Under the Mistletoe with Me (With Me in Seattle, #1.5)

Under the Mistletoe with Me (With Me in Seattle, #1.5)

Kristen Proby





Dedication:



For Alvin. We know how much work marriage is. Thanks for joining me on the journey. I love you.





Acknowledgements:

To my Naughty Mafia: Kelli Maine, Michelle Valentine, Katie Ashley, Emily Snow and Ava Black. Your continued friendship and support is amazing. You are all so very talented. I am honored to be a part of this group. Thank you.

Lori Francis: As always, you rock. I can’t thank you enough for your friendship. Love you, girl.

Tanya Robo: I love you.

To the best beta readers ever: Nichole Boyovich, Niccole Owens and Kara Erickson. You always give me the best feedback!

Kit Redeker: Thank you for taking the time to edit and offer advice. But most of all, thank you for being a mentor to me for more than ten years. You are wonderful.

To the dozens of bloggers and reviewers who have become such an amazing foundation of support and friendship. Thank you for being so welcoming!

And, as always, to the readers: I honestly don’t have the words to express my gratitude. Thank you for your unending notes of love and support. I hope you enjoy Isaac and Stacy.

Happy Reading!





UNDER THE MISTLETOE WITH ME


A With Me In Seattle Novella Kristen Proby

Copyright ? 2012 by Kristen Proby

All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. All characters and storylines are the property of the author and your support and respect is appreciated. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

The following story contains mature themes, strong language, and sexual situations. It is intended for adult readers.

Cover image used under license by Foltolia.com

Cover Design by Rachel A. Marks





Chapter One


“I’m just glad you didn’t have a game today and can actually enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with us.” My mother-in-law, Gail, smiles over at her son, Will who is currently stuffing his face full of mashed potatoes.

“Me too, Mom. God, this is good.”

“That’s a lot of carbs for a man in training,” Isaac mutters next to me. I run my palm up and down my husband’s thigh and grin up at him. He loves giving his brother a hard time.

“Dude, it’s Thanksgiving,” Will replies.

“So the carbs don’t count?” Isaac asks.

“Exactly.” Will grins and takes another bite of his potatoes. I am surrounded by a room full of loving, funny people. The Montgomery gene pool is impressive. But more than being, well, gorgeous, they are welcoming and good-hearted, and I’m proud and lucky to be a part of them.

Sophie, our four-month-old daughter, squirms in my arms.

“Here, babe, let me take her.” Isaac pulls our baby girl into his arms and lays her on his broad shoulder. She settles in and falls back to sleep, her face pressed against his neck. I can’t blame her, it’s one my favorite places to be too. “You eat, honey.”

We are all gathered at Luke and Natalie’s house for the holiday. The loving couple have been married for about two months now, and I couldn’t be happier for them. Natalie isn’t a sister by blood, but she’s been a part of this family for years. She and Jules’, the youngest and only girl of the Montgomery clan, are the best of friends. With the addition of Luke’s parents, Lucy and Neil, and two siblings, Samantha and Mark, along with my parents as well, this house is overflowing with bodies, loud with voices and laughter, and is a little too warm.

There is no where I’d rather be.

“Stace, how is your blog going?” Jules asks next to me.

“It’s going well, thanks. I really love it.”

“She’s being modest,” Isaac cuts in with a grin. “It’s going great. She’s got over two thousand followers, and her reviews have been picked up by some publishers to add to book covers.”

He smiles down at me and kisses my forehead, his blue eyes shining with pride. God, I love him.

“What kind of books are you reviewing?” Natalie asks.

“Romance novels,” I reply with a smile.

“The dirty kind?” Will asks hopefully, earning a smack in the arm from Luke’s sister, Samantha. “What?”

“Don’t be a perv,” she mutters, glaring at him.

“Actually, all kinds, but yes, the erotic novels are pretty hot right now,” I respond and wink at him.

“Oh! Have you read those books that everyone’s been talking about?” Samantha asks. “You know, the ones where the guy ties her up and spanks her and is all kinds of naughty?”

I feel my ears burn as I blush. The guys all roll their eyes, but Matt, Isaac’s younger brother, clears his throat and won’t look anyone in the eye.

Interesting.

“Yes, I’ve read them, Sam.”

“I could use some of those,” Jules whispers in my ear. “I’ve hit a dry spell.”

“I’ll email you a list,” I whisper back and we giggle.

“What are you whispering about?” Isaac asks, pulling my hand up to kiss my knuckles.

“Just books,” I reply.

“Okay, gimme the baby.” Natalie stands and walks around the table, her arms open, and scoops Sophie up off of Isaac’s shoulder, nuzzling her. “Hi, precious. I missed you.”

My gaze finds Luke. He’s watching his wife, his blue eyes full of love and contentment. Natalie is pregnant herself.

“Anytime you want practice with middle of the night feedings, you’re welcome to it,” Isaac tells her.

I roll my eyes and smack his arm. “Quit trying to give my baby away.”

He winks at me and takes a bite of his turkey. “I’m just kidding.”