Christmas Down Under (Single Wide Female: Happily Ever After #1) Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  New Series - Free Book!

  Get a free book!

  Preview: To Love Again (a sweet romance)

  Preview: Lifeguards and Liars (a cozy mystery)

  Other Titles

  Legal Notice

  Single Wide Female: Happily Ever After

  (Book 1)

  Christmas Down Under

  By

  Lillianna Blake

  Copyright © 2016 Lillianna Blake

  Cover design by Beetiful Book Covers

  All rights reserved.

  LilliannaBlake.com

  Chapter 1

  “Ka-pow!” Abby landed in the middle of the bed with a shriek.

  I grabbed the suitcase just before it could topple off the edge of the bed. “Abby, careful please.”

  I looked over at her as she flopped back against the bed and tried to catch her breath. “We’re never going to get to Australia if you don’t let me get packed.”

  “I can’t wait, I can’t wait. Mommy, if I catch a koala can we keep it? Please? Please?”

  “Abby, you’re not to go near a koala. They’re wild animals, not teddy bears, and they can hurt you.”

  “But what if I make a trap? Like a box with some bamboo in it, or something? And the koala just happens to crawl under the box, and he just happens to want to come home with us, then can I keep him?”

  “No, Abby.”

  “Why not?” She huffed and rolled over on the bed.

  “Because koalas are wild animals. They like to live in the wild,” Max said, smiling at Abby as he tucked a pair of his jeans into the suitcase. “Would you like someone to catch you in a box?”

  “Hm.” She nodded. “If it was a big box—and if it had chocolate cookies under it.”

  “Interesting. Maybe we can start trapping you at bedtime.” Max laughed.

  “Not a bad idea.” I grinned as I added the last few items of clothing to the suitcase. “I’m so excited to visit Australia.”

  “Me too.” Max wrapped his arms around my waist and nestled his lips beside my ear. “The beach is going to be amazing.”

  “But there’s so much to see too.”

  “Yes, the beach, and you on the beach, and you in the water and you—”

  “Max.” I laughed and leaned back to kiss his cheek. “We’re going to have so much fun. It’s what we need.”

  “I know it is.”

  Over the past few months Max and I had been so bogged down with life that we’d lost touch with one another once more. Not so much that we didn’t notice, but when the grumpiness spread through the ranks, and we couldn’t even seem to find one day to spend together, we’d decided that something needed to change.

  I knew that Abby really needed the break too. Her first year of kindergarten was not going well. She grasped the topics just fine, but when it came to behavior, she seemed to be all over the place.

  “Mommy, can I please bring my roller skates?”

  “Not this time, sweetie. Maybe we can pick some up while we’re there.”

  “What about my board games?”

  “I’m sure we’ll come across some while we’re there.”

  “Why can’t I bring them?”

  “Alright, Miss Abby.” Max swept her up in his arms. “Why don’t we let Mommy finish here and we’ll get started on our pre-flight snack?”

  “Pre-flight snack?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “It’s not like the ice cream is still going to be good when we get back.” Max grinned.

  “Oh, okay.” I wasn’t about to argue if it gave me some quiet time to finish packing.

  I was a little nervous—okay, very nervous.

  We’d tried the travel thing again not long after we’d finished up our first U.S. tour. We’d visited Japan, and I was sure that it would be amazing for Abby—that she’d be immersed in another culture, she’d pick up the language, that there would be so many educational opportunities.

  Instead, Abby had hated the food, she threw a tantrum just about everywhere we went, and by the end of the trip, Max and I swore we’d never travel again.

  But this time it would be different. Abby was five now and insatiably talkative. She was curious about everything under the sun. Most of all, she needed a break from the day-to-day routine that seemed to be rubbing her the wrong way.

  It rubbed me the wrong way too.

  As I maintained my blog, wrote on a schedule, and had meetings with people who wanted to set up tours or feature me on a blog or one of the other thousands of things that people wanted from me, I’d lost sight of what freedom was.

  Max had been working double time, between monitoring my website and taking care of Abby. And he was also working as a mobile IT assistant. We crossed each other’s paths, we ate dinner together, we slept under the same roof, but life kept pulling us in different directions. Even the times we had together were stressful.

  Abby had a small pile of homework each night—and good grief, by the way—she was only in kindergarten! Max’s clients would call at all hours and I’d been dealing with the misery of frequent writer’s block. I would often abandon the dinner table to write a chapter, which caused some conflict until I explained to Max that I was fighting to get any words on the page at all—that I had to jump when an idea came.

  It wasn’t the worst chaos we’d ever been in, but it was too much.

  When Max suggested that we take a Christmas trip, I jumped at the idea.

  Now, if we could only get on the plane without any disasters.

  When I stepped into the kitchen, I found Max and Abby at the table with heaping bowls of ice cream.

  “Max!”

  “What?” He grinned. “I saved you some.” He pointed to another bowl on the table that was just as full.

  “What if she gets a stomachache?”

  “What if we just relax and have a good time?” He met my eyes. “That’s the plan, right?”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but closed it again when I saw Abby’s big grin. I didn’t want to start off our journey with a fight. Instead, I joined them for ice cream.

  When we were finished, I washed the dishes, then we loaded the suitcases into the car.

  Chapter 2

  On the way to the airport, I went over with Abby what she should expect.

  “It’s going to be crowded, so you need to stay close to me or Daddy. We’re going to walk through some really cool machines that take pictures of your body and then we’re going to have to wait a little while after that before we get on the plane.”

  “I know, Mommy, remember? We watched a walk-through on the Internet.”

  “I know, but it’s important to remember that just about everyone at the
airport is in a hurry, so we don’t want to cause any trouble, right?”

  “Right! So behave, Daddy!”

  “Hey!” Max laughed as he glanced in the rear-view mirror. “I’ll try if you try.”

  “Okay, I’ll try. And Mommy, make sure you hold my hand so you don’t get lost.”

  “Okay, I will.” I grinned.

  Even though I knew the airport would be busy when we arrived, I was stunned by the amount of people between us and the security check. I glanced at my watch. I’d left us plenty of time, but now I wondered if it would be enough. How would Abby tolerate waiting in such a long line?

  “Oh boy, Max, this doesn’t look good.”

  “It’ll be fine. We just have to all try to be patient.”

  “Abby!” I gasped as she began digging through her backpack. “We can’t unpack here.”

  “I’m looking for my koala!”

  “Didn’t you pack it?”

  “I thought you did!”

  “Oh no.” Panic set in as I grabbed her bag and shook all the contents out onto the airport floor. Sure enough, there was no stuffed koala in the bag. We’d bought it for her as a surprise when we’d told her about the trip. She adored it.

  “Mommy, I need my koala!” Tears filled her eyes.

  “Maybe I can run back and get it.” Max glanced at his watch.

  “There’s no way. You’ll never be back in time.”

  Abby’s lip began to tremble.

  “Now, Abby.” I looked into her eyes. “You have to be a big girl about this. There will be real koalas for you to see in Australia, and when we get back, you can tell your koala all about it, okay?”

  “But I want it.” She stomped one foot.

  My cheeks flared with heat. People were looking in our direction as we held up the line.

  “We’re going without it, I’m sorry, but there’s no other option.”

  “Okay.” She sniffled and began to put all her things back in her bag.

  I was so shocked that I might have fallen over, were it not for the steady movement of the crowd around us. Maybe I underestimated the maturity of my little girl.

  Then I noticed the slump of her shoulders, the stuck-out bottom lip, and the scowl. Abby was brewing.

  “Abby, we’re going to have so much fun. I promise you’re going to be fine.”

  “I’m not going to have any fun.”

  “You’ll see once we get there.”

  “No.” She huffed.

  “Want to ride on my shoulders?” Max reached for her.

  “No, no!” She crossed her arms.

  I could only imagine how she would be on the plane.

  “Abby, you have two choices. You can be angry about your stuffed animal or you can be excited about seeing some real koala bears. Which one sounds better?”

  “Angry.” She looked up at me.

  “Okay. Then that’s your choice.”

  Max walked through the x-ray, then Abby followed. I went last, and of course, the alarm beeped.

  As I was gone over with security’s wand, I noticed Abby watching. I made funny faces to try to cheer her up.

  She began to giggle as the security officer looked at me strangely.

  “Ma’am, are you having a medical problem?”

  “No, I’m sorry.”

  “Are you sure? Have you taken any medication?”

  “I’m fine—sorry. I was just trying to cheer my little girl up.”

  “Oh.” He laughed and waved at Abby. “Okay, you’re clear to go.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled at him and joined Max and Abby.

  By the time we got on the plane, Abby was much quieter, but she still didn’t look happy to me. Then again, maybe I was expecting too much. The plane wasn’t the exciting part, getting to Australia was.

  We settled in our seats and Abby rested her head against my arm. I thought she might fall asleep.

  Not long after takeoff, she started to moan.

  “Oh no.” I reached for an airsick bag, but there wasn’t one. “Max?”

  “What?” He smiled, oblivious to the disaster that was about to unfold.

  “She’s going to be sick. Is there a bag over there?”

  Max fumbled for it and opened it just in time to catch the remnants of the giant bowl of ice cream.

  “Ugh, that’s awful.” Max mumbled and looked away.

  I grabbed a tissue for Abby and a piece of candy.

  Max left the seat to figure out where to get rid of the bag. “Never again.” He looked at me and shuddered. “Don’t say it.”

  “Please, can’t I?”

  “Don’t.” He quirked a brow.

  “Fine.”

  “Alright—just once, though.”

  “I told you so.” I patted Abby’s head and snuggled her close.

  Luckily, after that, she did sleep for the majority of the long flight.

  Chapter 3

  We landed in Sydney without any other major issues.

  As we left the airport, Abby stared wide-eyed through the taxi window.

  “Mommy, where are they?”

  “Where are who?” I smiled at her.

  “The koalas?”

  “Oh, don’t worry, we’re going to see some very soon.”

  “Can’t we go see them now?” She sighed and continued to stare out through the window.

  “Once we get settled at the rental house we can go exploring.” I brushed my hand along her forehead to make sure she didn’t have a fever. I was sure the incident on the plane was just the result of the ice cream indulgence, but I still had to check. “Are you feeling up to it?”

  “Yes, I can’t wait!”

  “What about you, Max?” I looked over at him.

  “Sure. I can’t wait to start our adventure. Too bad we only have two weeks. There’s so much to see.”

  “Two weeks is a long time.”

  “I know it is, but Australia is a big place.”

  “That’s for sure.” I nodded toward the row of houses we approached. “I think one of those is ours.”

  “This one.” The driver pulled up to one of the houses and tipped his hat. “Welcome.”

  “Thank you.” I added a tip to his payment and we unloaded the trunk.

  I was thrilled to be on foreign soil again and in a place I’d always dreamed of visiting. Between its beauty, unique wildlife, and intriguing culture, I couldn’t pin down exactly what enthralled me about Australia—maybe it all did.

  The house was small but surrounded by a few trees and a patch of grass that would be a perfect place for Abby to play. Luckily, it wasn’t far from the beach.

  “What do you think, Abby? This is where we’ll be staying during our time in Sydney.”

  “I like it, but I’d like it better if there was a koala.”

  “Hm, then maybe this will make you smile.” Max whipped his hand from behind his back and revealed a small stuffed koala bear.

  “Oh, Daddy, thank you!” She squealed and grabbed the koala.

  “Max?” I laughed. “When did you manage that?”

  “While you two were in the restroom after the plane landed, I saw this guy in one of the gift shops and just knew he wanted to travel with us.”

  “He’s perfect. When I get home he can be best friends with my other stuffed animals.”

  “Good, now I hope we can all enjoy our trip.”

  “We will.” She hugged the little bear tight.

  As Max ran toward the house, I high-fived him. “Good move, Dad.”

  “Thanks.” He bowed. “I figured I had to make up for the ice cream catastrophe somehow.”

  “Good start.”

  “More?” He grinned.

  “Oh much more.” I nodded and followed Abby into the house.

  After we explored the home, we ordered some food and settled on the small patio that overlooked a small but lush garden.

  “I’m so glad to be off that plane.” Max yawned and stretched his arms.

  “I thou
ght the flight was pretty nice.”

  “It was so short!” Abby bit into a potato chip.

  Max and I looked at one another and laughed.

  “That’s because you were asleep, honey.” Max poked her nose.

  “Only for a few minutes.”

  “Or a few hours.” I grinned. “No wonder you’re so full of energy now.”

  “I wish I could say the same.” Max rubbed his eyes.

  “Why don’t you stay here and rest? I’ll take Abby to see some koalas.”

  “But this is supposed to be a family trip.”

  “And it’s also supposed to be a vacation. If you’re tired, you should honor that and get some rest.”

  “You don’t mind?”

  “No, of course not, Max. I want you to be well rested and ready to enjoy yourself. Abby and I will take lots of pictures.”

  “Okay.” He nodded and covered another yawn. “I probably wouldn’t be much fun anyway. You two behave.”

  “I’ll keep track of Mommy.” Abby kicked her feet.

  “Good girl.” Max winked at her, then kissed me and headed for the bedroom.

  I watched him go with a hint of disappointment. Even though I wanted him to rest, I’d been looking forward to our time together. I pushed the thought aside and focused on Abby.

  “So, do you think we’ll see some big koalas or little ones?”

  “I don’t care as long as I can keep one.”

  “No, Abby, we talked about this, remember?”

  “I remember.” She smiled.

  I wasn’t sure what that answer meant. “Abby, no trying to smuggle koalas back home with us. Agreed?”

  “Aw.” She sighed. “Alright, agreed.” She stuck out her hand for a handshake.

  I shook her hand, then gathered up the food containers. It only took me a few minutes to find a nearby attraction that had koala bears. With Abby’s new stuffed bear tucked into the front of her shirt with its head poking out past the collar, we climbed into a taxi and headed off for our first adventure in Sydney.

  The drive wasn’t too long. When the taxi stopped in front of the building, I hesitated. It looked a bit older and maybe a little run-down, but I wondered if maybe it was just because I was used to a bit more splash and brighter colors. America had a tendency to go a little overboard on everything when it came to decoration.