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“Wait until you have Christmas Eve dinner!” Gabe laughed and clapped Rafe on the shoulder, letting him know he supported this next step in the situation with Belle.

He walked her to her car. “Before you say anything let me just tell you I want something with you, Belle. I know you have a job in San Francisco and I’m not asking you to give up your career or your life. I just want to be a part of it. I’ve known you most of my life and I understand that what I feel for you is real and has been coming a long time. I want you there on Christmas Eve and I want to kiss you as the clock strikes midnight on New Year this year and the next and so on. We on the same page?”

She leaned her forehead against his chest and he struggled to keep quiet as she clearly wrestled with her thoughts. She was not impulsive so he knew the process was hard for her.

“Rafe, I’ve wanted you for fifteen years. I…I have to deal with my job situation. I can’t talk about it just now, I need to get over to my parents’ house. But after Christmas, can we just have some time alone to talk? We
are
on the same page in wanting something together. I need to say that up front. I like the idea of you being in my life as more than fantasy material.” She looked up at him as she finished, a smile on her lips and he let go of the breath he’d been holding.

“Absolutely. You and me, after Christmas. I’ll see you later tonight.” He kissed her quickly and she stepped back before they ended up making out in his parents’ front drive.

“Man that tree looks great.” Belle grinned as she stood back and eyed their handiwork.

“I admit your little diagram helps every year.” Kevin laughed. “Although I think one of these years we should just attack it and just put stuff on any old place we want to.”

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“Tree diagramming is Belle’s job. It has been since she was four years old. Your job is staying out of jail and not knocking anyone up until you’re twenty-five. We all have our talents.” Brian socked Kevin as he handed Belle a mug of spiced cider.

“I’m sure it would look just fine if you put the ornaments on willy-nilly. But it looks even better when everything is distributed evenly and according to a variety of color and also with the new stuff mixing with the older and hand-made ornaments. And don’t think I don’t know you all have been telling the story about my shoes all around town.” Belle snorted and adjusted one of the bows one of them had made in grade school.

“We have this discussion every year. I feel like it’s a tradition along with the tree trimming and the garland stringing. Knock it off, Kev and get that stick out of your ass, Belle. The shoe story is fab, it must be told.” Chelsea sat and put her feet up with a long sigh.

“You okay?” Belle put her mug down and knelt beside her sister.

“Tired. Doing this at thirty-two is not as easy as it was when I was in my mid-twenties. Home stretch now, I’ve got three weeks to go and this will be the last trip we take away from home until the baby comes. I’m glad you’re here.” Chelsea touched her forehead to Belle’s.

“I am too. I’m sorry I missed so much this year,” she said quietly to Chelsea.

“Promise me you’re going to do something about your job.” Chelsea’s face looked serious.

“It’s one of the things I’m thinking about on this vacation. I promise.”

“Belle, you gonna tell us all what’s going on between you and Rafe?” Brian tossed himself into a chair nearby and at that announcement, the rest of the family gathered near as well.

“Why don’t you tell me about Sissy?” Belle countered and Scott burst out laughing.

“What about her? She’s a nice girl!” Brian sputtered.

“I didn’t say she wasn’t so don’t get snotty. I haven’t been around much, remember?

Tell me about her.”

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“We know about her. What we don’t know about is you and Rafe.” Kevin waved a hand dismissively at Brian.

“Belle and I are seeing each other. You have a problem with that?” Rafe walked into the room, kissing Belle’s mother’s cheek and shaking hands with her father before coming straight to Belle’s side and dropping to the floor next to her. “Hey, gorgeous.” He kissed her quickly, respectfully, on the lips before looking around at everyone else.

“Hi. Did Rosemary get in all right?” Lawd, he made her feel like a giddy schoolgirl.

“Hello? Am I the only one who didn’t know about this?” Belle’s father asked.

“
I
had no idea and I’m gonna kick Belle’s ass for not telling me!” Chelsea glared at Belle.

“Can we move on please?” Belle asked but Rafe laughed and pulled her so she leaned against him.

“I don’t have a problem with it. I think Rafe is a good man. He’s very good looking, has a job, a nice house and he’s already part of the family.” Her mother gave a stern look to the room, daring anyone to disagree.

“Thank you, Mrs. Taylor. Belle and I have known each other a long time, we enjoy each other’s company and that’s step one. And I’m pretty sure she’s going to organize my kitchen very soon.”

Belle whacked his arm. Wait ’til he looked in his cabinets at some point. Ha! “Go on and make fun.”

“I know you had dinner with your folks but do you have room for some pie, Rafe? I just made a pot of coffee too. Decaf. Would you like some?’ Ahh, her mother was the cavalry.

“I think Belle needs some too.” Rafe stood, bringing her with him.

“I think Belle is twenty-eight years old and can make her own eating decisions thankyouverymuch.” She sent him a censorious look but he just ignored it.

“Come on then, Rafe. You too, Kevin. Let’s bring some back for everyone,” her mother ordered with a smile on her lips.

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They obediently followed their mother and Chelsea grabbed her arm, yanking her back to where she sat. “You so owe me a very long explanation. Have you slept with him and not told me? I thought we agreed that should either of us ever see him naked we’d share?” Chelsea whispered.

Belle burst out laughing and everyone looked in their direction. “I’ll tell you tomorrow. Family football game, they’ll all be busy and I can give you the details. And they’re
good
details, Chels.”

“They’d better be so I can forgive you for not telling me sooner.”

“It’s new! I haven’t had the chance to be alone with you for five minutes since it all happened and I wasn’t telling you in front of Mom.”

“Okay okay, you can tell her all about me when you two are alone. In the mean time, Belle, your mother says to eat every bit of this or she’ll spank you.” Rafe shoved a huge piece of cherry pie at her.

“This is enough for three people.”

“If you’d gone in there with me, you could have cut your own slice.” One of his eyebrows arched and she rolled her eyes at him.

The next day at the annual Taylor family football game, Chelsea and Belle sat bundled up, drinking hot chocolate and watching the game while gossiping about Rafe.

“So he just kissed you? Like out of nowhere?” Chelsea asked.

“One minute he’s helping me with my bags and the next he and I are standing, face to face in his front hall and he’s pressed against me, mouth on my neck and then he laid one on me. Things totally changed right then. Went from friends to something more in a matter of moments. He tells me he wants something more with me, a relationship and I want that too. His family invited me to Christmas Eve and this morning he told me he knows someone who runs a mid-size firm in Sacramento who may be looking for a contracts attorney.”

“Really?” Chelsea’s eyes widened. “And?”

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“He didn’t assume he could take over for me. He asked if he could pass on my name.

He wants me to be happy in my career. God, Chelsea, that means so much to me. He’s not asking that I quit or anything.”

“But Belle…”

“I know. I do! It’s out of control. My life is out of control and I have to do something. I just need to figure out what. I mean, maybe I can cut back at the firm.

There’s nothing saying I have to work that hard there. Others don’t.”

Chelsea didn’t say anything but she snorted and later demanded more details about Rafe’s talents other than on a football field.

Belle couldn’t help but watch him out there playing with her brothers and brother-in-law. It was surreal to see him there and know he was hers in some sense. The night before they’d talked until all hours, laughing and making love.

She’d been halfway in love with him most of her life and every moment they spent together pushed her deeper and deeper with him. At the same time, she’d worked damned hard to achieve all she had and she wasn’t about to give it all up for a man. Any man.

“Stop overthinking. I can see the gears turning in your head, Belle,” Chelsea chided.

“He digs you. You’ve lusted after him since middle school. Just enjoy it and don’t analyze it to death. It’s not a freaking thesis project, it’s a relationship. You can’t diagram love.”

Belle huffed out a breath. “I am so sick of people dissing the way I am. Do I make fun of your artistic lifestyle? Do I talk about how financially risky your life is? Have I ever done anything but support you, Chelsea? What right do you have to sneer at the way I organize my thoughts?” She stood up and tossed the blanket on the chair she vacated.

“I’m going in.”

“Belle! Wait. I’m sorry!”

She heard her sister calling after her but stomped away, not wanting to hear it.

Once she got into the house she heard the phone ringing and grabbed it, eager for something to do before going back outside.

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Rafe saw the argument unfold and watched as Belle walked away, torn as to whether he should go after her or not.

“Go on. Just don’t push.” Brian shoved him in the direction of his gaze and Rafe didn’t pause once he’d decided to go.

“Why can’t this wait? I’m here with my family for the holidays.”

Rafe caught part of her phone conversation.

“This is ridiculous! I haven’t had a day off since January, David. This can wait until I get back.”

Rafe saw her check her watch and heave a sigh.

“Fine. Fine. No, don’t wait for me. Just leave it in my inbox and I’ll get it signed today.” She hung up and he made noise as he came fully into the room.

She faced him and gave a wan smile. “Hi.”

“Can I give you a ride into San Francisco? We could have some alone time and you could show me your place.”

She moved to him and took his hands, kissing the fleshy part of his hand below his thumbs. “I need to go. I’ll be back later but I have to deal with this paperwork. I shouldn’t have answered the phone but…anyway. Thanks for the offer but I need to do this alone.”

His normally larger than life Belle looked pale and wan. He ached to make things right for her but knew she had to do it herself or she’d never truly come to him. He cupped her cheek. “I’ll keep the bed warm for you.”

“I won’t be that long! I’m just running to the office and coming right back. Three hours at most depending on traffic. Will you tell them? I can’t deal right now and I have to go.”

“Belle, I won’t do your dirty work. I’ll tell them but you’re going to have to deal when you get back,” he said gently.

Her jaw tensed and her smile fell away. “It’s not dirty work! This is my job. No one frowns at Brian when he has a patient delivering a baby and leaves during dinner. I won’t www.samhainpublishing.com

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feel guilty for having achieved something important.” She stepped back and he felt a bit colder but he wouldn’t let her anger push him. She knew what he meant.

“All right, Belle. I’ll see you when you get back. Drive safely.” He brushed a kiss over her lips and left her there in the house as he went back out.

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Chapter Six

Belle had let anger fuel her all the way until she reached her office door. It was a Saturday, two days before Christmas and during Hanukah and still there were plenty of attorneys working. Mainly the younger ones but doors to the big offices were closed with the lights on so senior partners were there as well.

She stood in her doorway and stared into the space she’d scraped and fought and given up her life for. That small space with the pretty desk and the neatly organized files and utterly clean surface.

The papers David said absolutely had to be signed sat in her inbox. They were, as she thought, something that could have easily waited until her return. She made quick work of them and took them to his secretary’s desk, leaving them there and heading to get out as soon as she could. If she took a look at anything else in her inbox she’d end up working and her family deserved her presence and her attention.

“Annabelle, there you are! Say, can you come in for a few minutes and talk with me on this case?” David leaned against his doorjamb.

“No. I thought you were going on vacation.” How could she ever have looked up to this man? He
knew
she didn’t need to sign those papers, knew she was with her family and he did it just to yank her chain.

“We leave tomorrow. And what do you mean, no?”

“I’m on vacation. My family is expecting me for dinner. I left rather abruptly and I need to get back. I’ll speak with you in January when you return.” She moved past him toward the elevators and he followed.

“Annabelle, you can’t just walk away! This is important.”

She hit the down button and waited. “I’m not just walking away. I’m on vacation. I came back to sign those papers and now I’m going back to what I was doing.” Belle wanted to smack him but he was, in essence, one of her bosses.

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When the elevator came he narrowed his eyes at her, daring her to get on and suddenly, anger that he was just playing power games bloomed within her. She wasn’t a freaking thing, she was a person, a damned good attorney.