Unforgettable Christmas - Gifts of Love (The Unforgettables Book 3)

by Mimi Barbour

  Once the tables had turned and Jesse had Jack up against the wall, Belle felt her spirits lift. She had the insane impulse to pump her fist and roll her arm a few times while yelling. “Yesss!”

  Yaya sniffled and pressed her head against Belle’s stomach, which reminded her that they had to calm the situation not encourage more violence. Jack needed to leave, quietly.

  “Let him go, Jesse, please.”

  He did as she asked, but reluctantly. With eyes watchful, Jesse strode over to where she and Yaya huddled on the sofa. He stood nearby with his arms crossed and a ‘don’t mess with me’ sneer on his face .

  Jack straightened his uniform, ran his fingers through the overly-long hair not normally seen on a GI and reached for his cane that had fallen when he’d jumped to the attack. His back stiffened and like magic, he took on the respectful appearance of a soldier, a man of honor. He strode toward Belle and stopped when Jesse moved forward also.

  “Belle, honey, is this any way to treat family? I missed you and Layla. It wasn’t right for you to take off without letting me know you were moving. No forwarding address or even a good-bye note saying it’s been nice to know you.”

  “I’m sorry, Jack, but you wouldn’t stay away from the apartment or my place of work. And your behavior annoyed my boss and was scaring Layla. I couldn’t let you ruin our lives that way.”

  The soldier crumpled, and the traumatized individual appeared. “What about my life?” he whined. “Losing Terry almost killed me. Being kept stateside with no deployment in sight has made my life a living hell. Then to top that off, my fiancée leaves me.”

  “That’s just it, Jack. I’m not your fiancée. You won’t accept that and we both know I can’t marry you.”

  A feverish excitement filled Jack’s face. He dropped to his knees, inched closer to Belle and grabbed for her hand. In the meantime, Layla scuttled away from her mom and ran straight to Jesse, who picked her up automatically and turned her face away from the spectacle being played out in front of him.

  Belle’s voice softened with pity and regret. She let him hold her hand. “Jack, I’ve told you over and over. I loved Terry. But he’s gone now. I don’t love you. It’s time for both of us to move on.”

  The expression in Jack’s eyes worried her. There was pain mixed with disbelief and just enough anger brewing to make her very uncomfortable. If she didn't know better, she might be tempted to believe she’d broken his heart. But there was never anything between them. Other than what he’d manufactured in his own imagination.

  She tried to extricate her hand from the painful grip Jack now inflicted.

  “You don’t mean that. Terry and I were twins. I’m his other half. If you cared about him, then you have to love me too. I need you to care. There’s no one else.”

  Conflicts rioted inside of Belle. The churning in her stomach overwhelmed her and if Jack hadn’t been in the way, she’d have doubled over.

  Staring into the beseeching gaze of a man who wasn’t using his meds, a man who’d recently stalked her and frightened her half to death made her feel like all hope had fled. Her eyes closed and she couldn’t fight off the blackness any longer, in fact, she welcomed it.

  When she came to, all she saw was Jesse’s worried face and an empty room behind him.

  She struggled to sit up even as he held her down. “Yaya?”

  “She’s fine, getting her pajamas on. And Jack’s gone. Once you passed out, his mind seemed to wander back to some crazy action he’d witnessed in Iraq and he couldn’t get away from here fast enough.”

  “Thank goodness! He scares me silly, Jesse. The sad part is that he was a wonderful guy before being deployed. My husband, Terry, could be a bit of a jerk when things didn’t go his way, but Jack always kept his cool. He was sweet and good-natured, a person who I’d have welcomed into our lives.”

  Belle pictured Jack as he used to be, always a smile and a kind word. He’d put Terry in his place a few times when he’d turn into a spoiled jackass.

  “And now?” Jesse asked, his face watchful.

  “The way he is now… well it terrifies me. I don’t want him near me or Yaya. Aggression in any shape isn’t acceptable to me, Jesse, and I couldn’t have her being intimidated and frightened whenever he’d lose it.”

  “He’s that unpredictable?”

  “He is now. At first when he came back alive, we were ecstatic to see him. Then the PTSD got worse and he’d react in every situation with such negativity and belligerence that he became frightening. You saw him. He’d turn up at our apartment all the time and want me to marry him and take care of him. When that got too much, I tried to put a stop to it. So he changed tactics. Instead of the apartment, he’d show up at the daycare where I worked and frighten the children.”

  “Was that what made you quit?” Jesse seemed enthralled with her story and she felt at ease enough to continue.

  “I didn’t quit. My boss let me go—so I would get social assistance.” Her painful truth was out now and if it repulsed him, she’d understand. Feeling like a loser, she expected that everyone else would see her that way also. She was wrong.

  “Sometimes a person has to do what she’s got to do. You had Layla to look after. Did Jack get you fired?”

  “He became part of the reason. Mostly, it was because of the sick days. My boss tried to keep me on for as long as possible but they required an employee who would show up every day, someone healthy enough to keep up with the kids. I’d lost that ability months ago. Hell, I can hardly get out of bed each day to take care of my own baby.”

  Tears welled and she bit her lip to stop them from falling. Crying and self-pity were not in her nature. She’d always been strong, a stiff-upper-lip kinda girl with a strong determination to overcome any obstacle thrown in her path.

  She’d worked her way out of the ghetto where she’d grown up, hating the slums and disliking her folks who’d let life bring them down.

  Their screaming arguments had kept her from sleeping many nights, her pillow wrapped around her head to try and keep out the hateful words.

  They’d finally split when she’d been an older teenager and both had disappeared from her life. Her father remarried a woman who had a daughter of her own and he’d moved them to another state.

  Her mother joined up with some strange bearded man who’d taken a fancy to her warped sense of humor. They lived in the Yukon.

  Feeding her ambitions, Belle had worked two and three jobs to be able to enroll into nursing. Then she’d met Terry and the four years of schooling became two as she downgraded to achieve an associate’s degree in early childhood education. They’d needed her wages since his Army pay didn’t cover the expenses he’d accumulated from years of overspending.

  “Mommy, I bwushed my hair all by myself.” Layla ran into the room, her spikes flattened somewhat with water and a heavy hand.

  She wore pink pajamas with colorful kitties bouncing everywhere. She’d grown out of them somewhat as perceived by the pants not quite reaching her ankles and the shirt snug across her chest.

  Belle noticed that she’d done the buttons up incorrectly but said nothing.

  “It looks lovely, babe. You did a wonderful job. You remember your promise, right? No more taking the scissors and giving yourself a haircut. Either I will do it for you or Kim.”

  “Can Jesse cut my hair?” Layla climbed up on Jesse’s lap as if she had all the right in the world and the big guy melted in front of Belle’s eyes.

  “Did you ask permission to use Jesse for your personal armchair?” Belle returned his smile since he seemed to get a kick out of her question.

  “I don’t need to, do I?” Yaya turned her big green eyes full-force toward Jesse. She even fluttered her eyelashes like some cheeky lass in a romantic Regency film. All that was missing was a fan.

  Jesse laughed and hugged her little body, careful not to squeeze too hard and frighten her. “You don’t have to ask, sunshine. The lap is all yours whenever you want it.�
�

  Not if I get there first. The thought popped into Belle’s head and she had to hide her face, worried that her odd reaction was there for him to read.

  Chapter Six

  Jesse started the next day full of plans. First he intended to get the critters needs dealt with, fresh water and food dishes filled. Then a long walk with Sam to deplete some of the pup’s excess energy.

  The two overly large white Persian rugs that Kim called her ladies came running the minute they heard the rattling of the bag that held their food. They meowed and wove their way around his legs, tripping him up when he bent to lower their dishes to the floor.

  From the sweetheart called Puff he received a lick on the hand and from the bitchy one called Snowball a nip was his payment. Blasted cat! Must be her crossed eyes making her moody. He could never figure out if she was looking at him or behind him.

  The caress he bestowed on Puff arched her body until his hand worked its way up to the tip of her tail.

  The similar touch he tried on Snowball didn’t end with the same result. This touchy feline hissed and rewarded him with a scratch from a claw she’d shot out faster than he could react and move.

  Sucking his finger he glared at her. “Get your own food from now on, you grumpy thing.”

  She responded with a blink, a sniff and her fluffy white back turned sulkily in his direction.

  The puppy Kim called Sam, a golden Lab that wanted everyone to like him, bounded in between the two cats and only Jesse’s quick reaction saved the pooch from Snowball’s temper. Even Puff showed her dislike of this type of shenanigans during mealtime and leapt away from his playfulness.

  “My friend, you are living dangerously.” Jesse spoke to the enthusiastic pup whose black eyes gleamed with mischief. Head tilted, he waved his paw toward Jesse’s cheek then aimed his snout and tried to lick him. “Never mind trying to be cute. Those two monsters could eat you for a snack and still be hungry.”

  He carried the mutt to the door and retrieved the ridiculous, black studded leash his sister thought suited her pet. “It’s time to take you for a walk, so behave.” A growl and then a lick from Sam’s lunge at his face was his answer.

  A little while later, Jesse found that walking a puppy became a lesson in restraint and patience. Not quite grasping the male stance when relieving himself, Sam squatted to pee and then tried to lift his leg at the same time, which just meant he fell over. It would be hilarious if not for the fact that Jesse would have to add bathing the terror to his list of chores.

  Trying to keep the leash from getting tangled turned out to be a fiasco. Sam had three goals: sniff everything he could get to, pee on anything higher than a blade of grass, chase whatever moved, and drive Jesse crazy. By the time they got close to home, he’d had enough of the nonsense. While bending to pick up the pest, he heard someone calling his name. He stopped and turned toward the voice and saw Belle walking slowly with Layla running full steam to catch him.

  The little girl skidded to a halt in front of him and crouched down. “Jesse. Isn’t Sam wonderful?” In his haste to adore her, the terror leapt at her face and knocked her over on her backside.

  “No! He’s nothing but a pain.” Her giggles and unsuccessful efforts trying to push the furry monster away made her laugh. Finally, Jesse whipped his hand out and nabbed the hyperactive animal.

  Glad to hear her giggles, he helped Layla to stand, apologized to Belle and made unnecessary excuses. “Kim has got to find the time to train this beast to behave.”

  Belle reached out to pet to the now frenzied animal and said, “He’s a baby, Jesse. There’s time enough to train him when his attention span is longer than two seconds.”

  “Then I’ll just have to ground him.” Jesse winked at Layla and felt his heart lighten when she thought him serious and said, “He didn’t mean to be bad. Did you Sammy?”

  Two short barks, sounding very much like the word “sorry”, was their answer, and even Jesse had to laugh.

  Belle glanced around at the lovely blue sky. “The day called for us to take a walk. I felt well enough and it seemed like a good idea but now I’m not so sure. It’s nice to rest for a few minutes.”

  “Actually, you look slightly better. Those eggs settled your stomach okay?”

  “They did. I had more this morning. I searched the internet for meal suggestions and found quite a selection. But that’s enough about me. What are you up to this fine day?”

  “This and that. I have chores that I’ve put aside for some time. That always happens near the end of a project. Therefore, I need to get them crossed off my ‘never-ending’ list.”

  Jesse saw Layla’s face waver, the joy at seeing him disappearing. Before he knew he would, words flew from his mouth that he’d had no intention of uttering.

  “Later, though, I have a property to look at in the Green Lake area. It’s where I’m thinking to build my next house. If you’re up to it, maybe you and Layla would like to come along for the ride.”

  “Can we, mommy? Please!” Layla jumped up and down, clapping her hands. The begging look on her face turned out to be no match for her mom. Jesse certainly couldn’t have withstood her manipulation. He waited for Belle’s answer… and it surprised him that it mattered so much.

  Chapter Seven

  Belle knew Jesse had been totally fleeced by her little matchmaking daughter and decided he needed to be let off the hook. That is, until she saw the expression on his face. Watchful and hopeful if she read him right.

  “I guess we could come if you don’t mind. It’ll be nice to get out of the apartment. Thank you for asking us.”

  Jesse nodded, “Good, I’ll come for you around three.” He ruffled Yaya’s hair and headed in the other direction.

  Belle turned and followed his tall figure as he loped across the street, the small pup galloping to keep up. She enjoyed the way the man moved, his hips in co-ordination with his arms and his well-formed butt swaying in an almost-strutting style.

  All too soon, he disappeared through the front door of their building.

  Belle’s heartbeat had picked up and the dryness in her mouth had her wetting her lips and sighing deeply. The man’s long legs and muscular form would be considered, in the very least, a healthy specimen, and at the very most, deliciously sexy.

  Yaya pulled at her mom’s hand, a serious expression settling over her little-girl face. “Jesse’s so nice mommy, I love him.”

  Touched by her baby’s declaration, she replied. “He does seem like a very nice man. And you don’t really love him, you like him.”

  “Nope. I weally love him.” Having had her say, Yaya skipped away to examine a flower growing out of a crack in a brick wall.

  It was a blue forget-me-not and the color of the tiny bloom brightened up the greyness of its surroundings. A thought popped in and made Belle smile. Kind of like how her Yaya brightened up her life.

  Belle checked her watch and caught her little one’s hand. “Yaya we need to go home now because Kim promised to Skype us today and she’ll be connecting in a few minutes. If we’re not there, she’ll worry.”

  Within a short time, Belle sat in front of her laptop and smiled into the dazzling green eyes of her best friend. “Hi, Kim! Yaya wants to say hello before her cartoons start.”

  Belle lifted her daughter on to her lap and watched while the two devoted buddies had their few moments. Soon she sent Layla to the other room so she could visit with Kim in private.

  “How’s everything at the shop working out? Will you have to stay there for the whole season or can you place someone else in charge?”

  “Hey, my friend! Looks like I’ll be here until after the holidays unless I can talk one of my other managers to leave their families at this time of the year. Which ain’t gonna happen.”

  “Guess not. Well, when you’re the boss, it all falls on your shoulders. We miss you. Yaya keeps pestering me when you’ll be home. It shocked her when she found your brother instead of you in your apartment
yesterday… ” Whoops! Darn her big mouth!

  Just as she knew would happen, Kim latched on to her words and demanded an explanation.

  “Why did she go to my apartment?” With her eyes narrowed and the smile wiped away, Kim meant business. “What happened?”

  “Nothing, really. I scared her when I fainted.”

  “Oh my god! You fainted? She probably thought you were dead, poor baby.”

  “She did. Got frightened and ran to get you and found Jesse there instead.”

  A mischievous smile lit up Kim’s face before she asked, “What did he do?”

  “He came right over. I had started to come around and felt much better once he’d put me back on the couch. He’s a sweetheart, exactly like you said.”

  “Shame he’s not into long term relationships. The man’s still nuts over his first love from high school for pity’s sake. Her name was Mari Krude and she was every guy’s fantasy. Blonde, with big grey-green eyes, a gorgeous figure, smart like the dickens… and, too sweet to be true.”

  Mari Krude? The name rang a bell for a few seconds but Kim’s voice intruded before Belle could pin down the thought. The fog she lived in kept her from being as sharp as she used to be and she hated it.

  “What’s wrong? You tuned out on me for a minute there. Is your mind still hazy?”

  “Some days it’s worse than others. I just thought the name rang a bell, but it’s gone now. So, was she the Homecoming queen and Jesse the king?”

  “Nope. Mari could have been the queen but Jesse was too shy and laidback to care about stuff like that. Popularity didn’t matter much to him. Being a bit of a loner, he spent more time on his skateboard than playing football.”

  “She didn’t mind?”

  “Guess not. They were tight and nothing got in-between.”

  “If they cared that much, why’d they separate?”

  “Her parents got divorced. Then her mom met another guy, got married again and Mari moved with them to L.A. I guess she and Jesse corresponded for a while but Mari finally broke it off after a year or so.”