Her Last Love (Small Town Hearts Trilogy #1) (24 page)

"Dad! Look!" Logan pointed as they got in line to see the head elf in charge. 

"I see. Looks pretty cool, right?" 

"Uh-huh." 

"Know what you're asking him for yet?" 

"Yep. I want a bike like Nathan's." 

"He means no training wheels," Nathan whispered to Lynn. 

"Gotcha," Lynn whispered back. In a normal tone of voice she asked, "What about you? What are you asking for from Santa?" 

Nathan considered for a minute, then crooked his finger. He cupped his hands against her head before he spoke. 

"I know that Santa's not real," he confessed. "But I pretend I do, so that Logan can still believe. That's what me and Dad talked about." 

Lynn's heart both ached and melted a little. She ached at the thought that this child had lost a part of his innocence, his childhood, but melted at the fact he was willing to pretend otherwise so that his brother could still enjoy the tradition of Santa a little while longer.  

"It's okay." She whispered in his ear. "But I think you're a very good big brother for letting him still believe." She kissed his cheek and watched as his face turned red. 

"You kissing my girl?" Carter teased his son. 

"Nuh-uh." Nathan shook his head. "She kissed me!" 

Carter laughed and ruffled his son's hair, winking at Lynn and basking in the realization he felt complete for the first time in a long time. 

* * *

A couple of hours later, Carter came to the realization that Christmas shopping was exhausting on its own. Add in two kids, hopped up on the excitement of seeing Santa and eating candy canes, and Carter was ready to drop. He thanked his lucky stars that Lynn had stuck with him throughout the day. Otherwise, he was sure he'd be back at home, curled up on the couch right now in the fetal position, dangerously close to sucking his thumb. 

Exhausted or not, Carter couldn't help but admit the day had been great from start to finish. As he cruised to a stop at a red light, he looked in the rearview mirror, watching his boys whisper to each other as they talked about the gifts they'd bought. With a look to his right, he saw that the woman who held his hand was looking back at him. 

"Pretty good day, huh?" She asked, echoing his thoughts. 

"One of the best." He kissed her knuckles as the light turned green. Carter put the truck into motion once more, then raised his voice to get the boys' attention in the back seat. 

"Okay, guys. What do you need to do when we get home?" 

"Take our stuff to our room and get our special backpacks," Nathan replied without hesitation. 

"So we can go to Gramma's!" Logan chimed in with excitement. 

Carter and the kids had filled Lynn in on the plans for the evening during their lunch at the food court. Once a month or so, Carter's mom had the boys for a night, so she could spend time with her much-loved grandsons, but also to give Carter a little break. Tonight, Gramma and the guys had plans to make popcorn and hot chocolate, and camp out in the living room to watch Christmas movies. The kids were beyond excited. 

"Can you come with us, Ms. Lynn? Daddy doesn't go, 'cause he says that's when he finds the house under all the mess." Lynn laughed as Carter groaned at Logan's inadvertent confession. 

"No, baby. These nights with your Gramma are a special time for just you guys. It's okay though, we'll hang out another time." 

"Promise?" 

"Promise." 

Satisfied with this, Logan went back to whispering with his brother, until they reached the bridge once again and the boys had to inspect it from this side too.

Moments later, they pulled into Carter's driveway alongside Lynn's car. After helping kids unbuckle seat belts and pulling them from the vehicle, the adults handed the kids their shopping bags and the whole crew headed inside. No sooner than the front door closed than Nathan and Logan kicked it into high gear, racing down the hallway to stow their gifts and grab their overnight bags. Lynn could hear the thumps of things hitting the floor, followed by the galloping of small feet headed back her way.  

"You guys were fast!" She exclaimed, as she sat on the edge of the couch. 

"We packed our stuff last night, so it was ready."

"Very smart." She nodded.  

"We hafta to go now," Logan somehow looked sad and excited at the same time. "I'm glad you went with us today. It was fun." 

"Yes it was," she agreed as he wrapped his arms around her neck for a hug. "Be good for Gramma, okay?" His head bobbed against her shoulder. 

"Okay, Nate." She turned to the older boy once his younger brother had released her. "All ready to go?" 

"Yeah." He shuffled his feet before he, too, gave her a hug. He looked at her as he pulled back from the embrace. "We'll get to see you again soon?" 

"As soon as we can," she confirmed. He mirrored his brother's nod, he picked up his bag and joined his father and sibling at the door. 

"I'm not sure how long this will take," Carter told her. "Mind sticking around till I get back?" 

"Sure." She nodded. "I'll be here." She looked over at the boys, gave a little wave. "Bye guys, hope you have a great time!" 

"Bye Ms. Lynn!" the boys called as they made their way out the door. "Love you!" 

Stunned, the tears pricked the back of her eyes as she looked up at Carter, who merely smiled as he closed the door behind him. Before she could gather herself enough to reply, the boys had bolted out the door and to the truck with Carter on their heels. The truck was pulling out of the driveway by the time she found her voice again. 

"Love you, too." Her words drifted into the now-empty house.  

* * * 

Carter returned home half an hour later, having dropped the kids off with his mother. All three of them had been bouncing off the walls by the time he had left. After the day at the mall, and the noise at his mom's, Carter was thankful for the silence that now filled the cab of his truck. 

During the drive back to his house, the quiet gave Carter time to think about the boys' parting words to Lynn. He had known they were growing attached to her, but they had never told him how they felt. Carter had been just as stunned as Lynn had looked when the boys had told her they loved her. But, because he loved her too, all he could do at the moment was smile. He had no worries about the boys growing too attached to Lynn. Carter knew that even if things didn't work out with them, and he had no reason to think they wouldn't, Lynn would always do her best to be friends to his sons. If for no other reason than the fact she had promised them she would. 

When he made the turn onto the road that would lead to his house, Carter propped his elbow on the door, and ran a finger over his top lip as he thought over the situation. He wondered how Lynn would react if she found out that his kids had never said those words, to anyone, outside of members of the family. He had a pretty good idea of how she would react. She would melt. He grinned at the thought. 

Before he knew it, he was pulling into his driveway once again. He relished the thought that the woman he loved was waiting inside for him. That he wasn't coming home to an empty house as he usually did after dropping his guys off for an overnight. He killed the engine and climbed from the truck, skirted around the hood, making his way up the porch steps and into the house. 

The spicy scent of Lynn's spaghetti sauce greeted Carter as he walked through the door. He'd recognize the smell of it anywhere. In their younger days, she'd perfected her sauce using him as her guinea pig. The meal had become a favorite of his, one he'd missed when they'd parted ways. Now, he hurried to peel off his coat and get to the kitchen. 

"Am I smelling what I think I'm smelling?"  

"Why yes. Yes, you are." Lynn turned from the stove where she stood stirring the sauce in a pot. She lifted the wooden spoon, scraped the back of it on the edge of the pot, and held it out for him to sample. The thick liquid sat warm on his tongue, his taste buds tingling at the mingling flavors of the tomato, oregano, and basil.  

"Mmm-hmm," he hummed deep in his throat as he swallowed. "That right there? Food of the gods." 

Lynn laughed as she went back to stir the sauce once more before checking on the pasta. She deemed them done, set the strainer in the sink, and drained the water, leaving the pale pasta strands curling around each other. Before she could shake the rest of the water off, the oven timer beeped. 

"Would you mind getting that?" she asked. "It's the breadsticks." 

"Sure." Reaching around her to grab a potholder, he pulled the door open and slid the cookie sheet of breadsticks, soft and warm, from the oven. The aroma of butter and garlic wafted through the air, joining the tantalizing scent of the sauce. Once he set them out of the way, he leaned against the counter and watched as Lynn mixed the noodles and the sauce together.  

"You didn't have to go to all the trouble. Not that it's not very much appreciated." 

"I know. Needed to keep busy. To be honest, I was afraid I would curl up on the couch and fall asleep." 

"Ah, yes. Such is the result of spending the day out with two energetic kids." He looked on as she went to the refrigerator and watched as she pulled out the makings for side salads. Perplexed, he studied her again. "Wait. I had salad stuff in there?" 

"No," she laughed. "Though you should, because the boys would probably eat it if you did. But this came from the store down the street. I did a quick run for a few things while you ran the boys to your mom’s." 

"Hey." He reached for her, turned her towards him. "Best girlfriend ever." 

“Well, I try.” She smiled as she pecked his cheek with a quick kiss before turning back to the food. He decided he should be of some help, so he gathered plates and forks, setting the table. Carter had noticed the bottle of wine breathing on the counter, so he added two wine glasses as well. Inspired by her meal, he added a trio of white votive candles he'd swiped from the stash he kept on hand for power outages, and folded paper towels into fancy napkins.  

Turning from the stove to bring the food over, Lynn caught sight of the table he had set for her. Her heart tumbled a little in her chest, knowing that though the both of them were tired from the busy day, he had thought to give her some romance during their time alone together.  

"Carter, that's so sweet. Thank you." She stood on her toes to give him a quick kiss before setting the pot of spaghetti on the table. He followed her as she went back to retrieve the rest, snagging the bottle of wine and the breadsticks she'd tucked into a basket, and left her to carry the salad and dressing. 

"Lynn, this looks great." 

"Thanks. Let's just hope it tastes as good as it looks." 

"Oh, I think I can guarantee it will, based off the taste I had." He piled a small mound of pasta on his plate, joined by a breadstick and a small portion of salad. After he took the first bite of the spaghetti, he nodded. "Yep. No worries there. It's fantastic." 

Lynn smiled as she poured wine into his glass, then her own, before she made her own plate. Cooking for Carter had always been a pleasure for her. He'd always been honest in what he thought needed to be changed and had always been happy to eat when the results were good.  

"So." She took her first bite. Nodding, pleased that it had turned out as she hoped, she continued. "Did the boys get settled in okay with your mom?" 

"Are you kidding? They were all so excited that I'll be amazed if any of them sleep tonight. I swear, when the boys stay over, my mother is like a big kid herself." 

"Runs in the family then, huh?" She grinned. 

"Yeah. Guess it does." 

They were both quiet for a few minutes as they ate, each just enjoying the other's company. Carter picked up his wine glass, watching her, considering as he took one sip, then another. 

"Well." He set his glass back on the table. "The boys certainly made an interesting declaration as they were leaving earlier." He watched as her face changed, saw her feelings in her eyes. 

"Oh, Carter. You have no idea how much it meant to hear them say that! I mean, I was sure they liked me, at least a little, and we had fun together. But love?" She shook her head. "No clue." 

"To be honest, neither did I. And they usually tell me things like that. So it was just as much a surprise for me as it was for you." 

"Surprised is a good word for it. Want to hear the funny part?" 

"What's that?" 

"I love them too." Tears filling her eyes. "I had no idea I could feel this way about someone else's children. Don't get me wrong. I love Kari's daughter, and Bethany's girls, but this is different. I'm not sure how to explain it." 

"Give it a shot.” 

"How do I say this without it coming out wrong?" She mused. "Okay, it's like this. I love them, not because they are your sons, but because of who they are on their own. And because it’s like... like they could belong to me. Like they could be my boys. Does that make sense, or does it sound creepy?" 

"No." Carter's voice was husky. "No, it's not creepy at all. It's honest, and sweet. And perfect."