Read A Christmas to Believe In Online
Authors: Claire Ashgrove
Heath lifted his cup in a toast. "Well, here's hoping the
third time's the charm. Hey, speaking of three, when do I get
to meet my nieces? And Sydney," he added belatedly.
"Soon," Alex said, but the reply was short and clipped, like
he wasn't quite thrilled about the meeting. Heath guessed it
had more to do with his fiancee than his daughters.
Amelia clapped her hands together and pressed them to
her heart. "Very soon, I hope. I can't wait for you to meet
them." Pride beamed from her features, giving her a youthful
glow in spite of her sixty years.
396
A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
Heath shot a look at Alex and saw the same glow of pride
coming from him. Alex only recently learned he'd fathered
triplets five years ago. Unfortunately, he was engaged to a
woman other than the mother. Heath hadn't met the fiancee
yet, but if the information he'd gotten from his mother about
his future sister-in-law was accurate, he wasn't looking
forward to it.
"They're adorable," his mother went on. "They look just
like your brother. Zoe is bringing them by in a couple of days.
She's doing the catering for the reception."
Heath had difficulty hiding his surprise. "Isn't that a little
weird—the ex-wife catering the new wife's wedding
reception?"
Alex shrugged. "Ask Mom, she's the one who hired Zoe."
"When I first hired Classic Kitchen, I didn't know Zoe
owned the business. She was recommended by a friend."
Wow. As if there wasn't enough drama surrounding the
holidays this year; a new sister, their first Christmas without
their father, Alex learning
he
was a father, and now Alex's ex-
wife catering his upcoming wedding. Throw in a teenage
pregnancy and an evil twin, and the King family would have
their own daytime soap opera.
Heath's heart and mind were only half-involved in the
discussion that followed as the group moved into the living
room and turned on the television while they waited for Clint.
He stood restlessly and paced, pausing by the photos on the
mantel. There were a ton of them, a photographic montage of
the King brothers' childhood. Most of them featured their
father.
397
A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
Heath stopped in front of one that used to be his favorite.
He and his dad at a Royals game. Clint and Alex weren't
there. It was Heath's tenth birthday, and on each of the boys'
birthdays, they got to pick a special thing to do with their
father, just the birthday kid and his dad. Heath chose dinner
at Gates Barbecue and a Royals game. They'd gotten George
Brett's autograph. It had been the happiest day of Heath's
young life. Boy, had Clint and Alex been pissed.
Heath smiled at the memory. His father's smiling face
stared back, and Heath's smile faded. He wanted to ask his
father why he'd done what he had, why he'd betrayed his
mother and why he'd raised Heath to be upstanding and
loyal, when he himself hadn't been.
But he would never be able to ask him any of that.
Although his father's transgression—if that was his only one,
and Heath wasn't positive about that—had happened before
any of his sons were born, they hadn't learned of it until after
his death, when Frank King's love child burst onto the scene.
Amelia had known about it all these years but kept it from her
sons. Just a little, Heath resented her for not giving him the
opportunity to confront his father, to get an answer to the
questions that plagued him.
He looked at the clock. Clint would be here soon and their
little family circle would be complete, well, minus one
member...Keeley Jacobs, the newest and, in Heath's opinion,
unwelcome one.
398
A Christmas to Believe In
by Claire Ashgrove
Thank you for purchasing
this Wild Rose Press publication.
For other wonderful stories of romance,
please visit our on-line bookstore at
www.thewildrosepress.com.
For questions or more information
contact us at
The Wild Rose Press
www.TheWildRosePress.com
399