Ben stared at the text message for the fifth time.

“Uncle Ben, you can’t use your phone in church.”

Ben lowered his face to Brittany’s and rubbed his nose with hers. “Brat.”

He stuffed it back in his pocket, but he knew what it said. It wasn’t like it was a difficult message to remember.

Come find me after you’re done with your family. Oh, and Ben…Merry Christmas.

He tried to pay attention to the homily at the vigil mass. Fortunately St. Mary’s version of a vigil mass was ten instead of midnight. Brittany was fading against his arm, trying valiantly to keep her big dark eyes open.

By the end of the mass he was carrying her out. Neither he nor John were particularly religious, but it was a nice way to honor their mother for Christmas. Ben settled her into the backseat of John’s van.

“Annual Christmas barbecue tomorrow?”

John nodded. “At least that I can help cook.”

He hugged his brother. “Merry Christmas. Here’s to a better year.”

John returned the hug, slapping his back. “Amen to that.”

Ben climbed into his truck and tapped his phone against his palm. He quickly fired back a message.

Are you still awake?

He started the engine and was halfway down the street when she replied with a simple yes. It was only a five-minute ride to their house but it felt interminable. He pulled up, surprised that the single tree was turned off already. Instead, five fat snowflakes hung in front of her door.

He grinned. No wires. His Darcy had put up her own Christmas decorations—solar ones. A sticky note was stuck to the back of the center star.

Come in.

He turned the knob and was surprised to see another string of lights. This time on the shelves above the small table in her entryway. They looked like mini-lanterns in brilliant greens, golds and purples. They hung from the books she had stacked on each end of the shelf.

He followed the lights on the stairs. The little battery-operated, scented lights that were so popular these days. Cinnamon and vanilla led the way up to the landing. “Darcy?”

He walked down the hallway. Another battery candle sat in front of her door. He pushed it open to see a curtain of white lights dripping from her window. He smiled. A large candleholder sat in the middle of the window with a huge red bow. This one was a real flame.

“Merry Christmas, Ben.”

He turned to her voice. A small click sounded and her bed lit up. The wrought iron canopy was swagged with white panels at each corner and twinkle lights crisscrossed the top.

The woman in the center of the crimson sheets glowed from the inside out. “You bought a new bed.”

“I paid handsomely for this king-sized bed. So handsomely you’ll have to be my slave this summer to help me build my deck.”

His smile widened. “I can do that.”

She rolled onto her knees, a deep green negligee flowing around her hips, kissing the tops of her thighs. “I was thinking about what you said the other day.”

He focused his attention on her face instead of his silk-over-cream present just inches away. “About what?”

“About not letting me go.”

“I love you, Darcy. There’s no way I’m letting you go.” His boots hit the intricate scrollwork of her footboard and still she was too far away. He drew her forward, tracing his fingertips down the plunging back of her lingerie until he found petal-soft skin along the base of her spine. He trailed tiny circles in the hollow, smiling as she shivered.

Her Christmas-colored eyes misted with a light sheen of tears.

“I wanted to tell you right away.” He wrapped his arms around her waist until she was flush with his chest and their foreheads touched. When a single tear trailed down her cheek, he held on tighter. “I should have told you as soon as I figured it out.” He brushed his lips over the wetness, taking her salty flavor, her pain and her generosity inside. “Every day I waited felt worse than the last.”

“You didn’t think I’d understand?”

He smoothed a lock of burnished gold hair away from her face. “I was protecting my family, but you’re my family now too. At least I want you to be.”

She gripped his arms, curling her fingers into his simple white dress shirt. “I want that too. Really want that.”

He caught her lips in a soft kiss, sipping from her until the salt of her tears faded and it was only them. “That day I was going to tell you. The one day we both had off. That last time with you,” he gripped her sides, crushing her tighter to him, “I knew I loved you.” Desperate to taste her, to make sure she never went anywhere without him, he brought his hands up to cup her face. “When you trusted me even when I didn’t deserve it, I knew I had to make things right. I don’t want anything between us, Darcy. Especially lies.”

She hooked her fingers around his wrists and stretched up to kiss him. “No more lies.” She smiled.

“No more lies.” Her hair slid around his fingers as he deepened the kiss. He knelt on the bed, stretching her out under him. With quick fingers she unbuttoned his shirt and flung his tie to the floor.

He lowered his mouth, sucking a tight little nipple through silk. “Speaking of lies.”

She wrapped her leg around his hip and laughed as she arched up. “Do we have to?”

“I think someone was lying about how much she hates Christmas.”

She cupped the back of his head. “I think it might have a few perks.”

He laughed and drew on the other tip until matching dark spots clung to her like wet tissue paper. He blew lightly and laughed when her eyes flew open. “I think you secretly like Christmas.”

She scissored strong thighs around his hips. The green silk pooled around her belly. He scored his nails over her hips, finding her bare. She nipped his lower lip and released the catch of his dress pants, scraping her teeth over his neck and pushing his pants and boxers over his ass. “I think Christmas might have a lot more possibilities with you around.”

He rolled his hips into the valley of her thighs. “I told you I’d make you love Christmas.”

She laughed into his kiss. “So gosh darn cocky.”

“You said that word again.”

She curled her arms around his neck, her laughter filling the room. “Gosh, I guess I did.”

He groaned as he slid into her, the clasping perfection of her body and the love between them more than he could have ever hoped for.