“And so do you.” Isabella picked up a cookie, took a small bite, and went back to her box of memories. “Look, honey, do you remember this vacation to the West Coast? We had loads of fun. You brought your little friend, Lilly.”
Beth peered at it and smiled. She had been thirteen or fourteen, and she and Lilly had turned into beach bunnies for a week. “I remember. Later I’ll call Lilly to see what she’s doing for Christmas—to catch up. I haven’t seen her since Dad’s funeral. The day after the tree lighting, I received an email from her, needless to say, after the news of Jake and I spread.” Beth rose from the bed. “Well, I’ll leave you alone for a while. I need to go fight the Christmas rush for a few items. Need anything?”
“I’m all set. Be careful out there, my darling.”
“Sure, Mom. When I return, I’ll get ready for later and be available to help you. Let me know when you’re ready to bring out food, or to fix what we need. Oh, give Elly a hug for me when she returns.”
“Yes, dear. And honey? Don’t give up on love. This is real.”
Is real? It had always been real. Had her mom known all along that she and Ross’s marriage had been a farce? Beth padded out to get another cup of coffee. While in the kitchen she made a half of a ham and cheese sandwich and carried it upstairs with her. A quick glance to her watch reminded her stores closed early tonight on Christmas Eve.
She sat the mug and small plate on her bedside table and stood at the entrance to her closet. Her gaze lifted. Right there on the top shelf were her memories. Dare I look now? She had no choice, for it was as if an invisible rope drew her to the boxes.
She sat on her double bed, atop the pink quilted comforter, and opened the first one. Framed pictures of her and Jake, and friends that used to adorn her walls, sat atop five yearbooks. Four were her years of high school, and one was for Jake’s senior year. She picked up her senior yearbook and read over some of the signatures from friends—hers and Jake’s.
It was his friends who had hunted her down after they had graduated, to sign her book. The memory brought a smile. Beth turned to the last two pages where Mr. Popularity Jake had reserved for him and him alone. I Love you, Beth “Macaroni” Marconi was sprawled across the last two pages in deep blue marker. Reading what he had written, she laughed… Jake and Beth soon to be Jake and Beth Lawton. Then she slammed it closed and cried.
***
Trace stood in front of the mirror in his dad’s bathroom, buttoning his dark brown, button-up shirt without a complaint about dressing decent. Jake, on the other hand, wore his best pair of jeans.
“Dad?”
“Huh?” Jake towered behind him and did the last swipe with his razor, ran it under the water, and set it in the medicine cabinet.
Trace’s lips twisted side to side as he contemplated. “Why did Beth tell you not to come tonight? Is she mad?”
Is she mad, he asks? Jake had observed the pain in her eyes earlier, and now he feared she’d do something silly like break it off. “Her feelings were hurt. She wasn’t mad.”
“I’m glad we’re going anyway.”
“Why?” He had expected an argument more than anything, so this surprised him. He dried his face.
“No reason.” Trace cocked his head and shifted his lips again. “Maybe I can talk Beth’s mom into getting a Christmas tree. I know! Let’s give them our old white one.”
“No Trace. They’re not in a mood for a tree this year. Let it go. Are you almost ready?” Jake ran his fingers over his hair and peered at his handsome son who had the same hair as he had at that age. Messy thick, and dirty blond. Then he ran his hand through T.J.’s hair to mess it up.
“Leave my hair alone. I just brushed it. I’m ready. But why is Beth’s feelings hurt?” He rolled his eyes at his dad and grabbed his brush.
In his room, Jake shoved his wallet into his back pocket. He grabbed a shirt, unsure of what to say. He couldn’t make Trace feel bad by telling him why Beth’s feelings were hurt, especially when he didn’t know what he said had been hurtful to her. “I’m not sure. It’s…well, sometimes certain words don’t sound so bad when they are said, but another person can take them to be hurtful. Anyway, we’re going to dinner at her house.”
“Is she mad at you, Dad? Will Beth break up with you?”
Jake took a seat on the bed and patted the side. “She’s not mad at me, but I don’t know if she’s breaking up. You know, she still hurts inside too over losing her father, so she’s sensitive. She tries to be strong, but I see the ache inside of her.”
“I’m sorry for her, Daddy. I hurt inside too. Can you see my insides?”
Jake put his arm around his son and gave him a squeeze. “Yeah, I can. It’ll get easier as time goes by.” What a crappy thing to say. “I mean it’s your first Christmas without Mom. But, I’m here for you and always will be.” He hoped in his heart of hearts he’d always be here for him. It could’ve been the first Christmas without his mom, regardless. To this day Jake couldn’t be sure Paige had ever planned on coming back. No need to dwell on it now.
“I know what you mean. I saw it on TV when somebody died in a show I watched and after a while they were okay. Do you think it’ll happen to me?”
“TV isn’t reality, but it’s the same concept, same idea—time relieves pain, so they say.” Would time relieve his pain if she broke up with him? After all these years, and their happiness was finally within reach, it could end just like that? Snap. Like the snap of a dried twig?
“Did I hurt her feelings when I said she wasn’t my mother?”
Damn. What a smart kid. “We’ll have to wait and see. We all know Beth isn’t your mom, and she’d never want to take anything away from your mom—only to offer you a hand. I asked Beth to marry me someday, bud.” Doggone, why had he blurted it out now?
“You did? Then she’d be my mom?” Trace shifted on the bed to face his dad, but instead of making eye contact, he pulled a sock up and retied his shoes.
This opened up a whole topic he wasn’t ready to get into, but since it was in the air now, he had to respond. “She’d officially be your stepmom, but that doesn’t mean she’d want to replace your mom in any way.”
Trace peered at his lap, and his hair covered his eyes. “Is she going to marry you?”
Jake lifted Trace’s face and brushed hair from his eyes. “I don’t know. I bought a ring.” Jake laughed. “Heck, kiddo, I bought her one when I was nineteen. Ten years older than you are now.”
T.J. folded an arm across his chest but brought his thumb up to tap his lip. “You were going to marry Beth before my mom?”
His kid was on the ball at times and not much got past him. “Remember, I knew her before your mom? I couldn’t ask your mom then because I didn’t know her. I met your mom when I was saddle bronc riding.”
T.J. sighed and blew out a breath. “I’m hungry.”
He’d heard everything he wanted to hear and was ready to move on for now. “It’s about time to leave. Let me finish getting dressed. If you don’t like some of the food at Beth’s, try to be polite about it.”
He bounced off the bed and stood straight and tall in front of Jake. “Dad? You better hurry and ask Beth again because she’s real pretty, and someone else might beat you to it. She might go back to her ex-husband!”
“I’m not marrying her because she’s pretty but you’re right—she’s real pretty.” Sexy. Stunning. “She won’t go back to him.” Beth was the woman he loved, and he wasn’t about to let her get away again, even if he had to wrangle her heart back with a make-believe lasso. Jake messed T.J.’s hair up again. “Hey, go brush your hair and don’t forget your teeth, so you don’t blow dragon breath all over those old…seniors, I meant to say seniors.”
“You make me laugh. I bet you were gonna say old people.”
Getting a laugh out of his son was never a bad thing. His laughter gave him a peaceful feeling inside. “Get going so we can get there on time. Be nice to those seniors, and to Beth.”
<
br /> “I will. Does Beth want to marry you? Did she say yes like in cartoons?” Trace ran the brush over his hair.
He swatted Trace on the backside. “Go brush your teeth so I can have my bathroom back.”
When Jake leaned over to pull his boots on, Trace messed up his hair and ran out of the room giggling.
Chapter 14
“Dad! They have a tree.”
To Jake’s surprise, a lighted Christmas tree filled with reflective ornaments and an angel topper glowed through the window. “Hmm.” They both strolled up to the porch. A million and ten scenarios rushed through his brain. He knocked. Mrs. Marconi pulled the door open. Jake introduced her to Trace since they hadn’t met at the tree lighting.
“Oh, bellissimo bambino! Jake, he’s you all over.” She hugged Trace, and his big brown eyes peered up at his dad for help in the arms of a strange woman.
Jake shrugged and the next thing he knew, she hugged him. “Merry Christmas.” Feeling more like a kid himself standing on this porch, he held out a bottle of wine as a gift. “I hope you like this.” Mrs. Marconi looked fantastic and had aged well. Her olive-brown eyes appeared tired but her skin soft. Her hair had remained long and thick, dark with a touch of gray throughout, but the waves framed her face. Men her age must’ve considered her pretty.
Flashing a smile, she pulled the bottle out of its decorative sleeve. “We love Chianti. Thank you. We’ll have it for dinner.”
Mrs. Marconi ushered them to the living room, but Jake and Trace both stopped abruptly, one back as straight as the other, and Trace moved a half step behind Jake. Shit. Drake Manning? Jake took a seat the farthest he could away from him, and Trace pushed in between Jake and the arm of the loveseat. “I didn’t know, Trace, honest. You going to be all right?”
Trace sat on the edge of the cushion in escape mode, but he whispered, “Yeah.”
Beth entered the room with a tray of appetizers. “Jake,” she said, caught off guard. A quick glance to Trace, and she said hi to him, too. “Welcome to my home, T.J. Thank you for accompanying your dad.”
“Hi, Beth. You have a tree!”
She bit her lip and gave a sideways peek to Jake before sweeping her gaze away. “Yes, it was a surprise to me too. My mom and her best friend put it up when I went shopping. Elly is around here somewhere.” Beth took a seat beside Jake but none too close. “Mom said Dad would’ve wanted us to have one, so there it is.” She smiled as she peered at the tree. Had a special family memory bottled up behind her eyes?
Jake peered around the room. Curtains and furniture were different from what he had known years ago, except for the same recliner near the picture window. The arrangement was like it always had been. One thing new was a computer desk sitting in the corner near the door to the dining room. While visiting during the funeral, he paid no attention to anything in the room except Beth.
A scent of apples and cinnamon lingered as if a pie had been removed from the oven. Beth had some explaining to do. Clearing his throat before speaking, he asked succinctly, “Can I talk to you a minute in private?” Jake whispered, unsure of what she’d have to say about inviting the self-proclaimed arch rival by the name of Drake Manning.
She gave a reluctant yes. “Come into the kitchen.”
Trace got up with him, but Jake held up his hand. “I’ll be right back.” When they got to the kitchen, she continued on through the room, since there were guests there with her mom. He nodded to them all, stopped when Isabella introduced him to Elly, and then he kept going. Beth twirled in the center of the family room.
“You were right about it being uncomfortable. Why didn’t you tell me Drake Manning would be here? Is his dad around?”
“I didn’t know until he walked in with his grandfather. His parents had paperwork to take care of. His grandpa had to bring him. I don’t know where the siblings are.”
Jake ran his hand through his hair and glanced away. “Great!”
Beth placed her hand on his shoulder blade, her fingers splayed for about two seconds. Sternly, yet with a tone of sadness, she spoke low. “They aren’t staying long is what I overheard. Can you deal with it? If not, please leave. I asked you not to come anyway.”
Jake reeled around. “Is this how it’ll be between us? Back and forth? On and off? Because I can’t deal with indecision.”
“You’re both hurting right now. I rushed in without—”
He clenched her arm, saying with gritted teeth, “You didn’t freaking rush in. Dammit, Beth. Don’t end this.”
Glaring, Beth jerked her arm free and headed toward the doorway. “I’m being a bad host.” Without another word, she left the room, and Jake could do nothing but go out behind her.
She looked damn sexy tonight in a body hugging, sleeveless, emerald green dress with a bit of sparkle around the low, square neckline. The color intensified the green of her eyes, even if they shot fire back at him. The sway of her hips in heels made his breath catch in his chest. His heart throbbed hard. Dammit. He should’ve stayed home. He wiped his palms against his thighs. Seeing her all decked out tonight was worth dealing with her animosity, though.
Back in the living room, Drake and Trace sat at the computer desk playing some kind of video game. Drake’s grandfather stood behind them giving directions and advice. Jake walked up to him, introduced himself, and shook his hand. The man wouldn’t be so friendly once he found out Jake had decked his son. Rubbing his hand over his jaw brought it all back.
He sat back on the loveseat, standing each time a guest came in and was introduced. In between times, he watched Beth skitter back and forth. What he wanted to do was to run his hands over the dress, her hips—grab her long hair up and kiss her. Shake it off. The redhead was determined not to let this work. Beth remained scarce until dinner, and she had been seated beside him. Drake had been seated next to T.J. On the other hand, T.J. looked content, and he and Drake did talk amongst themselves.
Mrs. Marconi stood with a glass of wine at the head of the festively decorated table. “I’d like to thank Jake Lawton for bringing this delizioso wine tonight. It’s been one of my favorites for as long as I’ve been drinking wine, which is a long time for this old woman.” She held her glass out. “Salute and thank you. Such a charming young man you are,” she said as she sat back down.
Jake took a drink to force himself to keep his mouth shut. He had been just as damn charming at twenty when she had yanked her daughter away from him. Setting his glass down, he lowered his hand to Beth’s thigh. The dress felt smooth to the touch. Her flesh beneath it, hot. It wasn’t his imagination that her thigh muscle tightened—the same way her muscles tightened around his hips.
Her subtle perfume wafted toward him in a circle of memories. Candlelight and colored lights caused her ginger hair to glow, and her diamond stud earrings glittered. He left his hand there until dessert arrived. Apparently, he’d be leaving this house tonight without any…dessert other than apple pie.
After dessert, T.J. asked if he could go back on the computer with Drake. Hell, yeah. “Sure.” Beth sat beside him, and he reached for her hand, holding it to his thigh when she tried to tug away. She caved in front of her guests. A short time later, the other couples eventually meandered into the family room for coffee and tea. “So what’s happening here?” he asked in a quiet voice when they’d left.
Beth sighed, peering at him. “I don’t know, Jake. I honestly don’t know.”
She rose, but Jake didn’t release her hand, trying to somehow keep her from walking away. “Think about this. Why would you do this when things were so great between us? You’re making a mistake by throwing us away again. I love you.” God, he hated the way he sounded.
She sat back down. “That’s the problem. I love you too, but we have to—”
“We have to be together is what we have to be!” Jake slipped his arm around her shoulder, but she tensed. Too bad, for he didn’t remove his arm. She could deal with his body close to hers because it might be the last time.
“Come to church with me and T.J. tonight. I know it isn’t your thing, but come with us, then carry on with your plan to spend the night. Don’t walk away from what can finally be something.” He tipped her chin, pausing as he searched her eyes. “It’s the last time I’ll say it, Beth.” And he meant it. Unfortunately.
“No, not tonight, but I’ll come over for a few minutes tomorrow.” Beth softly touched the side of his face. “You still have some healing to do. Trace needs to heal. It’s too soon for us.”
“It’s too damn late for us,” he blurted out, which wasn’t too quiet. “Thirteen years too late. You know this.” Standing, he looked down at her, waiting for her to change her mind. It didn’t happen. Closing his eyes, he shook his head, then went across the room to his son at the computer. “How soon before you can wrap up your game?”
“In a couple minutes. I’m almost winning.”
Jake watched the rest of the game. “Good move!”
T.J. and Drake did a high five, and Trace got up. “I’m ready now. Is Beth coming with us?”
She strutted out of the room. “Nope. Let’s go tell our host thank you.” He and Trace sought out Mrs. Marconi. The others were getting ready to leave, and Drake’s grandfather came up to Jake. “Nice meeting you and your boy. Maybe we’ll see you around again.”
Jake shook his hand and nodded to Drake. “Merry Christmas to both of you.” He brushed his hand toward the doorway. “Come on, T.J.”
Trace waved to Drake, and they did another high five. T.J. followed Jake through the kitchen. “Why isn’t Beth coming with us?”
“She’s cleaning up and staying with her mom.” He turned to her mom. “Mrs. Marconi, thanks for inviting us tonight. As usual, your food was delicious. Merry Christmas to you and Beth.”
She bent forward to hug T.J. again and then Jake. “Merry Christmas to you and your darling boy.” Isabella spoke quietly, “I’m so sorry for what Beth is doing.”
Whispers of Forever: Mending Christmas (Canyon Junction: Hearts In Love #1) Page 23
