Caden threw a duffle bag into the backseat of his new dark gray Corvette Stingray, the paint glistening in the early morning sun. He wanted to get an early start while the sun was out. A far cry from his hometown, Christmas Cove, where it snowed in abundance every year."Drive carefully, man." Brock Conner, his best friend, gave him a manly slap on the arm. "Stop when you get tired. Don't try to drive straight through."Caden pulled him in for a one-armed man hug. "Have a good Christmas." He pulled back and his lips curled into a mischievous grin. "And don't do anything I wouldn't do."Brock was too far away from his hometown to visit for the holidays, so he decided to party in California with a bunch of other guys who couldn't go home, either. He had been Caden's best friend as soon as he arrived in NAB (Naval Amphibious Base) Coronado. When he finished BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL), he was assigned to SEAL Team 5, the same team as Brock Conner.Brock had teased him abo
Jocelyn almost fainted when Caden walked into the jewelry store, looking more gorgeous than when he had left. But it was obvious that he didn't recognize her. She just stood there behind the counter with her mouth open, feeling like a complete idiot."I'm so sorry to bother you, but I'd like to buy a ring." Caden waited. When she didn't move, he pointed toward the front door. "This is still a jewelry store, isn't it?""Yes, of course." Jocelyn suddenly found her voice again. Now, if her heart would just restart-.He took a step toward the door, obviously questioning her sanity. "I can come back, if now isn't a good time.""No, no-." Jocelyn motioned him toward the counter. "Please, come in. What can I do for you?" She decided to wait to tell him who she was. She was secretly curious how long it would take him to recognize her, if he even recognized her at all.Caden slowly approached the counter and then became engrossed in the rings. "I was wanting to by an engagement ring."Joc
She and Caden spent the next hour looking at rings together. When customers came in, Kiki graciously helped them, allowing Jocelyn time with Caden. A few times, Kiki looked over and raised an eyebrow and then looked over at Caden when he wasn't looking. But Jocelyn shook her head, hoping beyond all hope that Caden hadn't seen.Finally, Caden narrowed his choices down between The Christmas Ring and another engagement ring. "I wish I knew what Mallory liked now-." Then he looked into her eyes. "You're her sister. Which one do you think she'd like?"Jocelyn's heart sank, but she plastered a smile on her face. She would give anything to be picking out a ring with Caden right now, but she guessed it just wasn't meant to be. Get a grip, she thought to herself. He's picking out a ring for your sister! She looked at the two rings, trying to be as objective as possible, and tears came to her eyes, threatening to spill over. Not only was Caden going to ask her sister to marry him, he could qui
Caden gave Jocelyn one last smile and then slowly pulled his Corvette away from the curb. She was no longer the kid he had left. Over the years, she had become a beautiful woman. But he quickly pushed the thought aside. He couldn't allow himself thoughts like that. If Mallory said yes, then Jocelyn would become his sister-in-law. She was definitely off limits. He took a deep breath to clear his mind and then headed over to Mallory and Jocelyn's old house.It would be strange not to have their father greet him at the door with his serious snarl. But of course, Caden had only been eighteen then and Mallory's father had always viewed him as a guy trying to steal his daughter's virtue. But it wasn't like that. Caden had always respected Mallory and had never tried anything with her, other than kissing. They had had plenty of make-out sessions while they were dating, but it had never gone any farther. Caden wanted to be married to her before they did anything more.As he drove through the
As he backed out the drive and onto the street, he guessed that the old saying was true that you couldn't go back home again. When he was younger, he was infatuated with her glamor and her flirtations. But now, she no longer had the same effect on him. He was no longer a boy and could see past beauty. And so far, he didn't like what he saw. Caden pushed on the gas, backed out of the driveway, and headed back toward town, wanting to see the sights before heading over to his parents' house. He was lucky that his parents were still alive and well. On one hand, it would be nice to live near them again, to help them out. But on the other hand, he wondered if he wanted to live in a town again that's main form of capitalism was Christmas. But now that he was here, he knew he could easily get used to it again. He drove back through the winter wonderland of ice and snow that covered everything, as if ordered specifically for the town, enjoying the festive feel. Somehow, Christmases away jus
Although Caden knew his father was proud of the choices he had made, his father was disappointed that he had spent so much time away from home. When he was young, his father used to drop hints of him taking over the family business. But with each visit, there were less hints, and his bitterness grew. "He's still disappointed that I didn't take over the family business, isn't he?" In June, the tree lot became a firework stand until the 4th of July. His parents were usually busy selling something throughout the year, including items they sold at the flea market in between.Emma sighed. "Don't worry about it. You're here to enjoy the holidays, not to discuss business." She turned and waved to her husband over her head and he waved back, frowning. Emma patted Caleb's arm and they started toward his car and stopped beside his Corvette. "Surely you don't expect me to get in that thing."Caleb chuckled. "Mom, it's not all that bad." He opened the passenger-side door. "Here. I'll help you."
"Now, don't stay out too late." Caden's mother warned later that night before he left for his date."Mom, I'm a grown man." He slipped into his black leather jacket. It was cold earlier and now he was sure it'd be freezing."I know that." She pointed to her cheek. "Now, come over here and give your mother a kiss before you go."He did as he was asked and then a sly smile spread across his face. Yes, he had a lot of his mother in him. "And I'll be sure to stay out very late."She looked at him, her eyebrows raised, and then burst out laughing and pushed against his chest. "Oh, you-.""Love you," he called out as he walked out the door."Love you more!" she called after him.He walked out onto the front porch and pulled the door closed tightly behind him. It had started snowing again, but was now just flurries. From past experience, he knew it would hold out for his date with Mallory.He had checked his messages earlier that day and Mallory had instructed him to pick her up at he
Caden let out a deep breath. "Mallory, I couldn't take you to basic training with me. I asked you to wait for me and you broke up with me."She folded her arms across her chest, pushing out her lower lip. "Well, I wanted to go.""Mallory, you couldn't wait just eight weeks for me?" He pulled the car to a stop onto the side of the road, but kept the engine running. "Mallory, I asked you to marry me.""When?" Mallory's eyes flared. "Yeah, and then I'd be engaged to a man that wasn't here. Then I'd be the wife of a sailor and I would have lost my chance at making it in California.""Then why didn't you go?""I didn't want to go alone. Then after my parents died- I had my reasons." Mallory looked down, defeated. When she looked up, tears were in her eyes. "I thought you were going to take me away from all this. We had made plans to go to California together, and then you went and joined the Navy. Why?"He shrugged. "For one thing, I wanted to serve my country, just as my father had.