Her Christmas Wish ; Designed by Love

by Sherelle Green

  “Hard night?”

  “You can say that.”

  Chris smiled. “Dinner didn’t end the way you had hoped, I take it.”

  “We never made it to dinner.” He got up and closed the door, then reclaimed his seat. “When we got to her house, she had a letter waiting from the university where she taught in Reno, offering her an assistant professor position.”

  “Oh, wow. That’s a great opportunity for her, but I assume she’s going to turn it down and apply for something else here.”

  “I don’t know.”

  He frowned. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

  “I don’t know. She said she needed time to think about what she wanted to do.” Thinking back, Jeremy could have been more patient and not demanded an answer right then. He understood her desire to teach, and she was right about it being a big decision to make. However, the only thing he had been able to focus on was the growing ache in his heart.

  “I hate to say this, but you’re going to have to let her figure it out on her own. The last thing you want is her having regrets ten years down the line because you pressured her.”

  “True, but that doesn’t mean I can’t plead my case in other ways.”

  “I’m not going to ask. Anyway, I’ve redone the budget with the added staff, so when you’re ready to go over the numbers, let me know.”

  “We can do it—” A knock sounded. He got up and opened the door. His chest clenched when he saw Serita standing on the other side. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”

  “Chris and I were—”

  “I’m leaving,” Chris said, standing and crossing the room. “We can talk when you’re done.” To Serita, he said, “Morning.”

  “Good morning. You don’t have to leave. I apologize for interrupting your meeting.”

  “You didn’t.” He exited and closed the door.

  For a minute, Jeremy stood there marveling at how much she filled his heart. Even with the uncertainty swirling around their relationship, he couldn’t turn off his emotions. “How are you?” She looked as tired as he felt.

  “I’ve been better.”

  “Join the club. Would you like to sit down?”

  “No, thanks. I’m not going to take up too much of your time.”

  Once again, alarms went off in his head. Had she come to a decision? And would it tear them apart? Remembering what she’d said about his height, he propped a hip on the desk to decrease the difference. She didn’t say anything for the longest time, and it made him even more nervous that she had come to end it.

  “First, thank you for the rose, the candy and especially the café con leche. It tastes just like the ones I had in Madrid. Maybe you can share the recipe with me.”

  “I’ll text it to you.”

  “Second, I need you to know that I do love you, more than you know, and I’d like for us to talk.”

  “Then have a seat.”

  “Not here. Dinner at my place tomorrow night at seven.”

  He couldn’t take another thirty-six hours of not knowing. Everything inside him wanted to shout, Just tell me now. But he didn’t. She appeared to be barely holding it together, and he didn’t want to overwhelm her any more than he’d already done. Besides, he needed her to be fully locked in when it came to the job. They couldn’t afford any mistakes. “Dinner tomorrow at seven, it is.”

  “Jeremy...”

  “What is it, baby?” He saw the tears forming in her eyes and, unable to stop himself, wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She held on to him as if she didn’t want to let go. Neither did he.

  At length, Serita backed out of his hold. She swiped at the moisture on her cheeks. “I’d better get started.”

  He nodded and watched her go. Then he smiled. Jeremy had waited for her all his life and he wasn’t giving up that easily.

  Chapter 18

  Thursday evening, Serita and Gabby moved the kitchen table closer to the lone window. Serita had power shopped online after coming to her senses and tried to transform the kitchen to resemble the Dantxari Restaurant in Madrid where she and Jeremy had dined the first night. She’d found a similar patterned red plaid tablecloth and matching napkins, and white plates at one of the bedding stores, and she had ordered a stained-glass mirror panel and had it shipped overnight.

  Gabby placed her hands on her hips and surveyed the area. “It’s looking really good in here.”

  “I agree. I just hope the food is somewhat comparable.” She had already warned Jeremy that her cooking didn’t hold a candle to his, so she hoped what she had to tell him would make up for that shortcoming.

  “The food is going to be fine. You want him to eat as soon as he gets here?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then we’ll start around six thirty. The croquettes will be fine warmed and the asparagus will only take a few minutes.”

  “It’s the butter sauce and steak I’m worried about. I’d hate to serve him a steak that’s either too rare or as hard as a hockey puck.”

  “Don’t worry. I got you, girl. You’re going to be cooking like a pro before it’s all said and done. You’ll need those skills once you two get married.”

  “Married? Let me just work on straightening out this part first.” She draped the tablecloth over the table and set it according the restaurant’s website photos.

  Gabby went to gather ingredients from the refrigerator. “One more thing—there’s no need for you to keep searching for a place. I have a feeling you and Jeremy are going to be under one roof sooner or later, so it makes no sense for you to go through the hassle of buying or leasing a condo.”

  Serita paused. “Gabby, I appreciate the offer, but even if we do get back on track, it could be a year or two before we take that step.” Admittedly, the thought of being married to Jeremy made her heart skip a beat, but she didn’t think that would be on the radar for a while.

  “And? Still, it makes no sense. We can talk about that another time. Let’s get this food started.”

  She and Gabby worked side by side and finished the meal at five minutes before seven. She covered the steaks to let them rest and stay warm, and placed the croquettes and asparagus in the oven drawer. They went into the living room and Serita turned on the stereo to a jazz station.

  “Okay, I think you’re good. I’ll see you tomorrow. I decided to spend the night at my parents’ house.”

  “I can’t let you do that. This is your house. We agreed on ten o’clock and that’s enough time for dinner and conversation.”

  “Uh-huh. If things go the way I think they will, you’re going to need all night.” She picked up her bag and hugged Serita. The buzzer rang and she pressed the button to open the gate. “That’s my cue. Good luck and you can tell me all about it tomorrow.”

  Serita nodded. She needed all the luck she could get. Jeremy appeared a minute after Gabby left. When she saw him, it took all her control not to launch herself into his arms. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” Jeremy bent and kissed her, then handed her the red rose. “It smells good in here.”

  It didn’t come close to how good he smelled. She loved the warm, woodsy citrus blend he wore. “It probably won’t be quite up to your five-star meal, but I hope it’s not too bad.” They shared a smile. “We’re eating in the kitchen.” She gestured with a flourish. “What do you think?”

  His surprised gaze met hers. He stared and turned in a slow circle. “The restaurant in Madrid where we had our first date.”

  “I wanted to recreate the magic we had there because it was where I first knew I was falling for you.”

  Jeremy whirled around. “Are you saying what I think you are?”

  “Although I didn’t realize it then, I think I fell in love with you after my first selfie lesson.”

  A
soft smile curved his lips. “I was already a goner by then, myself.”

  “Have a seat and I’ll fix our plates.” She went about the task, then brought them to the table.

  “You cooked the meal we had, too? This is really special.”

  “Yep, but you might want to hold off on the praise until you taste it.”

  He laughed. “I’m not worried.” He opened the bottle of wine she had in the bucket on the table and filled their glasses. He held up his. “To recreating the magic.”

  Serita touched her glass to his. “To recreating the magic forever.” Their gazes held while they sipped. She set her glass down and waited for him to take the first bite.

  Jeremy cut into the steak and ate a piece. His eyes widened. “This is really good.”

  Smiling, she started in on her own meal. Both were content to enjoy each other’s company without speaking. The sounds of jazz filtered through the room, filling the silence. When he finished, she said, “I have dessert, too.”

  “The lemon sherbet?”

  “Absolutely. Complete with champagne and vodka.” As they ate the sweet, tart dessert, she tried to gather her thoughts for the forthcoming conversation. By the time she was done eating, her nerves were a jumbled mess.

  He stood and extended his hand. “Let’s talk, sweetheart.”

  She took his hand and let him lead her into the living room, where they made themselves comfortable on the sofa. He didn’t say anything as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to tell you the whole truth,” Serita said.

  Jeremy frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “You said that I didn’t know what I wanted and that wasn’t the truth. I knew, but I was afraid to hope for it.” He opened his mouth to speak and she placed a finger on his lips. “It had nothing to do with you. This one is on me. In my mind, I thought it would be easier to walk away than to risk being hurt again. But not being with you hurt more. I love you, Jeremy, and I can’t walk away from us. You have been one of the best surprises of my life and I don’t want to lose you.”

  “I love you and I don’t want to lose you, either. What can I do to show you that I’m going to be here always?”

  Serita straddled his lap and cupped his cheek. “Nothing. From the day I met you, you’ve shown me what real love looks like. And I love the way you take care of me, not just with material things, but with the stuff that counts. You take care of my well-being, my soul...my heart, and that’s all I’ll ever need.” She covered his mouth in a tender kiss, trying to let him know she was ready to risk it all for them.

  “Then let me keep taking care of you.”

  “I will. There are a couple more things I need to tell you.”

  He lifted a brow.

  “I turned down the position in Reno and I accept the job offer at HJ Robotics.”

  “I love you.” Jeremy crushed his mouth against hers in a hungry kiss. “What time is Gabriella coming back?” he murmured, still placing butterfly kisses along her throat.

  “Tomorrow.”

  His head came up sharply.

  She smiled. “I took a drive to Old Sacramento and visited Scentillating Touch. So...”

  He jumped to his feet with her in his arms. “Bedroom.”

  “Down the hall, second door on the right.” She loved this man.

  * * *

  Jeremy unloaded the last of the supplies from his class and stacked them in his garage. “Another successful session.”

  “They were so excited about their robots,” Serita said, getting into the car.

  He’d been just as excited to have her there with him. Since their reconciliation dinner last week, they’d spent almost every evening together talking and growing closer. When she confessed to still having some fears, but told him that her love was stronger and that would be her focus, his emotions had welled up, and he’d thought his heart might burst from his chest. He got in on his side. “Do you want anything from inside before we get on the road?” He had wanted to take her to his Lake Tahoe home, but with it being mid-November, he didn’t want to run the risk of getting snowed in. He hadn’t seen it in the forecast, but with temperatures in the twenties, the weather could change in an instant. Instead, they were going in the opposite direction, to spend the weekend in Monterey. Barring traffic—he didn’t hold out much hope—the drive would be about three hours. Jeremy had his mind ready for at least four.

  “No. I’m good.” She turned in her seat to face him. “You know, I just got this job—so I shouldn’t be taking off a day already.” They wouldn’t be returning until Monday afternoon.

  “I’ll talk to your boss. I’m sure he’s okay with it.”

  She punched him in the arm playfully. “I already agreed that we wouldn’t hide anymore, but I don’t want everybody to start thinking I can come and go as I please. Don’t make me have to look for another job.”

  “Ha! It’s too late. You signed on the dotted line and you’re stuck now, baby. Didn’t you see that clause about having to agree to stay for five years?”

  “What clause?” A few seconds later, she said, “There wasn’t any clause requiring five years.”

  Jeremy laughed. “But you weren’t sure for a minute.”

  She turned away and folded her arms. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you, Jeremy Hunter.”

  “You will by the end of the weekend.” She turned her questioning gaze his way, but he just smiled and kept driving. As he’d predicted, traffic came to a standstill in several places. It took them three hours just to get to San Jose, and it would take another one to reach their destination.

  “Traffic has really gotten bad since I left. It never used to take this long to reach the Bay Area.”

  “I don’t come this way often, but Cedric and Lorenzo do and they say it’s bad almost all day now.” They fell silent for several minutes, but he could hear her humming softly to the music. “Now that it’s been over a week, how are you feeling about not going back to Reno?” Jeremy still harbored some concern that she would regret her decision.

  “I don’t feel as badly as I thought I would. I’m still wondering if I’ll ever get another opportunity, but I’m happy with my decision. I have a great job, a pretty cool boss and a man who I am madly in love with, so I consider myself blessed. I’ll have to trust that there will be something else down the line. And who knows, I may change my mind and want to go in a different direction by then. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy shaping the minds of the next generation at this great science camp.”

  “What?” he asked excitedly, turning in her direction. He remembered he was driving and jerked back into his lane. With all the changes she’d been going through, he hadn’t brought it up after asking her the first time. “Do you know how happy you’ve just made me?”

  “Yes, but I’d like to be alive when the next session starts, so keep your eyes on the road.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Jeremy wanted to stop the car and get out and dance. “There’s one other thing I’d like your help with. I’m working on a new prosthetic hand that will closely mimic natural function.”

  “Are you kidding me? I’d love to help you.”

  Jeremy slanted her a quick glance. “Great. We can talk about it when we get back.” By the time they made it to the hotel, neither wanted to go out to eat, so they had dinner in the hotel restaurant and went back up to the room.

  “Is it my imagination or did the temps drop by ten degrees while we were downstairs?” Serita asked, rubbing her arms.

  “I’ll turn up the heat.” He adjusted the thermostat and turned on the gas fireplace. “Once it warms up, we can play.”

  She laughed. “I know you didn’t print out more cards for Jeopardy!”

  “Of course I did. Didn’t you enjoy it the last time we played?”

  “I’m plead
ing the Fifth,” she said, trying to hide her smile. “We’re playing strip Jeopardy! again, right?”

  “Yes.”

  She rubbed her hands together. “Good, because I’ve been studying and this time I’m going to wipe the floor with you, and I’m going to see how many ways I can make you come.”

  Jeremy’s arousal was instant. He folded his arms. “What happened to shy Serita?”

  “She’s still here, but I can be me with you, or who I want to be.”

  “Yeah, you can.” He loved this woman so much, and he was glad that the men in her past had never taken time to know her. Their loss was his gain. He pressed a kiss to her lips. He’d meant it to be a short one, but the moment their mouths touched, passion took over.

  Serita broke off the kiss. “Hey, no kisses until I’m done whipping you. I will not be distracted this time.”

  He roared with laughter. “We’ll see.” They sat on the sofa in front of the fireplace. “We’re changing the game a little.”

  “How?”

  “This time, whoever pulls the card will read it and the other person has to answer.”

  “Okay, I can go with that. Who’s first?”

  “Ladies first.”

  “Aw, you’re such a gentleman,” she said sweetly. “But that doesn’t change how fast you’re going to be naked.”

  “Oh, you’re just all talk tonight, huh?”

  “Oh, no. I’m going to be all action, too.”

  And he couldn’t wait for that.

  She pulled the card. “‘Abraham Lincoln was shot here in 1865.’”

  “What is Ford’s Theater?” He smiled smugly and drew the next one. “‘This team was the focus of the 2014 Deflategate scandal.’”

  “What is the New England Patriots? Bet you thought I wouldn’t know that.”

  Jeremy shook his head and chuckled. She had indeed studied because, after four more rounds, she still hadn’t lost a piece of clothing. He was missing his shirt.

  “Ooh, I think I’m going to win tonight. Next question is—‘This ends in two hearts being bound together.’”