All I Want for Christmas: A Kinnison Legacy Holiday novella by Amanda McIntyre Page A

unmitigated joy. “Playtime is over, cowboy,” she said through her laughter.
    He pulled the sodden towel off his head and checked the front of his T-shirt, which was pretty much a lost cause. “Okay, buddy, she’s right. It’s been a long day and it’s time for bed.”
    Since his arrival Cody had spent nearly every moment with Rein or Liberty. He’d gone with Rein on errands. He’d met Nate at the drugstore where he’d had his first Green River at the soda fountain. They’d gone to the Git and Go where they’d shared a cherry slushy. They’d even been able to squeeze in a matinee at the movie theater. All firsts for Cody, it seemed, and for Rein a joy he hadn’t experienced in years.
    The sullen little boy who’d at first seemed quiet and shy had blossomed into a happy little boy under their care.
    Tomorrow would be their first Sunday supper with the family, what with it being postponed the last couple of weeks due to work, illness, and the like. Though Cody had been around members of his family, this was another first—everyone at once. Rein hoped that his family would accept Cody as one of their own.
    After reading the book about the magical dragon who’d befriended a little boy at least three times through, Cody had finally fallen asleep.
    Rein watched him sleep. There was so much he should be thankful for, but he feared losing the people he loved. His Parents. Jed. Their unborn son. And one day, Cody. Hearing the sound of water splashing in the master bath, he smiled. He had Liberty. He had his health. She had hers.
    He leaned against the master bathroom door, smiling at his beautiful wife soaking up to her neck in a tub of bubbles. “Hey, thanks for being a good sport about those water pistols. Impulse buys.”
    She returned his smile. “You’re getting used to this dad thing, aren’t you?”
    He shrugged and sat down on the edge of the tub, letting his hand drift lazily through the sudsy water. “I guess so. You going to tell me that the ‘mom’ thing doesn’t get to you just a little bit?” His fingertips brushed her knee. He loved when she sighed at his touch.
    “He’s only been here less than a month and already he’s set up a permanent spot in my heart.” She glanced at him, those eyes he adored shimmering with concern. “What am I going to do when he has to leave?”
    “Whoa, slow down, sweetheart.” He patted her knee. “One day at a time, okay? Think of it as a training ground.”
    “Is that how you do it?” She tossed him a curious look.
    “Do what?”
    “Manage not to get emotionally tangled up in all of this.”
    He smiled. “I don’t know if that’s true.” He stood to empty his pockets before peeling off his clothes and easing into the frothy bubbles. “I nailed it with this oversized tub, didn’t I?”
    “You’re invading my space,” Liberty stated with an arch of her brow.
    “Oh, sweetheart, I haven’t even begun my invasion of your space,” he said, running his hands up the sides of her calves. “I don’t believe I’ve formally tested the sturdiness of that two-sink vanity you had to have.”
    Liberty leaned forward and cupped his face with her wet hands. “Why do you think I was so insistent?” She brushed her lips to his with a smile, then met his mouth in a fiery kiss that led to yet another water mess to clean up.
    Sometime later, after the structural validity of the vanity had been fully tested, they lay together in the dark, listening to the radio. Rein figured that Thomas Rhett had it right when he sang about being able to die a happy man. If this woman was to be his family, he’d gladly live with that. He hummed softly to the tune, languid in his thoughts, glad to be alive, here and with Liberty.
    Her fingers traced concentric circles on his stomach, as always awakening his desire. “Did that bubble bath help to relax you, darlin’?”
    She made a soft sound of approval. “Among other things,” she said, sliding her leg against his.
    The