Page 34 of Saved by Him

Sixteen

With Christmas comingup and so much work to do, I was a little surprised when Jalen said he wanted us to go out on Saturday evening, but I was also eager to do something fun. With all the seriousness behind the work I was doing, having a date like a regular couple sounded like exactly what I needed. We’d gone to dinner, but he hadn’t told me what we’d be doing after. I’d assumed a movie or maybe a club to listen to some live music.

What I hadn’t expected was for him to take us outside the city limits and up a winding driveway, past a sign that saidHampton Acres Christmas Tree Farm.

“A Christmas tree farm?” I shot him a surprised look.

He didn’t say anything until he parked in front of a large, rustic-looking barn, the expression on his face telling me that he wasn’t ignoring me, but rather figuring out how to tell me whatever was in his head.

“I didn’t have a bad childhood,” he said. “When my parents were together, we celebrated Christmas as a family. When my dad left, it was just my mom and me, but it was good then too. The presents weren’t overly expensive, but I never had anything to be ashamed of either.”

I understood exactly what he meant. My family had been the same, even when I lived with Anton. Comfortable, but not excessive. We’d lived such different lives, but some things had still been the same.

“The one thing we never had, though, was a real Christmas tree. My mom’s allergic to them, and even though I understood why we hadn’t been able to get one, I still always wanted one.” He gave me a sideways smile, the kind that let me see what sort of child he’d been. “I guess that’s something all kids feel at one time or another. Sometimes we make up for lost time when we’re adults, but Elise never wanted the mess, and I didn’t see the point of putting one up just for myself.”

My heart squeezed in my chest. “So, we’re here to get you a Christmas tree?”

He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “We’re here to get both of us Christmas trees.” Suddenly, he frowned. “You’re not allergic to pine, are you?”

I placed my palm on his beautiful face. “We used to get real trees when I was little. Before my father’s…accident. The first Christmas it was just Anton and me, we tried a real tree, but it brought up too many painful memories. Every time I smelled it, all I could think about was the last Christmas we’d all been together.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know. We can go do something else.”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant.” I hurried to reassure him. “It doesn’t have the same effect on me as it used to. I haven’t gotten one for myself for the same reason you haven’t. It seemed like a lot of work for only me.” I reached over and took his hand. “But now there’s two of us, so we won’t be enjoying them alone.”

Ten minutes later, the two of us were trekking through the snow, our way lit by strings of soft, white Christmas lights. Others were walking their own rows. Families, mostly, but a few couples were here as well. I wondered about them as we walked. How many of them were here for their first tree together? Were any looking for two trees because they weren’t living together? Did they have children at home? Were they newlyweds or had they been together for a long time?

“Did you ever watchA Charlie Brown Christmasgrowing up?” Jalen’s question pulled me out of my thoughts.

I smiled at the memories. “Every time it was on TV.”

“Me too. When I was eight, right before my dad left, I had a dream that we’d gotten a tiny tree and I’d wrapped it in my blanket. It grew to hundreds of feet, covered in all sorts of decorations.” He paused next to one that was almost as tall as he was. “When I woke up and realized it was all a dream, I cried. My parents got me the exact race car I’d asked for, but I was still disappointed because I didn’t have the tree.”

I laced my fingers between his and squeezed his hand. I had a feeling he hadn’t told that story to many people, if any at all. The fact that he’d told me warmed me in a way that nothing else could.

As we moved on to the next tree, our talk turned to lighter parts of the past. We shared family traditions that ranged from decorations to favorite holiday foods. Whenever we spotted an interesting tree, we’d stop and look it over, touching the needles, examining branches. There were spruces and white pines and all sorts of other kinds to choose from, each with their own appeal.

Occasionally, we bumped into another shopper, and we’d exchange holiday greetings, a few comments here and there. It was nice, being able to have the pleasantries of sharing a holiday experience without the chaos that came with being out in stores.

We’d made it about halfway through when I noticed that something felt…off. It was a familiar sensation, but that didn’t make it any less creepy. I made a show of walking around one of the trees, so I could see who all was around me without looking like that’s what I was doing. No one appeared to be out of place or suspicious, but I wasn’t stupid enough to think that a good spy couldn’t hide in plain sight.

But maybe I was paranoid enough to be imagining things. People could be looking over at Jalen and me with the same sort of absent curiosity that we’d had. Someone looking at me didn’t need to be malicious. Considering everything I’d been through over the last two weeks, it would make perfect sense that I was imagining things. More sense, in fact, than someone stalking me.

I wasn’t about to let my imagination ruin the night, so I pushed it to the back of my mind. Even if, by some fluke, something or someone was a danger to me here, I was safe with Jalen.

* * *

“Areyou sure you don’t want me to pick up your tree in the morning?” Jalen asked as we pulled up to his house. “Or we could go back and get it after I put this one in the house. I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay tonight if you’d rather go home and decorate.”

I put my fingers against his lips, stopping the flow of words. I understood what was driving him to keep talking, because it was in my mind too. Our date had begun as something sweet and simple, a way to celebrate the season together, but somehow, it had become so much deeper. With everything else that had been going on, it all somehow felt more important than it should have.

“The tree will keep for a bit,” I said. “Let’s go inside, get something to drink, then see what time it is before we decide what to do next.”

He nodded, and I could see relief on his face. “Spiced wine?”

I shrugged. “Never had it before, but sure.”

We left his tree strapped to the roof of his car and headed inside where I soon learned that I liked spices, and I liked wine, but I didn’t like the combination of the two. Fortunately, Jalen wasn’t offended when I asked for a glass of just wine. In fact, I thought he looked a little relieved as he poured us each a glass and then settled on the couch next to me.

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