Stuck On You (A Christmas Novella) by Rhonda Gibson Page B

one else’s could. For the first time in her life, Sheila felt sure she was falling in love.
    The ringing phone drew her from the romantic thoughts, and she laughed as she hurried to the living room and picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
    “You sound happy.” Morgan’s warm voice filled her ear and sent a shiver of delight down her back.
    She sat down in one of her plush armchairs. “I am.”
    “Because I called?”
    One of the things she loved about him was his playful banter. “Well, honestly I was happy even before you called.” She twisted the cord with her index finger and smiled.
    “You were thinking of me, weren’t you?”
    “As a matter of a fact, I was. Are you wearing your elf outfit tonight?” she teased.
    “Oh, you cut me to the core. You were only happy because you thought I’d be wearing that silly costume.” He moaned into the receiver.
    She laughed.
    “No, seriously I called because I have to break our date tonight.”
    Disappointment filled her voice. “Oh?”
    “My mother has invited me to come out for dinner, and I told her I would. I’m really sorry. I don’t see my parents enough, and, well, you know how it is. Can we go out tomorrow night? I really am sorry.”
    Why couldn’t he invite her to his parents’ with him? Sheila wondered but didn’t ask. “I can’t go tomorrow night. I promised Sarah I’d watch the kids for her.” She heard the sound of a beep on his end of the phone.
    “I’m sorry, Sheila. That’s Mom on the other line. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
    “Okay.”
    They hung up with swift good-byes. Sheila dragged her feet as she walked slowly back to the bedroom and pulled off the wool sweater. She dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a long-sleeved, pink, oversized T-shirt. She put the clothes back in her closet. Scooping up Chrissy, she walked back into the living room. “I guess it’s just you and me tonight, Miss Chrissy.” She set the cat down on the armchair.
    It bothered her that Morgan hadn’t invited her to his parents’. Didn’t he feel the same way about her as she did him? She walked into her kitchen filled with gingerbread men. Turning on the teakettle, she pulled down her favorite mug and the container that held her hot chocolate.
    Sheila didn’t know how to answer her own question. It wasn’t as if they’d been dating for months. He may not have any feelings at all for her other than someone to have fun with. She sighed.
     
    Morgan hated letting her down like that. He could have kicked himself when his mother called to remind him dinner would be at seven. His parents wanted help putting up their Christmas tree. It was tradition, and he knew without asking that his mother didn’t want a stranger coming along with him.
    Sheila wasn’t a stranger to him, but she was to his parents. He knew his mother would never have agreed to share what she called her “special evening” with him, so he hadn’t even asked.
    Any other night, she would have welcomed Sheila, but not tonight. He sighed.
    The more time he spent with Sheila, the more he wanted to spend with her. She was sunshine on a cold day to him. He pulled into his parents’ driveway.
    He noticed a new red car sitting in the drive and wondered when they’d purchased it. Morgan knew it didn’t belong to either of his brothers, because neither one of them had mentioned the new wheels when he’d talked to them on the phone.
    As he walked to the door, Morgan made the decision to tell his parents about Sheila. He wondered what they would think of him when he told them he’d fallen in love. They’d probably be shocked since he and Sheila hadn’t known each other very long, just a few weeks, but when he told them God was in control, Morgan knew they’d accept Sheila into their family. He was thankful his two brothers were both out of town or he’d get the ribbing of his life. They would never understand love at first sight.
    He laughed as he entered the house. It hadn’t been