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Authors: Judith Arnold

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“Oh, Fil…” He sighed, bent down and lowered Gracie to the floor. “Sorry, sweets—I need both hands for this,” he explained, straightening back up and gathering Filomena's purple-mittened hands in his. “When you called and talked about all the exotic things you were doing, I figured you were lost to me. I can't offer you excitement. I can't offer you an Ivy League Ph.D., or Budapest concerts, or gallery openings. I'm the kind of man a woman leaves when she wants glamour and excitement in her life.”

“You may be right,” Filomena murmured. “You're
more the kind of man a woman looks for when she wants a home and a family and all the things that matter.”

“Is that what you want?”

“If you're the man, that's what I want. I've missed you so much, Evan.” She rose up and kissed him. Not a mushy icky kiss like actors did on TV, but a pretty big kiss anyway.

“What's the surprise?” Gracie asked Billy.

“Shh.” She could be such a pest sometimes.

“I came back to New York,” Filomena said, “because it's the only home I have.”

“Could you ever think of my house as your home?”

Her eyes twinkled. Billy thought he saw tears in them. “Your house is a wonderful home.”

“But could you think of it as
yours?

She nodded, and Billy definitely saw some tears sliding down her cheeks. “I always felt at home there.”

“Then come home.”

“I love you, Evan,” she whispered, and kissed him again.

“Is that the surprise?” Gracie asked.

“I guess I could commute,” Filomena murmured. “I'm teaching only three days a week, and the train isn't bad. And I'm sure I could sublet this apartment. Patty's sharing a one-bedroom place with two other grad students. I bet she'd love to take over my lease. Oh, Evan…why did you let me leave? Why didn't you ask me to stay?”

“I was afraid you'd say no. I thought it would be easier to lose you if I hadn't asked than if I had.” He made a sound that was half a sigh and half a laugh. “It wasn't easier. All that mattered was that I lost you. And all that matters now is that I've got you back.”

“I'm not going anywhere,” she promised, then grinned. “Except home.”

“What's the surprise?” Gracie asked Billy.

To shut her up, he said, “The surprise is that Dad and Fil got together because of me.”

The grown-ups turned to stare at him. “Because of
you?
” Dad blurted out.

“I said abracadabra hocus-pocus. Three times. And it worked, didn't it?”

Dad laughed. Filomena looked confused, but she laughed, too. “Yeah,” Dad admitted. “All we needed was a little magic. And it worked.”

ISBN: 978-1-4268-4913-8

'TIS THE SEASON

Copyright © 2000 by Barbara Keiler.

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

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BOOK: 'Tis the Season
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