“Why are you looking at me like that?” Elli said with a laugh later that night as she lay beside her husband in bed.

“Because why would you agree to go to have coffee with the person who tried to break us up?”

“Because she is my sister.”

“So what, next is your mom?”

Elli shook her head. “My mom hasn’t apologized, Victoria did, and she wants to know me and have a relationship with me. It can’t hurt to give it a shot.”

He looked skeptical as he shrugged. “Just be careful.”

“I will, and plus Christmas is a time for forgiving and loving thy neighbor.”

“I doubt that neighbor schemed against you and kissed your boyfriend to make you break up with him.”

Elli smiled as she hooked a leg over his hip. “Probably not, but we overcame it.”

“After three months of hell. Took me busting some glass and paying a fine to get you to listen to me,” he added.

“But look at us now!”

He chuckled as he gathered her in his arms. “Yeah, look at us. Happy, kids, the whole nine yards huh?”

She nodded, her fingers tangling in the hairs at the nape of his neck. “It’s a pretty great life.”

“I couldn’t agree more, and to think, I get a whole week to make love to you every second of the day.”

“Mmmm,” she purred against his lips. “The great thing is I can’t get pregnant either.”

That had them both laughing, shaking the bed as their laughter filled the room. Gathering her in his arms, he kissed her nose and then one side of her mouth and the other before her lips. As her heart pounded against her ribs, she couldn’t think of another place she’d rather be than in Shea Adler’s arms. She wasn’t sure of the future, but as long as it was with Shea and her kiddos, she’d be just fine.

Christmas had been an eventful one, but she wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was her life—eventful and crazy with her clan of kids and mind-blowing husband. She wasn’t sure how she got this fortunate, but she thanked the good Lord above as her husband slowly peeled her clothes away before making sweet love to her. It was a blessing to not only wake up being the wife of her gorgeous husband but the mother of five of the best kids on this planet. And as her husband slowly moved inside of her, his eyes trained on hers, Elli Adler knew that life couldn’t get any better.

She had it all.

“Kacey, you’ve been on that phone all damn afternoon. Put it the hell down!”

Lacey King giggled as her mother-in-law, Regina, tried to knock her daughter’s phone out of her hand.

“Ma! Stop!” Kacey yelled back. “This is important!”

“What could be so damn important that you’d rather be on that phone than talk to us?”

“Duh, Ma, a dude,” she informed her, looking at her mother with a deadpan expression.

Lacey giggled as she shook her head. Having her in-laws home was a blessing in disguise. She loved them, but man, they were loud.

“A dude?” Regina asked, a little taken aback. “Who?”

Kacey’s grin grew and Lacey smiled. Her sister-in-law was a beautiful woman. Strong as an ox and built like one too. Her eyes were like razors, sharp and beautiful, while her hair was finally touching her shoulders. Since Karson, her brother and Lacey’s husband, constantly said she was a lesbian, Lacey had noticed that Kacey had started to grow her hair out. If she was a showstopper with short hair, Lord help the male gender when she grew it out.

“No one,” she said, waving her off before tucking her phone in her pocket. “I’m done. What’s up?”

“Well, I’m trying to talk Lacey into having a baby. Help me,” Regina said and Lacey just giggled.

“Ma, please, they’ll do it when they want to,” Kacey said with a shake of her head. “But please, Lacey, pop one out so she’ll shut up.”

Lacey grinned as she shrugged. “I can say we aren’t preventing it, but we aren’t trying. We are giving it to the Lord.”

“I love her,” Regina said with a dreamy look on her face. “She’s a great woman: smart and beautiful and God-fearing. We picked a good one for our Karson.”

Lacey laughed as she shook her head. “I’m pretty sure he picked me.”

“Yes, but we decided to keep you,” Regina said with a wink before kissing Lacey’s cheek. “Best decision ever. Now we just need Kacey to find a good man.”

Kacey scoffed at that. “Please. There are no good men in the world. Daddy and Karson have set the bar too high.”

“Agreed,” Lacey said, sending Kacey a grin. “But yours is out there.”

“Eh, I’m good with my life.”

“That’s all that matters,” Lacey said before Regina could object to that.

“I’m gonna take these to the men,” Regina said, taking the meals that Lacey had just plated and leaving for the living room.

Smiling contentedly, Lacey took a sip of her tea as she looked around the kitchen. She loved this kitchen. She loved her house. She loved Nashville. But most of all, she loved Karson so much. The last month had been perfect. They couldn’t be more in love, and everything was moving great for them. They were still looking for a location to expand Lacey’s Lace, but she knew in her heart that the right place was there, and when she found it, it was on.

She couldn’t wait to open the new store. She decided that Rachel would be the manager of the one in Chicago, and she would take over running the one in Nashville. Thinking of Rachel, she smiled. She and Grady had left two days ago after spending Christmas with Lacey and the Kings. Lacey was surprised when her brother said that he wanted to spend Christmas in Nashville because that meant they wouldn’t be spending it with their dad since Lacey still wasn’t talking to him.