Under The Mistletoe With Me
A With Me in Seattle Novella
By
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.”
“You know I’d keep her in a heartbeat,” Natalie responds with a happy smile and kisses Sophie’s cheek, making her giggle.
Isaac’s phone rings in his pocket. He checks the display and scoots his chair back.
“I’ll be right back.”
I wonder who it could be? Surely not work on Thanksgiving. I shrug it off and finish my dinner, and then help clear the table and clean the kitchen. With all of us chipping in, the chores are done quickly and we all settle in with glasses of wine or coffee to chat and recover from the delicious Thanksgiving meal.
Finally, Isaac returns from his phone call, a frown on his handsome face. “Who was that?”
“It was nothing.” He shakes his head and walks to the kitchen to pull a beer out of the fridge before sitting next to me on the couch.
“It was someone,” I respond.
He shakes his head again and takes a pull from his beer. “Don’t worry about it.”
I frown up at him. This is new. It’s not that we have to share every little detail about who we talk to, but we usually do. He’s never been evasive before.
Before I can argue with him, he takes my hand in his and links our fingers, bringing them up to his lips. “Just drop it.”
He grins down at me and winks, then strikes up a conversation with Will about his football season with the Seahawks, effectively closing the subject. With a full belly, and a warm fire blazing not far away, I settle in next to my firm husband, rest my head on his muscular shoulder, and watch the activity around me.
“Stacy, here are the photos we took last week of Sophie,” Natalie hands me a thumb drive. “I think you’ll like them.”
/> “Oh, I know I’ll love them! Thanks again for doing it. I’ll order Christmas cards next week.” I grin at her as she takes a seat across from me with Jules.
Jules and Nat have their heads together, as usual, cooing over a sleeping Sophie. I smile at the three of them. Three beautiful girls. I pull my phone out of my pocket and snap a photo of them.
Sam sits next to them and kisses Sophie’s head, and I snap another photo.
All of our parents are settled around the dining room table with coffee, chatting about grandkids and Christmas plans.
Will and Isaac ramble on about football, with Matt, their other brother, and Luke chiming in here and there. Mark saunters in from the kitchen, passes Luke another beer and joins them. The only one missing is Caleb, who is off on some SEAL mission.
I hope he’ll be home for Christmas.
“You okay?” Isaac whispers.
“Mmm.”
He grins down at me and kisses my hair. My eyes are heavy. I let my eyelids fall and listen to the conversations around me.
“I’ll be back in a minute.” Isaac catches my chin in his fingers and kisses me softly. I never get tired of his lips. My man can kiss. He moves away from me and lowers me onto the couch so my head is on the armrest and I feel him walk away from me.
Will, Luke and Mark are enthralled in football talk, passionately arguing about the offensive line.
Suddenly, my eyes blink open and I wonder how long I’ve slept. I didn’t mean to drift off.
Our moms have left their husbands at the table and joined the rest of us girls in the living room. My mom cradles Sophie in her arms, earning a frown from Jules.
“I never get to hold her. Between Natalie and you guys, I never get her.”
“Don’t whine,” Natalie mutters.
“Shut up,” Jules responds, and I giggle. They are so funny, even when they bicker.
“Stace, I’m glad the blog is going well,” Luke’s mom Lucy says with a smile.
“Thanks, me too. I just need something to do while I’m home with Sophie. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bored, but I just…” How do I explain that I need something, just for me, without sounding selfish?
“I get it,” Lucy responds.
“So, let’s talk strategy, girls.” Jules rubs her hands together and perches at the edge of the couch with a large stack of newspaper ads. “Black Friday.” She grins excitedly and bounces on the cushion, her pretty blonde hair bouncing with her, licks her finger and grabs the ad on top, flipping through it.
“I’m not going at 4:00 am this time,” Natalie informs her while she rubs her tiny baby bump. “This little one won’t let me out of bed that early.”
“I can’t do that early either,” I chime in.
“I’m doing my shopping online.” Sam waves us off and rolls her eyes. “I refuse to get into a fist fight over a scarf.”
“You’re no fun,” Jules pouts.
“I’m in, if we leave around seven. I can have Sophie fed and be ready myself.”
“Okay, Nat and I will pick you up then.”
“Gonna spend all my money, baby?” Luke murmurs into Nat’s ear as she climbs into his lap. He wraps his arms around her and holds her close and I can’t help but grin at them. They are so in love.
“Yep. All of it. We’ll be homeless when I’m done.”
“It’s okay, we’ll go live with Jules.”
“Oh hell no.” Jules shakes her head and laughs. “We’ll save enough money for you to cover the mortgage.”
“Oh good,” he replies dryly.
“Well, some of us are on a budget,” I inform them with a chuckle. “So go easy on me.”
“It’s gonna be so fun!” Jules claps her hands as Sophie begins to fuss in my mom’s arms.
“We should probably head home,” I murmur and stand, stretching my arms up over my head. “Will, where are Isaac and Matt?”
“I think they’re on the deck.” Will responds, and then returns to his football conversation with the boys.
What is it with men and football?
I walk over to the patio door and open it quietly. I hear my husband’s deep voice say, “I just don’t know what to do about her.”
“Well, bro..” Matt begins but stops when he sees me in the doorway. He offers me a smile. “Hey, Stace.”
“Hey.” I step out on the deck and smile at Isaac, but my stomach is in knots as I remember the mysterious phone call at dinner, and now this. “What’s going on?”
Isaac shakes his head and shrugs nonchalantly. “Nothing.”
“Uh, huh.” I eye him, knowing he’s keeping something from me, but then I hear Sophie cry inside. “We should go. Soph is ready for bed.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
Chapter Two
“Are you sure you don’t want me to take Soph to my mom’s?” I ask Isaac as I bustle around the kitchen, putting breakfast supplies away.
“Nah, we’ll be fine.” He cradles her against his chest, bouncing her slightly and smiles at me. “Have fun today. Don’t worry about us.”
“I intend to have fun. And shop my ass off. I am bringing a change of socks to refresh my feet half way through.”
Isaac shakes his head and laughs. “I don’t get Black Friday.”
“It’s a challenge that involves shopping. It’s not for you to understand.” I switch my phone to vibrate and shove it in my pocket, throw my keys in my purse and glance up at my husband. “Hey, question.”
“Okay.”
“What was going on last night at Luke and Nat’s?”
Isaac frowns and sighs. “Stace, don’t worry about it. Have fun today, and we’ll talk later.”
“We don’t keep secrets.”
“I’m not keeping one now. I want you to have fun today. We’ll talk later.”
“If you say so.” He leans down and kisses me chastely, then grips my jaw in his hand and deepens the kiss, making my toes curl. He smells like coffee, his body wash and just Isaac, and when he pulls back and gives me that cocky grin with his bright blue eyes smiling at me, I can’t help but sigh, even after being with him all these years.
“I’ll see you later,” I whisper when I hear Jules honk her horn outside.
“Be safe.” He kisses my forehead. I lean in to kiss Sophie’s cheek and I’m out the door.
***
Sometimes, you just need a day out with the girls, and I’ve realized today that it’s been far too long since I’ve taken time away from the baby to just enjoy my friends. We have been all over Seattle, following sales and just enjoying each other’s company.
“You scored on that watch for Will at Macy’s.” Jules comments as she holds a sweater up.
“I know, I hope he likes it.”
“He will. Besides that man needs a watch. He’s always late.”
My phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out to check the text.
nipples.
Huh? Isaac has sent me a text that just says nipples? Is he talking about nipples for Sophie’s bottle?
“Oh, look! The baby section. C’mon, guys, I wanna look.” Natalie leads us to the brightly colored baby section to look through clothes and other gear.
My phone vibrates again.
I luv it when u ride me and I can play with ur
My husband has lost his mind. Or someone has stolen his phone and is sending me obscene text messages.
I vaguely hear Jules and Nat chattering around me, but I’m not paying attention to what they’re saying or even what they’re looking at. I’m just mindlessly following them through the store, winding through clothes racks and around a loud Santa and elves and kids yelling and crying.
It’s really, really loud in here.
nd cum in ur mouth.
What the hell? I stare down at my phone and frown.
“Oh, Stace, Sophie would be so cute in this!”
I tuck my phone in my pocket and look over at Jules holding up an adorable black romper. “Oh, that’s adorable! I??
?ll take it.”
My phone vibrates again, so I pull it out and check the text.
You make me so hard.
Isaac hasn’t talked to me like this in years. Years. Before I can shove my phone back in my pocket, it vibes again and another text from him pops on the screen.
I want u kneeling in front of me with ur pretty pink lips around my cock. I’m gonna pull your hair a
That’s it. The last of the text is cut off again. This isn’t my husband. We haven’t done the dirty talk thing since before Sophie was born. Hell, since before Sophie was conceived.
“Stacy?” I hear Nat calling my name, but before I can answer, one more text comes through.
This is what I’m gonna give you 2nite. Be ready. And… it’s a picture of his dick.
“Stacy?” Jules lays her hand on my arm to get my attention, and I meet her concerned blue gaze with my own.
“What the fuck is up with your brother?”
“What are you talking about?” Jules asks.
“He’s sending me obscene text messages, which I’m starting to think aren’t intended for me, given that he hasn’t talked dirty to me like this in years, and last night at Nat’s he took a private call that he won’t tell me about and was talking about some woman with Matt. Jules, if your brother is fucking around on me, so help me God…”
Jules laughs and shakes her head. “Stacy, you know he’s not fucking around.”
“As of right this minute, I’m not so sure.”
And the magnitude of that statement paralyzes me. I stare at my friends and replay last night and this morning in my head, his evasiveness, telling me to drop it, but kissing me to cover it up. I feel my eyes widen and my heart rate triples.
“Fuck.”
“Stacy, I’m sure there’s an explanation. Isaac is nuts about you.” Natalie rubs my back in large circles, trying to console me.
“He is, Stace.” Jules nods. “I know he loves you and Sophie more than anything.”
“That doesn’t mean that he’s not having an affair,” I whisper.