“Today was a good day,” he said. “And we all needed it.”
The family time, the togetherness, the connection and love between all of them, helped refill the places in Bree’s heart that their last case had left hollow. They recharged her.
“We did,” she agreed. She lowered her voice. “I love to see the kids so happy. But I’m still worried about Christmas. It’s going to be hard.”
“I’ve been thinking about that.” Matt gazed over the crowd. “What would you say to taking them on a trip? They might want to be home, near their mother, for Christmas morning, but I thought we could leave the day after, give them a new experience.”
“A trip?” Bree let the suggestion roll around in her head. “I like the idea, but I thought you wanted a more private getaway.”
“It wasn’t fair of me to ask you to leave them with the holidays and the anniversary of their mother’s death coming up. They’re going to need lots of support to get through the next month. The only question I should have asked is, How can I help?”
“Have I told you I love you today?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m telling you again.” Bree’s eyes misted. Again. So annoying. “But where should we go?”
“Disney World,” he suggested.
“That is the absolute last suggestion I expected to come out of your mouth.”
He shrugged. “The trip is for the kids. Besides, I can now name all the princesses.”
Bree laughed. “I think Luke and Kayla would enjoy that.” She wrapped her arm around his waist. “But we have five horses. Taking a vacation isn’t as simple as—”
“Adam will take care of the horses.”
“You already asked?”
“Yep.”
“What about hotel and airfare? Last-minute travel right after Christmas has to be crazy.”
“It’s all arranged. I have a travel agent who’s put a suite and plane tickets on hold until tomorrow. Frankly, we could all use a vacation to the happiest place on earth. All you have to do is say yes.”
Bree turned and threw her arms around his neck. “Yes.”
He pulled her close, hugged her hard. “We’ll get away on our own one day, when the kids are in a better place. There’s no rush. I’m not going anywhere.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special thanks to the writer friends who help me every day: Rayna Vause, Kendra Elliot, Leanne Sparks, Toni Anderson, Amy Gamet, and Loreth Anne White. Cheers, ladies! As always, credit goes to my agent, Jill Marsal, for her continued unwavering support and solid career advice. I’m also grateful for the entire team at Montlake, especially my acquiring editor, Anh Schluep, and my developmental editor, Charlotte Herscher. As far as teams go, I am lucky to have the best.