All My Christmases (Holiday Belles) Read online

  All My Christmases

  AJ ALEXANDER

  All My Christmases © 2021 by AJ Alexander.

  Photographer and Image provided by: Depositphoto

  Editor: CPR Editing

  Proofreader: Amy Silbernagel

  Cover Design: Y’all That Graphic

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law.

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  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue One

  Two Years Later

  Epilogue Two

  Three Years Later

  Holiday Belles

  About the Author

  Author’s Note

  I don't normally need to have trigger/content warnings on my stories but when writing the epilogue for All My Christmases, Noelle had her own story to tell.

  Although it does not affect Noelle and Lincoln finding their happily ever after, the epilogues discuss their struggles with unexplained infertility and the mental and emotional strain it puts on both of them. If this is a sensitive subject for you, I would suggest skipping both epilogues in the book.

  However, if you wish to learn more about Noelle and Lincoln after they get together, feel free to grab the EXCLUSIVE bonus epilogue only available to newsletter subscribers.

  Xoxo,

  AJ

  1

  LINCOLN

  “I loaded everything you asked into your car, Mr. Kane."

  I nod at Courtney as I shut down my computer and push back from my desk.

  I'd rather be on my way to a luxury resort in Tahiti, but instead, I'm headed back home to Santa Claus, Indiana for my baby sister’s wedding. When Julia asked me to walk her down the aisle, I was honored and agreed immediately, but man, I’m regretting that now. Especially as big white fluffy flakes of snow fall from the sky.

  "Be careful driving, sir." She smiles brightly, my briefcase clutched tightly in her hand.

  "I'll be fine, but you be careful on your way home as well."

  "Enjoy the wedding and Merry Christmas."

  I give her a curt nod before grabbing my briefcase from her and heading for the elevator.

  The last time I saw my hometown was in the rear-view mirror of my Honda Civic as I headed off to the University of Chicago, determined to make something of myself. I wanted to be more than a hardware store owner in a small town in Indiana. There’s nothing wrong with owning a hardware store, but I wanted something more than marrying the head cheerleader, buying a house, and running the family business.

  My dad hated the idea, basically barring me from stepping foot in the house after I left, so I didn't. I hightailed it out of Santa Claus right after graduation, and our relationship was never the same. If I'm being honest, we were never close. We only reconciled when we found out that cancer was getting the better of him. I have no doubt in my mind that he loved my mother, my sister, and me with all his heart, but I'll always worry about whether he's proud of the things that I've accomplished.

  My cell phone rings as I get to my SUV, open the door, and throw my briefcase into the passenger seat. I don't need to check the caller ID to know who's on the other end of the line. She’s called me seven times already this afternoon.

  "Are you on your way?!" Julia screeches through the line, causing me to pull the phone away from my ear. "The snow’s coming down pretty hard here."

  I love my sister, but planning this wedding has made her insane. Being almost twenty years apart in age, you’d assume we’d have nothing in common, but she’s one of my best friends. We share everything with each other, sometimes more than I would like. When Trent asked her to marry him, I was over the moon for the two of them and glad that my sister finally found someone to love her the way she deserved. Trent is the exact opposite of her: laid-back and easygoing. From the outside, they shouldn’t work, but when you see them together, you know they were meant for each other.

  "Yes, Jules. I'm leaving the office right now." I roll my eyes as I start the car and back out of the parking space. "I'll be there in time for dinner."

  Julia has always been a planner, wanting to ensure everything goes exactly how she envisions it. And she's having her wedding on Christmas Eve. In Indiana. What she didn't count on was the foot of snow scheduled to fall tonight, which is the exact reason she's stressing about me leaving Chicago.

  "I don't know…" Her voice trails off, the worry clear in her tone. "I just hope the snow doesn't get too bad.”

  I sigh, knowing my sister is right. She’s been dreaming about the perfect wedding since she got engaged a year ago. She’s planned the dress, the venue, and who’s going to walk her down the aisle. Although she wants everything to be perfect, she would never risk my safety.

  Unlike me, Julia went to college in Owensboro, graduating with a business management degree before coming home to take over the family business. I always worried that she would resent me or hold a grudge about being stuck in Santa Claus, but it was the exact opposite. She loves living in our small town and being there for our parents as they get older, but I have a feeling it has a lot more to do with her soon-to-be husband.

  I may be the CEO of a multi-million-dollar company, but I can tell you about each one of my employees. I care about each of them and even know most of their names, and for that reason, I'm there twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. It leaves little time for anything else besides work.

  “Please be safe, Linc."

  "I will, Jules. I promise."

  "Thank you," she sighs. "Oh, a heads-up. Mama is planning again."

  Now that Julia is getting married, my mother seems to have set her sights on me. She's made it clear that she'd like to see me married and with children soon. Apparently, one married child isn't enough for her. She’s always scheming and thinking of ways to shove me and a certain someone together. I’ve managed to evade her attempts so far, claiming to be busy with work, but I don’t think I’ll be able to get out of it this time.

  Besides, I tried getting married once, but that blew up in my face.

  Meghan Green and I met when I first started my company. She was the epitome of everything I ever wanted in a partner: smart, beautiful, and full of life. She was with me every step of the way, supporting me as I built the business from the ground up.

  After a few years, when I had my feet under me and the business was booming, I was ready to take the plunge. I planned the perfect proposal for months, but before I could come up with something, I caught her in bed with another man. After that, I threw myself into my work, making my business my only priority in life.

  Until I laid eyes on Noelle. When I saw her walk across the stage at my sister's graduation, I knew at that moment I wanted to make her mine. But I knew there was no way we could be together. She was half my age and my sister's best friend. If anything went wrong in our relationship…

  "See you in about six hours." I quickly end the call as the snow falls even harder.

  Maybe there's some merit to my sister's worries. Once the snow comes into this area, it doesn't stop. I really hope Julia wanted to have a white wedding because it seems she w
on't have a choice.

  I make it out of the city and most of the way to Santa Claus before my phone rings again. But this time, it's the other woman in my life: my mother.

  "Hello, darling. I need a tiny favor."

  "Nothing is ever tiny with you, Mom. What do you need?"

  Whenever my mother calls, it's never something small. And after she tells me what she needs, then she'll start in on her other desire: grandchildren.

  "Have you gone through Owensboro yet?"

  Please don't ask me…

  Anything but that.

  "I should drive through there in thirty minutes."

  I hold my breath, waiting for my mother to ask her favor, although I've got a feeling, I know what she's going to say already.

  "Can you pick up Noelle? She only has that little car, and with the snow coming down…"

  I tune her out, focusing on what I'm going to do with Noelle in a car for a little over an hour. Noelle Eden and I are going to be in a small, enclosed space together. I’ve gone out of my way to avoid her for the last few years. I can’t be in the same room as her for more than a few minutes before I’m unable to stop the images of all the filthy things I want to do to her body from filtering through my mind.

  “I don’t know, Mom,” I say through clenched teeth. “I promised Julia that I’d be home in time for dinner.”

  “Julia needs her best friend and maid of honor to arrive in one piece,” she huffs, laying on the guilt trip, as usual.

  My mother has been trying to push Noelle and me together more and more over the last few years. At first, I just ignored her as I always do, trying to convince her that I’d find someone when I was ready. But at some point, Noelle became more than just my sister’s best friend.

  My cock aches as my mind conjures images of what it would be like to have Noelle bent over the hood of my car, her wavy blonde hair wrapped tightly around my hand, her pussy primed and ready for me to take her.

  Fuck, this is going to be the most difficult car ride of my life.

  I swallow the lump in my throat. "I think I can manage, Mom." I grip the steering wheel tightly, fighting to regain control of my body and mind. "Can you let her know I'll be there in about an hour? Just text me her address."

  "Already done. Be careful on the roads. The weatherman said we’re supposed to get more snow than expected tonight."

  "Thanks for the update, Mom. I'll see you when I get there."

  I say goodbye quickly and end the call.

  "I'm going to fucking Hell," I groan into the empty car as I shift in my seat.

  I can't pinpoint when Noelle went from the little girl in pigtails and my sister's best friend to the object of my affections. I'm almost forty-five years old, pining after a girl – no, a woman – twenty years my junior.

  Ever since I watched her walk across that stage at her and my sister's high school graduation, nothing has been the same. Hell, I don't even know if Noelle sees me as anything besides an older brother, but I want more.

  I love Noelle in ways that should be illegal. I want to know her favorite color, favorite food, whether she wears socks to bed, what she looks like when she wakes up in the morning. To put it mildly, I’m obsessed.

  I could've sworn we shared a moment, just a fleeting look, at Julia's graduation party all those years ago, but it disappeared as quickly as it happened. I saw a need in her eyes matching my own, but we didn't explore it. I tried to convince myself that I was imagining things, but there's always been a voice in the back of my head, whispering for me to take a chance with Noelle.

  Maybe this is fate’s way of doing just that. A lot can happen while you’re stuck in a car with the woman you've been silently obsessing over for years. Now if I can just get my hard-on under control, I might be able to see if there’s a chance at something between us.

  2

  NOELLE

  “I’ll be ready when he gets here." I force a smile while I freak out internally. "Thank you again for thinking about me, Mrs. Kane."

  Julia Kane and I have been best friends and practically inseparable since middle school. I was over the moon when she asked me to be her maid of honor, but the one thing I didn’t count on was having to spend time with her brother.

  I haven't seen Lincoln Kane in person since I was eighteen years old, but he’s been the star of every single one of my fantasies since forever. At first, it was nice having a protector – someone to watch over me and be there whenever I needed him. But as I got older, Lincoln became so much more. He became the man I compared every other boy to during high school. The voice in the back of my mind that drove me to better myself, ruining me for anyone else.

  “How many times have I told you to call me Gloria or Mom?”

  “Sorry.”

  Being twenty-five years old and pining after my best friend's brother, who's twice my age, wasn't planned by any means. It just happened. It was as if I woke up one morning and knew I was going to spend the rest of my life loving him.

  Mrs. Kane – I mean Gloria – has been hinting at there being something more between Lincoln and I, but I doubt he sees me as anything other than his baby sister’s best friend. Besides, he avoids me at all costs, meaning the last thing on his mind is being in a relationship with me.

  "Don't you worry about it. Lincoln was driving through town anyway," Gloria responds before saying goodbye, leaving me with my dirty thoughts about her son.

  I look down at the yoga pants and oversized sweater shirt I pulled on after my shower this morning, wanting to be comfortable.

  "This won't do," I mumble to myself as I push up off the couch and stride into my room, heading directly into my closet.

  I pull off my yoga pants and slide on my favorite pair of jeans that show off my curves in just the right way. Then I reach for a fitted long-sleeved plaid shirt, sliding my arms through the sleeves and fastening a few buttons before stepping in front of the mirror.

  My emerald-green eyes are shining brightly in anticipation as I pull the hair tie from my hair and shake it out. Loose curls fall a few inches below my shoulders, framing my face perfectly.

  "I wonder if makeup would be too much," I muse, nibbling on my bottom lip before deciding against it and heading back to the living room, flopping down on the couch, and turning on the TV. Nothing like some mindless television to make the time go by faster.

  I don't know how long I sit in front of the television before there’s a knock on my door, startling me to the point that I jump in my seat.

  "Be right there!" I call as I slide off the couch and head for the front door, checking my reflection in the mirror before pulling the door open.

  My eyes widen in surprise at Lincoln standing in my doorway, a soft smile on his face. I know I should say something – anything – to him, but I just stare, tilting my head up slightly to look in his hazel eyes, which are focused on mine. There is something in his gaze, a hunger that I've never seen before, and it has moisture pooling in my panties.

  "Hello," I whisper, not wanting to break the spell we are both under.

  "Hi, Noelle."

  I fight back a groan as the sound of his deep baritone washes over me, causing the ache between my thighs to intensify.

  “It’s good to see you,” he says.

  I nod, unable to form words.

  "Are you ready to head out? The snow is coming down hard now. I have an SUV, but I don't want to chance getting stuck anywhere before we can make it back to Santa Claus."

  "Right." My cheeks heat with embarrassment as I open the door wider, stepping out of the way and allowing him to come inside. "Just let me grab my bag and we can get out of here."

  Lincoln steps into my apartment, looking around the small entry area that leads into the living room as I head into my room and grab my packed suitcase off the bed.

  "You have a nice place. A lot nicer than my first apartment, for sure."

  My smile falls instantly at yet another reminder of the age difference between us. "Yeah, I'm
sure it's not nearly as nice as your place in the city, but I love it here. It's within walking distance of the school I've been teaching at and all the shops I love to go to."

  "You're a preschool teacher, right?" he says as I come to a stop beside him, his eyes focused on the picture of my class from this year.

  I nod, forgetting for a moment that he isn't looking at me, before responding. "Yes. I love all those little faces. I can't wait to have a whole group of my own."

  Who in the hell says something like that? Lincoln must think I'm completely insane.

  "Eventually,” I say quickly. “I mean, I could have them now if I wanted to, but like, not right this minute." My cheeks once again heat with embarrassment as I continue to ramble. "It's not like I have a man in my life to have children with. It's not like I'm having sex at all, ever."

  Oh, my God. Shut up now, Noelle! I silently chastise myself, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth to keep from embarrassing myself any further.

  “You know what they always say,” Lincoln prowls toward me, his eyes roaming up and down my body. “Practice makes perfect.”

  I take a step back, but he matches every move I make with one of his own. I continue backward until I bump into the wall.

  "Why are you looking at me like I'm something to eat?"

  "Because you are," he groans before capturing my lips with his in a heated kiss and pushing my back into the wall, trapping me with his body.

  He licks the seam of my lips, and I open for him. He swipes his tongue into my mouth with a groan as I slide my hands over his shoulders, tugging on the short hairs at the base of his neck and pulling him closer to me.