brushing away more tears.
“Water under the bridge.”
She leaned against him again. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you, too.”
* * *
THE TEMPERATURE MIGHT be close to seventy, but the scent of pine in the Christmas tree lot made it feel like the holiday season. Wynn inhaled deeply, enjoying the familiar smell. Yes, an artificial tree was more practical, but she didn’t care. The real ones were a tradition.
She stood next to Joylyn while Hunter and Garrick debated the merits of each tree. Wynn had already reminded them twice that they only had eight-foot ceilings in their respective houses and anything taller than that was going to have to be topped off, but the guys seemed determined to go with the biggest tree they could.
Joylyn shook her head. “He was always like this when I was a kid. He bought some huge tree, then was shocked when it didn’t fit into his place.” She yawned and covered her mouth. “Sorry. The baby was active last night and kept me up.”
“You’re going to have to get him on a schedule.”
Joylyn smiled. “I know.”
“Speaking of him, where are you and Chandler on names? I feel funny just saying ‘him’ every time I mention him.”
Joylyn laughed. “I know. We talk about that, too. But we want to wait until he’s born. It feels weird to name someone before you’ve met them. We have a list, but we’ll decide on the day.”
Hunter walked over to her. “Mom, do you want a taller tree or a fatter tree?”
“Probably best not to call the tree fat. You might hurt its feelings.”
Her son rolled his eyes. “Fine. Wider or taller?”
“Wider. These trees all have good shapes. It’s silly to have to cut off the top two feet because it’s too tall for the room.”
He turned to Garrick. “See? We want a fat—ah, wider tree.”
“But tall is majestic,” Garrick insisted.
Joylyn sighed. “Dad, you do this every year.”
He grinned. “I know. I can’t help myself.”
“Then it’s decided,” Wynn told him. “You can be weird and get the too-tall tree. Hunter and I will get one that can hold more ornaments.”
“It’s not a competition,” Garrick muttered. “Although your point about the ornaments is a good one. We do have a lot.”
He walked around the four trees that had made the finals. Wynn tried to be subtle as she checked out his butt. The man was good-looking, and their regular make-out sessions kept her girl parts humming. As Hunter was scheduled to do deck work and community service over his holiday break, she was starting to think there was no reason not to let him have a sleepover the next time he asked.
She forced her attention back to the trees. “I like the one on the far right. Hunter, what do you think?”
He nodded. “It’ll look good in the front window.”
“I agree. Okay, we’ve picked ours.” She patted Joylyn on the arm. “Good luck with your dad.”
Joylyn laughed. “You can’t just leave me here. What if he takes another hour to make up his mind?”
“I won’t take an hour,” Garrick grumbled. “Ten minutes, tops.”
“Let’s go to the front of the lot,” Wynn told her. “We’ll pay for our tree, and you can find somewhere to sit.”
Once the tree was purchased, one of the guys on the lot tied it to the top of her car. She and Hunter waved at Joylyn as they pulled out. When they got home, they managed to wrestle the tree off the car and into the house.
“I got this, Mom,” Hunter said. “Get the stand in place, and I’ll handle the tree.”
“You’re so strong,” she said, remembering when he’d been younger and smaller. “This growing thing is starting to freak me out.”
It didn’t take long to get the tree secured and in front of the window. They left it a few feet out from the wall so they could move around it to decorate, then push it in when they were finished.
“I’ll go get the ornaments, Mom,” Hunter said.
She followed him onto the front porch and saw Garrick and Joylyn pulling in next door, a tree sticking out of the back of his SUV.
“Which one did you get?” she asked, crossing her driveway.
Joylyn smiled. “The wider one so more ornaments will fit.”
Wynn looked at Garrick. “You were sensible.”
“Don’t sound surprised. I saw the value of your point and agreed with you.”
“Still, a man who can be reasoned with. Impressive.”
He winked at her, then picked up the tree as if it weighed nothing and carried it inside. Wynn sent