a brooklet dreams christmas

  HOLIDAY & A WEDDING

  C. A. HARMS

  contents

  The Proposal

  Prologue

  Rhett and AJ

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Mike and Maddison

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Landon and Chloe

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Terrance and Grace

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Colton and Gretchen

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Garrett and Kyra

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Julian

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Gavin and Maria

  Ben and Leann

  Colton and Alexis

  Bonus Scene

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by C. A. Harms

  the proposal

  Kyra

  I enter the house and find it dark, beside the sitting room off the back. The soft glow of flickering candles sparkle as I continue through the house and pause in the doorway.

  Garrett turns, offering me the most gorgeous smile that still after a year makes me weak in the knees.

  I never knew a smile could make all my inhibitions fly right out the window, but Garretts does. One flash and I will do just about anything.

  “What’s all this?” I ask, seeing desert on two plates, a bottle of wine and two glasses.

  Instead of answering me, he reaches in his back pocket and pulls out a box. My heart races, my hands start to shake, and I feel like I can barely breathe.

  “I already feel like the luckiest man alive,” he takes a step forward, then goes down on one knee and I cover my mouth.

  “Oh my God!”

  “I knew a year ago that this day would come. Had I known it wouldn’t have freaked you out, I would have asked you to marry me then. I’ve had this ring tucked in the bottom of my closet for months, waiting for the right time. I’ve thought of how I would do it, where we would be, what I would say. But nothing seems like enough. Nothing feels like it will express what you truly mean to me.”

  “Garrett–” only he doesn’t allow me to finish.

  “Then I realized that the perfect time is with you and me, in our home. There doesn’t need to be some big dinner, with a crowd to witness it all. This is something I want to share with you and you alone. This is our moment, and I don’t want to share it with anyone.”

  Holding out the box, he flips open the lid and the sparkle from the diamond flickers.

  “Marry me,” Garrett asks. “I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again, I knew years ago that you were the one I wanted. I knew that I’d give anything to share my life with you and this is me bringing that dream to life. Marry me Kyra,” he removes the ring from the box as I nod my head.

  “Yes!” holding out my hand he slides it over my finger and stands, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Yes... yes, yes!” I laugh and cry at the same time as he spins me in a circle.

  Tears roll over my cheeks as he lowers me to the floor. Cupping his face in my hands I kiss him and take a deep breath.

  This is my life.

  This is the man I love.

  It’s my everything, and I’m in awe of it all.

  I am completely and utterly in awe.

  prologue

  Grandpa Bud

  “Hey Daddy,” I look to my left just as my daughter, Kori, sits down at my side. “Why are you sitting up here on the porch by yourself?”

  I glance back to the yard once again, seeing everyone I love so dearly swarming around the yard like a bunch of buzzing bees. I smile as a feeling of pride fills my chest.

  “Just watching,” I take a deep breath, inhaling in the cool December air. “Taking in everything, wondering how I got so damn lucky to have the life I have.”

  “Because you work so hard at building it,” Kori says matter of factly, as if it is so simple. “You never let anyone feel like they don’t belong, like you aren’t right there in their corner cheering them on.”

  “Because that’s exactly where I am.”

  “And they all know that.” Kori leans over and places her hand on my forearm, offering me a loving squeeze. “Daddy, I am who I am because of you. You’ve never let me fall even when I felt as though my world had been crushed, you held me up. They may not all be your blood but you’ve never treated them as such. You’re tough as nails, but you have such a big heart. You looking out wondering how you’ve gotten so lucky isn’t gonna give you the answer you’re looking for.”

  I look at my daughter, unshed tears pooling in her eyes as she smiles at me.

  “You’ve built this life; you’ve given every single one of us the push we’ve needed to be the best version of ourselves. You’ve made this family and expanded it; you’ve shown every last one of us the kind of love and devotion that most people will never experience, I have never in my life met a man that values family the way you do. It’s everything Daddy, and because of that you’ve taught each of us to value it too.”

  I nod, I’m not a man to get emotional, my daughter is right, I am tough and stubborn, but I feel everything to my core. Though I may not express myself often through words, they are all my reason for breathing.

  “Now if you’re done being such a girl, we could use some help,” she leans back when I try to rough up her hair, laughing as she scurries away. “I could get you some tissues maybe,” she shrugs and I stand acting like I’m going after her.

  She is down the steps and out in the yard running toward her husband like her ass is on fire.

  That’s my girl, she’s always known how to get me moving.

  Gran Gemma

  “What are you digging for?” I don’t turn around at the sounds of Bud’s voice as I continue sifting through the totes buried deep in the spare bedroom closet. “It looks like a bomb went off in here.”

  “Ornaments,” I say, moving aside another tote, and grabbing for the next one.

  “Darlin, there's enough ornaments to decorate half a dozen trees.”

  “But not the ones I’m looking for,” the man forgets that I do have half a dozen trees. Two outside, one small one for the entryway, the large one is the family room where we all gather to exchange gifts. Then there is the kids tree, to which I let all the littles place their decorations however they’d like. Last but not least I have the sixth tree, smallest of them all, in the corner of Bud and my bedroom.

  “I’m looking for the box that has all of Kori's handmade ornaments from when she was little.”

  “We haven’t put those up in years.” I glance back to find him sitting on the edge of the bed, looking around the room.

  “Kori asked for them,” I explain. “She wants to start a tradition with all the great grandkids, letting them make one each year. Most of them are still a little young, but she has Blake and Brynnlee tomorrow night and she wanted to start with Blake.”

  I continue to dig, feeling frustrated that I’m yet to find them.

  “Here they are,” I spin around to find Bud holding up a small container, with the lid lifted as he peer’s inside. “Oh wow,” he tosses the lid and suddenly he is lifting something out, turning it around for me to see.

  “The first one she brought home,” I watch as my husband gets lost in his memories. “I’m still not exactly sure what it is.”

  He chuckles, allowing it to twist on his finger.

  “A snowflake maybe,” I can almost picture how excited she was when she ran up the drive toward us, as we both waited for her with open arms.

  “Snowball is more like it,” he’s right, it’s a bunch of cotton wadded up, with ribbon around it. It isn’t anything special, but precious at the same time.

  I kept everything, much like I do now whenever little Blake or Sarah draw me a picture. I don’t have the heart to throw anything away, finding each one to be special in its own way.

  “We’ve built one hell of a family,” I look up to find Bud watching me. “It’s strong and beautiful, and we built it.”

  There is nothing but love in his eyes, like he is lost in thought.

  “We have an amazing family,” I agree. My heart is so incredibly full and I have this man to thank for that. Bud Jackson has such a big heart; he loves hard and he loves big. He finds a place for every person that enters his life and though we may have only created one daughter, we’ve built the biggest best extended family any one person can ask for.

  rhett and aj

  one

  AJ

  Standing in the doorway that opens up into our large living room, I watch in awe. I still can’t believe this is my life. I think back to before Rhett and I were an us and I never could have imagined we’d be where we are now.

  Married, with two children, a son and a daughter. We live in a big, beautiful home that he himself designed and spent countless nights doing all he could to ensure it was as perfect as it could be. He was so meticulous and even then I thought he was being obsessively compulsive. Yet, now I see it, I see the details and I’m amazed at the man he is.

  I know I
have Kori and Reed to thank for that, but I also have every other member of his family. Each one of them took part in Rhett being the perfect man he is today. I have never in my life witnessed the kind of love and devotion this clan has for each other. Now, my children are growing up receiving that same kind of love and I can truly say it warms me to the depths of my soul. I know without a doubt in my mind they will never be left behind, or forced to face any obstacle alone.

  Blake, our son, is curled against Rhett’s side, his head tucked into the side of his chest and holding onto his daddies shirt. Almost like he’s afraid he'll leave and wants to ensure he’ll know if he makes an attempt. Brynnlee, our daughter is belly to belly with her daddy, her sweet little chubby cheeks squished just over Rhett’s heart.

  I find myself wondering if she’d fallen asleep to the soft gentle beat. The twinkling lights of our Christmas tree reflect off the floor to ceiling windows that line the back of our home.

  The lights are off, but the glow of the television adds enough that I can see the three of them clearly.

  I do this often, remain hidden, simply taking in the three people I love with every fiber of my being. To love someone so deeply and so purely it still takes me breath away. They are my lifeline, the ones that ground me and each day remind me of the person I want to be.

  Theirs.

  I move across the room , as quietly as I can, kneeling on the side of Rhett, opposite our little boy. I see now that Blake is sleeping and Rhett is staring ahead at the animated Christmas movie playing on the screen.

  He notices me, to which he turns his head, and holds out his arm. Welcoming me, I place my arm over Brynlee’s back and rest my hand over Blakes.

  “Now I have everything I need,” Rhett whispers, as I tilt my chin up and he leans in closer to press his lips to mine. “This right here, to me, is the best part of my day.”

  “Mine too,” I look forward to the quiet, the time when I can settle and enjoy the life we’ve built. Throughout the day there is so much chaos. The crying and yelling, the slamming of cabinet doors, banging of toys and the cartoons on repeat. I love it, truly I do, the smiles and giggles of Blake and Brynn make me happy. But it’s nice to sit and have them close, without all the crazy. Being able to simply breath and know that everything I could have ever dreamed of is within my embrace.

  “I love them, but I’ll admit I’m looking forward to tomorrow night.” Rhett confesses, kissing my forehead and he hugs me a little tighter. “It’s been a while since you and I have had a night just to ourselves.”

  “I think the last time we did I ended up pregnant.” I smile remembering the very night.

  “Who knows,” he starts to say and I poke him in the side making him chuckle.

  “No more babies,” I say as sternly as I can manage. I avoid looking at him, because I know I’ll find him scowling. He’d have me knocked up on repeat if I allowed it.

  “One more,” he nudges me.

  “You’re not the one that has to lug around all that baby fat, and deal with swollen hands and feet.”

  “I’ve never seen a more beautiful pregnant woman.”

  “Turning up the charm is not going to convince me to agree to another baby.”

  “But we make perfect little people,” he adds and I try to hide my smile. He isn’t lying. “I thought we said four.”

  “No, you said four.”

  “Three,” he pushes.

  “Maybe we should cancel tomorrow night,” I bite my lip to keep from giggling when he huffs.

  “Not a chance, I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks.” Again he holds me a little tighter. “At least tell me that we can practice baby making.”

  “There is nothing wrong with practicing.”

  It took me months to get back to my pre-baby weight after having Brynnlee, almost a year to be more exact. I’m just finally starting to feel like myself again. It seems to get harder each child and I’m excited to get dressed up and have some adult time.

  “What time is the party?”

  “Six,” I yawn, feeling the events of the day starting to catch up with me. “Colton wants us all there by five forty-five though, because he wants to lead in Gretchen after everyone else.”

  “We’re gone by eight,” Rhett insists and I look up at him once more. “Back here by eight thirty and naked by eight thirty-five.” His gaze grows darker as lust flashes in his eyes. “Then there is a no clothes rule set into place until morning when we are forced to climb out of bed.”

  “You have it all planned out,” he nudges forward, kissing me passionately, dragging his tongue along the seam of my lips. I moan, just as his tongue dips inside and he deepens the kiss.

  “Like I said, I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks, and not because it's Gretch’s birthday. I miss our time.”

  And I have to agree, our time is few and far between. Life gets away from us, two kids, his job, and he coaches at the high school. Now with the holidays, and with a big family there is always something going on. I think we forget that we have to make time for ourselves too.

  “After the holidays and the wedding, I think we need to go back to our weekly date night.”

  “I agree,” I miss those nights.

  “We have enough people to spread out the babysitting duties. Just a few hours once a week, you, me and a little quiet time.”

  “That sounds perfect.”

  Rhett kisses me once more and I get lost in the way he takes over my body. With only a kiss, he has me melting into his side and every ounce of stress or worry fading away.

  two

  Rhett

  “Where are my babies,” my mom hurries inside in search of Blake and Brynnlee. She doesn’t even give me the chance to say hello, I no longer matter.

  I hear chuckling as I look back at the open doorway to find my dad standing just outside.

  “She’s been counting down the hours,” he steps inside and slaps my shoulder as he passes. “Why do you think she insisted that we pick them up? She’s been pacing the halls all day counting down the minutes.”

  I hear a squeal and then see Blake go racing through the living room with my mother following close behind. She is like a toddler herself whenever she gets near him. I’ve never seen a grown woman roll around in the grass, make mud pies and race dump trucks like she does. She is like a kid again, and Blake absolutely adores her. Now my dad, he is in awe of Brynn. Big burly Reed Jackson brought to his knees by a sweet baby girl, he is putty the very seconds she curls her hand around his finger and looks up at him.

  I’m just about to call him out on it when I hear the sound of heels clicking against the hardwood floor.

  Looking up I swear I feel like I’ve swallowed my damn tongue.

  AJ is oblivious to the reaction she has triggered in me. Fitted dark skinny jeans, a sweater, hugging her to perfection, dipping low showing off the curve of her breasts. She left her hair down just the way I like with big waves.

  “You might want to pick up your tongue,” my dad chuckles, shaking his head as he takes Brynn from my mother.

  That is the moment AJ notices me watching her.

  “Do I look all right?”

  I move before I even register it and hook her by the waist pulling her in tight. She lets out a yelp of surprise as I cup the back of her neck and press my lips to hers. I hear my father chuckle but all I can focus on is my wife.

  “Rhett,” she mumbles with her lips against my own. AJ isn’t shy when we are alone, but with other people she gets a little embarrassed. The thing is still to this day I don’t think she fully comprehends what she does to me.