Thanks to the twins, maybe she could look at the holiday as fun again?
“I have some spare tinsel and a few ornaments. I thought we could string the tinsel over the archway that leads to the bedrooms and hang the ornaments on it.”
“Sounds good.”
“Great. Because I need your help. I’m not tall enough.”
While they waited for Cook to send dinner, Chance strung the tinsel along the archway and Tory gathered the remaining ornaments.
Unfortunately, even with the tinsel looped low, she wasn’t tall enough to hang it.
Chance got the three-step ladder. “Here.”
He positioned it below the tinsel and she climbed up. “Thanks.”
From the nursery, Sam let out a yelp and Chance ducked behind the ladder. “I’ll get him.”
After about a minute, which Tory assumed was used for diaper changing, he emerged holding Sam who rubbed his eyes sleepily.
“How’s Cindy?”
“Still out like a light.”
Tory winced. “I hope she gets up soon or she won’t sleep tonight.”
Chance stopped. “Should I wake her?”
“No, let’s give Sam a little alone time first. He likes being pampered, don’t you, sweetie?”
Dressed in a one-piece red romper, with elves dancing across the front, Sam squealed happily.
Tory pointed at the box of ornaments on the sofa. “Instead of me climbing up and down, can you hand those to me?”
Chance strode to the sofa. “Sure.” He reached down and lifted an ornament which he held out to Sam. “I bet you’d like to decorate.”
Sam made a noise that had to be agreement.
Tory laughed. “You give them to him. He’ll give them to me.”
Chance held the bright blue ball out to Sam, who happily grabbed it. When they reached the ladder, he said, “Okay, give it to Tory.”
Not cooperating, Sam tried to stick it in his mouth.
She laughed and took it from his hand. “Not in your mouth. To me.” She hung it on the tinsel. “See?”
He giggled.
Chance walked back to the sofa for another ornament. This one green. When he and Sam were beside the ladder, he gave it to Sam who again tried to stick it in his mouth.
“Do you think he’s hungry?”
“He’s always hungry.” Tory took the ornament from his hand again. “But if we do this a few times, he’ll catch on.”
It took five tries. Finally, Sam caught on to the game and began handing the ornaments to Tory after his dad gave them to him.
Unable to help herself, Tory pinched his chubby cheek. “You are such a sweetie.”
“And happy,” Chance said, kissing his other cheek. “He does love special attention.”
“They both do. I always try to give each kid at least five minutes of personal, one-on-one time every hour or so.” She pointed over Chance’s shoulder. “What if we take that star thing and see if we can center it above the tinsel?”
“Okay, but it’s a little big. I’m putting Sam down for this.”
He walked Sam to the play yard, set him inside with some blocks, grabbed the star ornament from the big box on the sofa and walked it to Tory.
She turned to put it above the tinsel then faced him again with a wince. “There’s nothing to hang it on.”
“Give me a second.” He went back to the box. “I saw some of those sticky tape things that you put on the wall.” He reached in and brought one out, then gave it to her. “Here.”
Placing the star on the top of the ladder, she took the hanger from his hand and reached up to paste it to the wall. But even stretching as far as she could stretch, she couldn’t reach the spot she wanted. So she took another step up, to get closer, and tried again. The ladder shimmied but she took another step up. This time it down right shook. Before she could catch her balance she fell backward.
Luckily Chance caught her. Their gazes met and they both burst out laughing. But within seconds their laughter faded. His arms were wrapped around her. Her arms had looped around his neck, automatically, instinctively, because she didn’t want to fall. But it felt so right to be in his arms and to have her arms around him that she didn’t want to pull them back.
His head began to descend. Slowly. From the flash of heat that came to his eyes, she knew he intended to kiss her. By the time she told herself to pull away, his lips had touched hers. Softly. Sweetly.
The brush of his lips was a balm to her hurting, weary soul. The well of emptiness inside her began to fill and instead of jerking back, she answered him. Her lips pressed against his, every bit as softly, every bit as sweetly, as if experimenting. It had been a long time since she’d intentionally kissed a man. Though she expected it to feel odd, it was as natural as breathing.