by Anthology
This is my gift to you. Love deeply, love often, and love with all your heart, no matter the risk, but love is worth it.
Blake put down the card, covered his face with his hands, and wept like a baby. Inside he was a hot mess of emotions. Nick crawled onto his lap and purred. As he held the cat, he purged his pain with soul-deep sobs. As his tears dried up, a serenity he rarely felt unless he was with Sarah wrapped him in a comforting blanket of hope.
Before he could overthink his decision, he picked up the phone and dialed a cell number he’d never used.
“Ethan?”
“Yes?” said the Sockeyes president and majority owner.
“This is Blake Daniels.”
“Blake, how are you?”
“I’m sorry to bother you on your personal number.”
“Not a bother at all. Have you given my offer consideration?”
“Yeah, I can’t do it. I’m staying on the island.” Instead of the words filling him with dread and regret, they freed him, making him feel light as air.
Ethan didn’t respond for a moment. “I understand. It’s a woman, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s a woman, and I love her.”
“You’re making the right decision, Blake. The team has other opportunities you might be interested in, which won’t require a full-time commitment and will allow you to keep one toe in hockey. You interested?”
“Absolutely.”
“Good, we’ll talk after Christmas.”
“Great, looking forward to it. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas to you, too.”
Blake ended the call. He had a lot of work to do before Christmas Eve on Thursday. He’d better get started.
* * *
The clinic was slammed all day on Christmas Eve and didn’t slow down once. Despite how busy she was, Sarah kept reminding her brain to engage in something other than reliving the last few nights with Blake. They hadn’t discussed his future or theirs since that night they’d had dinner, and she didn’t push it. They had time to work things out, hopefully a lifetime.
She dragged her mind back to real time since her furry patients deserved her complete attention, and she gave it to them, but Blake garnered all her attention between patients. Her staff darted quick looks at each other as if wondering why she walked around with a perpetual smile on her face.
After the last patient left, Janna locked the door and stalked toward Sarah, who blinked innocently at her.
“Okay, spill.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Sarah glanced at her watch. Blake would be picking her up at home in an hour for the Deckers’ annual Christmas party. She needed to grab a shower and change.
“You’ve been walking around the last few days in a goofy fog, completely not your businesslike self. You even laughed when that spoiled rotten little shit of Mrs. Martin’s nipped at your sleeve and piddled on your lab coat.”
“All in a day’s work for a veterinarian.” Sarah couldn’t stop smiling or glancing at her watch.
“Meeting someone?” Janna narrowed her eyes and studied her friend.
“I don’t want to be late to the Deckers’ party,” Sarah hedged.
“You’ve been getting laid, haven’t you?” Janna covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, my God. It’s true. You did. Let me guess, tall, dark, handsome, and puckilious, right?”
Sarah continued to smile. “Perhaps.”
Janna shook her head. “I knew it. You two might as well admit defeat and figure out how to make this work.”
“We’re trying. I’m wracking my brain. He’s been offered a coaching job which would require he be in Seattle pretty much twenty-four-seven, and I have my practice here, but I’m wondering if I could find another veterinarian to take some of the load off me.”
“I bet you could. We’re certainly busy enough. There are other hockey-related things Blake could do, too, that won’t require that time commitment.”
“Like what?”
“A consultant. Don’t hockey teams hire consultants? Or maybe an announcer for home games only? Or maybe he could be a part-time broadcaster? I don’t know, but I bet the team would work with him.”
Sarah nodded. Janna was right. She’d been stuck thinking he would coach, but could some other position with the team satisfy his hockey fix and give them time together; or if he wanted to coach, she could come to the island when he was road trips and go to Seattle when he was home.
“Later, Janna.” Pulling on her coat, Sarah headed for the door with Cyrus hot on her heels.
“See you and your hunk at the party.”
“You bet.”
Sarah walked on air to her SUV, certain they could utilize a little Christmas magic. It was Christmas Eve after all, and the entire town was lit up with colorful lights, bloated Santas, and an assortment of reindeer. A dewy haze settled over the bay, giving the entire area a surreal feeling, as if she were in some fantasy world. Sarah had every intention of finding a way to make her fantasy come true. She realized having him part-time was better than not having him at all. These months apart proved that. They could work this out. In fact, after the first of the year, she’d start looking for a partner.
Her stubborn refusal to participate in a long-distance relationship now seemed ridiculous. It wouldn’t be easy, and if he was on the island the majority of the time, she could deal. Sarah felt better than she’d felt in a long time.
Together they could do this.
Chapter 7
Top Shelf
Blake spent Christmas Eve day planning his future. When you loved someone enough, you made sacrifices to be together. He would be his Christmas gift to Sarah, though that wasn’t all he had planned. He chuckled to himself as he imagined a big red bow tied around his dick.
He finished his chores, dressed in a nice pair of jeans, a blue button-down shirt, and shrugged into his leather jacket. The weather was typical for this time of year with no snow in the forecast. With the exception of last year, he knew that was par for the course. In all the years he’d been spending Christmas on the island, he could only remember a rare time or two with snow, including last year. The chances of it snowing this year were zero to slim.
Blake drove the few miles to Sarah’s house. She was waiting outside for him, bundled in a red coat with a sprig of holly decorating the collar. He grinned at the festive sight of her. She hopped in before he barely had a chance to bring the truck to a full stop.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey yourself.”
“You look great.” He grinned appreciatively, feeling pretty pleased with himself.
“So do you.” She leaned in for a kiss and he gladly obliged.
“Are you okay with being fashionably late?”
“Absolutely. What did you have in mind?” She shot him one of her sultry looks.
“Oh, baby, that’s tempting, but not exactly what I had planned.” He pulled down her driveway and drove to a small park on a point overlooking the channel and neighboring islands. Taking her hand, he led her along a path until they’d reached the end of the point. His leg hurt like hell from the uneven terrain, but he didn’t give a shit. He had more important things to consider than his healing broken leg.
Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, he took a moment to punch play on his Christmas playlist and shoved the phone back in his pocket. He turned to Sarah, taking both her hands in his, while Bing Crosby crooned I’ll be Home for Christmas.
“Nice ambiance,” she teased.
He winked at her. “I talked to Ethan about the coaching job.”
Sarah sobered, her smile wiped from her face. She swallowed and appeared to be holding her breath. “What did you tell him?”
“I told him thanks, but no thanks.” He managed in a steady voice.
He could tell she was struggling not to appear too happy. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. I signed a lease on the café today, and Ethan and I will talk after Christmas
about other hockey opportunities that don’t require as much of my time.”
“I’ve been making plans to find a partner so I can spend more time on the mainland.”
One corner of his mouth tipped up in a smile. “I think you should go through with them, you might need more time off regardless—so we can raise a family.”
Her radiant smile shone brighter than the Christmas lights flickering off the water from the houses scattered along the shoreline.
Blake grasped her hands tightly. “I can’t kneel, or I would.”
“Blake,” Sarah gasped and a lone tear ran down her face.
“I’m not much for poetry so I’m going to keep this simple and short. I love you, Sarah. Will you marry me?”
She didn’t react at first and he almost had a heart attack until she started to grin. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”
He put a big-assed diamond on her finger, and they hugged, kissing each other while the world paused around them. Finally they drew back and gazed into each other’s eyes.
“I love you, Blake Daniels, and I always will.”
“Merry Christmas, honey.”
“Merry Christmas. Look, it’s starting to snow.” She pointed toward the trees where they could barely see the tiny flakes falling, while White Christmas played on his phone.
Through the light sprinkling of snow, Blake noticed a single bright star in the inky sky. Back when he was a kid and after his beloved grandfather died, Blake’s father insisted the star was special. Blake could still hear his words: You’ll never be alone. That star is Gramps watching over us and making sure we have a guiding light when it’s our turn to come home.
Blake had come home. With Sarah as his life partner, he’d spin memories and weave stories for the next generation of Daniels children. The families they’d lost would live on through those stories, never to be forgotten.
And so would the love at the heart of Christmas.
~ THE END ~
About the Author
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USA Today Bestselling Author Jami Davenport writes sexy contemporary and sports romances, including her two new indie endeavors: the Game On in Seattle Series and the Madrona Island Series. Jami's new releases consistently rank in the top fifty on the sports romance and sports genre lists on Amazon, and she has hit the Amazon top hundred authors list in both contemporary romance and genre fiction multiple times.
Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with her Green Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland cross with a tennis ball fetish, a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat, and an opinionated Hanoverian mare.
Jami works in IT for her day job and is a former high school business teacher. She's a lifetime Seahawks and Mariners fan, misses her Super Sonics, and is waiting for the day professional hockey comes to Seattle. An avid boater, Jami has spent countless hours in the San Juan Islands, a common setting in her books. In her opinion, it's the most beautiful place on earth.
Website: http://www.jamidavenport.com
Events Blog: http://jamidavenport.blogspot.com
Romancing the Jock Blog: http://www.romancingthejock.com
Twitter Address: @jamidavenport
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamidavenport
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/jamidavenportauthor
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jamidavenport/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1637218.Jami_Davenport
COMPLETE BOOKLIST
The following Jami Davenport titles are available in digital and some are available as trade paperbacks.
Madrona Island Series
Madrona Sunset
Evergreen Dynasty Series
Save the Last Dance
Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?
The Gift Horse
Game On in Seattle
Skating on Thin Ice (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Crashing the Boards (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Crashing the Net (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Love at First Snow (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Melting Ice (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Blindsided (Seattle Steelheads Football)
Hearts on Ice (Part of 12 Christmas Romances to Melt Your Heart anthology)
Bodychecking (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)—February 2016
For the Win (Seattle Steelheads Football)—Summer 2016
Daring to Win (Carly Phillips Kindle World) Summer 2016
Seattle Lumberjacks Football Series
Fourth and Goal
Forward Passes
Down by Contact
Backfield in Motion
Time of Possession
Roughing the Passer
Standalone Books
Christmas Break
Romance. Avalanche. Love.
by Riley J. Ford
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or person, whether living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 Riley J. Ford
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from the author.
Created with Vellum
Chapter 1
“We need to celebrate our three-month anniversary,” Shaun said, gazing at Selma with those green eyes that always made her melt.
“I would love that,” she said. She ran her hand over his bare chest and snuggled in closer. They were lying naked together after another bout of hot lovemaking. They were so good together, and Selma still couldn’t believe that she’d met him during a California earthquake when she almost lost her life. Every day together since then had been magical.
Granted, they didn’t get to spend as much time together as she would have liked, because his job as a firefighter kept him away a lot. Plus, she had recently gotten a promotion at work and was expected to stay late hours. Still, she and Shaun spent as much time together as they could, every chance they got.
“What would you like to do to celebrate?” Shaun asked. “I want to do something special every three months and then something big at the year mark.”
“I love how romantic you are,” she said. “I don’t know anyone else who celebrates three-month anniversaries.”
“They don’t have what we have,” he said, stroking her cheek and staring into her eyes with expression that sent her heart fluttering. Everything about him enticed her, intrigued her, and sent her into overdrive. Even though they had just had sex, she felt her body craving him again…and based on his arousal pressing against her thigh, he was feeling it, too.
He leaned in and kissed her: a slow, sensual meeting of the lips that caused a rush of tingles to flood her body.
“You haven’t answered my question,” he murmured between kisses.
“I don’t remember the question,” she said, reaching up to stroke his firm back. He had a way of distracting her from even her own thoughts.
“Where do you want to go for our three-month anniversary?”
“We’re going away?”
“I thought we could celebrate both Christmas and our anniversary, since they’re so close together. How about a romantic getaway somewhere?” He kissed her jaw and then her neck.
“Sounds good,” she said.
“Any ideas?”
“How about skiing? That might be romantic.”
“Great idea. Nothing sounds better than being holed up in cozy cabin together.”
“And skiing, too,” she said with a smile.
“Oh yeah, that, too. We could also ski.” His lips quirked up.
She laughed. He kissed her in a way that stole
her breath, and soon her giggles were replaced with sighs…and then moans.
The ski cabin in Mammoth was better than Selma had expected. It was right on the slopes with a view of the mountains and ski lifts. There was an in-room Jacuzzi and a stone fireplace. But the best part was the bed. It was a tall four-poster bed with a soft down comforter, loads of pillows, and a beckoning softness to the mattress that made Selma and Shaun never want to leave. So they didn’t. At least for the first day of their arrival.
Their lovemaking was as good as it ever was…until he got up to check his phone like he’d been doing more of lately. The thing that bothered her the most was that he usually became distant from her when he did that. He would put his phone down with a preoccupied look on his face, and then she wouldn’t feel him fully with her after that, even during lovemaking. It niggled her…felt like a red flag.
Before that, the six-hour drive had been wonderful. It had gone quickly because they’d spent their time talking, joking, and laughing. Selma couldn’t imagine time passing that quickly with anyone else but him.
She’d never spent Christmas Eve away from her family before, but they’d understood and had agreed to celebrate when she got back from her ski vacation. They liked Shaun and were happy for Selma.
Her sister had even asked when they were getting married, which had thrown Selma for a loop.
She could see myself marrying Shaun one day, but not until they been together longer. Yes, she’d fallen in love with him the first night they’d met, but she was also a pragmatic person and knew it was important to fully know a person before taking such a big leap.
Shaun often asked her if she would love him always, but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to answer that question yet, choosing to defer it instead. In her heart, she knew she could love him forever, but she didn’t have the courage to let him know yet. Not until she had some of her questions answered.
