Page 17 of Mountain Man Santa

Iclose her door and head around to the driver’s side, starting up the engine and blasting the cab with hot air and the local country station’s Christmas lineup. “Put it on any station you want,” I say before hopping back out and pulling my collar tighter around my neck to ward off the frigid blasts of air whipping around me.

Try as I might to play it cool, my feelings for Stacey go way deeper than a naughty list and a couple of nights together. As the adrenaline high from the office wears off, apprehension clamors close behind, colder and more miserable than the weather blasting me. I wasn’t lying when I told Stacey there’s not much I want from life. But what I want, I want with full conviction.

Based on her previous relationship with dumbass, I know the sexy server’s patient as hell and loyal to a fault. But the skeletons in my closet would be a lot for anybody, let alone a woman used to dating straight-laced guys like Elliott. Yeah, I might be able to dole it out in the pleasure department, but is that really enough? As for resumes, degrees, and fancy career moves, I come up empty-handed.

By the time I get in the car, I’ve gone from exhilarated to needy and nervous. But I can’t put off this conversation any longer. “About what happened with your brothers earlier…”

Her face grows serious, and she looks down.

“I never meant to keep my past from you, but I’m no longer that man, either. I was biding my time, trying to find the best way to bring it up, and sure as hell unaware you’re from a law enforcement family. I feel terrible about how that conversation went down, but I need you to understand that the Jerry you know from the Silver Fork is who I am, and that’ll never change.”

“It definitely caught me off guard,” she replies in low tones. “And yes, I wish you’d told me sooner. But I also understand that you’ve already made your amends and moved on. You’re a highly successful chef, and you should be judged by the merit of your current actions rather than what happened in the past.”

“Do you have any questions for me?”

Pressing her lips firmly together, she asks, “Do you have a wife you haven’t told me about?” The question makes me laugh, returning me to my interrogation of her this morning.

“Hell no.”

“Kids that you bailed on?”

I shake my head. “I would never be a deadbeat dad.”

“An STD?”

“Nope. About that. We skipped over a lot in my office, but I’m clean, and I had condoms, which are pretty fucking useless at this point. But even if I accidentally knocked you up, I’m good for child support and all of that… I mean, I’d be happy to have a baby with someone as fucking amazing as you. More than one if you’re up for it.”

Tears streak down her cheeks, and I kick myself for saying something wrong even though I don’t know what it is.

“How’d I put my foot in my mouth this time, Shortie?”

She brings her hand up to my bearded cheek, stroking it and sending delicious sparks of desire down my neck and into my expanding heart. “You truly are a good man. Why did I waste so much time with Elliott when you were right here all along?”

That name grates on me like nails on a chalkboard. “Hey, I told you, I don’t want to hear another word about him or any other man. If I’m gonna enjoy you being mine for a night or two, the least you can do is not say anything to pull me outta my dream.”

A puff of air escapes her lips. “A night or two? Is that it?”

“Baby, I’d move you in tonight. But I don’t know if you’re ready for that. I mean, how much do your brothers actually hate me? What is your dad gonna think? Even though I only learned about their law enforcement ties today, I figured out a while ago how important family is to you. I don’t want to fuck that up.”

“My brothers didn’t have much to say, but I know they’re going to background check the shit out of you. So, I hope there’s nothing else you need to tell me?”

“Nah,” I say seriously. “Other than the fact I was a real dweeb in my youth. Drinking too hard, drugs, DUIs, partying. I don’t do any of that shit now, except for having an occasional beer, usually at home. But yeah, they’ll find an entertaining rap sheet from my youth. What matters, though, is nothing since prison. I’m not a perfect man by a long shot. I’m a reformed one.”

“And what about the Polish mafia that you talked about earlier?”

I shrug. “I was born into it. As the oldest son, my dziadek and dad always wanted me to take over and fill their shoes. But I refuse to do that. No matter what. Dad headed up the Greenpoint Crew, and his name is Casimir. The feds came down pretty hard on him and his associates about ten years ago, and he’ll likely be in prison for the rest of his life. The Polish mafia isn’t something you hear much about living out west. But guyslike Meyer Lanksy and Hymie Weiss were the real tough guys working behind the scenes. You know, Hymie Weiss, who led up the North Side Gang in Chicago, was the only man Al Capone ever feared? You don’t want to cross those motherfuckers lightly. Unfortunately, many are related to me.”

She listens quietly, fear etched in her face. I hate seeing her like this. But she needs a healthy respect for those people and what they’re capable of.

I continue, “I’m sorry I don’t come from a better background for you. I’d love to be everything you deserve, Stace. But I’m a man of honor now—hardworking, resourceful, and entirely dedicated to keeping you safe, well-fed, well-loved, and happy.”

She reaches across the console, stroking my cheek and filling my blood with delicious sparks of yearning. I love her so much, the words sit on the tip of my tongue, waiting to topple out at the first opportunity.

Stacey’s next words surprise me, taking us back to our earlier conversation. “I’m clean, too, and I’m on birth control. Thank you, though, for offering to father my children.”

I laugh. “The offer stands indefinitely. I mean, I’m pretty damn sure we’d make some beautiful kids together.”

Her cheeks flush.

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