Christmas Wish Come True: All I Want For Christmas / Dreaming of a White Wedding / Christmas Every Day. Gina Rochelle
a woman who should know better than to make such potentially damaging promises, had been so reckless and irresponsible with his nephew’s emotions. Jordan stood and stepped away from the dinner table, speaking calmly, despite his mood.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he said slowly, not meeting Isabella’s shocked stare. “Stay here with Miss Stevens, Tyler. Enjoy your meal.”
Jordan went out the back door, not bothering to get a coat, not caring that the temperature was twenty degrees. He wasn’t cold. He was angry – and confused. And he wanted to blame it all on the woman sitting at his dinner table, who had suddenly entered his life via his nephew – and some silly letters to Santa. He wanted to believe that she alone, with her paralyzing blue eyes and kissable pink mouth, was to blame for his current state. But, as he breathed the wintry air, the whole picture played out in his mind’s eye. He relived the past events he had tried so hard to forget. And the recent tragedy that had brought on this new, unimaginable reality.
Nearly seven years ago, he declared his brother, Derek, dead to him. And all this time, he shut himself off from feeling anything for him – not love, not even hate. But now, Derek’s death was real – and shattering.
Final.
Jordan had lost the only person who shared his life memories – good and bad – and he’d become an uncle and a surrogate father in the blink of an eye. Both Tyler’s parents were killed in a fiery crash on a slippery mountain road almost two months ago, and the tragic accident left unsettled issues and a brokenhearted child behind.
Jordan didn’t know how to come to terms with any of it – or even if he could. And to make matters worse, Tyler believed Santa was going to bring his parents back to him on Christmas morning. Holy hell! How could he make the boy understand that they were never coming back – when he could hardly believe it himself?
He hadn’t felt this desperate since Kim left him – for Derek.
The torturous images flooded Jordan’s mind. He recalled the sparks that flew between the two people he loved and trusted most. The way Kim looked at Derek when she thought Jordan wouldn’t see – and how his brother obviously fought his feelings for the woman Jordan loved. Though Jordan had witnessed the hidden smiles and light touches between them, he’d refused to believe his own eyes.
So, when Kim and Derek came to him seven years ago, saying they never intended to hurt him, but they’d eloped – a cage locked around his broken and betrayed heart as he quietly ordered them out of his life. He’d shut them out so completely that he’d only just learned of Tyler’s existence after their deaths.
His six-and-a-half-year-old nephew.
Kim had assured Jordan that Derek refused to sleep with her while she was still with him. Given Tyler’s age, she must have gotten pregnant immediately after eloping. Or she’d lied. Which only cemented his lack of trust in women and relationships.
He fought the urge to leave now, drive off into the cold night. Stay gone until the hurts of the past were tucked into the back of his mind once more. But how could he do that now, when the living, breathing proof of Kim and Derek’s betrayal was sleeping under his roof, looking to him for comfort and security…and love?
And Tyler’s beautiful teacher hadn’t helped matters at all. He hadn’t been this blindsided since Kim. Isabella was exasperating. Her icy-hot looks – coupled with her misplaced but good intentions – shot sparks through him. The last thing he needed was to want Isabella Stevens.
Thank God he had the freezing night air to cool off, as he recalled the feel of her soft curves pressed tightly against him on Reindeer Ridge this morning. The strong physical pull toward her scared the hell out of him. She threatened the inner stability he’d struggled to find since that dark time seven years ago. But she was also Tyler’s teacher. And she’d created a situation that he, admittedly, couldn’t remedy by himself.
He found them sitting on the sofa by the fire when he came back inside. Tyler was snuggled next to Isabella as she read a children’s book to him. He stood in the shadows, unnoticed, listening to the soft cadence of her voice as the words lulled Tyler into a peaceful sleep. He waited while she covered his nephew with a blanket and smoothed the hair from his forehead. A look of worry flitted across her delicate features.
Where was this concern when she played fast and loose with promises that not even Santa – if he existed – could deliver?
“Emily won’t be coming back tonight,” Jordan whispered, glancing at Tyler. “He’s been having trouble sleeping – I don’t want to wake him now.” Isabella stood, her tired eyes focusing on Jordan in the firelight as he spoke. “You’re welcome to stay here for the night but, if you’d rather go home, I’ll call a cab.”
“I’m sorry. Tyler insisted I read this story to him,” Isabella said softly. “I didn’t know how long you’d be…out.”
She handed the book to Jordan. He absently flipped it open and read the note written inside. “To my son, Tyler – you made my fairy tale come true. Love, Mommy.” He closed the cover, noting how the princess sitting amidst the seven small men resembled Kim.
“It’s Tyler’s favorite – he sleeps with it sometimes,” he said, almost to himself. “I think it reminds him of his mother. He misses her…” A brief sadness crept in, along with regret. But it was quickly replaced by the bitter remembrance that Derek had been Kim’s happily ever after. They’d even died together.
“I meant no harm when I suggested Tyler write a letter to Santa,” Isabella made a nervous effort to explain. “I had no idea about his parents. Everything was so crazy at school, with it being the day before Thanksgiving, and my first day teaching…I wasn’t informed. He seemed so sad – I just wanted to help him find some Christmas joy.”
“Which will be blown all to hell on Christmas morning.” Jordan heard Isabella’s soft gasp and immediately regretted his sharp tone. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“No…you’re right,” Isabella whispered. “I wish there was a way I could fix this…”
Jordan stayed silent for a long moment, resisting the urge to tell her it was okay. Because it wasn’t. And he needed help figuring it out. He was new to this parenting business, and he had no idea how to handle any child, let alone a six-year-old whose fragile emotions were about to be shattered on what should be the happiest day of the year. “You could move in here.” He said the words before the idea fully formed in his head. He forced himself to meet her stunned gaze.
“What…?” Isabella’s surprise was almost equal to his own.
Jordan threw up his hands, frustrated. “It’s just an impulsive thought – probably even a reckless one. But…I’m desperate here. And Tyler seems to like you. A lot. You’re good with him – when you’re not promising him miracles, that is.” He noted the embarrassment tinting her skin, and the spark of doubt in her eyes. “Forget I even suggested it.”
He mentally kicked himself for thinking out loud, and moved to Tyler, lifting him from the sofa. He gently carried his nephew down the hall. Isabella followed and stood in the shadows as he tucked Tyler into his bed, under a cozy, animal-print blanket. His skin pricked with awareness as he felt her stare. Was he crazy, asking Tyler’s beautiful teacher, a woman, to move in with him? He looked down at his sleeping nephew. He’d asked it for Tyler, not himself. And he’d pushed his own doubts, and fears, aside to do it.
Isabella walked back to the living room, and Jordan left Tyler, catching up with her near the fireplace. For a few moments, they stood side by side, silently staring into the flames.
“I’m sorry I’ve made matters worse,” Isabella spoke first.
Jordan shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I didn’t expect any of this – my brother’s death, meeting my nephew for the first time. Taking him in.” He