License to Love: Holiday Box Set (Contemporary Romance)

by Kristen James

  “A woman? Did she give a name?”

  “No, that was the other strange thing about it. Now that I know Eric’s messing with you, I thought maybe the call is related.”

  Savanna’s reaction confirmed his feelings. Though he reassured her, Jason decided to stay watchful for anyone lurking around the townhouses.

  After her phone call with Jason, Savanna’s workday dragged by, even though she enjoyed her job. She didn’t need anything else to worry about, but how could she ignore that someone was looking for her? There was no way in hell Eric would even want to track her down . . . At least, he wouldn’t because he was looking for her. He could be looking for Aubrey. There was also his mother. That woman had been controlling and evil, scaring Savanna, and she shivered as she wondered why the old witch would want anything from her now.

  It wasn’t just the strange phone call casting shadows on Savanna’s day. She’d never asked Jason about Rachael’s visit.

  When she arrived home later, Jason took one look at her and held his arms open.

  She felt her breath wheeze out of her lungs when they embraced. Aubrey saw her mama sitting wrapped in Jason’s arms on the couch, and she climbed up to join them.

  “Hey, look who wants a hug,” he said. Savanna helped Aubrey up onto Jason’s good leg. He pulled them both close, kissing Savanna’s head and then Aubrey’s. The little girl got her hug and then wiggled down to play some more. That left Jason free to wrap his arms around Savanna.

  “Feeling better now?” he asked.

  “I can’t even tell you.” Her voice was soft because, right at that moment, she finally understood exactly what Cassie had lost. Her face crumpled and she started to cry.

  “Hey, what just happened?” Alarm filled his voice.

  “I didn’t know.”

  “Didn’t know what?”

  “I’ve never had this. I didn’t know what Cassie had, and now she’s lost it.” It felt so good to let loose and not care if someone saw her tears.

  “Oh, baby.” Nudging her head into his neck, he held her close. She curled up into him, clinging. She’d needed this so badly from Eric but had never got it. And until she felt someone’s arms around her, making things all right, she didn’t even know how desperately she’d craved the support. “I’m here . . . and I know I’m not giving you everything I’ve got . . . but I will. You’ve got desires, and I do too. I just don’t want to give it to you broken.”

  He didn’t mean just his leg. She hung on tighter, not knowing what else to do. He pulled her closer, onto his lap and ran his hand up and down her back. She could hear Aubrey playing in the kitchen and wondered if they would get caught.

  He laid her down on the couch and found her mouth, kissing her deeply and hungrily.

  She didn’t have time to gasp, not even when he slid his hand up her shirt. He leaned up and grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch.

  “Aubrey . . .”

  “Is playing,” he said, throwing the blanket over her and undoing her pants under it. Desire burst into flame. She whimpered when his hand slid up her bare leg and softly touched her. “Close your eyes,” he whispered, and then he proceeded to drive her crazy… and right over the edge.

  She lay breathless and satisfied for several minutes. When her head cleared a bit and she could speak, she asked, “Jason…what about you?”

  “Shhh.” He touched her lips with one finger. “Let’s just worry about you.”

  Savanna was glad October came, a new month, another step farther along in the healing process for Cassie. That’s all Savanna could hope for her friend, and for Jason, too: time to heal their pain.

  Saturday came full of promise with the cooler weather and the free time she needed. Aubrey must have been tired, too, because she didn’t wake up until eight thirty. At nine, Savanna took Aubrey and went next door to check on Jason.

  “Hey, you’re up,” she greeted. Up, dressed, and shaved, he looked good. He wore a camouflage green T-shirt over his shorts.

  “I’m trying.” He used his crutches to stand and moved back from the doorway. “Want to come in?”

  “Are you going somewhere?” she asked. Maybe someone was coming to pick him up.

  “I was going to your door. Do you want to go somewhere today? We’ve been sitting home a lot.”

  She laughed. “Sounds like you need to. Did you already have an idea?”

  “Why don’t we go to the park and let Aubrey play? That’s a start.” His suggestion put a big grin on her face. He asked the little girl, “How does that sound, Aubrey? Want to play at the park?”

  Aubrey looked up to study him. When Savanna said, “Go bye bye,” Aubrey got the idea and went for the door.

  Stepping back inside her place, Savanna got the diaper bag and sweaters for her and Aubrey. Savanna had taken the stroller the six blocks to the park before, but Jason’s cast made the car sound like a better choice for today’s trip.

  At the park, Aubrey headed for the first ladder she could find. The girl liked to climb. Savanna stayed close, helping her, but letting her explore.

  Aubrey squealed, “Mama, Gase! Mama, Gase!”

  Jason smiled, his eyes warm with emotion. He looked relaxed and happy, and that made her heart jump. With the sun out, the temperature reached sixty, and it felt perfect for running around. After the hot summer, they enjoyed the cooler air. She’d put on Capri pants and a green cotton top that morning, hoping the outfit looked casual but classy.

  She pulled her hair back into a ponytail to push Aubrey on the swings, while Jason leaned back against the swing set.

  “I never knew a woman could look so hot just by being a loving mom.”

  She threw a smile over at him before she hurried to watch Aubrey on the baby swing. “Thanks. This was a great idea to get out of the house.”

  Jason nodded to a taco stand at the edge of the park. “Are you getting hungry?”

  “Good idea, I’ve been sniffing it since we got here,” she agreed. “Come on, Aubrey.” Aubrey did not like that idea.

  “I’ll stay here if you want to get us lunch. Here.” He held out his wallet.

  On her way over, she got the urge to look back, to check on them. She didn’t. Instead, she walked to the stand and ordered food and only then watched them across the park. They must look like father and daughter to anyone watching.

  When she returned, they took their tacos to a bench to eat.

  “So how did you end up as a firefighter?” she asked. There were so many questions to explore.

  “I’ve always been big on plans,” he said in a lighthearted voice, but a telling silence followed. She glanced over just as he looked at her, and they didn’t need words. She rubbed his leg, hoping he’d still share. “I knew I would be a firefighter before I started kindergarten. You know how little boys watch cowboys, policemen, and rescue workers? That’s when I knew what I wanted to be. Pretty simple.”

  “And what about the townhouses and renting?”

  “I kind of came into the townhouses. I collected baseball cards growing up. I was serious about it, too. I traded my way up to some expensive cards. So part of the money came that way, when I cashed in some cards.”

  She imagined him young and lanky, pouring over his card collection. “But what actually made you buy the townhouses?”

  “Part of the plan. I wanted to build equity plus have rent money coming in. I was renting another house for a while, but then I spotted the lot by the river. Actually, I’d been watching for just that type of lot. I moved into one of the townhouses so I could buy the land.”

  She liked his forward thinking. “You are smart with your money and planning.”

  “I had some luck, too. I guess. My Uncle Frank left me some money my junior year of college. He didn’t leave any to my parents or sister, and they’ve been mad about it ever since.”

  “Oh.” She remembered that he said they weren’t close anymore. “I’m really sorry about your family.”

  “Well, someti
mes things go that way. I’ve tried to reach out to them, but they remain bitter.” Going back to the story, he said, “I wanted to invest in something, not just put the money in the bank. I didn’t have enough with just my uncle’s money, so I sold some cards. I didn’t want to go into debt. Now I get rent money and the property value goes up, plus I have a place to live without worrying about paying rent myself.”

  “Well, I know you don’t charge me what you normally charge your renters.”

  “And I don’t care about it.” He nudged her. “I like taking care of you. Isn’t that what you said to me, too?”

  She tried not to smile too big upon hearing his words.

  “Maybe we both can take care of each other,” Jason said. Yeah, she thought, having that in a relationship would be a change, a very nice change.

  The corners of his mouth lifted in an I-want-to-kiss-you smile.

  Savanna stretched up and met him, just as excited as she’d been the first time they kissed. Though she wanted to lose herself in the feel of his full lips on hers, she needed to keep a close eye on Aubrey, who sat at their feet, singing.

  She thought back to when she first returned home and how badly she had wanted to help him. And she had. But the problem remained between him and Cassie. Although they still had not talked about ‘them’ as an item, Savanna asked, “Do you think Cassie will be able to accept us together?”

  His expression darkened. “She doesn’t feel any differently about me. I have no idea how to reach her.” He touched Savanna’s arm and said, “I certainly can’t give you up now.”

  “Then we won’t tell her for a while,” she said without hiding the fear in her voice.

  “She’ll be mad about that, too.”

  “She’s mad no matter what we do.” Savanna sighed, resigned.

  “Don’t give up. She’s your best friend.”

  Jason’s words echoed in her head. She looked away so he wouldn’t see how much she hurt over it. It wasn’t his doing, and she refused to let him feel responsible.

  A high-pitched scream startled them both out of their wits.

  “Aubrey!” Savanna cried.

  “Mama?” The little voice came from right next to them. She scooped her up and glanced at Jason as some other child continued to scream. She spotted a woman racing around the play equipment to a small boy. Something about his scream sounded terrifying. Then it stopped.

  Jason was already halfway across the grassy area to the child, swinging on his crutches. The boy started thrashing. That’s when Savanna thought to follow.

  “He’s not breathing!” The mom’s voice hit a higher octave with each word. “Oh, my God, he’s not breathing!”

  Savanna hit 9-1-1 on her cell, not sure what else to do. Her own heart was jack-hammering, but she knew it would be a thousand times worse if her daughter were the one gagging for breath.

  “Does anyone know CPR?” Someone in the gathered crowd yelled. Jason settled next to the boy, taking over. Everyone gasped when he pulled a large bumblebee out of the boy’s mouth.

  “Savanna!” Jason said her name while pointing back at the car. “Get your first aid kit from the truck, hurry!”

  She set Aubrey down to run back to the vehicle, grab the kit, and race back to him with it. Jason had actually been the one to put it there a while back. He was now performing CPR on the little boy.

  With Jason busy, Savanna opened the kit and looked inside, waiting for him to direct her. She saw the liquid Benadryl just then and ripped it out, handing him the small bottle.

  The entire scene swirled with fear and craziness and yet seemed to stop at the same time. She didn’t know what to do except hold onto the poor mother. Jason, however, kept calm, giving medicine and keeping the boy breathing until the ambulance arrived on the scene.

  The little boy looked purple by then. The medics performed a tracheotomy to get air back into his lungs. Jason directed everyone to step back and let them work before he hugged Savanna and reassured her.

  “Good work, Lancaster,” a medic called to him as they carefully placed the boy on a stretcher. She wondered what would have happened if Jason hadn’t kept some oxygen going into the boy’s lungs. She looked up at him and felt the tears on her cheeks.

  “Hey, it’s okay. He’ll be all right.”

  Twelve

  Jason flexed his back and breathed in deeply as he woke up. He’d fallen asleep in his shorts the night before when they’d crashed. Savanna’s head was halfway under the covers, so he slid the sheet and blanket down and soothed back her hair before getting out of bed.

  He stood by the back window and looked at the hillside surrounding the town. A few deciduous trees, bright orange now, grew in with the evergreen forest. Mist drifted through the hills, touching the trees in places.

  He couldn’t remember when he’d had so much leisure time to sit around and think. The emergency yesterday had surprised them, but he’d immediately stepped into his training mode and handled it. He felt good today. Good about how he’d handled it, good about him and Savanna, and good about life.

  Savanna woke soon and he let her take a shower while he took Aubrey downstairs. They settled into the couch together and watched a cartoon until he went to start breakfast.

  Music from the show made Jason smile as he cracked eggs. Actually, what made him laugh was hearing Aubrey sing along in that cute little voice. He couldn’t understand each word, but she knew the song.

  He listened to Aubrey’s laughter and wondered how that sound had made it into his home. Soon Savanna came downstairs, and then they were both singing along with the next song. It could be his family playing together in the living room. Heck, the three of them were like a family. His chest filled and his heart jumped around, making him run his hand over his chest because of the feeling.

  Savanna called, “Do you want help setting the table?” She must have seen him trying to hold plates along with his crutches.

  “I’ve got it.” He might end up breaking something, but he would handle it. Just as long as he didn’t break another bone. This cast had to go sometime. “Anyone hungry?”

  They’d brought Aubrey’s high chair over, and he liked how it looked sitting by his table. Its owner bobbed in, her baby hair bouncing with her. He tried to picture Aubrey with longer hair, wondering if the curls would stay as it grew. She turned her big brown eyes up at him. “Hi, Gase.”

  “Hey, sweetie.” He leaned the crutches against the table and pulled her up, balancing on one foot. Aubrey settled into her high chair, thoroughly inspecting the bacon and poking it before eating it. After the drama, it looked like she liked it.

  “She’s eating it!” Savanna laughed. “Thanks for making breakfast.”

  “Sure thing. I wanted to return the favor, but maybe you should give it a try before thanking me.” He grinned with that one. They exchanged looks while eating. Or maybe she just caught him staring. He’d never get enough of her green eyes. And her dimples. He got to see them a lot more often these days and also hear her laugh.

  I love you! If only he could tell her. He knew it’d scare her, since she had a kid to think about. He couldn’t pretend he was dad material yet. Or a husband. Or even a good boyfriend.

  Savanna tried to help him clear the table, but Jason made her sit down. “You need someone to take care of you.” He glanced over his shoulder in time to see her look of amazement on her face.

  He took a washcloth over to Aubrey, but while he washed her face, she grabbed more food.

  “How do you get this kid clean?” he asked, laughing. Aubrey seemed to think the whole process was funny.

  And that’s the second when Jason felt a longing to hear that little girl call him “Daddy.”

  “What’s the look for?” Savanna asked in a soft voice. He lowered Aubrey to the ground and let her run off. Even though the emotions boiled in him, swelled to capacity, he didn’t know if he could risk telling her.

  She continued to look at him. “Already getting tired of havi
ng a kid around?”

  “Where’d that come from?” He gave her a quizzical look. “No, I’m having a lot of fun with both of you.”

  “Really?”

  “Really, Savanna.” She started to turn to the kitchen sink to rinse the washcloth. He reached for her, planning to touch her hair where it’d swept close to her eye, but she flinched big time.

  Jason yanked his hand back, puzzled, and saw her hand shake as she tried to set the washcloth down.

  “Savanna? Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, the washcloth’s greasy.” She turned on the water and started rinsing. Baffled, he got the rest of the dishes. She must be aware something just happened, but she didn’t act like it now. They cleaned the kitchen in silence, and she went to the bathroom, but her hasty retreat indicated something was still wrong.

  Jason checked on Aubrey and waited in the hallway for Savanna. After everything he felt for her now, he couldn’t let this pass. If she had some kind of physical condition, he wanted to know. What if she had an emergency and needed care, and he didn’t know what was wrong? But he was fooling himself, wasn’t he? She’d reacted when he reached for her.

  When she stepped out, she looked surprised to see him.

  “Did I scare you somehow?” he asked softly, still weary of touching her if she didn’t want him to.

  In response, she froze. Her lips parted like she wanted to say something but she didn’t.

  “Why did you jump away from me like that?” He let go of his crutch and touched her cheek. It looked like it took a great effort for her to look up and meet his gaze.

  Understanding hit him—no, fell on him like a boulder pressing his chest. “He hit you? Baby, come here.” She felt stiff when she leaned against his chest but softened when he put a hand on her back.

  Too many words whipped around in his head, so he couldn’t say any of them. I’m sorry. I’ll protect you. No one will ever hurt you again. He didn’t understand how someone could do that to her.

  He rubbed her neck and back until she completely relaxed into him, and that did it. He couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Savanna, I love you.”