Looking away, Elli took in a sharp breath. This was completely crazy. They hadn’t spoken more than two sentences to each other in almost eight years. “I’m sorry, but this has kind of left me speechless.”
“I know,” Victoria agreed. “I don’t deserve your trust, or even for you to accept my apology, but I promise, I am being true and speaking from the heart. I’m not under Mom’s control anymore. I’m my own woman. I don’t need anyone anymore, but I want to have you and the kids in my life.”
Her eyes were sincere, and this was the first time Elli had ever seen her sister look at her like that. Elli didn’t know if she could trust her, but she kinda wanted to. She had always wanted a real, loving relationship with Victoria. She’d envied her when she was growing up and wished that she would have given her the time of day. Kind of like how Harper was with her baby sisters. She wanted that, and maybe this was her chance.
Or maybe it would all blow up in her face. She wasn’t sure, but slowly she nodded, a grin pulling at her lips as she said, “I would like that. Maybe we can get together for coffee when I get back from Fiji.”
Victoria’s lip quivered as she nodded, her eyes not leaving Elli’s. “I would really love that.”
“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.