Chapter 32

thirty-two

PAUL

"What about this one?" Amy pointed to a tall, spindly pine tree.

I tried to stop myself from smiling. Choosing a Christmas tree wasn't as easy as Liam had hoped. After seeing Amy's first choice, he'd suggested choosing three, then making a final selection from those.

Amy's final tree looked as though it had been starved of food for its entire existence.

"Why do you like this one so much?" Liam asked.

Amy studied the tree as if it were a fine piece of art. "It looks sad. If we put tinsel and lights on its branches, it'd be happy because it's a Christmas tree."

Liam looked at the trees around us. They all had big, bushy branches and were a hundred times healthier than the one Amy liked.

"There are plenty of other trees you could choose." He pointed to another tree. "What about that one?"

"But it's already been loved," Amy insisted.

I could see the wheels in Liam's head turning. He probably thought Amy would have chosen a storybook Christmas tree. But more often than not, she did the complete opposite of what you expected. It kept me on my toes and made me appreciate just how different she was.

I touched a branch of the tree Amy liked. "This one has a quirky kind of charm. I'm sure we could do something extra special to make it amazing."

Liam looked at Amy. "What about the other two trees you like?"

"This is the best one," she said confidently. "Can't you see how much it wants to come home with us?"

Liam studied the tree and sighed. "Okay. We'll take the one that needs to be loved. I'll get Jacob's chainsaw."

He couldn't have said anything that would have made Amy happier. She skipped back to the snowmobiles with him, listening intently as he explained what he was about to do.

I pulled my hat more firmly over my head. Apart from making snowmen the other day, we hadn't been outside very much since we'd arrived. It was wonderful to be away from the house, to enjoy the clean, fresh mountain air, and not worry about the terrorists, my adoption, or the new brother I'd found.

As I watched Amy slip her hand inside Liam's, I sighed. The only thing worrying me was falling in love with a man who cared about a six-year-old girl and took unloved pine trees home.