'Tis the Season

by Jennifer Gracen

  “Oh! Good Lord, of course!” She moved aside to let him into the house, only then noticing the black town car parked in front of the house. Charles brushed snowflakes from his coat and looked around briefly, assessing his surroundings. His presence seemed to fill the room. She closed the front door behind him and watched him as her heart pounded and she tried to remember how to breathe.

  “Anyone else home?” he asked.

  “No, not yet. Soon, though. By three-thirty for sure.” She cleared her suddenly dry throat. “Would you like some tea?”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Brownies? I baked them this morning.”

  “No, thanks.” He didn’t even unbutton his coat, just kept gazing at her from across the room. The Christmas tree stood behind him, and the white lights around him made him seem otherworldly.

  “Um . . .” She fidgeted with her ponytail. “Your father. Is he . . . ?”

  “He’s recovering,” Charles said. “He had surgery, and he’s expected to make a full recovery.”

  “Good. That’s good.” She swallowed hard, trying to grab a coherent thought from her shocked brain. His eyes didn’t leave hers. “I don’t know what to say,” she admitted, his quiet stance making her feel as if she had to talk.

  “That’s okay,” he said. “For now, I’m so happy to see you, I’ll just stare.”

  Melting inside, she couldn’t help but grin. “Well, I didn’t know I’d have company. I’m a bit of a mess.”

  “A beautiful mess,” he said, open reverence in his voice and his gaze.

  That made her knees wobble. She cleared her throat. “Do you want to sit down?”

  “What I want is to pull you into my arms and not let go.” His voice was thick with emotion as he jammed his hands into his coat pockets. “What I want is to kiss you until you can’t remember your name. But most of all, what I want is for you to tell me why you left. Not the bullshit excuses in that letter. The truth.”

  Her heart plummeted to her stomach. “I did tell you the truth.”

  “No. No, you didn’t.” His eyes narrowed, and he took a step toward her. “Because we talked about things. A lot. About how we were both willing to do whatever it took to be together.” He took another step closer. “How we love each other, how incredible our connection is, how much we can do and have together.” Another step. “And suddenly, you were gone.” Another step, and his brows arched. “Wait, I take it back, not everything in that letter was bullshit. You made some valid points.”

  “Such as?”

  “I do brush aside your concerns sometimes, and I want to apologize for that. But it was meant to soothe you, you know? To reassure you that we’d be fine, that I’d be there for you no matter what. I’m sorry I made you feel dismissed when I did that. But now I’m aware of it. So come back and let me show you I can be a better listener, okay?”

  She released a shaky breath, every nerve in her body lit with awareness of him, his presence, his strength. “You want me to come back? Even after I took off?”

  “Hell yes, I want you back. This is nothing we can’t get past, Lisette.” He stopped in front of her. “But you have to trust me.”

  “I do!” she said.

  “Then why’d you run?” he asked, his blue eyes pinning her, searching. “Dammit, tell me what you’re afraid of.”

  “A lot of things,” she whispered. She drew a deep breath . . . and took the leap of faith she knew she must. “But most of all, I’m afraid of how I feel about you. Because I love you so much, it’s overwhelming,” she finally said. “I want this with you so much it scares me. I don’t want to lose it. But I’m so sick of swallowing my feelings. My desires. My dreams.” Tears slipped out and rolled down her cheeks, but she met his gaze. “I want to believe you when you say you don’t care what people say, but those women were vicious, Charles. Them, and your father, and Vanessa . . . and it threw me. I got scared again. I swallowed my feelings again. I mean . . . I’ve done that for so long, I don’t know how else to be.”

  “Then just stop,” he said gently. “If I did it, so can you.” He reached out to touch her face. “The past is the past. Stop punishing yourself already.”

  “I thought I’d done that.” Her voice cracked on a sob. “And instead it’s made me feel like I’m in a freefall.”

  “I’ll catch you,” he murmured. His eyes held hers as he wiped her cheeks with his thumbs, then cradled her face. “I’ll catch you, sweetheart. I promise.”

  Her lungs felt tight, and her heart pounded mercilessly. “I’m scared to death.” She drew a shaky breath, looked down, and gently tugged at the loose thread at the bottom of her sweater. “But I’ve been so scared of getting hurt again that I haven’t been living. I’ve been hiding. You . . . dragged me out into the light.”

  “You’ve done the same for me,” he said, and tipped her chin up to make her look at him. “I was in a deep, dark hole. You helped pull me out. I didn’t even realize how deep it was until you came along.”

  “Oh, Charles . . .” She lifted her hands to his.

  “We’re so much stronger and happier together than apart,” he said fervently. “We belong together. We’re right for each other. I love you, Lisette. I love you, I want you, and I’ll always stand by you. Do you hear me?”

  She pressed her lips together to hold back a sob, but nodded.

  “Please come home,” he whispered. “It’s Christmas. Our first one together. Come home with me.” He caressed her cheek. “Come home to me. To all of us. We need you, sweetheart. We all love you.”

  “I love you all too.” The tears seemed endless. “But . . . what about the baby?”

  His brow furrowed. “What about it?”

  “I know it’s been a shock,” she said quickly, making herself get the words out. “But do you really want another baby? Are you really okay with it?”

  “Oh my God,” he whispered. “Of course I’m okay with it; I’m more than okay with it. It’s amazing! It’s your little miracle. Our little miracle.”

  “Really?” she asked. “You’re happy? You can love this child?”

  “Of course!” He stroked loose tendrils of her hair back from her face. “I’m already so crazy in love with this baby’s mother, it’s ridiculous.” He cracked a grin. “I’ll have another child to love, and I’ll do right by him or her from the start . . . It’s a new chance for both of us, honey. I’m totally on board, and I don’t know why you doubted it.”

  She flung herself against him, holding tight as she cried. “I’m so sorry.”

  His arms wrapped around her and pressed her close. “I am too. I kept trying to dismiss all your fears, your concerns . . . but that didn’t make them go away; it just made them fester. I’ll work on that, I promise.”

  “I want a life with you more than anything,” she said. “I was scared to admit it.”

  “How about now?”

  “Now? I’ll never let you go. My God, Charles, you tracked me down and showed up at the door. After I left like a thief in the night.” She couldn’t stop crying. “I’m assuming you flew up here?”

  “Gotta love that private jet,” he said with a crooked grin. “If I had driven, it would’ve taken me six hours or so, and I couldn’t wait that long. As soon as I found out where you were, I couldn’t get to you fast enough.”

  She shook her head in awe. “If you’d do all this, show up here, say these things, ask me to come back, I know you do love me as much as I love you.” She looked up to meet his eyes. “I’m so sorry I hurt you . . . Oh, God, I really messed up.”

  “Shhh, it’s okay. We all mess up. It’s all right now.” He rubbed her back and kissed her forehead, then wiped her wet face with the edge of his sleeve. “You’re coming home. And it’s going to be our home. I love how you love my kids. We’re going to have a great life together and welcome a new baby into the mix. We’ll be a new kind of family. Everything’s going to work out.”

  “It’s all my dreams come true,” she said, choking on
sobs as he pulled her into his arms.

  “Then why are you still crying and sad?” he asked.

  “I’m not sad anymore!” she croaked between sobs. “These are happy tears.”

  He laughed and squeezed her tighter. “Sorry, I couldn’t tell the difference.”

  “Well, I’ve been crying so much lately,” she blubbered, “it’s understandable.”

  “Damn hormones,” he teased.

  “They’re wrecking me,” she said, laughing through her tears. “I’m usually not like this, crying all the time, I swear. I think I’ll get back to normal in a few weeks.”

  “I want to be with you every step of the way for this pregnancy,” he said, leaning his forehead against hers and looking into her eyes. “I love you, Lisette.”

  “I love you too.”

  He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her tenderly. As soon as his lips touched hers, it was as if a spark ignited. The kiss flamed hot, both of them consumed as they held each other.

  “So we might have to find a new nanny.” He interlocked his fingers at the small of her back, holding her close as his eyes twinkled. “Mine’s knocked up. Know anyone good?”

  She hiccupped out a watery laugh. “I can help out for a while,” she joked, snaking her arms around his neck. “But actually, can we go back tomorrow? I really want you to meet Karen and her family. She’ll be home any minute, with my goddaughter. Can we stay for dinner, at least?”

  “Sure. I’d like that,” he said. “I’m a little intimidated to meet the famous Karen, though. Think she’ll approve of me?”

  “I think she might. You can be pretty charming when you want to be,” Lisette said, smiling so brightly her cheeks started to hurt. “And don’t lie, mister—nobody intimidates you. You’re Charles Harrison III.”

  He cupped her chin and looked into her eyes. “Lisette, I’m nobody without you.”

  Epilogue

  Three months later

  The clear turquoise waves of the Caribbean lapped onto the white sands of the beach. On the deck of their private villa, soft breezes caressed their skin as Charles held his girlfriend close and they watched the fiery sunset.

  “I still can’t believe you brought me here,” Lisette said against his chest.

  “Amateur,” he scoffed. “I planned this a month ago.”

  “And I still can’t believe Vanessa was willing to take the kids for the whole spring break,” Lisette marveled. “How’d you swing that?”

  “Believe it or not, I asked.” A crooked grin spread on his face. “She said she wanted to see them more, so I gave her a chance to prove it.”

  “Amazing.” Lisette inhaled a deep breath of beach air. “Speaking of amazing, this was an incredible surprise. You’ve outdone yourself. Thank you so much, honey.”

  “My pleasure,” he said, taking her mouth with sultry kisses. They had eight days together at the Parrot Cay Resort, a sumptuous tropical paradise far away from their busy world. Crystal-clear waters, soft sands, a villa with a private pool and direct beach access . . . the five-star luxury resort had been the right choice. He was glad he’d found it, then kept the trip a secret.

  “We’re going to do nothing this week but relax and enjoy each other,” he said, moving lower to kiss and nibble her neck. Her breath caught as her breasts, fuller from pregnancy and more sensitive, brushed against his chest. He smiled against her skin, reaching down to dig his fingers into her lush hips and press her closer. “You know . . .” He continued to devour her neck, knowing where she liked to be kissed and bitten. One hand lifted to thread his fingers through her hair. “This morning, you went out, and when you got back, you said you had a surprise for me tonight. But then I surprised you by putting you on a plane and bringing you here.” He drew back to look into her eyes and flash a playful grin. “Well, it’s tonight. I want my surprise now.”

  She laughed and said, “Okay, okay. You’re in luck; I brought it with me. But it’s nothing nearly as extravagant as a getaway to paradise.”

  “Please tell me you don’t think I care.”

  “I know you don’t. That’s one of the many reasons I love you so much.” She kissed him before pulling out of his embrace. “Be right back. Stay here.”

  Charles smiled as she disappeared into their private villa. He turned and watched the clear blue waves just beyond and thought about his life. He was the luckiest man in the world. He’d lost sight of that for a while, the years when he’d been depressed and lonely and overworked. But once Lisette had come into his life, it was as if the sun had started shining on him again. She showered him with her warmth and light, and he blossomed under her radiance. He loved her so much it astonished him.

  Other aspects of his life had improved too. Vanessa was more involved with the kids, which was nice for them—but not too involved, which was nice for him. Business was booming. He’d stayed at the company; he’d realized he was born to run the Harrison empire, and when things were good, he really did love his work. He’d lessened the stress and the volume of his insane workload by assigning different projects to several of his very capable executive vice presidents, and so far, the new system was working well. His father was so grateful Charles had decided to stay on that he kept his grumblings to a minimum.

  Charles II had softened a bit after the heart attack. Being suddenly frail had humbled him, and perhaps he’d had something of an epiphany himself, because he wasn’t as nasty, domineering, or controlling as before. It’d only been three months since the heart attack, but so far, Charles II had behaved decently. All Charles could do was hope it was a permanent change.

  As for him, Charles was wildly in love with Lisette, who glowed more from her pregnancy every day. After the first trimester had ended and she felt well again, they told everyone. The household staff had been surprisingly supportive—luckily, they all loved Lisette, so they were happy for her happiness. Tina and Eileen, of course, were like excited aunts, and Charles was grateful. His siblings were equally supportive and happy for them. His father had been livid, and Charles didn’t care. And when they had told the children about their soon-to-be brother or sister, the children had been over the moon about the baby, and happy that Lisette was going to be an official part of the family.

  Charles grinned to himself. He intended to make that permanent. Discreetly, his hand went to his pocket to feel for the small velvet box. Yup, still there, safe and sound.

  “I’m back,” Lisette said from behind him. “Close your eyes.”

  He did as she asked. “They’re closed. Are you naked?”

  “What?” She laughed hard. “You’re incorrigible.”

  “Well, this is a private villa,” he said. “No one can see us. I thought maybe you were going to seduce me out here on the deck or something.”

  “No, that’s not my surprise, but I can do that later.”

  A hot surge of lust rushed right to his groin. “Ohhh. Yes, please. Now, can I finally have my surprise?”

  He felt her brush up beside him, felt her lean into him. “Okay,” she said. “Open your eyes.”

  He opened them slowly. She was holding a picture of something in front of him. He peered at it closer, then felt his breath hitch. “Another ultrasound?”

  “Mm hmm.” She smiled, luminous and happy. “Charles . . . we’re having a girl.”

  His eyes flew to hers. “It’s a girl?”

  “Yup.” Her smile widened, the sweetness and joy in her expression enveloping his heart with love. “Surprise.”

  “Best surprise ever!” He pulled her into his arms, kissing her hard and holding her tight. “Another girl. I’m so excited!”

  “I’m so glad you are,” she said between kisses. “I hope Ava will be happy.”

  “Are you kidding? She’ll be thrilled.” Charles looked into Lisette’s warm brown eyes. His sweet, beautiful Lisette. This woman had brought so much light and joy into his life. He only hoped he could give her half as much as she’d given him. He planned to spend the rest of
their lives achieving that balance.

  He reached into his pocket and palmed the velvet box. “Sweetheart, there was a reason I wanted to bring you to such a magnificent place. I have a surprise for you too.”

  About the Author

  JENNIFER GRACEN hails from Long Island, New York, where she lives with her two sons. After spending her youth writing in private and singing in public, she now only sings in her car and is immersed in her passion for writing. She loves to write contemporary romance for readers who look for authentic characters and satisfying endings. When she isn’t with her kids, doing freelance proofreading, or chatting on Twitter and Facebook, Jennifer writes. She’s already hard at work on her next book. Jennifer is a member of the Romance Writers of America and is active in the Long Island Romance Writers, as well as being a member of CTRWA.

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