Love Refined: An Unexpected Series Christmas Short (The Unexpected Series) Read online

“Hey, baby girl.” I bend down and kiss the top of her head. “Did you have a nice nap?”

  “Yeah, I’m still sleepy. Where are we?” She looks around, taking in her surroundings. She’s clearly confused right now.

  “This is Oliver’s apartment in London. We’ll be staying here for the next couple weeks.”

  “That tree is enormous!” she exclaims and it puts a smile on my face. “Do I get my own room?” She sits up in excitement.

  “You bet, Monkey.” Oliver smiles down at her. “Come on. I’ll show you your room and then I’ll show you the other tree. I was told it’s even bigger.”

  The pair make their way down a long hallway that I assume leads to the bedrooms.

  I have to admit that I feel better after he told me that he’d never move back here without us. But could he have a better life if we weren’t holding him back?

  I make my way down another hallway that goes off the entryway. I walk about twenty feet and I’m then greeted by the most enormous Christmas tree I have ever seen. I have to strain my neck to look all the way to the top. The ceilings in here are insanely tall. It’s stunning. The gold, red, and green lights twinkle and cause a beautiful glow when reflected off the matching ornaments. Christmas has always been my favorite time of year, but this only puts me more in the holiday spirit. I kind of want to grab a blanket, put my pajamas and slippers on, and grab a cup of coffee before snuggling under the thing. Yes, it is that huge that I could comfortably sit under it.

  “There’s your mum,” I hear Oliver behind me and the pattering sound of little feet coming up next to me.

  “Wow!” Kayla yells. “Is Santa going to come and put presents under that big tree?” She stares in awe. I can’t say I blame her. It really is gorgeous.

  “He sure is.” Oliver wraps his arms around me from behind and rubs Kayla’s head. I’m sure he can feel me tense up because I haven’t even begun to Christmas shop for my daughter. Unfortunately, it won’t be a very big holiday this year as money is extra tight. “Don’t worry about it,” he whispers into my ear. I turn toward him and kiss him on the cheek.

  I know he’ll do anything for me and my daughter, but again, I don’t want him to feel obligated to do anything for us. Kayla is my responsibility, not his.

  She took a four-hour nap during our flight, then slept during the drive to the apartment, and now has a second wind, so we spend the next couple hours watching the Christmas movies that she threw in her suitcase. It makes me smile when I see her snuggle into Oliver’s side as his arm is draped around her. So often I wish that we were all a family, but the reality is, we’re not. I know I shouldn’t think like this, but I guess it’s hard not to when I’ve been by myself for so long. What I had with Trevor Davis was definitely not a relationship. Ryke treated me good all those years ago, but obviously that didn’t end well. I’ll never try to justify what I did to him, but I think I was just scared and immature. Oliver knows every last detail of what I did in my past, and for some reason, he doesn’t hold it against me. I think a part of me is worried that I’ll hurt him like I did Ryke and like Oliver’s ex-wife did to him. I love him with every last fiber of my soul and I think that scares me even more. I never knew what true love was until Oliver Donovan.

  We sit on the couch all smooshed together, Kayla between us. The atmosphere of his penthouse is very welcoming and is definitely somewhere I would love to live. I could never afford to even dream of something so extravagant. A firm reminder that we are from two separate worlds. His home in Phoenix is big for only him but doesn’t speak money like this does.

  “Momma, can we go shopping for Christmas gifts like George is?” I pull out of my temporary stupor.

  I turn toward my daughter and see that her and my handsome guy are very much engaged in her Christmas movie. The sight of the large, burly man watching an animated movie makes me giggle.

  He turns toward me. “Monica Phearson, are you laughing at me?”

  “Why, Mr. Donovan, I’d never do such a thing,” I say in my best British accent but sound ridiculous.

  “Monkey, your mum is making fun of me.” He lifts Kayla out of the way after leaving a kiss on her cheek.

  In the next instant, he’s tickling me, but the teasing moment quickly turns serious. I’m pretty sure that if my daughter wasn’t in the room right now, he’d have my clothes ripped off in a heartbeat.

  “What time do we need to be at your parent’s house?” I ask, nearly out of breath.

  “In about an hour.” He nips at my neck, keeping it as PG as he can, considering how worked up I can tell he is, if the hardness rubbing against my leg is any indication. “But you better believe that tonight when we get back and Kayla is asleep, I’ll be having my way with you.” He devours my mouth in a kiss that causes a pulse between my legs. It doesn’t last nearly as long as I’d like and then he’s off the couch as if he didn’t just cause me to nearly orgasm seconds before.

  I gasp in disbelief that he just got me all worked up and then walked away, but then he turns and winks. The bastard.

  3

  Forty-five minutes later, we arrive at possibly the largest house I’ve ever seen in my life. It appears that every last inch of the structure is covered in a dark red brick. It’s evident that his mother and father have a gardener who comes often, because despite the winter chill in the air, the garden looks immaculate. The front porch wraps around to each side of the house and beautiful wrought iron furniture makes it look inviting. Elegant, professional-looking white lights adorn the outside of the home along with a wreath that sits on the large black door leading inside. It’s simple, yet very festive. I imagine Oliver’s mother spending many mornings out here drinking tea when the weather is nicer. I know I would.

  “That’s a big house!” Kayla hollers next to me in the limo. I’ve been so busy staring out the window in awe that I didn’t hear what she and Oliver have been talking about. I’m guessing he’s been telling her about things he used to do here as a child.

  “Come on, Monkey.” He opens the door to the limo before Edward is even out of his seat. It warms my heart seeing him like this. He may have been raised with a lot of money, but he doesn’t let that fact go to his head. It would be easy for him to do so. “You coming, love?” he asks as he bends down into the vehicle once he’s out with my daughter. “I promise they’re going to love you both.”

  I give him a weak smile and then climb out, not wanting to damper the mood any more tonight.

  Oliver is dressed in black dress pants with a dark red shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Kayla and I match him. I’m in a knee-length black dress that has a low-cut neck and a red belt that wraps around the middle. I debated on whether or not I should wear it because I felt it showed too much cleavage, but Oliver reassured me that it was fine. I paired the dress with my ankle boots. I knew it would be a little chilly tonight, so I draped a shawl over my shoulders. My shoulder-length blonde hair is down, my natural curls doing their own thing. My daughter looks adorable in her black and red flowered Christmas dress that Oliver got her before we left Phoenix. The man is too good to us.

  If we were meeting my family for a gathering, I would be in sweats and a hoodie. I’m a bit uncomfortable dressed like this because I feel like I’m pretending to be someone I’m not. When we reach the sidewalk in front of the Donovan’s house, or should I say “mansion,” we’re greeted by a woman who appears to be in her fifties with golden locks. She’s wearing a dark green long-sleeved dress that goes to her knees and her makeup is perfect. She’s absolutely gorgeous. Is this his mother?

  “Oliver! It’s so good to finally see you.” The woman wraps her arms around him and then kisses him on each cheek.”

  “Hi, Mum.” He kisses her forehead and then lets her go to turn toward me and Kayla. The butterflies inside my stomach are taking flight. I feel like I could throw up from how anxious I am right now. He wraps his arm around me. “This is my girlfriend Monica and her daughter Kayla, or Monkey, as I like to
call her.” He lightly pulls at one of Kayla’s pigtails and my nerves seem to settle a bit.

  “Oliver, only you call me Monkey!” she hollers.

  I bend toward Kayla. “Sweetheart, we don’t need to be so loud, okay?” I look up in embarrassment and I’m greeted with a soft smile from Mrs. Donovan.

  “Oh, dear, she is just fine! I’m sure she has lots of energy after the long flight.” She looks at Kayla. “Would you like to go meet my granddaughters, Nina and Leah?”

  The smile on her face puts a smile on mine. “Momma, can I go with Mrs. Donovan?” she asks me in excitement.

  I nod and then she’s headed inside with Oliver’s mother, but before they make it to the porch, I hear Mrs. Donovan say, “Kayla, you can just call me Ellery or Grandma Elle like my granddaughters do.” They slip inside the front door before I can hear her response.

  I feel Oliver’s arms wrap around me from behind. “You okay?” he breathes into my ear.

  “Yeah.” I know he notices the crack in my voice.

  “Why do you sound upset then?” He turns me toward him and looks at me with concern on his face.

  “I’m not upset at all. It’s just that Kayla has only ever known my mom and dad as her grandparents. Your mother just met her and she’s already making her feel like part of your family.” The pad of his thumb wipes at the lone tear that slips down my face.

  “Because she is part of my family. And so are you.” Before I can respond to his sweet words, he’s taking my mouth into a soft kiss. A part of me wants to forget this gathering and go back to the penthouse.

  “I know you’re nervous about being here, but I promise my family is going to adore both you and Kayla. You know I love you, right?” I nod. “Then trust me. They are going to love you almost as much as I do.” He grabs my hand. “Let’s go inside. It’s starting to get cool out.”

  As we’re walking up the steps leading to the front porch, it begins to snow. I stop in my tracks and look up to the sky. Without thinking, I open my mouth to catch one of the cold flakes on my tongue. I hear Oliver chuckling.

  “Taste good?” I look at him and a playful grin pulls at his lips.

  “I haven’t seen snow in years and it wasn’t much. My family used to go to Payson every winter, but my dad always took us home before it got too bad. I think he was worried there would be a blizzard or something.”

  He laughs as he reaches for my hand. “Why don’t we go bundle Monkey up and bring her out?” This man is so sweet. Not just to me, but to my daughter as well.

  “Let’s see if it accumulates and bring her out later after visiting a bit.”

  He smiles and then leads me into his parent’s house. We’re immediately greeted by three overly excited little girls. The only one I know is the Goldilocks in pigtails. The other two have dark brown hair to the middle of their backs. I can tell Kayla is right near them both in age, so I’m sure she’s already been having a blast.

  I bend down to my daughters’ level. “Kayla, no running in the Donovan’s house, okay?”

  “Okay, Momma,” she says, and then runs off toward the rest of the crowd. I’m so glad she listens.

  “Where’s your daddy?” I hear Oliver’s older niece ask her and the pain in my chest is almost unbearable. This isn’t the first time she’s been asked this, but it never gets easier for me to hear.

  “I don’t have one, but I asked Santa for a daddy for Christmas.” I can’t see her face, but she sounds excited about the possibility of getting a father in one short week from now.

  I feel Oliver’s hand rest on my shoulder. “You okay?”

  I wipe at my eyes, hoping to not ruin my makeup. I then turn toward him. “Yeah,” I sigh. “I’m fine.”

  The look on his face tells me he doesn’t believe me, but he thankfully lets it go.

  “Come on. I want you to meet the rest of my family.”

  Without another word and leaving me no time to freak out again, he pulls me toward the sounds of laughter. I’m not sure where Kayla disappeared to, but she seemed to be happy, so I won’t worry.

  “Hey, Dad,” Oliver greets an older man who looks identical to him. It gives me a glimpse of what he might look like as he ages.

  “Son, you finally made it.” His father stands from his recliner and pulls him into a hug, patting him on the back. “This beautiful woman must be Monica.” I give him a shy smile and then he grabs me into a hug. I wasn’t expecting to feel so welcomed by his family.

  “There’s little bro!” a tall woman who has black straight hair says. She’s also wearing a black dress but honestly looks like she’s headed to a funeral instead of a family gathering.

  She wraps her thin arms around his big frame and he squeezes her in a hug.

  “Hey, sis, did you miss me?” He smirks as he pulls away from her and wraps his arms around my waist. “Liza, this is my girlfriend, Monica, and I’m sure you’ve already met her daughter, Kayla. She doesn’t know a stranger.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I say as I reach my hand out to her but am rejected. I notice the snarl on her face as she crosses her arms at me. She’s definitely not trying to hide her disgust. I try to pull it away without showing my embarrassment, but I’m sure that anyone who’s paying attention can tell I’m mortified. “I’m going to go find Kayla,” I say to Oliver as I slip from his arm.

  This house is even more enormous than it looked from the outside. There must be at least half a dozen Christmas trees scattered throughout. Mrs. Donovan has greenery draping over the banister that leads to the next level of the house. I even notice that she has mistletoe hanging in a few of the doorways.

  I can’t seem to escape the room fast enough and run smack dab into another woman who looks similar to Oliver’s sister Liza, but this one has light brown hair.

  “Oh, my goodness. I am so sorry!” I say to her, but I’m worried that I’ll be rejected once again.

  “Don’t apologize. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” She looks me over but not in a rude way. More like she’s trying to figure out who I am. “You must be Monica.” She leans into me and grabs me into a tight hug. I’m taken by surprise, so don’t respond to the gesture right away. Once I get past the shock, I hug her back.

  “I’m Oliver’s sister, Freya.” She smiles. “I’m the nicer of the sisters.” No shit, Sherlock, I think to myself. She looks around me toward the rest of her family. “I hope Liza didn’t give you any trouble.” She eyes me skeptically.

  Not wanting to cause any more drama tonight I say, “No, she was just fine.” If this wasn’t my boyfriend’s family, I’d probably call the bitch out, but I won’t make a scene.

  “Good. Come on. Let’s go see what Mum is up to.” She drags me by the arm, leaving no room for argument. I have to say, I could see myself making quick friends with this girl. She’s a little high-strung, but I think that’s what makes me like her.

  4

  I nervously follow Freya into a large kitchen that has floor-to-ceiling white cabinets and beautiful gray granite countertops. An island sits in the middle of the large room with a beautiful chandelier that hangs above it. I’ve never seen such a thing in a kitchen, but it really shouldn’t surprise me. I’m kind of scared to touch anything because of the very good chance of me accidentally breaking something.

  I should probably go find my child before she damages anything. We’d never be welcomed back here again. Oliver’s witchy sister already made that pretty clear.

  “Monica, come in!” Mrs. Donovan exclaims as she looks up from cutting potatoes.

  I give a small smile and head toward Oliver’s mother. It isn’t lost on me that Liza is eyeballing me, but I choose to ignore it for now. I won’t let her ruin mine or anyone else’s time here.

  I grab a pink and purple polka-dotted apron off a hook hanging on the wall and join Mrs. Donovan.

  “What can I help with?” I have to admit that I’m surprised that she’s in here cooking. I feel bad for making such an assumption when his mother has b
een nothing but nice to me since we arrived.

  “Do you mind grabbing the lettuce and the rest of the vegetables out of the refrigerator so we can start making a salad?”

  “Sure.”

  As I lean into the fridge, I hear, “Oh look, she knows her way around a kitchen, just like the help.” I take a deep breath before grabbing the makings for our salad and then turn around and place the items on the counter.

  I’m biting my tongue, really hard, but I won’t give in to this bitch. I don’t know why she hates me so much, but I refuse to let her intimidate me.

  “Eliza, out,” Mrs. Donovan scolds. She rolls her eyes and dramatically exits the room. Once Liza is out of the kitchen, she turns toward me. “Please forgive my daughter. She’s very overprotective of Oliver since everything that happened with Kendra. Just give her time. She’ll see you’re different.

  I only respond with a small smile, not believing for one moment that the cold bitch could be a decent person, even if she wanted to.

  I start by peeling the head of lettuce and then rinsing it in the sink. Mrs. Donovan is going on about some holiday tradition they had years ago when Oliver was a little boy. The thought of a young, chunky (Mrs. Donovan’s words, not mine) little guy puts a smile on my face. I bet he was adorable. The thought of having a son that looks just like him makes me melt inside. But as much as I’d love to have that with him, I’m just not sure if this could ever work permanently. We’ve talked several times about marriage, but each time terrified me. I think the idea scares me even more now that I’ve seen where he comes from. Don’t get me wrong. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with him, but he deserves so much better.

  “Mum, what are you doing to my girlfriend?” My guy asks as he wraps his arms around me from behind. “Hey,” I squirm in his arms, needing his closeness.

  “Oh, you hush. I’m enjoying visiting with the sweet girl. Oliver, you better keep this one around.” She points a knife at him, which has him chuckling behind me. I know that my cheeks are currently tinged with pink in embarrassment. I can’t very well correct his mother for her comment, but I don’t want him to feel like he has to agree to what she just suggested.