As she stared into the fire, a tiny smile appeared on her face. What was she thinking? If he asked it would break the peace of the scene. For now, and the next few hours, he could sit and watch her and their son and imagine a life that was like this always.
* * * *
“Mama, daddy. Santa tum?”
Callie cracked open one eye and smiled at her son who literally danced on the floor next to the bed. It was too warm and comfortable to want to leave it though.
“Are you sure, sweetie? It’s still dark out. Maybe we should wait a bit.”
The pout on his face was enough to make her sit up. Jack leaned in behind her and reached for Jonathan.
“Come on up here, pal. Let’s snuggle for a bit before we go up. We need to make sure Santa has time to get everything under the tree.”
Jonathan rubbed his eyes and settled down between them. Damn, there went her warmth. Everything about Jack heated her up.
“Come on, Mommy, you snuggle in too,” Jack instructed. He linked his feet with hers and slid his hand across their son to rest on her hip. Closing his eyes, his breathing evened out. Had he fallen asleep again that quickly?
Squeezing her hip, he whispered, “A few extra minutes is all we might get, so don’t waste them.”
Exhaustion seeped through her but she didn’t want to stop looking at Jack. Especially with their son cuddled up close, sucking his thumb. Jonathan seemed content for now but soon he wouldn’t be. The whole Santa hype had been built up by his friends at preschool.
Last night they’d spent a few hours together wrapping Jonathan’s presents and it had made her soul weep. Doing things together for their son and being with each other, knowing it couldn’t stay that way. Later they’d spent hours touching and rediscovering and making sure they stored up enough memories to last for as long as they needed to.
Studying Jack, his face was more relaxed. Yes, he was somewhat asleep but when he’d first come, even in sleep, he’d had a haunted look about him. Having spent the last week here had taken away some of the tension around his eyes and eased the tightness in his face. The last few years had been hard on her, but it was nothing compared to what Jack had been going through. And she’d had Jonathan with her, keeping her sane, giving her a reason to live. Only bits and pieces of that had trickled through to him.
What could she do? She’d tried to help before and it had gotten her into this mess so she’d backed off and left it to the authorities. And they’d totally dropped the ball, leaving Jack hung out to dry. Maybe she could try again. Nothing big, but snooping around wouldn’t hurt. She’d managed to get a peek at the pictures in Victor’s office and get some numbers off his phone. There had to be more she could do while she had free rein of his house. Over the next few weeks, she’d give it some thought.
But not right now. For now she wanted to gaze at the man she loved. His dark hair flopped over his forehead, covering the thick eyebrows that could arch up and make her quiver with simply a look. She let her gaze wander down the strong column of his neck to his wide shoulders and the arms sprinkled with black hair. Those arms that made her feel safe and warm and cared for. Jack had never said the words to her but he’d shown her his feelings every second he’d been here this week. Should she let him know how she felt or would that bring more pain when they had to part again?
They got another half hour before Jonathan started asking about Santa. She insisted they all have a turn in the bathroom first and she grabbed a large sweatshirt to go over her tank top. Jack peeked into the room with the bunk beds and smiled.
“Scott’s still out cold. We’ll let him sleep through the initial present opening, huh?”
Scott had shown up last night in time for supper and Jack had relaxed even more. He was the only family Jack had left, besides Jonathan, and she was glad he’d been able to be here.
“Let’s see what Santa brought for you, pal.”
They traipsed quietly up the stairs and Jonathan’s eyes grew wide. The tree was still lit and dozens of gaily wrapped gifts huddled underneath it. He ran over but stopped and looked at his parents.
“What I do?”
“You open the ones that are yours, sweetie. Daddy and I can read them for you.”
She knelt down and picked up a present and handed it to him. He took no time in removing the wrapper and squealed at the block set inside.
“We pay it, daddy?”
“We can play with it later. You have some more presents and I think I’ll start a fire to warm this place up. Your mommy looks a little cold.”
The air was chilly but all it took was the desire in Jack’s eyes to start a fire burning inside her. Memories of the last week in his arms ignited flames she had to douse in front of her son.
Minutes later a fire roared in the hearth and Jonathan had opened the last of his presents. He bounced from one toy to another, not knowing which one he liked best. They watched their son, amused at his antics.
She made coffee as Jack disposed of the wrapping paper then they settled on the couch, his arm around her shoulder. Heather’s parents used to spend Christmas morning like this, sitting enjoying the children and each other’s company. She’d spent too many holiday mornings at their house. Would Jonathan even remember this day? He was so young.
“Jonathan, grab that gold present for me, huh?” Jack asked.
The child skipped over to the tree and brought the requested gift. He handed it to her and smiled. “This is a little gift from Jonathan and me.”
