His Christmas Wish by Marquita Valentine Page A

off.”
    “Why you—”
    A wicked grin kicked up the corners of his sexy mouth. “Do you really think I’d let anyone watch us? Especially that horn-dog Hank Cutter. Back in the day, he couldn’t stop talking about you in the locker room. Dumbass tried to tell everyone you’d been screwing him in his brand new truck. He hasn’t changed one bit. According to Roberto, Hank’s been going around and saying that y’all are becoming…how did he put it—oh yeah, reacquainted.”
    “Seriously?” This was the man her mother had been trying to push on her and their family business? “I guess you found out the truth when we had sex the first time. Although now you’ll just have to take my word that Hank and I haven’t been getting reacquainted .”
    “And I guess Hank couldn’t see out of one eye for days after he said that shit in high school. Coach hadn’t been too happy about his star pitcher not being able to throw the ball right.”
    “You did that for me? Before we were together?” Her heart swelled. She loved him so much, but she couldn’t make bring herself the words.
    “Real men don’t need to brag.” Joaquin pulled his shirt over his head and snapped his jeans. “I believed you when you said you’d been faithful. No need to defend yourself to me.”
    “As for the other, I’m honored as hell I was your first, but it wouldn’t have mattered if I wasn’t,” he added, tugging her closer. “I was in love and I’m still in love.”
    She hugged him tight, not letting go even as the phone rang. She should just woman-up and admit that she loved him. “Joaquin, I—”
    The answering machine kicked on, her mother’s voice ringing loud and clear. “Sage, this is your momma. We’ll be eating at two tomorrow, on account that your Uncle Joe will be joining us. You can sign the divorce papers while you’re here and he’ll file first thing Tuesday morning.”
    Sage began to shake as Joaquin stiffen in her arms. Then his stance relaxed and he began to stroke her back.
    “I hope you’ve gotten that boy out of your system and come to your senses, Sage Charles Caswell. Cold feet are not what a Caswell is about.” Virginia’s voice sweetened to honey. “See you tomorrow at two, sugar. Unless you’ve decided to betray your family and stay married to him.” The answering machine clicked off.
    “Still going for the drama, I see,” Joaquin said, his hands still gliding up and down her back soothingly.
    “I’m not signing those papers. I didn’t hire Uncle Joe. She did.”
    “When I first got here you told me that we—”
    “I had planned on divorcing you…so I could be with Gage.” Unbidden, tears slipped down her cheeks. “I’d hired a local guy to re-file the papers. All I had to do was sign, but I couldn’t.”
    “Why?”
    She shook her head. “Because I had to know that Gage was worth it, in person and not just in his letters. That what I would be giving up, my last tie to you, didn’t mean anything to me anymore. I thought it didn’t, but your last couple of letters were different. It was like you were trying to get me to figure it out. Then Roberto just happened to mention that one of the guys in your unit took home a dog named Gage with him,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “I tore up the papers and told Sam Vance I didn’t need his services anymore. You were coming home to me, you were safe and alive and-and I couldn’t not give us another chance. Then I saw you at the parade...I was so angry and confused and—”
    Lifting her chin with the crook of his finger, he smiled down at her. “Stop beating yourself up. We’re done with that part of our life. You saved my ass in Afghanistan, with your letters, and with that fugly bear I won for you. Guys kept calling me Huggy Bear when they found it.”
    “I wouldn’t have sent that to anyone but you.”
    “It doesn’t matter. What matters the most is that we’re together. But—”
    “But what?” Cold dread