“You didn’t call. You didn’t write or text or anything. You just left me, like I didn’t even matter.”
“That was just it. You mattered too much.”
“But you still left me,” she said sadly.
He nodded. “I had to leave.”
“‘Had to’? Why?”
He shook his head without responding.
She could see he was keeping something from her. “Tyson, this conversation isn’t getting us anywhere. We had our chance. It’s over. That time has passed.”
“No, I don’t accept that. I love you, Janelle, and I know there’s some part of you that still loves me. We can be together. We will be together. We just need to—”
“Ohh-hh...pretty lights.”
Tyson instantly stopped talking and glanced up in the rearview mirror at Aneka. Janelle turned to look back. Aneka was half-awake and looking out the window at the homes in the neighborhood. Most of them were elaborately decorated and brilliantly lit for the holidays.
“We need to finish this conversation,” Tyson said quietly.
“Not now. Not tonight,” she said.
Tyson drove up into Ben’s driveway and parked. He got out, opened Janelle’s door, then extended his hand to help her out of the car.
“Can I see? Can I see?” Aneka exclaimed excitedly, wanting to get out to see the lights and animated reindeer up close.
“No, sweetheart, we’ll come back tomorrow,” he said. “You can see the reindeer then. I promise.”
Disappointed, she slumped down in her car seat, frowning. Tyson closed the front passenger door to keep her warm inside and turned to Janelle. He didn’t speak. He just smiled.
“Thank you again for today. I had a wonderful time,” Janelle said. She started to walk away, but Tyson still held her hand. She stopped and looked up at him. She knew what he was asking without him saying a single word, but she wasn’t ready to answer.
“Tyson, today was perfect. I don’t want to ruin it by talking about the past and what-if.” She sighed heavily. “I don’t want to look back. This is my life now and I’m happy.”
He nodded, reached up and stroked her face. “I want you to be happy. I always did and always will.”
“Yes, I know,” she said softly. “Now, you’d better get your little princess home. She needs her rest and so do you.”
“Forever the doctor,” Tyson said as he stroked her cheek and the soft underside of her chin.
Janelle nodded. “Yep, that’s right. So do as the doctor says.”
He moved close and kissed her. Everything she thought she knew about love and life and forever disappeared. All she knew was Tyson. It was undeniable. She still loved him. She would always love him. The kiss was passion, desire and need all rolled in one. When it ended she stepped away, smiling. “Hmm, that was nice.”
“There’s a lot more,” he whispered.
Her smile brightened as she slipped her hand from his. “Good night, sir.” She backed away, turned and headed to the front door. When she opened it, she looked back to see Tyson still standing there watching her.
She nodded, went inside and closed the door. But that was as far as she got. She leaned back against the door and closed her eyes, feeling incredible. She felt like a kid on Christmas morning, seeing everything she ever wanted right in front of her. Right now, this moment, her life was absolutely perfect.
Chapter 11
Smiling to herself, Janelle headed to her father’s office. He wasn’t there, so she grabbed a cup of hot tea from the kitchen then went upstairs. Noticing her father’s bedroom light still on, she knocked. There was no answer. Peeking inside, she saw that he was asleep in the bed, surrounded by papers. She went in, moved his laptop and gathered the papers, putting them on his nightstand along with his reading glasses. Just as she turned to leave, she heard his voice. “Hey, hi, you’re home,” Ben said huskily.
She turned back to him. “Yeah, I got in a few minutes ago. I knocked, but you were asleep. I just cleared the papers off the bed. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“That’s okay. I’m glad you did,” he said, sitting upright against his pillows. “You look happy. You have a good day?”
“I am happy and it was a good day.” Janelle smiled contentedly. “No, actually it was a great day. It started off with a job offer from Meg at Johns Hopkins medical center.”
“A job offer from Johns Hopkins? That’s fantastic. For years you talked about being a doctor at the hospital. You were so set on it—and look, you did it. I knew you could.”
She smiled proudly. “Yep, looks like it’s gonna happen.”
“Congratulations, sweetheart. I’m so proud of you, baby.”
They hugged warmly. “Thanks, Dad. I’m excited about it.”
“When do you start?”
“Not until the beginning of the year. I still have to hand in my resignation at Medics International and do the paperwork.”
“Well, now...a job offer. You did have a good day.”
“Actually it got better. After my meeting with Meg, I ran into Tyson and Aneka. She had an asthmatic episode last night.”
“Is she okay?” he asked, concerned.
“Yes, she’s fine. They were leaving when I was headed out. They invited me to join them to go see Santa.”
He chuckled. “Now, that’s something I hadn’t heard in a very long time.”
She nodded and sat on the side of the bed. “Yeah, it was a lot of fun. You know, I forgot what Christmas is like through the eyes of a child. I guess I get so caught up in helping children and trying to make them feel better that I forgot the simplicity of just being with them. She’s a sweetheart.”
“Indeed. And there’s nothing like seeing the holidays through the eyes of a little one. They bring a certain kind of joy that’s unmatched by anything.” She nodded.
Ben hesitated. “So...you and Tyson again?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “There’s so much water under the bridge for us. I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“It looks like you already have. Do you still love him?”
She paused and thought a moment. “Do we ever really fall out of love with someone?” she said evasively, catching Ben’s smile. “You’re smiling. I thought you’d be the last person to want me and Tyson to be together again.”
He reached over and took her hand. “Sweetheart, I want you to be happy. Tyson makes you happy. I can see that now. The two of you have something special. You know, your mother told me something very important before she died, but I didn’t listen.”
“What did she tell you?”
“She told me to relax and that things always work out as they should in the end.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry to say that I didn’t always listen to that advice.”
“Why, what do you mean?”
“I mean with you and Tyson.”
“What about me and Tyson?” she questioned.
Ben nodded and took a deep breath as if to release a heavy burden he’d been carrying. “Two and a half years ago I told Tyson to leave.”
“You what? Dad...”
He nodded. “I told him to go back to the West Coast and to leave you to your future.”
“Dad, no.”
“Yes, I’m afraid so. The night he proposed and you accepted, he came to me. We talked. I told him that I wanted you to follow your dream and he was standing in the way of that. I told him that if he loved you he’d leave. I didn’t even want him to say goodbye to you. To his credit, he put up a hell of a fight and an indisputable argument, but in the end I persuaded him that you needed to have your life and that meant being a doctor like you always wanted.”
“Dad...”
“I didn’t have enough faith in his love and your heart. But then
...”
“But then...what?” she asked.
“When I had the heart attack I called him to make things right. He came and he stayed. I tore his world apart and he came and stayed with me, like a son.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“I do. I’m sorry I interfered. I was doing what I thought best for you, but now I see that your mother was right, as always. Everything works out exactly as it should, especially love. I already asked Tyson to accept my apology, and now I’m asking you. I’m sorry I interfered.”
She nodded. “Apology accepted.” She kissed his cheek. “So how did the meeting with the bank go today? Good news?”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid not. We did everything we could think of, but it’s not going to be enough.”
“Even with taking on a business partner?” she asked.
Ben shook his head. “No one wanted to take the risk. I’m afraid it’s over.”
“Dad, I’m so sorry.”
“No worries. We have a big day tomorrow, lots to do and the kids are depending on us.”
“‘Tomorrow’?” she queried.
“Yes, for the Christmas Eve party. They’re still some things to take care of...the caterer, the florist, things like that.”
“I’ll take care of all that. You relax. I’m here to help, remember. Plus, I have a few ideas I think you’re going to like.”
“Sounds good. We’ll get started in the morning.”
She rose from the side of the bed and nodded. “Good night, Dad,” she whispered as he turned off the light.
Janelle walked back to her bedroom and closed the door. Her thoughts immediately went to her father’s business and the people who worked for him. There was nothing anyone could do. Then she thought about Tyson. All this time she’d thought he had just walked out on her, but she’d been wrong.
She pulled out her laptop and video-called her sisters. When they logged in, she told them about the past few days and what her father had said.
“Wow,” Mia said.
“Yeah, wow,” Nya added.
“So, am I crazy or what? How can I fall in love with him in one day? I’m right back where I was two and a half years ago and the moral of the story is still the same—don’t fall in love.”
“Honey, you never stopped loving him,” Nya said.
“That’s true,” Mia agreed.
After a short period of reflection, Janelle conceded with a nod. “I know.” She sighed as she cupped her chin in the palm of her hand and stared at her sisters’ images on the laptop screen. Then she smiled. Although she would have certainly preferred to be with them right now, the FaceTime program would have to do. “I’m sorry, guys. This isn’t exactly what we were supposed to be talking about the day before Christmas Eve.”
“Sure it is,” Mia said. “We’re sisters. It’s what we do.”
“Okay, the way I see it, you have two choices. Be happy with him or be miserable without him. Now, I may be biased, but I’m rooting for you to be happy with him,” Nya told her.
“I second that,” Mia said. “Just enjoy being with him now.”
“Not thinking about it obviously didn’t mean it wasn’t going to happen. But it’s inevitable. Tyson is leaving as soon as he’s finished with Dad. And since nothing can be done about the business, that’s going to be soon. He already has something lined up in New York. It’s only a matter of time,” Janelle conceded.
“So, the question is, do you want to follow him?”
Janelle didn’t need to think long about her answer. “I can’t live my life on the road. I’m a doctor. I worked too hard and I love what I do. I don’t want to give that up.”
“Of course not,” Nya agreed. “So, talk to him. Tell him how you feel, tell him you love him.”
Janelle shook her head. “Thanks, guys, but I don’t think being together is ever going to be an option. I’ll be here working at the hospital doing what I love and he’ll be traveling all over the world doing what he loves. What kind of life is that? It’s not as if I can ask him to stop working and stay here with me.”
“Why not?” Mia said.
“Yeah, why not?” Nya added. “David left Hollywood for Natalia, Spencer left Atlanta for Tatiana and Chase left Alaska for Nikita. So, it does happen. And I’m a firm believer that you can never say what a man in love won’t do.” She smiled coyly.
“You got that right,” Mia agreed wholeheartedly.
Janelle smiled, daring for the first time to even consider hoping there might be a happily-ever-after ending with Tyson in her future. “Thanks.”
“No problem. You do what you need to do and let us know.”
“I will. Merry Christmas,” Janelle said to her sisters as she kissed her fingers and touched the screen.
Mia and Nya did the same. “Merry Christmas.”
Janelle ended the connection, took a quick shower, sipped her cooled tea and crawled into bed. She grabbed her laptop and checked the movie listings. One of her favorite holiday movies, A Christmas Carol, was just coming on. She reached over to turn off the lamp and settle back just as a message notification beeped. Thinking it was one of her sisters on FaceTime again, she logged on.
Tyson’s smiling face appeared on the screen. “It’s about time you showed up.”
She smiled. “Hey.”
“Is it too late to call?”
Her smile widened. “No, not at all. I was just getting ready for bed.” His brow arched with interest.
“Don’t get any ideas,” she said.
He laughed. The rich, deep sound made her stomach flutter.
“I am a very patient man when I have to be. I just called to thank you again for everything you did today. We both appreciate it.”
“You’re very welcome. Is that it?”
“Not quite. I miss you.”
She blushed openly. “I miss you, too,” she said as she leaned back against the pillows. “Is Aneka asleep?”
“Yeah, she passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow. She told me that she had a fun day and she’d remember it always.”
“It was my pleasure.” They both paused. Then she saw him frown in frustration. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Believe it or not, I’m trying to put a dollhouse together.”
She chuckled. “How’s that going?”
“It’s not. I gave up twice already. This is my third attempt. Much to my chagrin, I can completely build and refurbish an actual building, but I can’t put together this dollhouse. That amazes me.”
“Did you even look at the instructions?”
“I don’t read instructions.” He snorted boastfully. “I’m a man.”
She started laughing. He smiled, then joined in. “So typical,” she said, shaking her head. “Okay, grab the instructions. I have a feeling we’d better start from the beginning.”
They spent the next hour and a half laughing and talking while Tyson put Aneka’s dollhouse together. When it was done, he angled his laptop screen to show her the end result.
Janelle nodded her approval. “She’s gonna love it,” she said.
“I hope so. I had it specially designed as a miniature model of our new house.”
“It’s beautiful,” she said, feeling her heart tremble when he mentioned their new home. She wanted to know more, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask. “It’s getting late. I’d better let you go. Will I see you tomorrow?” she asked.
“Yes, of course. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Good night,” she said softly.
Neither disconnected the signal. They just looked at each other.
Finally, Tyson spoke. “I love you. Good night.”
She nodded and hung up. The movie she’d forgotten all abo
ut popped back up on her screen showing the ending credits. She closed her laptop just as it ended.
Chapter 12
The dream Janelle had that night felt too real. In it she had lost everything and, like Ebenezer Scrooge in the movie, she had grown old with nothing and no one in her life. She woke Christmas Eve morning in a panic. The realization that her sisters were right was undeniable. She needed to tell Tyson how she felt. She loved him. She got up, got dressed and hurried out early. Soon after, she was ringing the doorbell at the town house.
Mrs. Ivers answered. “Good morning, Janelle. Come on in.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Ivers. How are you and how’s your son?”
“I’m fine and, thank God, he’s just bruised. It could have been a lot worse. Can you believe he had a car accident two weeks before starting college?”
“I’m glad to hear he’ll be fine. Is Tyson here?”
“You just missed him. He’s in D.C. all day,” she said just as the oven alarm rang. “Oh, there’s the oven.” She headed to the kitchen, Janelle following.
“Janelle!” Aneka ran to her.
Janelle knelt and hugged her before Aneka took her hand and pulled her into the living room to see the Christmas tree and presents. There was wrapping paper and ribbon all over the coffee table. “This one is for you,” Aneka said, grabbing a shirt-size box wrapped in Santa-and-reindeer paper. “Me and Daddy picked it out special. But I can’t tell you what it is. I promised.”
“I have a very special gift for you, too, but you’ll have to wait until Christmas Day to open it.”
“Can I have it before me and Daddy go home?”
“You’re going back home on Christmas Day?”
Janelle stilled as Aneka nodded and the affirmation hit her—Tyson was leaving again. With nothing left to do for her father’s business, it made sense. She looked around, seeing several pieces of luggage sitting by the stairs.
“Sorry about that,” Mrs. Ivers said, walking into the living room. “It’s going to be a crazy, busy couple of days. I don’t know why I waited to start wrapping gifts. Anyway, Tyson’s not here, but if it’s an emergency I can—”
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