Tempting Fate (16 page)

"Are the best things that happened to me. And I almost blew that, too. After the accident, I was sure my new parents would throw me out of the house as soon as I turned eighteen. They had every right after the way I'd behaved. I figured I'd save myself the humiliation."

"What did you do?"

"I packed my bags and told them I was leaving." He shook his head. "I don't know what I was thinking. I suppose I thought they'd open the door and let me walk away and say 'Good Riddance'".

She shook her head and held her hands to her chest. "But they didn't, did they?"

He smiled and a flood of warmth filled his heart with the memory. "No, thank God. I remember my dad got angry and dragged me to the car, which was kind of hard since he's a full foot shorter than me. He didn't say a word until we got to his lawyer's office. Before we got out of the car, he told me I could go down to the bus station and leave. He'd even pay for the ticket. Or we could march into the lawyer's office and file the papers to make me his son legally."

Her mouth dropped open. "But why then? You were already legally of age."

"Exactly. There was no more red tape keeping them from adopting me. The state didn't care, but they did. My dad said he was there for the long haul, whether or not there was a piece of paper collecting dust in a courthouse somewhere saying he was or wasn't responsible for me. He said I'd always be his son." His voice cracked as he spoke. "That day it meant more than I can say to hear him call me son."

He saw a single tear trickle down Lauren's cheek, which she quickly brushed away with her fingers.

Kyle cleared his throat. "That's the kind of man he is and the kind of man I strive to be." He reached out to her again, hoping she'd welcome his touch, needing hers in return. She didn't back away this time. Instead, she wrapped her fingers around his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I want to be here for you and Kristen. Some men mean what they say, Lauren. Some do stay."

"Your parents are wonderful people."

He nodded and couldn't help but smile. "I know your parents will come around. Whatever it is that is holding them back can be overcome."

She stiffened and pulled away, crossing her arms across her chest. "I'm glad you told me this, but-"

"But you don't believe me." He felt his heart fall through the floorboards.

She averted her gaze for a full five seconds before looking at him again. "I don't know what to think."

Somehow, some way, he had to get her to believe in him. It was the only way she'd learn to trust his word. Damn every man who let her down before, but he wouldn't be one of them. And somehow, she would know that as fact.

He picked up his jacket and walked to the door. Bending down, he saw her close her eyes as he kissed her cheek. He breathed in her sultry scent, filling his head with tantalizing memories of how they lay so close to each other, making love just moments ago.

And he walked out the door. Not because that was what he wanted to do, but because that's what she wanted.

Once he was out on the bitter cold sidewalk, he turned and peered up at the top floor gable window of the Victorian home. Behind the curtain, he saw the soft glow from the light and a faint shadow of a silhouette standing by the window.

She was watching him leave her.

Because that was all she knew.

He climbed into the Jeep and jammed the key in the ignition until the engine roared. If this is what she wanted, then he would respect her wish and he'd leave.

For now. Only for now.

# # #

Chapter Ten

Lauren wiped her hands on the red cotton apron Judy had given her to wear. She looked around the kitchen and frowned when she saw there was no available counter space left. "Where do you want me to put this cake?"

Judy turned and searched the same surface Lauren had just perused. "Mmm. There's no room in here until the food is cleared from the buffet table."

"I'll take it," Kyle said, walking through the kitchen doorway, munching on a pastry.

Judy swatted him on the arm with a dishtowel. "I told you to wait until I serve."

Kyle returned a mischievous grin.

She picked up a two pastry dishes and headed for the kitchen door. "You'll go nowhere near that cake until dessert is served. Do you hear me?"

With Judy gone from the room, Lauren darted a glance at Kyle and held his gaze. His eyes were smiling as well as the rest of his face.

Relieved, she felt a smile tug at her own lips. After the way things ended the other night, she wondered how he would react to her. She thought about not coming. But a deal was a deal. She promised him she would be here. And she wanted to be here with him.

When she'd stood at the window and watched him drive away two nights ago, she fought to keep herself from running down the stairs after him. She'd been tempted to tell him she wanted him to stay, that it didn't matter how long. She wanted to tell him how she felt.

But that was just it. What was she feeling? For the first time in years she allowed herself to think about herself as a woman with real emotions and desires. She'd been both exhilarated and frightened by the exigent need she had when Kyle held her, kissed her until he took her breath away. She would have allowed him to take her to the pinnacle of that need if she hadn't been pulled back to reality by Kristen's call.

And now, was it too late? Had she pushed him away too far?

As his smile danced in his eyes, she knew it wasn't. And she knew he was feeling the same thing, but it wasn't the right time. At some point, she would find the right moment and tell him, show him exactly how much she loved him.

“We haven’t had so much as a moment to talk since I got here.”

Kyle bent his head and kissed her cheek. “I know. We have a lot to talk about. There’ll be some time tonight, after everyone’s gone.”

She bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. “We can pick up where we left off the other night,” she whispered.

She watched his eyes grow dark and smoky, fueling her with the satisfaction that he knew what she meant.

“You’re going to help me set up the dollhouse for Kristen, right?”

“You bet.” He glanced at the kitchen clock and said, “I've got to go change. The kids are asking when Santa will arrive." He brushed by her and paused a moment to cup her cheek. His hand was rough against her skin and sent a tingling sensation through her body. She leaned into his touch before her eyes caught sight of Judy coming into the kitchen again.

Suddenly self-conscious, she straightened. But as if he understood her hesitation, Kyle didn't seem to mind. He bent down, kissing her lightly on the lips and said, "I'll be right back."

When he closed the kitchen door behind him, Lauren took a deep breath and glanced at Judy. Her approval was evident in the slight tilt of her mouth, and the twinkle in her brown eyes, but she said nothing.

"I guess I should go round up the troops," Lauren finally said.

Judy's smile widened and she gave a quick nod. "Good idea. And I'll dole out the dessert."

With the help of little Scotty, Will brought in an antique rocking chair with detailed scrolls carved into the back and placed it at the end of the room by the Christmas tree. It didn't take more than five minutes to gather all the kids in the house and settle them on the floor of the family room. Chas and his wife, Kim, whom Lauren had met briefly earlier in the evening, sat together on the loveseat with their youngest daughter. From the size of her, Lauren guessed her to be about two or three years old. Their eldest daughter was about the same age as Kristen and Julie.

When the room was set and Judy had finished setting all the pastries out on the buffet table in the dining room, they all sat...and sat...and waited. Twenty minutes later, Santa Claus still had not arrived.

"Where is Kyle?" Judy whispered, so the children in the room wouldn't suspect.

"I know, he's been gone a long time." Lauren looked at the children sitting on the floor. They were fidgeting and beginning to get restless.

"I'll pass around the cookies. See if you can round up my so...ah, Santa," Judy said.

She nodded and weaved her way through the crowded room toward the kitchen. After pouring a glass of eggnog, she left the kitchen in search of Santa Claus. She did a walk through the downstairs of the house. There were small groupings of neighbors and friends talking in the formal living room, the dining room and the den, but Kyle was nowhere to be found.

As she rounded the corner toward the foyer, she met Kyle head on.

Or rather Santa Claus.

No wonder she hadn't recognize him in the parking lot the evening they met. The disguise was authentic, complete with lifelike white beard and hair. No one would recognize him beneath that red suit.

She held the glass of eggnog out to him. "You're late."

"You try stuffing yourself into this suit," he said, straightening his thick black belt. The disguise may have been convincing, but the voice was unmistakable, and lulling. She wondered what it would be like going to sleep each night having the deep sound of Kyle's voice be the last thing she heard before she fell asleep. And the first thing she heard in the morning when she woke up.

"You've got quite a crowd in there waiting for you."

He gripped the glass and took a long sip before handing the glass back. "I need my bag with the toys for the kids. Do you know where I left it?"

"In the kitchen. It's in the broom closet." She reached up and brushed his fake white beard with her fingers. "You dribbled."

"Thanks. Job hazard."

Zoey trudged through the foyer, dragging a pillow case filled with wrapped gifts. Lauren hadn't seen her all evening until now. Zoey tossed the bag to Kyle. "I'm not your little elf, Kyle," she grumbled.

"Hey, where's your holiday cheer?" he said as she climbed the stairs.

Zoey waved him off and kept going. Lauren hadn't recalled seeing Bruce hanging around either and wondered if his absence was the cause of her mood.

She turned to Kyle. "You ready?"

"As much as I'll ever be."

"You've got about twenty neighborhood kids sitting in the family room. If you don't get in there, there's going to be a kiddy revolt."

"Nah." He hoisted the bag of goodies on his shoulder and tested his ho ho's before weaving his way through the crowd of people now gathered in the family room. "Ho, ho, ho."

Although Lauren couldn't figure out how Judy managed it, all the kids were still seated on the floor and began to cheer when Kyle came into the room.

She watched as Kyle squeezed his stuffed body into the rocking chair. As he pulled the gifts from the pillowcase, he called out each child's name and they came up and sat on his lap.

After waiting so long, it took no more than fifteen minutes until everyone was done opening their gifts. "It's your turn, Mommy," Kristen said, tugging Lauren by the arm toward Kyle.

Kyle opened his arms wide. She could see a hint of mischief playing in his eyes beneath the white fluff he'd pasted to his eyebrows. Heat filled her cheeks as she looked around the room at the smiling faces of people she'd just met, urging her to sit on Santa's lap.

She hesitated a moment, feeling like she was a mannequin on display in a store window.

Kyle leaned forward in the rocker and pulled her to him, taking the decision out of her hands. She settled into his lap and felt her whole being melt.

"Did you cook this up with Kristen?" she asked, gazing in the depth of his blue eyes. A rumble of laughter bubbled up from his throat. "You're bad," she whispered in his ear, wrapping her arms around his neck, breathing in the scent of his aftershave.

He laughed seductively and darted his furry eyebrows up. "Do you want to find out how bad I can be?"

Oh, yes, she did. More than anything, she wanted to find out all she could about this man.

He cleared his throat and ho ho'd in a low rumble. But when he spoke to her, it was pure Kyle. "So, Lauren, tell me what you want for Christmas."

It may have been her imagination, but the noise in the room seemed to fade and she felt all eyes on her. But she never tore her gaze from Kyle. Beneath all the decoration and disguise, she saw the most incredible man she'd ever known. It was if all the fear of the past seven years, the shell of mistrust, melted like ice, leaving her able to see for the first time. And what she saw was the love of one hell of a man.

How could she think she could deny him?

Or herself?

She now knew he was the only thing she wanted. And she was totally and completely in love with Kyle Preston.

"Kyle...I-" she whispered, but she was cut off by Judy's voice calling her.

"I hate to interrupt, Lauren." She looked over at Judy, who was standing at the other end of the room holding the cordless phone in her hand. "You have a phone call."

Now who could that be? Lauren thought. No one but Mrs. Hopkins knew that she was planning to be here, and she hadn't given out the telephone number.

She looked at Kyle, his smile filled her with warmth.

"Go ahead," he urged gently.

"What is this?"

"It's going to be a great Christmas."

She cocked her head to one side and said, "Kyle, what'd you do?"

"Go ahead. I'll be waiting."

She eased off his lap and nervously brushed her hands down the skirt of her dress as she walked through the crowd, making her way toward the kitchen.

Judy handed her the phone. "The house is full of people, so there's not much in the way of privacy. But you might find a quiet corner upstairs," she made a sweeping gesture with her hand, "or here in the kitchen since everyone seems to have a full belly."

"Thank you." When Judy left the room, she turned away from the noisy family room and said, "Hello?"

For a few seconds, Lauren didn't hear any response. "Is anyone there?"

She was just about to hang up when she heard, "Hi, honey."

Emotion gripped her at the sound of her father's voice.

"Daddy? How did you..." She turned and saw Kyle standing in the family room talking to Chas. Of course, it had to be Kyle. How else would her parents have known to call her here?