Page 15 of Wrecked for the Holidays

“Because I cussed and talked back and wasn’t listening.”

“That’s right, come with me, and we’ll get started.” With his hand still in mine, Jakob trailed behind me as I led him to the corner of the family room. The closer we got to the corner, the more his feet dragged. My lips twitched at Jakob’s look of betrayal.

“You are putting me in thecorner?” Jakob’s crestfallen face forced me to swallow my laughter. “This is not fun, Papa.”

“That works out well because it’s not supposed to be fun. You’re going to have ten minutes here facing the wall to think about whether it’s appropriate to sass me or use naughty words.” I brushed the curls off his face and gave him a kiss on the forehead before I asked, “What is the safe word?”

“Red,” Jakob answered with a huff and a roll of his eyes, which I decided to ignore because it wouldn’t change anything. I put my hands on his shoulder andgently turned him so he faced the wall and could no longer see me.

“I’m setting the timer on my phone for ten minutes, love.”

When I stepped away, he puffed a few harsh breaths but didn’t turn around. He couldn’t see me, but I stayed in the room with him. After a minute or two, I noticed he was slightly favoring one side, so I grabbed a chair out of the kitchen. When I returned, the lean was much more noticeable. Aside from the jammed fingers, the accident might not have injured Jakob, but that didn’t mean his muscles wouldn’t be strained after the walking we’d done today.

Once the chair was placed behind Jakob, I put my hand on his shoulder. He glanced at me and tears threatened to spill. It was an absolute gut punch, and I almost told him to never mind with the remaining minutes. “Love, sit down. I don’t want you to wear yourself out.”

I couldn’t resist the lure of Jakob’s skin and placed my hand against his cheek. There was the hint of scratch against my palm and my thumb traced over his kissable lips.

When he nuzzled into my hand, my heart melted a little more. This boy was everything I’d ever dreamed of having and hadn’t found. Without speaking, Jakob looked up at me before taking his seat. I followed him down and brushed a kiss across his lips. “Finish your time, love.”

Jakob nodded and faced the wall while I returned to my seat on the couch where I could watch him. He settled into the chair and lay his head back. I heard a few sniffles, but otherwise, he seemed all right.

When the timer beeped, I went to fetch him from the chair. His eyes were a little red-rimmed, but I was surprised when he leaped out of the chair and threw his arms around my neck. The guerrilla hug surprised me, and I stepped back a few paces to steady myself from the impact. Jakob clutched me tight and plastered his body to my own.

“Papa, I’m sorry I was being bratty.”

“All forgiven. Thank you for apologizing.”

When I leaned back to look at Jakob, confusion was evident on his face. Given what I’d observed with his parents, I imagined any apology had always been a gateway to a longer discussion about further ways he’d screwed up.

“Really. There is nothing more I want than to have this discussion with you, but now isn’t the time. It’s late. You have work in the morning, and I need to know you’re clear-headed for a discussion like that. You’ve upended your life over the last couple of weeks, and I damn sure don’t want you agreeing to somethingor participating in anything you don’t truly want.”

“Ugh, I don’t like it when you make sense.”

“Sorry. I’ll try to do better, love.”

“I don’t think you mean that, Papa.”

“Caught me again.”

“Do you think we could talk a little over dinner tomorrow? It’s a long day but not a hard one.”

“Absolutely.”

I smoothed my hands up and down his arms because I needed to touch him for my peace of mind. I wanted to keep him with me at night. Knowing he was across the hall but out of my reach had left me tossing and turning for hours last night.Fuck.He’d squirmed his way into my life but damned if I wanted him to leave it now.

#

“Hey, you.”

“Hey, yourself. I didn’t hear you come in.”

Jakob nodded and plopped down on the couch next to me.

“I’m a secret agent, and I’ve got skills.” His cheeky grin didn’t match the tired droop of his eyes.

“That you do, love. I’m glad you made it home earlier than you thought. Your meeting go quicker than expected?”

“Yeah, they’re looking to expand the research team and, for some reason, thought we needed a meeting to discuss that. We all saidyes, good idea, please let us go home, and that was it.”

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