Sweet Cinderella (A Christmas Novella) (The Klaus Brothers Book 4) by Penny Watson

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