Christmas with the Redmond family was nothing short of magical. The cousins, aunts, and uncles descended upon the house in a storm of happy, familial chaos. She was introduced to no less than nine people and received half a dozen hugs as though they'd been a part of her life forever. It didn't matter that she was a stranger. The moment Gerald had introduced her as Jared's girlfriend, everyone had been all smiles and friendliness.

Now all the women were in the kitchen whipping ...