Mistletoe Mischief Read Free

then he spent even more time in his workshop when he found out about her affair. And a good father would’ve been around more for Reese when she needed him.  
    That guilt would never completely ease. But at least his current efforts to make up for his mistakes were paying off. His older brother’s platoon had returned safely from their second tour in Iraq, and once Mark ended his Term of Service and moved back home come November, there’d be more volunteer First Responders to cut back on Eric’s on-call days. Better yet, his woodworking reputation had reached a place where he could charge higher prices for the elaborate pieces and work less hours, freeing him up to spend more days like today with Reese.  
    Everything was in place for him to re-petition for joint custody at the hearing scheduled in August. With Nina remarried, and now almost five months pregnant, he just wasn’t so sure which direction she’d swing. Hopefully he’d proven he could be depended on for more than just money. As tired and moody as she’d been lately, he prayed she’d be receptive to him dealing with Reese’s energy for half the time instead of just every other weekend.  
    “Daddy, come on! We have to get in line,” Reese called, curving her little arm in an arc for him to hurry up.
    He smiled and increased his stride to catch up, anticipating a similar expression on her face at home later when she saw he’d finished the tree house in the backyard. He’d bought marshmallows too, so they could make s’mores at the campfire before climbing up to sleep amongst the leaves. It’d been far too long since they’d done something like that.  
    He took the steps two at a time to stand behind the girls on the raised platform that put zoo-goers at eye level with the fourteen-foot tall giraffes. An accidental brush of his arm against Marissa’s made him feel more alive as a man than he had in over a year. The awareness coursing through him convinced him not to give up the chase just yet, even if her sideways glance remained less than encouraging.
    Reese bounced on her toes in front of him. “I need a quarter so I can get some crackers for Lucy.”
    Eric dug into his pocket. Before his fingers could scrape up his loose change, Marissa held out her hand to Reese. “Here you go, honey. There’s two for both you and Heather.”
    “Don’t forget Larry,” Eric called after his daughter. That earned him an eye roll from Marissa, but hey, someone had to look after the guy. He hesitated, and then stepped in front of her, because sometimes, the guy had to look after himself. After a quick scan to assure semi-privacy, he moved closer so she’d be the only one to hear his low-pitched voice. “Listen—about what I said—”
    She leaned sideways to see past him. “Heather, Reese, stand back and wait your turn.”
    Eric checked over his shoulder to see the two girls alongside the fence surrounding the platform, their rye crackers in hand. They looked fine, so he faced Marissa again. This time she lifted her blue gaze direct to his. His pulse revved like his circular saw just before it bit into a plank of fresh pine.
    “Forget it,” she said. “I overreacted.”
    “If I’d meant it the way you took it, you’d have been justified,” he allowed. “But I was trying to point out it was good you were going so slow.”
    “Oh.” Her gaze flickered from his, and she glanced around his shoulder again. “Heather, get down off the railing. It’s almost your turn.”
    Eric shifted to keep an eye on Reese and continued the conversation. “I like that you took the time to teach them at each—”
    He broke off when Reese reached up to tickle Heather, who’d leaned over the top of the fence to see the giraffes better. Heather wobbled precariously before tipping the wrong direction with a terrified shriek. His heart about stopped beating at the same time he heard Marissa gasp in panic beside him.
    “Heather!”
    He didn’t remember pushing past