He slid to the edge of his seat and waited for them to appear. In the next few seconds, Jennifer walked into the living room carrying Mariah and holding Micah’s hand. She set Mariah down on her feet as well and Simeon stared at them then glanced up at their mother.
Each time he saw Jennifer she looked lovely, but tonight with her hair piled on top of her head, he viewed her differently. She was still that vibrant young woman he’d met years ago. He remembered how beautiful and sexy she looked while they were on vacation. But now she seemed mature, nurturing and her body had filled out even more.
He suspected it was from carrying and bearing the twins. She was now an even sexier woman with her full breasts and somewhat wider hips. Even tonight with her faded jeans and white pullover sweater, he could see the curves. His gaze went down to her feet, which were covered with colorful triangles on her socks.
Standing, he walked over to where they stood and hunched down in front of them. Micah immediately grabbed Jennifer’s leg and hid behind her. He was the most adorable chocolate-colored, curly-headed little boy Simeon had ever seen. His big innocent-looking dark eyes and chubby cheeks were reminiscent of his family.
Simeon opened his arms to Mariah and she walked into them. She, like her brother, had that same dark chocolate coloring like Simeon’s, her large eyes, staring at him, questioning the unfamiliar. He hugged her to him, squeezing her tightly, and then kissed her forehead. He was so grateful that he had the opportunity to meet her again. And the fact that she was his daughter made it even more special.
This time he took a really good look at her. She too had beautifully curly and wavy hair like her brother.
“My baby girl,” he whispered, running his hand over her long braids that had pink barrettes at the ends to secure them.
Looking up at Jennifer, he said, “She’s so beautiful, Jenn. Just like you.”
He could see Jennifer blushing as she smiled. “That’s my little momma,” she replied, removing Micah’s hands from around her legs. She picked him up from the floor into her arms.
Simeon looked up at Jennifer holding his son. “They remind me of me and my sister at that age.”
“I didn’t know you had a twin.”
“No, I don’t. But , my sister and I are very close in age, only two years apart, so my mom has photos of us together from when we were younger.” He looked between the two children. “Just like us,” he whispered.
Simeon walked over to Micah again, wanting to try one more time to hold him in his arms. With Mariah’s little arms locked around his neck, he reached out to Micah with his right hand. “Come to me, son,” he said.
Micah jerked back, turning his head in the opposite direction, clinging to his mother. Simeon’s eyes moved to Jennifer’s who gave him a sympathetic smile.
She reached out and touched his arm. “It’s okay. He won’t go to people he doesn’t know easily.”
Simeon could understand that, but it was very important to him that he bond with his son. Right now, Micah didn’t want any part of him. Simeon wouldn’t give up and was ready to do whatever it took to win his son’s heart.
He soon noticed Mariah squirming, trying to get down. He paid closer attention to her moves so that he could see where she was trying to get. He had a feeling that she wanted the wrapped presents he’d brought.
“Where are you trying to go, honey?” he asked Mariah, attempting to keep her from falling since she was hanging over his arm, trying to grab something. “Let me put you down before you hurt yourself and me too,” he said, chuckling as he set her down on the floor. “Do you want to open one?” He figured she saw the pretty, sparkly paper and wanted to tear into those presents.
Jennifer moved closer with Micah’s little legs wrapped tightly around her waist. She motioned to put him on the floor next to Mariah, but he wouldn’t let go. “Simeon, you didn’t have to bring all of this. Christmas will be here soon.”
“I know, but I wanted to, so I hope you don’t mind,” he said, picking up a large, shiny gold-wrapped package.
He got down on his knees next to Mariah, placing it in front of her. “Here, honey, open it.”
Mariah looked up at him. “Open,” she repeated.
Simeon laughed and looked at Jennifer. He finally broke eye contact by glancing at his son again. “Yes, baby, open the package for Daddy.” The words slipped out of his mouth before he knew what had happened. He glanced back at Jennifer and they stared at each other for the longest time. He finally sent his attention back to his daughter.
Mariah looked at her mother, who was nodding her approval. Jennifer stooped down, placing Micah on the floor, before she sat down next to him. Leaning closer to Mariah, she pulled at the big red bow. “Yes, baby, go ahead and open it and see what’s inside.”
With Jennifer’s help, Mariah tore the paper off the package, revealing a beautiful baby doll. “Simeon, she’s beautiful.”
“It’s one of those American Girl dolls. I think they call her Addy. I know that Mariah is a bit young for her, but I wanted her to have it.”
Jennifer leaned down and whispered in Mariah’s ear. “Mariah, can you say thank you?”
“Tank you,” she said.
Simeon kissed the little girl’s forehead. “You’re more than welcome, baby girl.”
Simeon’s gaze was fixed on the small face that so closely resembled his own, Micah. He still hadn’t warmed up to him yet, so Simeon picked up a smaller wrapped box and handed it to the little boy. The gesture was ignored, but Jennifer picked it up instead to assist in opening the package.
Watching his son’s face light up filled his heart with joy after he discovered it was a Fisher Price Little People’s Airplane set.
“Wow, Micah,” Jennifer said.
“Wow,” the little boy repeated before clapping his hands. He took the toy away from his mother.
Simeon opened another package, before Jennifer commented, “We can save some of these presents for Christmas because you know that Santa is coming.”
Shaking his head, Simeon continued to open the box. “Santa can bring whatever he wants, but I wanted them to have these things right now. This gift is a Leap Frog Activity Tablet.”
“Simeon, I think you went overboard on the gifts,” Jennifer said, when he handed her the electronic device.
Lifting another box from the stack, he said, “No, I didn’t. I have one of those for each of them.”
He got to his feet and looked around the room. “We need a Christmas tree and some decorations in here.”
“I know, I just hadn’t had time to go shopping for one.”
“We’ll start our own tradition.”
“Okay,” Jennifer said.
Simeon walked over to her, stooped down and kissed her on her lips. “Thank you,” he said, grabbing her hand so that he could help her up.
Pulling her into his arms, he held her tenderly before stepping back, his dark eyes twinkling as his gaze rested upon hers. “I’m so grateful to you.”
Jennifer frowned. “Grateful to me? For what? I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes, you did.” He turned toward Micah and Mariah. “You gave me two beautiful children.” He turned his attention back to Jennifer. “We both know this could have gone another way.”
Jennifer looked down at the kids who were pushing buttons on their tablets, the other gifts forgotten. “They are the best part of my life.”
Pulling her back to him, Simeon glanced at his children, then back at Jennifer. “Now, all three of you will be the best part of mine.” He kissed her again before releasing her.
Simeon clapped his hands together rubbing them vigorously. “We’re going to have so much fun.” He lifted Mariah from the floor, swinging her into his arms. He walked over to the front window and looked out at the snow-covered streets. “Christmas was always magical at my house and it will
be for my children as well.”
Late the next afternoon, Jennifer thought it was Simeon who was buzzing at the front, but when she answered the intercom she found out that she had a special delivery from him. She went downstairs to check things out before allowing the drivers to bring the tree upstairs.
Her mouth dropped when she saw the huge tree and the three boxes filled with all kinds of decorations that were to go on it. She immediately called Simeon.
“Hey, Jenn,” Simeon said.
“Your package arrived.”
“I’m on my way over, so don’t get started without me,” he said.
Jennifer had no intention of tackling that big tree unless he was there to help. She couldn’t imagine trying to get it to stand up straight and keep Micah and Mariah out of the box of shiny things.
“Don’t worry, it will be here when you get here.”
“See you in a bit,” he said before ending the call.
Ten minutes later, Simeon rang the buzzer and Jennifer quickly allowed him in.
She couldn’t help but laugh when she opened the door to him wearing a furry Santa hat.
“What in the world are you wearing?” she asked.
“It’s Christmastime and I’m in a Christmassy kind of mood,” Simeon said, before placing a kiss on her lips.
“You are something else,” she said, closing the door behind him.
Simeon shrugged out of his coat and hung it in the closet before turning to her. “Where are the kids?”
“They’re in their room playing. I’ll go and get them.” She turned to walk away.
She could tell Simeon was excited about decorating the tree with the kids. She was all for it as well, but the night would probably prove to be very interesting. Simeon had no idea what he was getting himself into.
Jennifer brought the children out to the living room and sure enough Mariah went straight for the box that had the decorations in it. Simeon had to pick her up so she wouldn’t touch anything else.
“How’s Daddy’s girl?” Simeon asked Mariah.
She clapped her hands, and immediately tried to get back to the box.
“No, baby girl, let’s do this together,” he said before putting her down.
“You’d better watch her, Simeon,” Jennifer warned.
“Let’s get this party started,” Simeon said, moving to the tree.
“I think we need some mood music,” he said to Jennifer.
“We can stream Pandora from our phones or the television.”
Simeon walked over to the TV and turned it on to the cable music station that played Christmas songs. Soon the Jackson Five was singing “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”.
Simeon grabbed Jennifer, twirling her around the room as they made funny faces to the children who were watching.
Jennifer was happy that the delivery guy set the tree in the stand, so now all they had to do was decorate it. For the next two hours, Jennifer, Simeon, Micah and Mariah had a ball creating their first family Christmas tree.
The next day Simeon came over and picked up Jennifer and the twins and took them to the mall to see Santa Claus. Before they could get to center court there was a long line of others who were waiting to see the jolly old guy. The huge shopping area had five-foot-tall candy canes lining the entrance.
“Simeon, we’ll be standing in this line until Christmas Day,” Jennifer said as they approached the end.
“I’m sure it will start to move faster. Let’s give it a try for the kids,” Simeon said before planting a kiss on Mariah’s forehead. Micah still hadn’t come to him yet, but Simeon held out hope.
They finally made it to Santa and Simeon stood to the side to see if he could tell if they were making any progress. They stood in line for over an hour and Simeon kept the kids moving around, picking them up when they wanted and letting them stand on their own. Finally, they were getting close to the decorative sign that said Welcome to the North Pole which was held up by two poles that looked like candy canes. From there they could see the enormous throne where Santa heard the Christmas wishes of all the kids that had waited like Micah and Mariah.
Standing at the front of the line Simeon asked Mariah, “Are you ready to see Santa?”
He was surprised when Mariah hugged his neck tighter, her little legs clutching his waist. He moved his lips close to her ear. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, Sweet Pea, Daddy’s going to be right there.”
Mariah shook her head and he realized that she was afraid. He had a lot to learn about his children. He turned around to Micah who was in his mother’s arms. “You’re not afraid are you?”
Just as he said that, one of Santa’s helpers let them know that they were next. As they got closer to the rosy-cheeked guy in the red and white suit, he saw tears in Mariah’s eyes. Simeon turned to Jennifer. “I don’t think this was a good idea.”
“Why don’t we just hold them? I’ll stand on one side and you on the other with them and take a picture. We stood in line so long, we should at least have it for the memory.”
Simeon and Mariah stood on the left and Jennifer and Micah on the right of jolly ol’ Saint Nick and took their photo. Afterward they went to the car and headed home.
Chapter Eighteen
The children had run around so much that by the time Simeon pulled into the parking lot of Jennifer’s apartment complex, they were sound asleep strapped in their car seats.
Simeon parked the car and got out. He hit the switch to unlock the doors. He looked adoringly at Micah as he released his seatbelt. It took Simeon a couple of minutes trying to figure out how to unstrap his son from the seat. When they’d left the house earlier, Jennifer showed him how the safety seat worked, but now he was confused.
By that time, Jennifer had gotten out of the car. “Do you want me to show you again?”
“No,” Simeon said, continuing to try to get the straps loose. “I’ve got to learn how, because sometimes you might not be around, so I’ve got to figure this out.”
Jennifer came around to his side anyway. “Sweetie, it’s cold out here. Let me help you and you can take the seat inside if you need to practice.” She tucked her head, snickering.
“I’ll do one better,” he said, unbuckling the safety seat from the seatbelt. “I’ll take him and the seat inside and get him out that way.”
Jennifer shook her head and went around to the other side to release Mariah from her seat. As soon as she lifted her out of the chair, she awakened, lifting her head momentarily. Jennifer patted her back and the little girl rested against her mother’s shoulder. Simeon followed behind them with Micah still strapped in his seat.
“This thing is heavy,” Simeon said, swinging Micah and his car seat around so that he could make it through the front door without him hitting it. He yanked off his coat once he got into the apartment, and immediately tried to unlock the harness on the safety chair.
“I’m going to buy a car seat that’s less complicated,” he announced when the straps didn’t free his son.
Jennifer came back and stooped down. “Simeon, you have to press this button here to release it and pull this strap over his head,” she said demonstrating the steps and freeing the child.
Jennifer reached to pick up a still-sleeping Micah. “No, love, please let me do it,” Simeon suggested.
Simeon bent down and picked up his son, carrying him over to the sofa. He removed his hat and coat as quickly as possible. Lifting him into his arms, he let his back rest against the couch and rocked Micah back and forth. He reveled in the fact of how good he felt and proud that he had a son.
Simeon was honored to be a father period, but having a son meant he would carry on the Baker name. A loving family and a name he’d always be proud of. Soon, Micah started squirming and finally, he lifted his head, looking Simeon straight in his eyes. For a few seconds, Simeon though
t the child was about to have a meltdown, but that wasn’t the case. He just laid his head down again.
“I think we should put them both to bed so they can rest,” Jennifer suggested.
Simeon shook his head from left to right. “No, I like this,” he said, in a whisper so that he wouldn’t awaken Micah.
Jennifer put her hands on her hips. “Simeon, you are going to spoil him. I’m not going to be sitting up at night rocking him all night like that.”
Simeon put his finger to his mouth, asking her to be quiet. He watched as Jennifer rolled her eyes, picked Mariah up and walked out of the room.
He had every intention of doing exactly what Jennifer told him to do, but he was having such a good time sitting with Micah sprawled across his chest. He could feel his little heart beat and see his stomach going up and down.
After a few seconds, when Jennifer hadn’t returned, Simeon got up, careful not to wake Micah, and took him down the hall to his room.
The large space was decorated with pale green wall color and two matching cherry wood cribs that were side by side. There was a rocking chair in the far corner, an armoire and changing table on the opposite wall. He put Micah into the empty bed and watched him a little longer before turning toward Jennifer’s direction who was now over at the armoire, pulling out some clothes.
Stepping behind her, leaning into her neck with his face, he caressed her. “I’m sorry love, but he felt so good. I immediately wanted to protect him from every bad thing.”
Jennifer turned around, placing her finger to her lips, then pointed to the door. They walked out into the hallway and she pulled the door closed. “I understand it. I just don’t want you to spoil him. It’s important that he be able to sleep in his own bed without our help.”
“Jennifer, I’m telling you right now, that I’m going to spoil my children,” he said adamantly.
They walked down the hall toward the living room. Simeon stopped in front of the big tree. He looked down at all the wrapped gifts he’d placed under it and smiled, then turned to Jennifer.
The Christmas Promise Page 16
