidestep. The force of their collision sent him reeling backward, but he maintained his footing. Her purse flew out of her hand and Logan caught her by her elbows to keep her from falling. For a little thing, she sure packed a wallop.

“You okay, miss?” he asked.

She lifted her face, and everything in his brain stood still. It was her. It was Allie, the woman he’d been fantasizing about since the day he’d left U.S. soil.

“Allie?” he whispered.

She stood there for a second, blinking back at him. Recognition lit her pretty eyes, then disbelief chased it away, and then they got all jittery in what looked an awful lot like panic.

For the first time since he’d left Afghanistan, Logan wasn’t forcing a smile he didn’t feel. This one was real.

He had convinced himself over the past few months that she couldn’t really be as beautiful as he remembered her. He thought he must have amplified it in his mind, the way he must’ve amplified the night they’d spent together. There was no such thing as sex that good. But seeing her in front of him, he realized that she was even prettier than his memory had painted her.

Before, he hadn’t noticed the golden strands in her dark chestnut hair or the way her long, dark eyelashes framed those warm brown eyes. The sparkle in her eyes was brighter than he remembered. Her face was softer, her hair was longer, but she was still stunning. She was wrapped in a long, shapeless peacoat that hid the rest of her body, but thinking about what was underneath that coat made his pulse pick up speed.

He wondered what he should do. It had been a one-night stand. A mind-blowing, phenomenal one-night stand, but a one-night-stand nonetheless. It wasn’t as if they really knew each other. But all the same, he imagined pulling her into his arms and kissing her like the soldier and the nurse in that famous Times Square photo.

The increasing look of panic on her face made him think that probably wasn’t the best idea. She wasn’t here for him. That much was obvious. What if she was waiting for a boyfriend or fiancé? He didn’t like the way that thought made him feel.

First things first, he needed to let her go. That would be a good start. Logan took a step backward and reluctantly dropped his arms to his sides and hitched up his bag.

 Allie snapped her mouth closed, apparently over the initial shock. “It’s you,” she said.

“Do you tackle every man you meet? Or is it just me?” he asked, trying to ease the tension.

Her smile was forced and nervous. “I guess you bring it out in me. You never told me you were military.”

“You never asked.”

She shifted uncomfortably, and her eyes darted around the baggage claim area. With a small pang of jealousy, he wondered who she was looking for.

“How have you been?” she asked. She kept her tone light, but she couldn't keep the stress from showing in her eyes, and he took pity on her. Running into a one-night stand was awkward enough without feeling like you had to make small talk.

So, even though he’d have liked to get reacquainted with the subject of his fantasies these past nine months, he decided to let her off the hook.

“You don’t have to do this,” he whispered, leaning in a little closer. “It was a one-time thing. There’s no reason you need to make small-talk with me now.” He should have left it at that, but part of his brain was reliving the details of that night and he couldn't stop himself from leaning in a little closer and adding, “Unless you’re interested in making it a two-time thing?”

She glared at him so intensely he thought the ends of his hair might start smoking, and damn if it didn’t make him grin even more.

“You know lines like that are probably why you get punched so often,” she told him.

“That has crossed my mind a time or two.”

But Allie didn’t say anything else. She had spotted something behind Logan and her expression changed again. The anger was gone, replaced by a look of sheer happiness. Her entire face lit up, and Logan felt another pang of jealousy. She smiled so brightly that she was practically beaming. He turned around to see who had caused the change in her.

“Adam!”

By the time Logan caught sight of his friend, Allie was already hurrying through the airport and throwing her arms around him.

The feeling in his chest was indescribable. Jealousy was back, and it was huge, but then he felt a moment of intense panic, wondering if Allie and Adam were a couple. Had he slept with his best friend’s girl?

He shook that thought off the second it entered his head. If Adam had a girlfriend at home, he’d have mentioned her. The only thing about home that he didn’t like to talk about was his ex-wife.

Logan considered that possibility for a moment; could Allie be the ex?

No, Adam wouldn’t be this happy to see his ex, whom he’d described as a cold, heartless shrew who’d served him with divorce papers the day he got home from a deployment without a word of explanation.

Logan didn’t know Allie very well, but he couldn’t imagine her doing anything like that.

And then it snapped into place and his heart sank. Adam was hugging her, and it wasn’t a passionate hug, it was the hug of a protective brother. He thought he might be sick, because it was obvious that the insanely gorgeous woman he’d been dreaming about for months, the one he’d talked to his commanding officer about, at length and occasionally in far too much detail, was Adam’s kid sister. And if Adam found out about their night together, Logan was pretty sure he wouldn’t have to worry about spending Christmas with the Wakeland family. He might not have to worry about celebrating another Christmas at all. Ever.

 The hug ended, and Logan wondered if Allie had already told her brother about him, because the look on his face was one of shock.

“Lexie, what the hell?” Adam grabbed her shoulders and held her back a little, glancing down between them.

Logan was confused. Her name was Allie. Not Lexie.

Adam had gone from grinning like an idiot to looking like an Tomahawk had just detonated nearby.

Allie glanced nervously at Logan and then back at her brother. “Can we do this somewhere else? Somewhere less public?”

 “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.”

Allie licked her lips and her eyes darted toward Logan again. “Isn’t it obvious? You’re going to be an uncle again.” She pressed her hands to her belly––a very expanded belly. The coat had masked it somewhat, but Logan had no idea how he’d managed to overlook that. He felt suddenly ashamed of himself. He’d just propositioned a pregnant woman. Not his finest moment.

It was a good thing the baby’s father wasn’t around to put him in his place.

That thought made his heart hurt. It wasn’t that he wanted a relationship with her. He was only home for two weeks, but he had to admit that when he saw Allie, he’d been hoping they could at least have a repeat of their amazing night.

But obviously, she’d found someone else while he’d been away, and by the look of her, it must be pretty serious.

 “Lexie, why didn’t you tell me about this? I want details. I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.” Adam was clearly flustered, and Logan felt like he was eavesdropping on what should have been a private conversation.

“There’s lots of time for that, but it’s a long story, and I don’t feel like relaying it in the middle of a crowded airport. So how about we get out of here?” Allie kept glancing in his direction.

It seemed strange at first, but then Logan realized that she had no idea who he was or why he was still standing there looking at her like an idiot.

Adam seemed to come to the same realization at the same time. He looked at Logan, as if he’d just remembered he was there. He shook his head like he was trying to clear the fog. “Sorry, man. Lexie, this is my buddy, Edwards.”

“Uh, Logan Edwards. Nice to meet you. Lexie.” Logan tried to let her know he wasn’t going to give away her secret. Their secret.

Her mouth dropped open for a second, but she recovered quickly. “It’s Alexis, actually. Adam’s called me Lexie since I was born. Mostly because I hate it, but everyone else calls me Allie.” She smiled through a clenched jaw and shook his hand.

He closed his around it, small and warm and soft. His palm tingled. He wondered if hers did too.

“Edwards is going to stay with us for Christmas, Lex. Sorry, I didn’t get a chance to tell you sooner, but I know how you are about the holidays and figured you wouldn’t mind.”

Allie’s perfectly constructed mask slipped momentarily and Logan could see the devastation hiding behind it. But only briefly. She schooled her face into the frozen smile of a department store mannequin.

He felt bad for her. He couldn't imagine having to sit around the Christmas tree with Allie and the man whose baby she was carrying. It would be awkward for him and probably a hundred times more awkward for her. And the possibility of Adam finding out what he’d done with his little sister was enough to make Logan break out in a cold sweat. It would be better for everyone if he got out of here while he still could.

“You know, Adam, I think I might just grab a hotel room. Looks like you and your family have a lot of catching up to do.” He shifted his bag higher on his shoulder. “Allie, congratulations and good luck with the new baby.” He gave her a reassuring smile, but that didn’t seem to comfort her. In fact, she was looking at him as if he had two heads.

“Logan’s not used to dealing with family drama,” Adam said.

“You don’t come from a big family, Logan?” Allie asked.

“Not really.”

“He comes from no family,” Adam said. “Logan made the mistake of telling me he’s never had a family Christmas, and I knew you and Mom would never forgive me if I didn’t bring him home to Big Falls to fix that.”

Big Falls, right. That’s where he’d heard of the town before. Allie, that night, that magical town she’d talked about. And suddenly she was looking at him like she might look at a lost puppy. Oh, hell.

“I still think my plan to spend Christmas relaxing under a palm tree in the tropics would have been just as good.” He said it just to fill the silence stretching out between them.

“You’ll have plenty of chances to check out hot girls in bikinis. But this might be the only chance you’ll ever have to try my mother’s world-famous Christmas dinner. Come on, Edwards. Nobody should be alone at Christmas. Right, Lexie?” Adam looked at her for support and Logan was sure he wasn’t going to find it. There was no way she wanted him around when she had so much else going on.

But Allie surprised him. She nodded and gave Logan a half-hearted smile. Warmth spread through his chest at the sight of it, because it was genuine, even if it wasn’t full blown.  “Adam’s right. No one should be alone at Christmas. You’re welcome to spend it with us.” Her voice cracked a little when she said it.

“I don’t want to intrude. You have family stuff going on.”

Adam punched him in the shoulder, hard. “Lesson one about families: there’s always family stuff going on. We made a plan and I’m not letting you blow it off. You’re coming home with us.”

He knew he shouldn’t. He should grab a hotel room or jump on the next plane that would take him far away from here. He should spend the next two weeks on a beach enjoying the company of some beautiful woman who would make him forget all about Allie Wakeland once and for all. That was what he was going to do, but when he opened his mouth to say so, he found himself agreeing to stay instead.

“Good decision.” Adam smiled and put an arm around his sister, steering her toward the nearest exit. Logan followed, wondering if this experience was going to be harder for him or for Allie.

“So, I’m going to be an uncle again,” Adam said as they headed for the exit. “What do I get? Another niece or another nephew?”

“I don’t know. I want to be surprised,” Allie said.

“I can’t believe you kept this secret. How did you convince Mom and Dad not to tell me?”

“I told them I’d move to Hawaii and take the baby with me if they told you before I had the chance. I thought this needed to be an in-person kind of conversation.”

They had walked out the door into the chilly December air and Allie pointed out the car parked in the front lot.

“Is that because I’m not going to like the father?” Adam asked. He’d been trying to keep his tone conversational, but there was an underlying edge to it. “He hasn’t married you yet, I take it?”

“Nope.”

“You haven’t told me much about the guy.”

“I haven’t told you anything about the guy.”

“That bad, huh?”

Allie glanced at Logan and a prickle of apprehension tickled the back of his neck. It was weird that she hadn’t at least mentioned her boyfriend to her brother. They were close. That seemed like the kind of information they would share. But then again, pregnancy seemed like something she’d have shared with Adam him, too.

Unless…unless there was no boyfriend. An icy finger traced a path up his spine. He shivered in reaction. What if she’d gotten pregnant during a one-night stand with a complete stranger?

 He spent a minute counting in his head the exact number of months he’d been gone. The number of months it had been since he’d been with Allie. Their night together had been in the middle of March. He did a quick count in his head. Nine months.

Panic rose inside him, and he tried to push it down. It was almost exactly nine months.  He didn’t know much about pregnancy or babies or any of that, but he didn’t think she could be up and around if she was nine months pregnant, could she? Women didn’t drive around picking people up at airports when they were that close to giving birth. Did they?

It couldn't be his. She must have gotten pregnant after he’d left.

Instead of bringing relief, that thought stung. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her in all this time. Apparently, she’d got over him in a hurry. But that was a good thing, right? Because that meant things shouldn’t be awkward. At least not too awkward.

The notion calmed him down a little. Sleeping with his C.O.’s sister was one thing. If Adam found out about that, he’d kick his ass all the way back to Afghanistan. But knocking her up? That would be even worse. If he had been responsible for that one, Logan was pretty sure he’d go missing and no one would ever find his body.

Captain Adam Wakeland was an intimidating man. Logan wasn’t afraid of him, but that was because he had no reason to be. He and Adam understood each other. They’d become best friends.

He didn’t think the man who knocked up Adam’s sister was going to fare very well. Not unless Adam decided he was worthy of his little sister, and from what he knew about Adam, he doubted many people would pass that test.

“I’ll take the bags,” Adam said. “Lexie, go ahead, get in and relax.”

Logan handed over his bag. Ordinarily he would have argued and insisted on helping, but he wanted a second with Allie.

She climbed into the driver’s seat and fired up the car and Logan climbed into the back. From the speakers, Bing Crosby promised to be home for Christmas.

“Listen,” Logan began, and Allie turned around to look at him from the front seat. He swallowed hard but hurried on. “I don’t want you to worry. We don’t have to tell your brother or anyone else about that night. I’m not gonna ruin whatever you’ve got going with…you know, the guy. The baby’s father.” He gave her what he thought was a reassuring smile.

Allie pinched her nose between her fingers, lowered her head, and blew out a long breath. “Were you dropped on your head as a child? Or did that guy at the bar cause brain damage after all?” she asked after a long pause. The trunk slammed and Adam started walking around the car. “It’s your baby, you idiot.”

Logan was stunned into silence. And then Adam was opening the door. “Want me to drive, Lexie?”

“It’s fine.”

“Are you sure, cause I can—”

“It’s fine. Get in.”

 Oblivious, Adam climbed into the front seat and cranked up the volume a little. “I love this song,” he said and then he was crooning along.

Logan’s heart clenched so hard he thought he might be having a heart attack. He took a deep breath and the pain let up, but his pulse pounded at a rate that was much faster than usual and he was sure Adam and Allie could probably hear it from the front seat. He wanted to tell her that was impossible. To ask if she was sure. He wanted to ask how the hell any of this could be happening when he had worn a condom every damn time they’d had sex that night. He wanted to dive out of the car and run into traffic on 281-North, because he was pretty sure he had a better chance of surviving being hit by a semi at full speed than he did of surviving Adam’s wrath when he found out the truth. But he didn't do any of those things; instead he sat in the back seat of the compact car, and tried to imagine himself with a baby in his arms.