Blue Christmas (The Moody Blue Trilogy | Book One) (37 page)

“Laura, you did it
again.” Jackson patted his stomach. “I’m stuffed and every bite was delicious.
It’s a good thing we’re leaving tomorrow or they’d have to cart me out of here
like they did the last time. On a stretcher.”

Alli popped him on
his arm with her cloth napkin. “Jackson! I can’t believe you said that!”

The laughter
erupted in agreement. “Keep it up, Jax, and it won’t be the food that’ll
getcha—it’ll be Alli,” JT teased. “That was a righteous snap, woman!”

Jackson feigned
injury to his arm. “Got that right, JT. Do you see how mean she is to me? Hey, Laura,
could you use some domestic help? I’ll leave her here on maid duty if she
doesn’t cut me some slack.”

Jackson’s parents
enjoyed the exchange, pleased to see their son’s sense of humor back in full
gear. “Sorry, Jackson,” Bob said, “but Alli’s the best thing that ever happened
to you. Besides, she keeps you out of
our
hair.”

“What hair?” Jackson
shot back.

Bob raised his
hands in defense then ran a hand over his thinning head of hair. “
This
hair, thank you very much.”

Gevin nodded
toward Jackson. “I think he’s back to his old obnoxious self, don’t you, Jason?”

Jason swallowed a
bite of his dinner. “I think I liked him better when he was in the coma. Nice
and
quiet.
”

“You guys are merciless,”
Tracey yelled. “Rissa, are you sure you want to marry into this—”

“Oh, she’s sure
all right,” Gevin interrupted before Marissa could open her mouth. “In fact, she
is
so
sure—” he paused, grinning from ear to ear as he put his arm over
her shoulder, “that she helped me set a date for the wedding.”

Congratulations rounded
the table as everyone shared in the moment.

“And check this
out.” Gevin lifted her hand to show the striking diamond marquis solitaire on
her left hand.

“Oh Marissa, it’s breathtaking!”
Laura said, taking a closer look.

Alli jumped up to
give her a hug. “Rissa! It’s GORGEOUS! I’m so happy for you!” She looked over
at Jackson, warmed by the understanding smile on his face. Their day would
come. Things had changed. Maybe she’d have a ring on her finger before long . . .

“Nice rock,
Gevin,” Jason said. “So when’s the big day?”

“Ah, ah, ah,”
Marissa injected. “Nobody’s gonna know but Gevin and me. We’re on a
‘need-to-know’ basis on this thing. It’s going to be very small, very private,
and
very
secretive. We’re not gonna let this wedding turn into another
Blue
spectacle. Until you need to know any more details, that’s all you’re going to
hear from us now. Got it, guys?”

“What?” JT barked.
“Well, if that’s how you’re gonna be, you can forget about asking me to sing at
your wedding.” He threw his napkin down feigning a fake insult.

“Well, uh, JT,
that’s not exactly a problem. Stevie Wonder’s already agreed to sing at our
wedding.” Gevin maintained a straight face.

“You asked
Stevie
Wonder
to sing at your wedding?” Tracey squealed.

“Tracey?” Jason whispered.
“He’s kidding.”

“Oh. Sure. I knew
that,” she quipped as her face reddened.

“But why won’t you
tell us when the wedding is?” JT argued. “You don’t think you can trust us? Is
that it?”

“AS IF you guys
don’t leak like a sieve?” Alli laughed, taking her seat again. “Good grief, JT.
Give me a break. Just whisper the date to Jackson here and we’d hear it on CNN
in half an hour.”

Jackson acted
shocked. “And just what is
that
supposed to mean?” He looked at his
parents. “You see how mean she is to me? You see what I have to put up with? Laura,
she’s yours. Make her the upstairs maid. Groundskeeper. Whatever. Just take her
off my hands.”

This time he was
prepared when Alli whipped her napkin at him. He grabbed it and wrapped it
around her mouth like a gag. “There. Perfect.”

Jason leaned back
in his chair, his laughter ringing through the room with everyone else’s. “Oh,
Alli, Alli, what are we gonna do with him?”

“Mmggumm,” she
mumbled, rolling her eyes then narrowing them on Jackson.

He let the napkin
go and kissed her cheek. “Always and forever?”

“Not in this
lifetime, bucko.”

“Okay, okay, enough,”
Laura scolded her
sons
. “This is supposed to be a celebration, not a
roast.”

The chatter slowed
as they settled back for coffee and dessert. Finally, setting her cup back down
on its saucer, Jane Greer looked at Jason. “Tell me what happened with that
ridiculous reporter, Jason. How did you convince him to drop the charges?”

“I wasn’t the one
who convinced him. Turns out he has a thirteen-year-old daughter who happens to
be
Blue
fanatic. Apparently she hammered him when he got home. From what
I heard, she threatened to run away from home if he didn’t apologize to me and
drop the charges.”

“That is
hilarious!” Jane laughed. “Laura, you must have been so relieved.”

Laura poured more
coffee for her guests before sitting down again. “That’s an understatement. Sweet
justice, isn’t it? I wish I could hug that little girl’s neck.”

“Oh, no need for
that, Mama Mac,” JT added. “Your son personally stopped by her house and delivered
her a huge bouquet of red roses along with tons of our merchandise to her—while
her dad was at work, I might add. I’d say the case is closed, wouldn’t you?”

Jason grinned
wide, his eyebrows dancing in mischief. “Hey, we take care of our own. What can
I say?”

“So whatever
happened to Hannah?” Bob asked. “Wasn’t that her name? The one we met at the
hospital whose picture got plastered all over the news? Where’s she—”

“Dad,” Jackson groaned
under his breath. When his father looked his way, he shook his head, entreating
him to drop the subject.

“I’m sorry, did
I—”

“It’s okay, Bob,”
Jason said quietly.

A miserable
silence fell over the room. Alli avoided looking at Jason, fixing her eyes on Jackson’s
dad instead. When he looked her way, she shook her head, willing him to drop
the subject. Gevin cleared his voice. Marissa, Tracey, and Alli exchanged
nervous looks.

“Oh, Jason,” Bob
said. “I’m so sorry. I apologize.”

Jason held up his
hand as he finished taking a drink. “It’s okay. Let it go.”

Laura took the cue.
“Would anyone like more dessert?”

“So . . .
when is Sergio due back?” Alli asked, hoping to ease the tension.

“Aunt Laura,
didn’t you say he was coming back tonight sometime?” Gevin asked.

Jason’s mother
busied herself attending to her guests. “Did I? I mean, yes. I think so. Yes,
tonight.” Everyone turned to look at her. She gathered empty plates then
stopped, aware of everyone’s attention. “I said yes, he should be home
tonight.” And with that, she popped into the kitchen.

“What was
that
all about?” Tracey asked.

Frank picked up
the ball. “Oh, she’s just uneasy. What with Jackson leaving and all. She’s
loved having you all here. Typical mother hen, you know. She likes having all
her baby chicks in the house together.”

“Don’t you be callin’
me a ‘chick’ now, Frank,” Jackson teased.

“I don’t know, Jackson,”
JT interrupted. “I love it here. Mama Mac always makes this place feel like our
home away from home. Know what I mean? But Tracey and I are heading out
tomorrow too, so that’s two more little chickies flying the coop.”

“Yeah, Rissa and I
are going up to New York to tell her family about our engagement,” Gevin said.
“Then we’ll head out to LA and meet up with you all later.”

“Well, I propose a
toast,” Frank announced as he stood up, his glass raised. Everyone followed his
lead, raising their glasses.

Laura returned
from the kitchen. “What are we toasting, dear?”

“Three things.
First, a toast for our guest of honor. Jackson, it’s good to have you back,
son. We wish you a complete and speedy recovery, and we thank almighty God for
sparing your life. To Jackson,” he said, raising his glass toward Jackson. Jackson
smiled, his eyes glistening as he took a sip.

“Second, we’re
toasting Gevin and Marissa on their upcoming marriage. May God bless you both
as you join your lives together. May He bless you with a strong relationship
that sees you through the good times and the tough times, and allows you to
grow old together.”

“Here, here,” they
all commended, clinking their glasses together and taking another sip. Gevin
leaned over to kiss his beaming fiancée.

“And finally, I
want to give a toast to the good Lord for seeing us through a difficult chapter
in our lives over these past weeks. I wish Sergio was here with us, but I thank
God for helping us stick together through it all. Through the tragedy
surrounding Jackson’s shooting, to the initial rift at the news of this
upcoming marriage, and to all the other heartaches that have been hovering
around us.”

Alli watched Jason
who lowered his gaze. Frank cleared his throat and continued. “It isn’t mere
chance or luck that has seen us through all this. I think you all know it’s
much more than that. God has been very gracious to us. His protection has been
the only thing that’s pulled us through. So I want to offer this toast to Him and
to thank Him—for saving Jackson, for uniting Gevin and Marissa, and for keeping
our boys together.”

“Here, here!”

Chapter 26

“
S
o what do you think?” Sergio asked, buckling
his seat belt.

Hannah felt like a
princess in the middle of a fairy tale. “It’s amazing, Sergio. I’ve never been
in a private jet before.”

“Would you like
something to drink?”

Hannah looked up,
shocked to find a flight attendant on the small aircraft, though she was
dressed more casually, wearing a pair of tan khaki slacks and a starched white
blouse.

Sergio made the
introductions. “Hannah, this is Shelby. Shelby, Hannah Brooks.”

“Nice to meet you,”
Shelby said with a genuine smile. “May I bring you a beverage before we take
off?”

“Sure. A Pellegrino
would be nice if you have it?”

“No problem. Sergio?”

“I’ll have the
same. Any idea when we’re wheels up, Shelby?”

The tall,
attractive brunette looked at her watch. “Brad will be right back. We should be
in the air in about fifteen minutes. Is that all right?”

“Perfect. I need
to make a call before we leave.” He pulled out his cell phone.

“Sergio, tell me
the truth. Do you
ever
get used to this lifestyle? Is it second-nature
to you now?
”

He blew out a
raspberry, as if astonished she’d think such a thing. “No way,” he answered,
holding the tiny phone against his ear. “Still gives me goose bumps. See?” He
held his arm out to her, laughing. “Laura! It’s Sergio,” he said, speaking into
the phone. “You called?”

Hannah turned her
head away, anxious to avoid thoughts of where Laura was and who might be there
with her. She swallowed hard.
Oh God. Please give me strength.

“Yeah, I probably
won’t get to the house ’til around midnight. Is that a problem?”

Hannah dreaded the
hours ahead of her. She searched her heart for courage. She reminded herself of
all of Sergio’s pep talks over the past three days.

“Yes, I’m going to
drop her off at Kylie’s. She’s expecting her. We thought it would be safer.
How’s everything there on your end?”

She felt his eyes
on her and turned to find she was right. She couldn’t read his thoughts or even
begin to imagine what Laura might be telling him.

“Okay, Laura.
Thanks. See you soon.”

Just then, the
pilot entered the cabin, greeting them both with a broad smile. Sergio made the
introductions. Brad shook her hand then dropped a newspaper on the small table between
them. “Thought you might like to read the latest birdcage liner. You two are
quite the scandal, I see,” he quipped as Sergio grabbed the paper. “But at
least they didn’t say you were aliens from outer space this time.” He turned
toward the cockpit. “We’ll take off in about five minutes, Sergio.”

Hannah looked at Sergio
as he unfolded the tabloid. “Oh no,” he groaned. “Oh no, no, no . . .
what the—”

“What is it?
What’s wrong?”

He folded the
paper and put it in his lap, his face ashen. “I don’t think you should see it.
It’s garbage. Not worth the paper it’s printed on.”

“Hand me the
paper, Sergio.”

“No. Trust me on
this, Hannah. You don’t want to see it. It’s just a tabloid. Nobody believes
these rags anyway.”

“Give me the paper.
Now!” Her hand trembled as she extended it toward him.

Reluctantly, he handed the tabloid
to her. On the front page in a color spread was a collage of pictures. Hannah
was in every one of them. The headline pierced her heart.

Hannah
Does the Blue?

Jason
Dumps Mystery Girlfriend into Sergio’s Waiting Arms

There she was with
Jason at the entrance to the hospital. His arm cradling her to protect her from
the throngs of people. Then with Sergio, embracing on the beach . . .
lying beside him in the sand . . . holding hands at the
restaurant . . . entering a dark motel room together . . .

Her stomach roiled.

She tore through
the pages to find the story. Her eyes flew over the copy, a ludicrous tale of a
brief and passionate “affair” with Jason McKenzie, home for the holidays, nights
filled with raucous sex, all under the roof of his parents’ home. The affair
supposedly ended once Jason’s long lost love showed up at the hospital. Pictures
of Jennifer Crandle in all her glory, splashed across the pages along with
reports of her broken engagement “so she could rush to Jason’s side in his hour
of need.” More pictures. Jennifer embracing Jason at the hospital. Jennifer kissing
Jason, surrounded by family and friends.