Page 42 of Saved by Him

Nineteen

I’d never goneto a Christmas party before. Anton had been invited to parties when I lived with him, but he’d always made a point of staying with me, trying to give me as normal a holiday as possible. After he was gone, I hadn’t really felt like celebrating much.

I grimaced at myself in the mirror and tugged on my dress as if it needed help to lay correctly. I’d bought this dress on clearance a couple months ago and then forgot about it since it was clearly a winter dress. A deep, rich blue, it made my eyes stand out, and the material clung to my body. The neckline was high enough that my scar didn’t show, but the plunging back and the high slit revealed plenty of skin. I hoped Jalen would like it as much as I did.

The knock on the door made me turn away from the mirror, and I took a deep breath. We’d saidI love youbut, somehow, this felt a little more serious. Like we were making a public declaration, showing up at a family thing together. Like we were sayingwewere family.

I pushed the thought away as I opened the door…and promptly lost the ability to think.

Damn.

His slacks were a deep charcoal gray and perfectly fitted to his long legs and narrow waist. The shirt was a cranberry red, just tight enough to show off his broad shoulders and muscles.

“Wow.” Jalen broke the silence first. “You look…wow. I mean, you always look good, but that dress is amazing.”

I blushed and ran my hands over my hips. “Thank you. You look great too.”

“Shall we?”

He helped me into my coat and then held out his arm. I took it, and we made our way down the outside steps. We didn’t talk much on the drive, but it was a comfortable silence, filled with soft Christmas carols and the low purr of the engine. Tension I hadn’t even realized I was holding bled away with each mile so that by the time we reached the house, I was ready.

The Archers had decorated their house and property with strands of white and blue lights, lining their driveway to provide a clear path all the way up. When we were welcomed inside, the explosion of color made me smile. Red and green and gold were everywhere. Ribbons and tinsel and bows. Where the things outside had been clearly laid out, everything in here looked haphazard. Some of them were crooked, and the spacing was uneven. Through the living room archway, I could see the tree shining with bulbs and lights and tinsel, ornaments put on at random.

It was wonderful.

Even if I hadn’t figured out the reason for the difference, one look at the beaming little girl standing next to the tree would’ve told me. Diana was dressed in a red velvet dress with white lace, the sort of thing that I would’ve hated when I was her age, but it was clear she loved it.

Jeremiah didn’t look quite as thrilled in his dress pants and shirt, but he had that half-embarrassed expression on his face that boys his age had when they were enjoying themselves but didn’t want to admit it. He lingered near Zeke, hero worship shining in his eyes, and he gave us polite smiles when we greeted him, a far cry from the sullen boy I first met.

“Thanks for coming,” Jenna said as she came forward to take our coats. She handed them off to Jeremiah and then took the wine Jalen offered. “Make yourselves at home.”

“I love the decorations,” I said to Rylan as Jalen and I followed him into the living room.

“Jeremiah and I did the decorating,” Diana announced proudly. “Dad helped us with the top, but we told him where to put things.”

“Yes, they did,” Rylan said with a smile, his eyes dancing. “They were very bossy.”

Diana put her hands on her hips. “You said we were allowed to be bossy with you as long as we didn’t fight.”

He bent down and kissed the top of her head. “Yes, I did, and you two were exceptional. No bickering at all.”

She beamed, basking in his praise, and my heart clenched. I’d almost forgotten what it had been like to earn a father’s praise. I had the memories of those good years, but a lot of times they hurt more than the bad ones, reminding me of what I’d lost rather than what I’d had. Seeing Diana with Rylan and knowing what that little girl had gone through in her short life reminded me of how good I’d had it. Being thankful for those years didn’t excuse what happened later, and it didn’t dishonor my mother’s memory.

“Rona are you okay?” Jalen’s hand on my back grounded me. “You looked like you were drifting for a minute there.”

I smiled at him. “I was, but I’m back.”

“Good,” he said, “because I’ve just been informed that we’re required to follow tradition.”

I gave him a puzzled look and then followed his gaze as he looked up. Mistletoe.

“You have to kiss,” Diana said. “It’s the law.”

A smile played around Jalen’s lips, but when he spoke, his voice was serious. “We wouldn’t want to break the law, now would we?”

I shook my head. “Definitely not.”

He put his hands on my hips, his touch light but hot. My hands went to his shoulders as I tilted my head back. The kiss he brushed across my lips was chaste, but it sent a bolt of heat and desire through me nonetheless. The warmth settled low in my belly, simmering there with the promise of more intimate things to come, and it stayed as we ate dinner and saw the kids off to bed.

---