A Home for Christmas (21 page)

"What did Lainey say?" Cam asked when
they were on their way back home.

Jenna took a deep breath.  "Well, she
said she thought it would be a good idea if you did go by to see your dad
tomorrow.  Just for a little while."

Cam was quiet a moment, then he sighed. 
"Fine."

Jenna turned in her seat to fully face him. 
"Yeah?"

He shrugged.  "It's Christmas, and Riley
said he'd go with me."

She glanced up at Riley's profile, feeling a rush
of love for him.  How could someone she'd known for such a short amount of
time come to mean as much to her as he now did?  It went beyond all
comprehension.  She had lived the last five years so safe and steady, and
in less than a month, Riley had come in and completely changed everything.

"Thank you," she whispered to him, just
barely loud enough for him to hear.

He glanced down and winked at her but didn't say
anything.

"Your brothers are really cool," Cam
said to Riley, changing the subject.  "It would be neat to have
brothers."

Jenna's eyes widened and Riley laughed, meeting
Cam's gaze in the rearview.  Cam was smiling and Riley had a feeling the
kid knew exactly what he was doing to his mother by talking about siblings.

"Brothers can also be a pain in the
a...butt," Riley said, thinking of Trevor.

Cam shrugged.  "That wouldn't bother
me.  If Mom were to have a kid right now, I'd be ten years older than
it.  Would still be cool but not quite the same as having them all close
together in age."

"I'm eight years older than Aaron and six
years older than Trev.  Doesn't really make that big a difference once
you're older."

"How old are you, then, Riley?" Cam
asked and his tone made Riley laugh.

"Thirty-five."

"So, you're six years older than Mom,
too."

"Yeah."

"Mom's almost thirty."

"Gee, Cam, thanks for reminding me,"
Jenna said, dryly.

"Well, I'm just thinking...you're getting
almost too old to have more babies."

"Cameron!!"

"Well?  I've heard Grandmother getting
on Aunt Jackie for waiting until her thirties before she has babies and saying
how hard everything is after thirty."

Jenna groaned.  Yes, her mother was always
saying that to Jackie.

"I don't think your mom is too old to have
more babies.  If she wants them," Riley said.

Cam looked at his mom. "Do you want more
babies, Mom?"

Thankfully, Riley had just pulled into her
driveway.  "What I want, is for you to go inside and get in bed,
mister.  It's late."

"It's a valid question!" Cam said,
scooting out of the truck.

"Good night, Cameron."

"One more thing...if we go to see Dad
tomorrow, can we do it early and get it over with?"

Jenna sighed.  "I'll think about
it.  Go get in bed."

"Good night," he said, dashing off
toward his room.

Jenna rolled her eyes and led Riley inside. 
He took her coat and she went into the kitchen to check the messages on her
business line.  She'd just finished jotting down the last of the notes
from the messages when Riley came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

"It was a valid question," he said
against her ear.

Surprised, Jenna glanced up at him.

"What?"

"Do you want more babies, Jenna?"

Truth be told, she hadn't ever thought about
it.  After the divorce, she put all her time into Cam and building her
business.  Riley was the first relationship she'd had since the divorce;
and thinking about being pregnant again, having Riley's baby growing inside her
sent all kinds of chills through her.  She could just picture a gorgeous,
blonde haired, green-eyed baby in her arms.

She turned in his arms to face him, looking up
into his handsome face.

"Only if they are blonde and as gorgeous as
their daddy," she whispered.

He shifted his arms so that he could cup her face
in his hands and leaned down to kiss her.  Jenna stood on her toes and
twined her arms around his neck, feeling tears prick the backs of her
eyes.  She loved him so much it was a physical ache.

Riley scooped her up into his arms and carried
her into her room, all pretense of him staying in the guest room gone.  He
stood her on her feet and undressed her slowly, lovingly, taking his time and
kissing each new area of exposed flesh, worshipping her with his hands and
mouth.  Jenna was trembling with need by the time he'd gotten her nude, while
he was still fully clothed.  She tried to reach for his shirt but he took
a step back from her, denying her.  For several long moments, he simply
stood admiring her.  It was hard, standing there under his scrutiny, but
she held still, not wanting to break the spell of whatever mood he was in.

"Turn around," he said softly.

She raised a brow but did as he asked.  She
heard him moving behind her, knew he was undressing and it sent shivers down
her spine.  When she heard the clink of his belt buckle and the slide of
denim down his legs, she knew it wouldn't be much longer...but then it was.

"Riley," she called, her voice raw with
anticipation.

"Shh," he said, quieting her.

Several more minutes passed.  She was facing
the bed, her back to the rest of the room, which was dark.  She could feel
anticipation gathering in her belly and between her legs.  After what
seemed like an eternity, she felt his heat as he approached her back, but he
didn't touch her directly.  Instead, she felt him skim his fingertips down
her spine, causing her to shiver all the more.  She could feel the heat
from his body; he was close but he wasn't touching her.  It was sensual
and it was driving her insane with need.

"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever
seen, Jenna," he said, low, his lips near her ear.  His hands finally
made full contact, sensuously sliding around to cup her breasts and pull her
back against his chest.  His lips slid slowly down her neck, turning her
knees to jelly. 

"Riley," she moaned when one hand slid
down her torso and a finger dipped inside her.

"Shh," he repeated, stroking her
slowly.

She could feel him hot and heavy against her back
and wanted nothing more than to feel him deep inside her.  His other hand
continued to knead her breasts, effectively pinning her against him.  Her
arms were pinned under his, keeping her from being able to touch him.

"You fit so perfectly against me, like you
were made for me," he let a second finger join the first and Jenna had to
fight to stay on her feet.  She began to writhe against his hand, making
him chuckle.  "That's it, baby," he encouraged, teeth grazing
her neck.

"Riley, please," she breathed.

"Shh," he said yet again, making her
whimper.

"Please," she begged when his fingers
picked up intensity.

The hand at her breast left to cup her cheek and
turn her head so that he could cover her lips with his own, his tongue plunging
and invading her mouth, robbing the breath from her.  At that point, she
didn't even care; she just wanted whatever he would give.

"Lie down on the bed," he ordered,
releasing her.  She whimpered when he withdrew his fingers but then
immediately did as he said.  "Bend your knees and spread them
wide.  Let me see you."  She did as he instructed, biting her
lip when she saw him reach down to stroke himself as he looked at her. "So
beautiful," he murmured.

"Come to me, Riley," she said, raising
her arms to him.

"Shh," he said, smiling at the
frustrated look on her face.  He sat on the edge of the bed near her hip,
then leaned down and began a burning trail of kisses that began at her knee and
slowly made it's way up the inside of her right thigh.  When he reached
her center, he cupped her butt in his hands and lifted her, then began a long,
slow intimate kiss that had her crying and writhing with each thrust and lick
of his tongue.  She buried her fingers in his short blonde hair and held
on tight.  The scrape of his stubble against her sensitive flesh had her
trembling unbearably.

"Oh, God, Riley, please," she cried and
was rewarded when he finally covered her body with his and entered her on a
powerful thrust that had her digging her nails into his shoulders.

His mouth descended on hers.  She could
taste herself on his lips and it gave her a sensual thrill.  It was an
incredibly intimate, private moment with him; one she knew she would always
cherish.  Riley was insatiable.  Every time she thought he was
nearing his peak, he would push past it and give her more.  His thrusts
were powerful, hard and demanding; his stamina more than she could have ever
imagined.  This was more than just making love, she realized.  This
was Riley staking his claim and she loved every hard, pounding thrust of it.

"Tell me you love me," he demanded as
his hips picked up speed.

"I love you, Riley Stanton!" she cried,
her body shattering around him.  Defying all reasoning, her words kicked
him into even higher gear and he pounded into her so hard her teeth were
clattering.  She didn't care.  This was the most intense love making
of her life and she was determined to ride it out, even though she was to the
point of wanting to scream her release.  She knew she would be all kinds
of sore by the time he was done; she just didn't care.

When his release finally came, Jenna was sobbing,
clinging to his shoulders for dear life.  He collapsed against her,
panting hard, sweat pouring off of him and onto her.  She didn't
care.  She held him tight, combing her fingers through the hair at his
nape, kissing his ear, his cheek, his neck; whatever she could reach.

"I love you, Jenna," he said, his lips
against her collarbone.

"I love you, too," she echoed.

He slowly raised his head, looking down into her
eyes.

"Did I hurt you?" he whispered.

She smiled, biting her lip.  "I am
deliciously sore and well-used, but not hurt."

He brushed her hair back from her brow, his eyes
intense as he looked down on her.

"Seeing you and Cam at the table with my
whole family tonight...I can't put into words how that made me feel."

"Hearing your mother refer to me and Cam as
your family was like that for me.  We feel more like a family than Cam and
I ever did with Wade...and I hate bringing him here into our bed but I want you
to know that.  And talking about having children with you...you will be a
wonderful father, Riley.  I've seen it already with Cam.  How could I
not want babies with you?"

"You are...every dream I've ever had rolled
into one.  Every fantasy I ever had...the reality of you blows them
away."

She smiled, then laughed when a bead of sweat
dripped off his brow onto her. 

"You need a shower."

He chuckled, sliding off of her and
standing.  "So do you.  Come on."

She placed her hand in his and allowed him to
help her to her feet, then stopped him when he started toward the
bathroom.  She stood on her toes and snaked her fingers around the nape of
his neck to pull him down for a final, breathtaking kiss.

"Thank God for purse thieves," he
murmured, making her laugh.

"Amen!"

They made quick work of showering, both becoming
heavy lidded and ready to get into bed.  Falling into bed nude, they
snuggled together, facing each other, Jenna's face pressed to the hollow of
Riley's throat.  Jenna had her hand over his heart, feeling the strong,
steady beat beneath her fingers, allowing his warmth to envelope her and
drifted off to sleep.

Christmas Eve was normally Jenna's absolute
favorite day of the year.  She loved everything about it; the busy parts
and the quiet parts.  This morning, however, she woke up with a huge knot
in her stomach.  Taking Cam to see his father was weighing heavily on
her. 

Glancing to the right, she saw that Riley was no
longer in bed with her.  She didn't hear him in the bathroom so she knew
he wasn't there.  Sighing, she got up and went into the bathroom herself,
and found a note taped to the mirror over her sink.

Went for a run. Back in about an hour.  Love
you.

Smiling, she pulled it down, studying his
writing.  It was small and bold and typically male, but at least it was
legible.  She got dressed and went into the kitchen to start breakfast,
only to see that Riley had placed a box of doughnuts on the bar with another
note.

Take it easy this morning.

She couldn't contain her happiness then. 
Riley was doing his best to spoil her and she absolutely loved it.  She
went down the hall to Cam's room, then froze when she saw his bed empty. 
A moment of panic seized her at first, and then she saw a note sitting on his
bed.

Went jogging with Riley.  Merry Christmas!

Cam?  Jogging?  She wondered how in the
world that would go, but loved that he was willing to get up and try it with
Riley.  The only drawback to them getting up and going out while she was
asleep was that she had no clue as to how long they'd been gone. 

She took advantage of the time to herself by
going over her list of things they needed to do for the day.  Lainey had
informed her that visiting hours for Wade began at 10:00 am so she planned to
have Cam there right at ten. Depending on how long that took, and what Cam's
state-of-mind was when they left, she figured they could grab lunch in town,
then come home to make their cookies and have time to get ready and head to her
parents and to Riley's parents houses.

She'd just finished her list when Riley and Cam
came in, laughing.  Her heart leapt at seeing them bonding together. 
She knew that Riley would never take the place of his dad, but that he was
definitely helping to bridge the gap left in Wade's wake.

"We ran three miles, Mom!" Cam told
her, his cheeks flushed with excitement.

"That's awesome, bud!  I'm
impressed!"

Riley winked at her as he took a bottle of water
from the fridge.  He barely even looked like he'd broken a sweat. 
What he did look like, was all kinds of hot, so much so that she had to look
away to keep from needing to fan herself.

"Go get a cleaned up, kid," Riley told
Cam after he'd snagged a doughnut.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," Cam said,
heading down the hall. 

Riley waited until Cam was in his room and then
came over to where Jenna sat and cupped her face in his hands to kiss
her.  She jumped when his hands touched her; they were still cold from
being out in the December air.

"Sorry," he chuckled against her lips.

She kissed him, laughing.  "It's
OK.  Did you really get him to run the full three miles?"

"Absolutely.  He did great.  He's
not a baby, you know."

She smiled.  "I know.  He's just
never run like that before."

"Well, I didn't exactly keep my normal
pace," he said with a smirk.  "But he was up when I was about to
leave so we grabbed doughnuts and then hit the pavement.  He did
fine.  I think it helped take his mind off of seeing Wade."

She sobered.  "Did he talk about that
at all?"

"A little.  He doesn't want to go but
he understands why Lainey wants him to.  She talked to him a bit last
night thru texts.  Said he felt better after talking to her."

"She has been wonderful with him; you were
right."

He winked at her.  "I'm always
right."

"Sure, you are," she laughed.

He touched the list she'd made out. 
"We seriously have to do all of that today?" he asked, shocked.

"Yes.  It's not too terribly
much."

He looked at her with wide eyes.  "Not
too much...looks to me like you have every hour of the day scheduled from ten
o'clock on."

"Yeah, but it all fits."

He shook his head and kissed her brow. 
"Tell me tomorrow isn't this hectic."

She laughed.  "No, well, depending on
what your family plans are."

"My mother makes Christmas lunch that we
usually eat around noon or one o'clock.  How does that fit with your
plans?"

"Perfect, since Christmas day we usually
just stay at home."

He ran his hands over her hair and again cupped
her face, kissing her.

"Are you sore, baby?" he asked low.

"Only a little," she replied.

He kissed her again then stepped back when he
heard Cam's door open, telling her he was going to grab a shower.  Cam
came up to her, dressed in jeans and the black button down shirt she'd gotten
for him to wear for their Christmas Eve activities.

"Can you fix my hair, Mom?" he asked,
surprising her.

"Sure, bud, what do you want?"

"Can you spike the front up, you know, like
Riley's?"

Her heart literally melted and she did her best
to hold it together.  Riley Stanton was a God-send. 

"Yeah, sure.  Go on in your bathroom
and I'll meet you there.  I think I have some stuff that will do the
trick. If not, I'll steal Riley's stuff."

"OK," he said, heading back to his
bathroom.

"Brush your teeth," she called over her
shoulder to him.  She went into her room and knocked on the bathroom door
before walking in on Riley.

"It's open," he called from the
shower. 

She stepped in and felt a jolt at seeing him on
full display in her shower, but shook herself and turned toward her cabinets.

"You don't have to knock, you know," he
told her.

She shrugged, studying her hair gel. 
"Habit."

He came up behind her, towel slung low over his
hips.  "What are you looking for?"

She met his gaze in the mirror.  "Cam
wants me to fix his hair like yours."

Riley smiled.  "Yeah?"

She nodded.  "So, what should I use on
him?"

He crossed over to where his Dopp kit sat on the
counter and tossed her his gel.

"Use that."

"OK...thank you."

"It's not free," he said, gathering her
to him.

"What's your price, Sailor?" she asked,
her voice throaty.

He chuckled.  "Just a kiss."

She kissed him, then, smiling against his lips,
curled her fingers in the towel and yanked it off as she spun away from
him.  Riley laughed and she looked back at him over her shoulder, seeing
him fully aroused.

"Hey, all your fault, lady," he said,
no shame whatsoever.

She was laughing when she left the room and
headed back to Cam.  It only took a couple of tries to get his hair the
way he wanted.  His dark hair was all Wade but the clean-cut military
style was all Riley. She had to admit, she liked it better than the shaggy mop
he'd been sporting.

"Dad's probably not going to like my
hair," Cam said, meeting her gaze in the mirror.

Jenna thought he was probably right, but to him,
she downplayed it.

"Just tell him I made you cut it."

"Do you think the drugs have been out of his
system long enough for him to be more like he used to be?"

"I don't know, honey.  I hope so. 
Just keep in mind that whatever happens today, your dad is trying to get
cleaned up and he wants to do that for you."

"I guess.  How long do we have to
stay?"

"Cam," she cautioned, giving him a
stern look.  "You need to give this serious attention, OK?  It's
Christmas, and this is your dad.  Don't blow this off."

"Why not?  That's what he's done to me
the last few years."

"Yes, and it stunk, didn't it?"

He sighed.  "Yeah."

"So, don't treat him that way, then."

"Yeah, OK."

"I gotta get this back to Riley," she
said, picking up the hair gel.  "We'll be leaving in about thirty
minutes, OK?"

He nodded and she left him to go back to
Riley.  He was just walking out of the bathroom when she walked into the
bedroom.  He wore a white button down shirt, jeans and boots and looked so
big and masculine in her bedroom it made her heart accelerate. 

"All good?" he asked, catching the hair
gel she tossed to him.

"He's anxious about it," she said,
watching him fix his hair.  It took him all of two seconds and it looked
perfect.

"OK, next time, you're fixing Cam's
hair."

He gave her a funny look.  "What?"

"You just barely put any gel on your hand,
ran your fingers over your head and it looks perfect.  It took me fifteen
minutes to get his hair to look like that," she said, bewildered.

He brought her hand to his lips, kissing her
knuckles, then pulled her closer to give her a quick but tender kiss.

"Ready to get this over with?" he
asked.

She took a deep breath.  "As I'll ever
be, I suppose."

He kissed her again.  "Let's go get
Cam."

The ride to the rehab facility was quiet. 
Jenna played Christmas music and quietly sang along.  Cam had his head
down, playing a game on his iPod.  Riley stayed quiet, focused on the
road.  His mind was drifting over later tonight, on how to word his
proposal.  He had no real doubts that she would say no, but he was worried
that she might think things had moved too fast.  Not a big worry, but a
worry nonetheless. 

As they exited the highway to approach the
facility, Jenna turned to face Cam.

"Cameron, look at me."

He looked up from his game.  "Uh
oh.  Full name usage.  Serious talk ensues," he said, making
Riley chuckle and Jenna roll her eyes.

"OK.  You and your brothers have
already rubbed off," she told Riley.

"Could think of worse things he could have
picked up from us," Riley said.

"And still could," Cam said.

Jenna turned back to her son, shaking her
head.  "OK, listen...go in and listen to your dad with an open mind,
all right?"

"Yeah, OK."

"You have your presents for him?"

"Yes, Mom," he said, shaking his head
at her in exasperation.

She smiled.  "All right.  Showtime,"
she said when Riley pulled into the parking lot.

Lainey met them in the lobby and Jenna was again
amazed that the petite blonde was related to Riley and his huge brothers. 
She embraced Riley and then Jenna before turning to Cam.

"Are you ready for this?" she asked
him.

He shrugged.  "If he's not high then it
shouldn't be so bad."

"I talked to him just a few minutes
ago.  He's excited to see you."

"Can we just get this over with?" he
asked.

"Cameron," Jenna warned.

He rolled his eyes and turned back to Lainey.

"Can they come with me?"

"Well, your mom, but it's probably not a
good idea if Riley goes in."

"Lainey," Riley began but Cam stopped
him.

"It's OK, she's probably right.  Come
on, Mom."

Jenna kissed Riley's cheek and then she and Cam
headed off toward Wade's room.

"How was Wade with you?" Riley asked.

"Nervous."

"Cam asked if the drugs were out of his
system yet, if he'd be more like he used to be.  He really did a number on
that kid."

Lainey sighed, sitting down and motioning him to
join her.

"He's still got some issues to work
through."

"And you think letting Cam see him is a good
idea?"

"I do.  Because I'm hoping Cam does
what we discussed and tells his dad exactly how his behavior has made him feel. 
Cam is a lot stronger than Wade thinks he is."

Riley narrowed his eyes at his cousin. 
"What are you telling me?"

She winked at him.  "Trust me!"

Cam and his mom stood outside his dad's
room.  She said they didn't have to go in until he was ready.  He stood
for a couple more minutes, then knocked on the door.  When it opened, he
saw his dad standing there, looking a lot different than the last time he saw
him.  He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans.  His hair had been trimmed
and he had shaved.

"Hey, kid," he greeted Cam, hugging
him.  "Merry Christmas."

Cam didn't speak, glancing back at his mom.

"Merry Christmas, Wade," his mom said,
and even to his ears it sounded stiff.