Merry Christmas, Lincoln (A Take Care, Sara Christmas Novelette) Read Online Free PDF Page B

part of him. It just...feels right to me.”
    His head dropped forward as she washed away the very doubts he’d had in his head moments ago in the garage. She was right. Cole wasn’t gone and he never would be. Lincoln was part of his brother and the baby was part of him. That’s how it worked. He took a deep breath, loosening the tightness in his chest.
    “ Lincoln? Are you upset? Say something.”
    He shook his head. “No.”
    “ No you’re not upset, or no you’re not going to say something?”
    “ Either. Both.” Lincoln reached for Sara and pulled her to him, spinning her around so her back was fitted to his front. “I love this room. I love you.” He kissed the side of her neck, feeling her pulse pick up against his lips.
    “ Can you show me how much? In our room.” Her voice was husky, her hands trailing down his thighs.
    When his body reacted, still he hesitated, going perfectly motionless. What if something happened to the baby because of him?
    Sara spun around, slapping his chest. “Don’t make me seduce you.”
    Lincoln groaned. “I would love for you to seduce me. You may have to.”
    Her eyes darkened as a coy smile claimed her lips. “Challenge on .”
     
     
    3
     
     
    “Where are you going?” Lincoln demanded, draining the last of his coffee and quickly washing the mug in the sink.
    He turned to watch his wife approach. Sara fought with the zipper of her coat as she walked into the kitchen area, it refusing to budge just below her small belly.
    “I’m getting too fat! My coat won’t even zip!” she said in frustration, a scowl on her face. She tossed her hands up, slapping them on the counter top on the way down.
    Laughing, he moved to help her. “Relax. And you aren’t fat. You’re beautiful.”
    “How can one week make such a difference in my stomach size? And I don’t know how it’s growing when all I’ve done is throw everything I eat back up for the last how many months. I guess now that that’s stopped the fatness will begin. Pretty soon you’re going to be abhorred by my appearance.” She looked and sounded miserable, a frown pulling her mouth down.
    “ Never,” he vowed, kissing the tip of her nose. He slowly zipped the jacket up, liking the way it was tighter across her middle. “Where are you going?” he asked again. “We have a Charlie Brown Christmas tree to find today.”
    Sara blinked at him. “You aren’t working?”
    “This week’s been slow, and no, I don’t have anything to do today. I thought we could find our tree. It’s tradition. You don’t mess with tradition.”
    “ Can we do it later? Mason asked me to speak to a grief support group this morning. Someone else was scheduled to talk, but they got sick. He asked me to fill in.”
    Mason Wells—the man who made Sara realize there was something to want to live for. Granted, that something was him, but any guy who was significant to her was slightly irritating to Lincoln. At least he was funny; otherwise he wouldn’t be quite so accommodating to their relationship. Mason was a grief counselor, having gone through his own loss and finding a way to deal with his demons. Sara helped him when it was asked of her, because he had helped her even when she hadn’t asked for it. It was all volunteer work, but the peace it gave Sara was priceless.
    So he smiled and said sure. Sara hugged him and kissed him and left with a wave. That was hours ago. After filling up the wood stove and brewing a pot of coffee, Lincoln was back in the garage, willing the wood to speak to him. If Sara could create a whimsical scene on the walls of their baby’s room, why couldn’t he create something for their baby as well? He wanted to, but he was stuck.
    He tried to picture what their baby would look like, but every time he attempted it, an image of Cole’s laughing face showed up instead. Lincoln yanked a piece of lumber from the pile and stared at it, trying to imagine what it could be transformed into. Instead he