Brandon (Anderson Billionaires #3) - Melody Anne Page 0,89

people. Keep on making more and more goals, and when something doesn’t go the way you want it to go, then try another way. I see too many people give up when things don’t go in the direction they originally planned. It’s those who try again and again that rule the world.”

“Is that how you and Joseph did it?” he asked with a laugh.

“I think Joseph and I have done as well as we have because we’ve always put family first. And I think we’ve done so well because family doesn’t always mean blood. We surround ourselves with great people, and that makes us greater.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of amazing Christmas mornings, but this has to top the list. To be here with Chloe, my brothers, their spouses, my nieces and nephews, and all of my newest family members has made this day incredible. I’m going to hate to see it end.”

Katherine gave him that serene smile again. “Never dread the ending to a day, Brandon, because that just means a new adventure is about to begin. If we spend too much time in the past, we don’t look ahead to the future.”

“You know, you should’ve been a counselor,” he said.

“I have enough family members to counsel. I don’t need to do it for a living,” she said with a laugh.

“Are you going to take up all of my beautiful wife’s attention?” Joseph said. He stood and moved over to them.

“Now, Joseph, you know I love to move around the table and visit with everyone,” Katherine said after he’d leaned down and kissed her.

“Yes, but you’ve been gone for too long. It’s not Christmas dinner without you by my side, your delicate hand on my leg.”

“I love you, Joseph,” she said as she stood.

He pulled her against him and kissed her again, making the table go silent as everyone looked at the couple who’d brought them all together. He leaned back the slightest bit, his eyes looking completely dazzled.

“You are my world, Katherine,” he said as he cupped her cheek.

“Merry Christmas, everyone,” someone called out, making Katherine blush.

Brandon knew beyond a doubt when Joseph and Katherine placed their arms around each other and gazed into each other’s eyes the rest of the world fell away. They loved their family, but they still easily got lost in one another’s embrace. They were the ultimate example of true love.

Katherine went hand in hand with her husband to the head of the table, and Brandon moved over to Chloe. Without a word, he kneeled down beside her and kissed her, making her blush as much as Katherine just had.

“Thank you for sharing this day with me,” he whispered.

“Thank you for inviting me,” she replied.

The conversation around the table restarted, and Brandon sat next to Chloe, his hand entwined with hers for the rest of the meal. He hoped they were still doing that in another fifty years.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

It was always tough when reality set back in after the holidays. There was so much excitement leading up to them and then a great big crash after. She’d had a beautiful Christmas with Brandon and her friends and then a mellow New Year’s where she’d shared a kiss with Brandon at midnight.

Now it was time to get back to work. Luckily things were always a lot calmer at the restaurant in January, as people were recovering from spending too much money in December. That gave her time to do changes there if she wanted and allowed her extra time on other projects.

Right now she wanted to finish the veterans kitchen. She was no longer denying that she was in a relationship with Brandon, but she absolutely refused to use the boyfriend word. It drove her crazy.

She wasn’t some high school girl with a crush. She was an independent woman who just so happened to be falling in love with a very strong, beautiful man. She wondered if she’d ever be able to admit that to him, to tell him she was in love with him. She wasn’t sure, since she was having a hard enough time admitting it to herself.

But he didn’t get frustrated with her. That was a good thing. Her appliances had arrived today, and she’d been at the kitchen driving Noah slightly crazy with wanting everything to be perfect. Brandon was off running an errand because she wanted special lighting below the counters so when a person walked by, the lights automatically turned