THE BENNETTS' CHRISTMAS (The Bennett Family and the Masters Family Book 6)

by Brenda Jackson

  Sebrina nodded. “And you don’t think you can do that if you and Landon are together?”

  “No. He turned thirty-seven the other day. He’ll probably want to start a family soon…and I’m not ready. It wouldn’t be fair to have him wait for me.”

  “So, you’re willing to give this guy up? If he’s as great as you’d told me he was, some woman will snatch him up. I’m surprised he’s not taken already.”

  Monica told her about Landon’s fiancée passing away just days before their wedding, and how, over the past six years, he’d been mourning his loss.

  “And then he met you and saw the chance to have love in his life again,” Sebrina said. “How romantic. I think you might be making a mistake, Monica. Stop being so logical for once.”

  “Honestly? How can you talk, Bree? You think I haven’t noticed how much you and Parker are into each other? Sexual tension flows through the entire house even when the two of you aren’t in the same room.”

  “It does not.”

  “It does, too. I see how you and Parker look at each other when you don’t think the other one is noticing. So don’t give me any advice. After all, I don’t see you trying to cultivate anything with Parker.”

  Bree didn’t say anything as she fought back the emotions that suddenly overwhelmed her. “I did cultivate something with Parker, but now it’s over.”

  “Why?”

  She figured Monica would ask her that. “It’s complicated.”

  “How so?”

  Why was Monica asking all these questions? “All Parker wanted was an affair, one he didn’t want to end when you returned to town.”

  “Why did it have to? We’re all adults.”

  “Yes, but have you forgotten our house rules? No lovers. No sleepovers.”

  Monica rolled her eyes. “Now you’re the one being illogical. Parker lives here. And if I don’t have a problem with the two of you sharing a bed under this roof, you shouldn’t either. Come up with another excuse, Bree, because I’m not buying that one.”

  Sebrina didn’t say anything for a minute and then she admitted, “I’m afraid to get too attached, Monica. He’ll be gone in a year, and I refuse to fall in love again with someone who will only break my heart when it’s time to move on.”

  “And you know for certain he would do that, Bree?”

  Evidently, she didn’t respond quick enough because Monica added, “I think the two of you should talk about it, Bree. Find out what his intentions are. For all you know, he might want more.”

  “It’s too late to find out now. He left this morning for Maine to spend Christmas with his folks.”

  “It’s never too late, Bree, if it’s something you truly want. You should never let a good thing get away.”

  Sebrina didn’t say anything for a minute and then she stood from the stool and headed for the door. Before opening it, she looked back at Monica. “I’ll take your advice, Monica, if you’ll do the same.”

  You should never let a good thing get away...

  That thought stayed in Monica’s mind all through the night and the next morning as she prepared to leave for the airport. While waiting for the Uber driver, she allowed her thoughts to drift back to the moments she had spent with Landon. It was hard to believe it had been almost a week since she had seen him, had been kissed by him, held by him, and made love to by him.

  Landon had opened her up to a world she hadn’t dreamed of. Not only had he shown her just how passionate she was, but also, what it was like to wake up each morning knowing she would spend the day with someone who treated her as if she was the most important person in his world. There had not been a single day that she hadn’t enjoyed being with him, that she hadn’t looked forward to spending time with him...both in and out of the bedroom.

  The past week she had thought about him a lot. And this morning, she’d finally accepted what she’d been denying all along—she loved him. What they’d shared meant more to her than she’d known at the time. And now, it was too late. Or was it? Granted, she knew her words had angered Landon, but if he loved her, wouldn’t he give her another chance?

  And what about those goals she had? She now realized that none of them were as important to her as having Landon in her life. It was sad that her own words -those she’d told Bree last night- had knocked some sense into her. That last night on the cruise she had acted irrational, illogical and downright unreasonable, and had practically thrown his love back in his face. She now clearly saw that had been a mistake. A huge mistake. One she hoped she could rectify.

  She reached for her purse to pull her phone out, but then she remembered she had deleted his number. She had no way of contacting him, or did she? She knew where he worked. He should be back in the office by now.

  Moments later she was being connected to the Peachtree Private Investigative Firm. She held her breath, hoping he’d be there. But it was the day before Christmas Eve. And she remembered him telling her that he planned to join his family at his grandparents’ home in the North Carolina mountains for the holidays. What if he’d left already? What if—?

  “Peachtree Private Investigations, this is Duan Jeffries. May I help you?”

  Monica swallowed. She knew Duan even if he didn’t know her. Landon had told her all about his best friend. “Yes, I am trying to reach Landon Chestnut. Is he in?”

  Duan paused what he was doing. Margie, their office assistant, had taken the day off to spend with her family who was flying in from England. His other three partners had already left the office too, getting a head start on the holidays.

  “Landon isn’t in the office right now. May I help you?” he asked. For some reason, he had a strange feeling about this call. Women rarely called Landon at work.

  “Yes, I am hoping you can. I really need to get in touch with him. Will he be back in the office today?”

  “No, he’s out of the state on an assignment and probably won’t be back until after New Year’s.”

  “He’s working through Christmas?” the woman asked, as if she had a right to know.

  Now Duan felt like needed to know something himself. “May I ask who’s calling?”

  There was a slight pause before the woman said, “Monica Bennett.” There was another moment of hesitation and then the woman added, “I’m going to play my hunch and assume you know who I am.”

  Duan leaned back in his chair. “I do indeed, Miss Bennett.”

  “Then I hope you understand how important it is that I get in touch with Landon. I made a mistake about some things and I need to let him know that.”

  Duan rubbed his chin. “Is there a reason you can’t call his cell phone?”

  Yet another hesitation. “Yes. I was so angry with him that I deleted his number.”

  Duan didn’t say anything but he could hear the regret in the woman’s voice. What he should do was mind his own business, but Duan knew all too well how two people, even ones who truly cared for each other, could let misunderstandings interfere in what could be a promising future together. “Landon is in Vegas on an assignment, but he wrapped things up yesterday. He decided to hang out there for a few days to clear his head.”

  There, Duan thought. She could read between the lines. Landon was in Vegas, trying to figure out a way to get over her.

  “Duan, is there any way you could call and tell him that I would like to see him and—”

  “No. But if you really want to see him, I’d be happy to tell you what hotel he’s staying at. There are times when words are better when delivered in person.”

  “You’re right. Please tell me where he’s staying. I’ll handle it from there.” She paused. “And…thanks, Duan. I really appreciate it.”

  Monica clicked off the phone, just in time. Her Uber driver had arrived. Once she got settled in the car, she needed to make a few calls—first, to her mom, to let her know she was changing her plans. She wouldn’t be arriving in Atlanta today after all.

  Thanks to Duan, she knew what hotel Landon
was staying at. In fact, he’d already booked her a room at that same hotel. She’d been surprised by Duan’s action and had a feeling Landon’s best friend was a true romantic.

  When she was settled in the back seat, and on the way to the airport, she made another call—this one to the airline. She needed to change her ticket because she was no longer travelling to Atlanta. Her new destination was Las Vegas, to track down the man she loved. She only hoped it wasn’t too late.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  “PARKER, YOUR FATHER AND I have something to tell you.”

  Parker glanced up from reading one of the medical journals he’d brought with him to see his parents standing in front of him. And they were smiling. He wondered what had them so happy when he was feeling sadder than hell? He’d suspected something was up when he had arrived yesterday, but he’d decided not to ask about it. But evidently, they were ready to tell him.

  He tossed the magazine aside. “So, what’s up?”

  “We’re getting a divorce.”

  He blinked. Did they just say they were getting a divorce? But they were standing there, smiling about it? He must have heard them wrong. “A divorce?”

  “Yes,” his father said, grinning. “I’m sure you’ve known for a while that your mother and I weren’t right for each other. And I told you years ago why we got married in the first place.”

  He nodded. “It was an arranged marriage. But I also remember you saying you’d become friends.”

  “And we have,” his mother added. “But it takes more than friendship to make a marriage work, and we’ve both decided that life is too short to wonder how things might have been if we’d married our soulmate.”

  Soulmate? He couldn’t believe his parents even knew what the word meant. For them, a person’s social standing had been the important thing. Granted, their attitudes had changed when his mother got cancer some years back, but he figured they would stay together forever. But obviously, they’d both decided it was time to live the life they wanted, not the life they’d been forced into.

  He eased up out of his chair and walked over to them. “If a divorce is what the two of you really want, then I am truly happy for you.” Then he pulled them in for a hug.

  “We want you to know what’s important, too, Parker. We don’t want you to go through life not being with the person you love,” his mother said. “I hope that one day, you will meet a woman who—”

  “I’ve met her already,” he quickly said.

  His father lifted a brow. “You have? And you didn’t invite her to join us for Christmas?”

  “She already had plans with her own family. Besides, I’m not sure if she would have accepted the invitation. I love her but I’m not sure how she feels about me.”

  “Have you asked her?” his mother wanted to know. “And did you tell her how you feel? Knowing you, probably not. A woman needs to know when a man loves them. You have to make her believe that you want her to be a part of your life, not just in your bed. Life is too short not to be with the person you love.”

  “I was giving her time.”

  “Not everyone needs time. They need facts. You’re on the fast-track to having one hell of a career in medicine, Parker,” his father was saying. “Right now, the sky’s the limit for you. You can see why she’d have doubts about you being interested in anything serious. So if you want her to be part of your life, you need to tell her.”

  Parker ran his hands through his hair, not quite believing this. His parents, who were thrilled to be divorcing, were giving him advice on his love life. “You’re right. Maybe I should have told her.”

  “There’s no maybe about it,” his mother said. “A woman will usually assume she is only with you for the moment, unless you let her know you’ve included her in your future.”

  Was that what Sebrina assumed? That she was just a passing fancy? His flavor for the moment? If so, she was wrong. But then, what else would she think, when he’d never told her anything different? He looked at his parents who were watching him expectantly. “I need to return to St. Paul. Tonight,” he said. He knew Sebrina wouldn’t be leaving for New Jersey until her shift ended tomorrow, on Christmas Eve morning. She’d go straight to the airport, right from the hospital, so he needed to see her before she left for work tonight.

  “Good luck on getting a flight anywhere today. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. But I have an idea that could save you time,” his father said.

  “What?”

  “Feel like taking a spin in my company jet? It’s been years since you’ve done so.”

  Parker released a deep breath. “Yes. I would definitely appreciate that, Dad.”

  “Well, are you going to tell us who she is, this woman who might be our daughter-in-law if you handle your business right?” his mother asked.

  “Sebrina Bennett. She’s a fellow physician who happens to be my housemate. She’s also Rae’jean’s cousin.”

  His mother smiled and Parker knew her feelings were genuine. Standing before him was proof that people could change over time. “That’s wonderful, Parker. Please tell her that we welcome her into the family.”

  Parker nodded. “I’ll make sure to let her know. But right now, I need to go pack again.”

  As he rushed for the stairs, he hoped and prayed that when the time came, he’d come up with the right words to convince Sebrina that she was his soulmate.

  “Welcome to Caesars Palace. I’ll be glad to check you in, miss.”

  Finally, she had made it, Monica thought, glancing around at the beautiful hotel. For a while, she’d thought she would never get here. Changing a ticket at the last minute hadn’t been easy. She’d been put on stand-by and had spent nearly eight hours at the St. Paul Airport before finally boarding a plane to Vegas. At least it had been a straight flight. Now she was here, just a few hours before midnight.

  That meant she probably wouldn’t see Landon before tomorrow, which would be Christmas Eve. Would she be able to find him? This hotel was crowded. The strip was packed as well. She had once read a travel article that said more tourists visited Las Vegas during Christmas than any other holiday. And she could see why. The lights on the strip were all blinking red and green. And it seemed every hotel tried to outdo the others with their Christmas decorations. If a person wasn’t in the holiday spirit when they arrived, they’d definitely be jolly by the time they went home. If they still had any money left, of course.

  In a few minutes, she was all checked in and given her room key, and surprised Duan had reserved her a suite. Whatever Landon had told him about her must not have been too bad. Because Duan definitely made sure she had a lovely place to stay when she got here. She hoped she got to meet him one day.

  “Is there anything else?” the hotel attendant asked, probably because she was still standing there.

  “Yes, there is,” she said. “Could you ring Landon Chestnut’s room for me, please.”

  The man nodded. “Certainly.”

  She knew enough not to ask what room Landon was in since the staff couldn’t give out that kind of private information. She drew in a deep breath, wondering what she would say to Landon if he answered the phone. He had no way of knowing she’d blocked his number unless he’d tried to call her. Had he? And if he hadn’t, did that mean he had moved on? He’d told her that he loved her, and she wanted to believe it. She knew Landon wouldn’t have said those words unless he truly meant them. And that’s what she was counting on. Because if he still loved her, he would forgive her.

  The hotel attendant glanced at her and said, “Sorry, Mr. Chestnut is not answering. Would you like to leave a message?”

  Disappointed, she said, “No. Thanks for trying.”

  The man hung up the phone. “You are welcome. A bellman will be delivering your luggage to your room shortly.”

  “Thanks.”

  Moving away from the hotel’s check-in counter, she headed toward the bank of elevators. She couldn’t help glancing around, a little awed at the elega
nce of the hotel. Although she had been to Vegas a number of times, this would be her first time staying at this hotel. She recalled attending a Celine Dion concert here shortly after she’d finished college. It had been an all-girls trip that included Kennedy, Sebrina, Victoria, her sister Kelly and her two cousins, Lauren and Cody. They had reserved three connecting rooms at the Flamingo Hotel and had had a blast.

  Now she was back in Vegas with an entirely different agenda. This time, she was determined to convince a man that she wanted him back in her life. She loved him, more than she ever thought she could or would love someone. She’d always figured that when she fell in love, it would be in her time frame, and on her own terms. But right now, she’d take whatever terms Landon gave her, as long as he’d forgive her.

  She stepped onto the elevator with a lot of people—some couples, some singles. A group of young guys – who looked to be her age - stood in the corner, checking her out. If only they knew their interest was the last thing she desired. All she wanted to do was think about the man whose arms she’d gotten used to waking up in, whose body she enjoyed being curled up close to. In Landon’s arms, she’d always felt special, wanted and desired. He’d not only taught her what true passion was about, but he had shown her just how much of it she had. All for him. And only him.

  When the elevator finally reached her floor, Monica was glad. She hadn’t been comfortable with those guys eying her like she was a juicy piece of steak. She’d put her hand in her pocket, making sure her phone was there, just in case. But thankfully, she hadn’t needed it.

  A few minutes later, she walked into her suite. It was spacious and beautiful…and it even had a balcony. Leaving her purse on the table, she opened the French doors to the balcony and stepped out. The strip looked especially beautiful this time of year.

  Monica had no idea what room Landon was in but at least they were at the same hotel. If she had to search this entire city tomorrow, she would find him. She had to.