Brandon (Anderson Billionaires #3) - Melody Anne Page 0,76

up and fade away,” Genevieve said.

“I can’t imagine being anywhere but here for Christmas,” Joseph said. “But I do know many who like to get away.”

“We try to talk Chloe into coming with us, but neither her father nor I have ever been big on the holidays, and Sarah and Brooke are as much family to her as her father and I, so we don’t feel too guilty about it.”

For the first time in her life, Chloe noticed that there did appear to be some guilt on her mother’s face. This was the way it had always been, so she’d never questioned it. But maybe just because it had always been that way didn’t mean it was the way she’d have to be. It also didn’t mean she had to be upset with her mother or father. They loved her. She knew that. They just showed it in different ways than the Andersons did. Which way did she want to show love? Which did she feel was right? Had she been afraid to be in a relationship because she wasn’t quite sure how a relationship was supposed to be?

These were all things she’d have to think long and hard about. But for this moment she just wanted her mother to have a beautiful Christmas, guilt-free.

“I know how much you love me, Mother. And I’m glad that you get to enjoy Christmas your way. I do have family I’m with every year, so there’s no reason for you to feel guilt,” Chloe said. She set her mother’s coffee down, then walked over and gave her a hug.

“Thank you, Chloe,” Genevieve said with a smile and what appeared to be a sheen of tears in her eyes. She turned away, and when she looked back, those tears were gone. Maybe Chloe had only imagined them.

Soon Joseph, Sarah, and her mother all left to get on with their days, and Chloe was sad to see them go. But then it allowed her to get back to work. Her staff were already moving one hundred miles per hour. Chloe really was thankful for all she had.

She wondered if she was getting a little bit more this holiday season—in the form of a six-foot-plus man with eyes and a body that made her fall into heaven.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Brandon almost didn’t recognize himself as he strolled down the brightly decorated sidewalk, through the small town that would be his forever home, the town he and Chloe were making their own, where their families were, where their life would remain.

They hadn’t slept much the night before, but he didn’t care. He could live on sex alone, he’d decided. He’d loved having a nice breakfast with Chloe. He enjoyed a lot of things when it came to her.

Was it too soon for a marriage proposal? Yeah, probably. He’d scare the hell out of her if he pulled out a ring. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

Today was a busy day for her at work. It was almost all bakery items, but they were also doing a Christmas-dinner package, and a lot of people would be picking those up. She was closed on Christmas morning, of course.

Brandon whistled as he walked in and out of businesses, the owners cheerful as they got in their last-minute sales and handed out candy canes and Christmas wishes. There was a time he would’ve never thought such a simple, uneventful day could make him so happy. It was almost as if he’d slipped into an alternate universe. He used to feel a need for adventure. Now he was ready to settle down.

There was no work for his crew today, and he wasn’t in a hurry, as he had hours to kill. He had a mission to find the perfect present for Chloe. He’d picked up a couple of items and was looking for that one thing to tie it all together. He needed it to be special, and he needed her to understand how he felt about her and that he knew her. He’d been more than clear that he wanted to be with her, but he was beginning to realize he wanted it to be forever.

Maybe it was the magic of the season—maybe it was his discovery that he was all-around happier with her in his life. Whatever it was, he wanted her by his side, and he had to make sure he proved himself worthy and stable, because she deserved that. She deserved the best, and she wasn’t the