Forsaking All Others (10 page)

Seeing the two women embrace with genuine love and affection moved Weston. It was a sentimental moment, a magical one.

Seconds later Jennifer got up to heed the call of her faithful husband.

Weston gently nudged Jessica. “I can hardly wait for us to spend more time alone. How soon can we blow the family festivities?”

“After we open one or two presents?”

“I can stick it out a bit longer. However, the cabin
is
calling out to us.”

Jessica laughed heartily. “I always look forward to being alone with you.” She was momentarily distracted. “Okay, here goes. Dad's ready to give his yearly holiday speech. It wouldn't feel right without his words of wisdom.”

Weston grunted. “Our dads do a lot of things just alike. Dad makes a special speech on holidays, too. They're not best friends for nothing.”

Prayer preceded Roman's speech and the official present-opening ceremony. He then spoke of the true meaning of Christmas and what it meant to him personally. Roman was emotional as he told his wife and daughters and Samuel how blessed he was to have them and how much they were loved. Samuel was the wonderful son he might not have had otherwise. Roman also spoke of his unborn grandchild.

Prepared to take up where Roman left off, Jacque got to his feet. He also expressed gratitude for his wife and son and his lifelong friend, Roman. Although he pretty much reiterated some of what Roman had said, his speech had a few other tidbits about the true meaning of Christmas. Before ending his speech, Jacque asked everyone to grab a mug of hot cider and raise it in a toast. Once the toast was proposed, everyone brought their cups together.

“Let's rip open these packages, guys. It's on,” Roman shouted. He then summoned Sandra and Jacque over to the tree to help him pass out the gifts. Since Roman had saved his Santa hat from the orphanage, he put it on.

C
urled up in front of the cabin fireplace, Jessica and Weston rehashed the evening's enjoyable activities. She was pleased with the gorgeous cashmere sweater, a CD collection and the monetary gift her parents had given her. The Harringtons always gave their daughters the same gifts, but clothing items were normally purchased in different colors. Jessica's sweater was white and Jennifer's was blue. Samuel had also gotten a Shaker-knit sweater, along with the same amount of money as the daughters.

Weston had received from the Harrington family an oldie CD collection by Stevie Wonder, his favorite recording artist. The Chamberlains had presented Jessica with a beautiful bathrobe, one to keep her warm and cuddly in the coldest temperature, especially if she dared to brave NYC in the winter. The hint had been anything but subtle. Weston's parents always gave him a large sum of money. This year was no exception.

The gift that pleased Weston the most was the beautiful navy-blue wool sports coat and navy-and-white dotted tie from Jessica. He planned to wear it to Christmas dinner. Jessica was thrilled by Weston's other present to her, a gift set of perfume. She loved the alluring scent, but she loved the platinum ring most of all.

Jessica stretched her arms high over her head. “Guess I'd better get back to the town house. Early-morning wake-up call.”

Weston frowned. “We just got here. Relax. It's not
that
late.”

Jessica laughed. “Try telling that to my body.”

Taking Jessica up on her suggestion, Weston whispered into her ear. His lips found a tender spot on her neck and he whispered against it. “You are
not
tired, body. You can hang in there with Wes.” Tenderly massaging her neck came next. “Relax, sweetheart. Let me lay you on a cloud and take you far, far away.”

Weston's hands continue to thrill Jessica, making her want him to touch her more and more. He was so good at seducing her, making her body feel wonderful inside and out. She was like putty in his hands, yet she felt anything but silly. He made her feel like a desirable woman in every sense of the word. Weston had her feeling hot all over.

Jessica believed that their first physical union would be sweet, wildly passionate and loving. Never would it be just sex. Deep feelings were involved. Theirs was a spiritual and emotional connection. He'd continue to respect her afterward, just as she'd always honor him. It didn't surprise Jessica that she actually looked forward to him making sweet love to her.

As Weston lifted Jessica's sweater and pulled it over her head, she offered no resistance. She still had a blouse on, but she wasn't sure for how long. He had just popped open the first button. She bit down on her lower lip to keep from moaning. His hands felt so good on her body. “Right there,” she whispered.

“Right here?” he asked, tenderly pressing his hands into her shoulders.

“Yes, right there,” she said, moaning softly.

The heat from Weston's hands penetrated Jessica's soft skin. She loved every second of it. She could tell he was using extreme caution in exploring her trembling anatomy. She hoped he knew where to draw the line. She wasn't sure she had the strength or the willpower to put a stop to what felt so delicious to her. His hands came to rest on the top button of her wool slacks; she tensed up. He must've felt her tension, because he quickly moved away his hand.

Jessica's blouse was halfway open as Weston massaged her shoulders and abdomen. When he suddenly landed a moist kiss inside her belly button, she had to grip the rug to keep from losing it. Her body language said she enjoyed his sensual touch, prompting him to continue. As his teeth nipped and teased her stomach, she verbally encouraged him to carry on. Her body had turned to jelly.

Looking down on Jessica was like looking down at an angel. She was intelligent, compassionate and beautiful, everything he had ever wanted in a soul mate. He had never come this close to wanting to make a lifetime commitment to anyone. It was still all about timing. Though he had known Jessica all their lives, he hadn't known her like this. They had many more days to go. Considering it all, they didn't have lots of time to work everything out, but they had a good start. They were in love.

Weston leaned down and kissed Jessica. Slowly, he buttoned her shirt back up. His willpower had kicked in where hers would have failed. She felt both disappointed and relieved that he had called a halt to the seduction.

In no doubt that Weston wanted her like crazy, the same way she wanted him, Jessica ran her fingernail across his bottom lip.

“Think it'll ever happen for us?”

“What is
it?
”

Laughter bubbled in Jessica's throat. Weston knew exactly what she meant by
it.
If he really didn't, she wasn't going to spell it out for him. “What are your favorite things to do in your downtime?” She thought it best to change the subject.

Weston shrugged. “Just sit quietly and listen to music. Long drives outside the city are relaxing, especially when I can put the top down. I like to read. Unfortunately, I don't get to do much of it. Need to do more things I love. I work too hard. What are your hobbies?”

“Reading's my favorite pastime. I read for hours on end. Nothing like curling up with a good book. I like to plant things. Living in a town house only allows me to do window-box planting, but I tend to Mom and Dad's flowers and plants from time to time. They've offered space for my own garden, but I haven't done any planting yet.”

“Why not?”

“Not enough time. I work late so my weekends are normally spent doing laundry and grocery shopping. I love to window-shop. My friends go with me, but I tire long before they do.”

“What's your favorite department store?”

“Hmm, good question. Let me think. Macy's. I love their quality. My all-time favorite store was called Broadway, but they were closed and sold to another chain. Their clothing was the absolute best.”

“NYC has a great Macy's. Maybe we can go there one day.”

“I'd love that. Are you a good cook? If so, what's your favorite dish?”

“I'm a great cook, but I mainly eat out or order in. My hours are long so I rarely feel like cooking. Soups are my specialty. I make a mean pot of oxtail soup.”

As if Jessica and Weston had suddenly run out of things to say, they lapsed into silence. There were a lot of things they wanted to ask each other, but neither seemed comfortable posing certain questions.

Jessica realized she and Weston hadn't talked about their past relationships. Had he been dating someone prior to coming to Aspen or had it been a while for him? His work seemed to take precedence over his social life.

“Are you involved with anyone back home, Jess?”

Jessica had to laugh. “You
are
a mind reader. I was wondering the same thing about you. We've fallen in love but we haven't discussed past relationships. I haven't dated anyone exclusively in over a year. My work schedule gets in the way. I use it as an excuse not to get bowled over. Dating now and then works best for me, but I do get lonely.”

“Have you been hurt by someone?”

“Not really. Severely disappointed, though. I've thought someone was one way only to find out he was the exact opposite. I don't do disappointment very well. I've got plenty of time to get it right. I'm choosy about who I spend time with. And I'm in no hurry to get married.”

“You should be choosy. I date off and on, but I avoid getting into a committed relationship. Never felt ready. Not until now.”

“Why now? What changed your mind?”

“You. Falling in love with you, the moment I laid eyes on you here in Aspen. It feels good. A long-distance relationship won't be easy, but I think our love will see us through. We can't allow doubts in or have fears take us over. We can and will make this work.”

“For
how long
is the question I have to ask. Will talking on the phone and e-mailing be enough to keep us happy and in love? They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I'm not convinced. Guess we'll have to wait and see.”

“We'll be fine. As I said, I don't mind traveling cross-country. My parents will be living in L.A. soon. At least, that's the way it's panning out.”

“I'm looking forward to your visit to L.A. Give me enough notice so I can plan a nice time. There's so much to do in the City of Angels.”

“I'd love to see the Lakers play. Dad's a Lakers fanatic.”

“The season doesn't end until June so I'm sure I can get my hands on a couple of tickets. If I can't, Dad can. He might have season tickets. I'll find out for sure.”

“Thanks. How's the skiing up at Big Bear?”

“Really good, I hear. I'm not in the know on skiing. But I do know there are several ski resorts east and north of L.A. I'll check that out, too, if you come before winter is over.”

“Don't know exactly when I'll get there, but it won't hurt to check on it.”

The beautiful Christmas carol playing gripped both Jessica's and Wes's attention. “Silent Night” was always a favorite with most. Johnny Mathis had a heartwarming way of crooning it. Weston nestled Jessica tenderly into his arms. As he stroked her hair, the couple got lost in the music, wrapped up in the spirit of Christmas.

A short while later Weston looked down at Jessica. She had her eyes closed. He didn't know if she was asleep or not. Perhaps she was resting her eyes. Whatever the case, he decided just to remain quiet. Curling up behind her, he pulled her back into the curve of his body, where she fitted perfectly.

Weston realized that Jessica
was
asleep and he reached back and pulled a patchwork quilt from the metal rack. After covering them up, he set the alarm on his watch to go off in thirty minutes. Intent on taking a short nap, he closed his eyes. Soon after positioning his leg across Jessica's hip, Weston also fell asleep.

The town house kitchen wasn't big enough for all the people crowded into it. When it seemed impossible to get everything done in an orderly manner, Sahara took firm control of the situation. She first gave the guys instructions and then shooed them out of the kitchen. She also assigned specific duties to the women.

The turkey and prime rib slowly roasted in the double ovens. Jessica was assigned potato-peeling duties, both sweet and white ones, which she would later mash. Jennifer was in charge of tossing a salad and tending the green beans. Samuel would prepare the rice.

Sandra had a large casserole of macaroni and cheese baking in her oven and Jacque was cooking collard greens. Weston was preparing candied yams and was also in charge of warming a variety of breads. The senior Chamberlains normally spent the holidays with Sandra's parents in New York City, but this year the elderly couple had decided on a Caribbean cruise.

Besides having prepared the meats for roasting and making the dressing she had already stuffed into the turkey, Sahara was handling the relish dishes and cranberry sauces. Roman had fixed an extra pan of corn-bread stuffing and was also in charge of making the giblet gravy. The majority of the holiday desserts had been picked up from a local bakery, but a few homemade desserts were left over from earlier in the week.

Everyone had been assigned something to do in preparation of the meal, grateful for the number of ovens and burners at their disposal. All cabins, condos and town houses came equipped with double ovens and four burners.

By late afternoon everyone was gathered around the beautifully dressed table, holding hands as Roman passed the blessing. Dressed in their Sunday best, the group looked happy to share in this special holiday festivity. Once Roman gave thanks to the Almighty, amen simultaneously rang out as everyone took their assigned seat.

As the family of diners devoured the delicious meal, there was near complete silence, with the exception of a few moans and groans of pleasurable delight. There wasn't a single complaint about anything. Fifteen minutes or so had passed when the place suddenly came alive with the animated buzz of dinner chatter.

Dessert was served forty minutes later.

Jessica still felt stuffed from all the food she had eaten earlier…and all she wanted to do was curl up in bed and fall asleep. She had come back to the cabin with Weston but wasn't planning on staying long. She was worn out from going nonstop every day since she'd arrived in Aspen. It was time to start winding down.

The past few days had been a whirlwind of activity. Thinking about the coming week of vacation only heightened Jessica's fatigue. Her parents probably wouldn't mind if she took it easy. She and Weston had made plans to take in a movie and hang out, but she wasn't interested in anything requiring a lot of energy. She had to work the day after she got home so she needed some rest before returning to the daily grind.

Weston came into the room and sat down next to Jessica. He was tired, too, but he planned to get in a few days more of skiing. He wished he could talk Jessica into it, but he didn't want to push her into something she wasn't ready for. She had done well just to get up to the resort. Her fears were real and should be respected.