Mistletoe Wedding Read Online Free PDF Page A

his parents worked. Ty dipped a piece of pancake in the syrup on his plate.
    “We didn’t see deer walking around in Chicago,” Brooklyn said. “Only dogs and cats unless we went to the zoo. We went there a lot. It was free. Do you like going to the zoo?
    “Yes, but I haven’t been in years. No zoo in Marietta. You’ll still see different animals around here. Some tame, others wild, so never go up to any. Okay?”
    “Okay.” Brooklyn’s gaze remained fixated on the deer. “She knows we’re here. Maybe this is her trip to the zoo, and she’s watching us.”
    A smile tugged at his lips thinking of the deer peering through windows at the humans on display inside. Brooklyn was an interesting kid. “Maybe.”
    She waved at the deer, then stuck her fork into a pancake. “These are way better than the ones my mommy makes. Hers are dry, even with lots of syrup.”
    Out of the mouth of babes. Meg seemed the type of woman who liked to do things well. She probably wouldn’t like hearing what Brooklyn had to say about her pancakes. “I’ve never tried them, so I don’t know. But I wouldn’t tell your mom you don’t like them. Could hurt her feelings.”
    “Oh, she knows she’s a bad cook.”
    “Who’s a bad cook?” Meg asked from the entrance to the breakfast room.
    “You.” Brooklyn looked up at her with a wide grin. “You said so yourself.”
    Meg sighed. “I did. And it’s true. I’m not the best cook, but I try.”
    Brooklyn nodded. “You try real good, Mommy.”
    Interesting. Ty rubbed his chin, the stubble poking his fingertips. He hadn’t expected Meg to be so forthright about her lack of cooking skills. “Practice makes perfect.”
    “For some, yes,” Meg said in a lighthearted tone. “That hasn’t been the case with me. But Brooklyn is a trooper, so I won’t give up.
    He appreciated her honesty and willingness to make an effort.
    “I love you, Mommy.”
    The little girl’s words softened Meg’s smile and her eyes. “I love you, too, sweetie.”
    Ty stared at the two. Their love was almost palpable. He’d loved his parents. He loved his sister. Yet, a part of him wanted what these two shared. His stomach tingled.
    Not good. Being called Uncle Ty, whenever Rachel and Nate got around to having kids, was family enough. Ty didn’t want . . . more.
    But women did. Every female he went out with said they were fine hanging out and having fun, then suddenly marriage, family and kids would come up, suffocating him. He could breathe just fine around Meg and Brooklyn, but those tingles had to stop.
    He must be hungrier than he realized. That would explain his reaction. He stared at the half-eaten pancakes on his plate, fighting the urge to glance at Meg again.
    “You have to try these pancakes, Mommy.” Brooklyn’s singsong voice belonged in a breakfast commercial. “So good. Much better than the frozen ones you heat up.”
    Meg flushed, a charming shade of pink.
    Damn, he was looking at her again. Mom. M-O-M. If he kept reminding himself she was a mother, maybe it would finally sink in.
    “I’m sure they are,” she said. “They smell delicious.”
    “Grab a plate,” he suggested. “Taste them for yourself.”
    Brooklyn nodded. “The chocolate chips one are better than plain. Boss Man had me try both.”
    “Good for your taste buds,” Meg and he spoke at the same time.
    His gaze met hers, held as if connected by an invisible thread, then she looked away. He should be relieved, but a part of him wasn’t.
    “Jinx, you owe me a Coke,” Meg joked.
    Ty laughed, rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn’t played this game with Rachel in a long time and forgotten the rules, but he didn’t think he was supposed to talk until someone said his name.
    “In my favorite movie Frozen , they say jinx in a song.” Brooklyn’s nose crinkled. “But you don’t drink soda, Mommy. Why would Ty owe you one?”
    He did a mini fist pump. Brooklyn had said his name.
    “It’s a saying, sweetie,”