Sweet Cinderella (A Christmas Novella) (The Klaus Brothers Book 4) (12 page)

Hannah was genuinely thrilled for her sister. But she couldn’t elude her own sense of loneliness.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Matteo came running into the kitchen. “Somebody’s here.”

Hannah didn’t bother to look up. She buttered the rolls and placed them in a basket. “Lots of people are here, honey. Granny and Grandpa, Uncle Dominic, Auntie Andi, and Sven . . .”

“No, Mom. Someone else.”

Hannah’s head snapped up. “What do you mean?”

“Hello, Hannah. Merry Christmas.”

That deep, rich voice, slightly rough and filled with emotion, made every hair stand up on the back of her neck. Gregor Klaus filled the doorway to the kitchen, and he looked . . . like a man on a mission. He held a sack of toys on his back, and surprisingly enough, his clothes were not the usual impeccable business attire. He was gorgeous in dark denim jeans and chukka boots, a hunter green sweater that made his eyes shine, and a grey scarf around his neck.
The scarf.
The one she’d left at his place after their
Zeit einfrieren
. He unwrapped the scarf from his neck and handed it to her.

“I think you forgot this,” he said.

She nodded, scared to speak as tears welled in her eyes.

“Any chance you can squeeze in one more guest at the table? I’m sorry to show up uninvited.” Gregor’s voice was low and shaky. The look on his face was filled with nervous apprehension.

Gregor Klaus was
afraid
.

Hannah was stunned by the vulnerability she saw there. “Of course. You’re always welcome.” She touched his hand, hoping to offer some reassurance.

He expelled a huge sigh of relief.

“I’m so glad you’re here. I wanted to be with you today, but I wasn’t sure . . .” Hannah whispered.

“Not sure about what?”

“I wasn’t sure, after our last night together, how you felt about me. Or spending time here.” She lowered her gaze, reluctant to look at him.

“You know how I feel. This is the only place I want to be.” He slid his arm around her waist. “I would love to meet the rest of your family.”

What would he think about her family?
“Come with me.” She held out her hand and he slipped his fingers through hers.

She closed her eyes at the wonderful sensation. Nothing made her feel as safe as touching Gregor Klaus. If there was only some way to make this work. Some way to join their two disparate worlds together.

Hannah led him into the living room.

Sven stood immediately. “Hey. Good to see you!” The two brothers hugged. “You know, you sort of look like Santa Claus with that sack on your back.”

Gregor laughed. “Do I?”

“Yep. Sure do.” Sven and Gregor exchanged a funny look.

Gregor shook his head. “That’s . . . unexpected.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Sven stroked his chin thoughtfully. “You lost the buttoned-up routine. No tie. No dress shirt. No suit.” He smirked. “It’s a good look for you, bro. Pretty soon I’ll have you wearing flannel shirts.”

“Don’t hold your breath, lumberjack.”

Sven roared with laughter, and Andi jumped up next to him. “Hello, Gregor. It’s nice to see you again.”

“You remember my sister, Andi?” Hannah asked.

“Yes, of course,” Gregor said.

Andi blushed. “I’m not with
The Scoop
anymore. Just want you to know . . .”

Gregor kissed her on the cheek. “I know. Congratulations on your engagement to my brother. Hope you’re okay with lots of sawdust in your house.”

“Not a problem.” Andi snuggled against Sven’s side.

“I’m glad everything worked out. No worries, all right?”

“Thank you.” Andi winked at Hannah, and she knew her sister was sending her a vote of approval.

“Gregor, these are my parents, Gianni and Martha De Luca.” Hannah bit her lip as her father frowned. “Mom, Dad, this is Gregor Klaus. Sven’s brother. He’ll be joining us for Christmas Eve dinner.”

Her father glanced at their clasped hands and raised a brow in understanding. “So that’s how it is. These Klaus boys must be something special.”

“Gianni, what are you talking about?” Hannah’s mother whispered. “What’s going on?”

Hannah’s dad leaned closer to his wife. “They’re holding hands, Martha. I think our girls have fallen for these Klaus men.”

Her mother grinned. “That’s wonderful. Another guest. Dominic, we have Sven’s brother here this evening.”

Dominic nodded but kept his eyes on the floor. He tapped his foot to the rhythm of the music. Hannah was amazed. Normally any break in his routine was cause for anxiety, but he seemed to be coping well with the Klaus brothers so far.

Gregor slipped the sack off his back. “I brought a few things for your family. I hope that’s okay.”

Matteo jumped up and down. “Yay!” He hugged Gregor’s leg. “Can we go ice skating again? Anthony and I want to try some new moves on the ice.”

“That sounds fantastic. I think you and your brother have a future in ice hockey.”

Anthony tugged on his jeans. “Do you really mean it? Mom says you have a big, important job and you probably don’t have a lot of time to spend with us.”

Hannah’s breath caught. The look in Anthony’s eyes made her feel sick. He’d been through too much this year. There was no way he could deal with any more disappointment.

Gregor leaned over and squeezed his shoulder. “You need to know something about me, Anthony. I don’t make promises I can’t keep. And to be honest, I would much rather spend time skating with you and Matteo and your mom than hanging out at a boring meeting. I have plenty of assistants who can get the job done.”

Anthony smiled at him, his face lighting up with total adoration. Hannah’s heart was about to burst.

She was falling hopelessly in love with Gregor Klaus.

“What’s in the bag, Gregor?” Matteo tried to sneak a look.

Gregor reached into the sack and pulled out two holiday tins. “These are for your mom and dad. Homemade
Pfefferkuchen
cookies. My brother Nicholas, who’s a very talented baker, tried to coach me through this. I made them myself.” Gregor shrugged at Hannah.

Matteo plopped the tins onto his grandfather’s lap. “Here, Nonno. Cookies! Are you gonna share?”

“Of course.” Hannah’s father opened the box and laughed. “Mr. Klaus, I wouldn’t quit your day job.”

Sven sauntered over and peered into the tin. “Oh my God, Gregor. What did you do?”

Gregor rolled his eyes with embarrassment. “It was my first time baking. So they don’t look perfect. But they still taste okay.”

Anthony crammed a cookie into his mouth. “They taste great.”

Hannah’s mother nodded. “They’re delicious. I love gingerbread. Thank you very much, Gregor.”

Hannah wanted to hug her mom. The look of relief on Gregor’s face was palpable.

He pulled out another package from the bag. “Andi, here’s a old-fashioned journal for you. Sven told me you like to write poetry this way.”

Andi looked surprised. “A gift? For me?” She unwrapped the ribbon and leafed through the journal. “It’s beautiful. And very thoughtful. Thank you.”

“I have something for Dominic, too.” He reached into the sack and pulled out a CD. “You told me he still likes to use CDs for his music, right?”

Hannah nodded. “Yes. He loves circular things, and he loves to organize his CD collection.”

Gregor slowly approached Dominic. “It’s nice to meet you. Hannah has told me how much you love music, so I thought you might like this new holiday collection. Merry Christmas.”

Her uncle took the CD without making eye contact. A few minutes later the music started to play, and everyone stopped to listen. It was pure magic . . . traditional carols sung by angelic-sounding voices.

“Oh, my. This is lovely.” Hannah’s mom was mesmerized by the music.

Hannah turned to Gregor. “What is this?”

He whispered in her ear. “Elves. Their choir. I knew your mom and Dominic would love it.”

Dominic had a small smile on his face as he tapped his foot to the music.

Hannah’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know how to thank you for this.”

“You know how. I want you to give us a chance.”

Gregor’s fierce expression stunned her.

Before she could answer, Matteo and Anthony skipped over to the bag. “Gregor, do you have something for us?”

He reluctantly pulled his gaze from Hannah. “Hmm. Let’s take a look . . . .” He kneeled on the floor and reached into the sack. “Do you boys like candy canes?”

“Yeah!” Matteo yelled.

“A friend of mine sent these.” He handed the twins a package. “And there are enough in there to share with everyone.”

Hannah peered at the tag attached to the gift and gasped. “This is from Shirley?” She lifted her eyebrows.

Gregor nodded. “Yes. She wants you to have a Merry Christmas.”

Hannah touched the package in disbelief. Her very own guardian angel-elf had sent her a Christmas gift!

“Gregor, is there anything else for me and Matteo?” Anthony asked impatiently.

“I think I spy a few things from Klaus Toys . . .”

The boys screamed with excitement as Gregor pulled out an entire train set with cars and track. The twins were thrilled.

“Here are a couple of special cars just for you. Sven helped me with these.”

Sven laughed. “Gregor not only failed basic cookie-baking, but his wood-working skills are less than stellar, too. However” —he shot his brother a wicked grin— “he managed pretty well for a novice.”

Gregor grunted. “I’d like to see you in the boardroom, Mr. Lumberjack.”

Sven shook his head. “Not in this lifetime. I’ll leave the wheeling and dealing to you, bro. Honestly, I like the work you did on Matteo and Anthony’s cars. Crude, but effective.”

“I think Gregor did a great job for a newb,” Andi said. She high-fived him.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Gregor said.

Matteo and Anthony showed Hannah their custom trains, and she laughed. Their names had been carved into the side. “Nice job, Gregor. I’m impressed.”

“I’m proud of myself. I only have a few nicks for my efforts.” He splayed out his hands, which were covered with band-aids.

He was trying so hard.

“Mommy. Here’s a train for Daddy. Look.”

Anthony held up a red caboose. David’s name had been carved into the side. It said
Loving Father and Husband.

A tear slid down her cheek. “Thank you, Gregor.”

He kissed her tenderly on the forehead. “Of course.” He cleared his throat. “I have something for you, too. Would you like to see it?”

She nodded, afraid that if she spoke a thousand tears would spill from her eyes.

Icy cold Gregor Klaus was melting her into a puddle.

He handed her a small box. “Merry Christmas.” His fingers trembled as he passed her the gift. His face was etched with that desperate, needy look. The one she remembered from the gala. Hannah wanted nothing more than to replace that bleakness with a moment of joy.

She touched his beard lightly. “I’m sure I’ll love it, no matter what it is.”

“Open it.” His dark eyes flashed with heat and emotion.

She opened the box. Hidden in a nest of tissue paper was a bracelet filled with silver charms. Ice skates. Hot chocolate mug. Christmas tree. An angel. An elf. Holly and berries. A tiara. And the final charm was a sparkling candy cane.

He pulled the bracelet from the box and clasped it around her wrist. “Do you like it?”

She didn’t even try to hide the tears that were flowing. “I love it. It’s perfect.” It was simple and sweet and symbolized all the important things in their courtship.

“It means a lot to me. You wearing this bracelet.” Gregor raked his gaze over her face.

“What—what does it mean?”

“It means you believe we have a future together. Do you believe that, Hannah? I hope you do.”

Matteo interrupted the moment. He jumped in front of Gregor with a box. “Here, Gregor. Mom and Anthony and I made this for you.”

“I—I hope it’s enough . . .” Hannah bit her lip.

Gregor opened the box and remained silent. Hannah wanted to hide behind the sofa. After he’d presented her with that beautiful bracelet, he must be horribly disappointed with their hand-made gift. Gregor lifted up the framed photo—a picture that a stranger had taken the day they were skating together at Rockefeller Plaza—and cleared his throat. The four of them were red-cheeked and laughing as they struggled to stay upright on the ice. The frame had been decorated with glitter and beads and bits of holiday ribbon. The boys were so proud of it.

“Do you like it, Gregor?” Anthony asked nervously.

She was about to step in and smooth over ruffled feathers, when Gregor spoke.

“I love it. This is the best Christmas gift I’ve ever received.” He opened his arms, and the twins flew into his embrace. He glanced at Hannah with shining eyes. “Thank you.”

She struggled to speak over the lump in her throat. “You’re welcome.”

Hannah’s dad clapped his hands. “Enough with the gifts. I’m starving. Who’s ready to eat? Gregor and Sven, I hope you two like a good old-fashioned Christmas dinner.”

“Can’t wait. I’m starved, too.” Sven fist-bumped Hannah’s dad, and Hannah laughed at the sight.

“I’m looking forward to everything.”

Gregor’s words warmed her heart. She knew he meant much more than the dinner.

Andi found her place at the table. “I get first dibs on the mashed potatoes!” She snagged Hannah by the arm and whispered into her ear, “I like him. Why do you look so nervous?”

Hannah whispered back. “I’m scared, Andi.”

“Don’t be afraid to fall in love again. You deserve some happiness in your life.”

“You’re one to talk. You’ve been avoiding real relationships for years.”

“Yes, well maybe I was wrong about that.” She kissed Hannah on the cheek.

“What are you girls whispering about? That’s rude. We have guests.” Hannah’s mom chastised them both.

“Yeah, let’s eat. We’re hungry!” Matteo agreed.

The twins scrambled into their seats and waved their forks in the air. Dinner was a typical De Luca affair. Casual jokes, home-cooked food, gruff laughter, and rambunctious boys jostling for attention.

It was the polar opposite of the elegant gala.