Christmas Wish

by Jill Sanders

  When she stepped out of the bathroom, Simon glanced up from his phone.

  His eyes ran over her and he smiled. “They’ve arrested Lee,” he informed her.

  “Good,” she said, setting the bag on the end of the bed. “Where did my family go?”

  “Home, to our place. Your mom said something about making you lunch, which should be ready by the time we get there.”

  “I’m so ready to get out of here.”

  “Sorry, but we have to wait until the police interview you. They said they’d be by this morning.”

  She sat on the edge of the bed and frowned. “I lost my phone again.”

  He nodded. “I found it.” He pulled a phone from his back pocket. “Sorry, it was smashed, so I had your brother go and replace it this morning.” He handed her the new iPhone.

  “Twice in one month.” She groaned. “I guess it is a good thing I paid for the insurance.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, I wish I had done that. I had to pay for my new phone when I lost it in the limo. I did get the insurance this time though.” He waved his new phone. “I used to think that insurance was a scam.” He chuckled.

  She smiled. “It’s paid off for me.” She glanced down at the phone and smiled when she realized that none of her contacts and data had been lost.

  Seeing the pictures of her and Simon smiling with the Christmas tree behind them in Idaho Springs, she realized that no matter how the evening had ended, it was still one of her favorite dates.

  “Hey,” he said, startling her as he looked over her shoulder. “That’s a great picture of us.”

  “Yeah.” She smiled down at it. “I’m thinking of ordering a few prints of it to have framed.”

  “It would look great over our fireplace.”

  Just then there was a knock on the door and it swung open.

  For the next hour, she answered questions from the female police officer. Some of the questions were personal, such as if she believed she’d been sexually assaulted. She’d instantly said that she hadn’t, but a shiver raced through her at the possibility. The man could have done anything to her after he’d knocked her out. Anything.

  Simon’s arms tightened around her at that moment, and she could tell he was thinking the same.

  During the drive back up to the house, she remained silent and watched the new snowfall.

  “I’m sorry,” she said softly as tears slipped down her face. She dashed them away quickly, not wanting him to see them.

  “Don’t,” he warned. “I don’t think I can take your tears.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said again and closed her eyes. “I shouldn’t have gone out there alone.”

  “Hey.” He took her hand, and she realized he’d pulled the car over to the side of the road. She turned to him and looked into his eyes. “I should’ve been there. I’m the reason you’re in danger in the first place.”

  “No, you’re not.” Her tears dried up slightly. “You have nothing to do with why we’re both in danger.”

  “If I hadn’t returned…” he started, but she interrupted him.

  “What? Now just because you were born you are responsible for all the stupid things your father is doing?” She felt her anger boil at a man she hadn’t even met.

  He smiled and she understood instantly that he’d purposely redirected her emotions.

  “You did that on purpose.” She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “You’re no longer crying,” he pointed out.

  She sighed. “I’m upset that I didn’t get my work done yesterday,” she lied, causing him to chuckle as he pulled back onto the road.

  “I was told this morning that it’s all finished.” He glanced over at her. “The rest of the workers, after hearing what happened to you, worked through the night and this morning to ensure that everything got done.”

  “It’s all…?” She closed her eyes.

  “They finished it. Everything,” he said with a smile.

  “I want to see it.”

  “You can see it tomorrow,” he promised. “Today, we’re going to have your mom’s home cooking and then snuggle on the sofa and watch a game with your family.”

  “That sounds amazing,” she admitted, and rested her head back.

  Chapter 20

  He was true to his word. For the rest of that day, the only excitement they had was watching the Avalanche win the game.

  Her mother made turkey soup with homemade noodles, along with warm freshly baked bread.

  He made sure that Laura had enough and enjoyed two full bowls of the soup himself. Logan and Amy had stopped somewhere along the way and had grabbed an apple pie and French vanilla ice cream for dessert, one of Laura’s favorites.

  He was happily surprised when she ate two whole pieces and then quickly fell asleep on the sofa with her head in his lap.

  Her family got the hint and, after the game ended, they left as quietly as they could.

  He continued to watch the news on mute until he grew tired, then lifted her into his arms and carried her into their bedroom. She woke up when he laid her on the bed.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” He sat next to her.

  “It’s okay.” She yawned. “Did my family leave?” She glanced around.

  “Yeah, about an hour ago.” He reached up to brush her hair away from her face.

  “I must look a mess,” she said with a sigh.

  He chuckled. “I’ve seen you looking worse,” he promised her.

  She frowned up at him. “That’s terrible. But true.”

  He smiled. “I thought tomorrow, after we go and see the facility, that we’d head out and get a tree?”

  She sat up slightly and gasped. “A Christmas tree. I… hadn’t thought… We need to finish decorating the facility.”

  “Easy.” He touched her shoulder. “Barbara and the crew have taken care of that part. They are all ready for the big party. I was talking about a tree for here.” He glanced around. “Maybe we can have two trees. One for the living room and one for in here?”

  She relaxed back and smiled. “I’d like that. I have a box of decorations… I think my brother put it in the garage.”

  “We’ll find it. If not, we can always buy more.”

  “Did they charge Lee?” she asked.

  “I haven’t heard yet. I expected to get a call sometime today.” He glanced down at his phone, which was sitting on the nightstand.

  “Do you think he was directed by your father?” she asked.

  “The police have the note he left for me to find, which was obviously from him. If he’s behind the attack on you, it was sloppy of him. If Lee confesses, the police could have enough on Joseph Wilson to finally lock him up,” Simon said, trying not to get his hopes up.

  “We can hope.” She touched his hand. “I know I’ve already showered, but it would be nice to use my own shampoo and sit under the hot spray for a while.” He helped her stand up. “Care to join me?”

  “Do you even have to ask?” He took her hand in his and led them into the bathroom.

  “I feel like I’m forever borrowing someone else’s clothes,” she said as she pulled off her mother’s items.

  Stepping under the hot spray with Laura in his arms, he realized just how lucky he was. Her arms wrapped around him, and he felt her sigh against his skin.

  “I’m so thankful you were there,” she said. “I don’t know how much longer I could have lasted.”

  He did. He’d talked to the doctor when she’d been out. From their best guess, Laura had been out in the cold garage for a little over half an hour. When the sun disappeared behind the mountains, cutting off the light and heat to the garage, she would have had only a few more minutes before passing the point of no return. The blanket that had been tossed over her had been to conceal her, not to warm her. The doctor claimed that she was lucky that frostbite hadn’t taken any of her fingers.

  He felt her shiver and tighten his hold on her. “You okay?” he asked.


  She sighed and he knew that she was crying. “Just thinking.”

  “Don’t. You’re safe now. Here, with me.” He rubbed his hands down her back. “I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you again. I promise.” He closed his eyes and took a moment to memorize everything about her.

  “I love you,” she said softly. “I won’t let your father or anyone else tear us apart.”

  He leaned back and shifted so he could look down into her eyes. “I think it’s time I took a stand against him.”

  “How?”

  “I’m supposed to do a news conference on Monday,” he said with a slow smile. “I might just let it slip who my family is.”

  She jerked in his arms and laughed. “That’s an amazing idea. You’d be forcing his hand. That way if anything happened to you…”

  “Or someone I care about,” he added.

  “Right.” She nodded. “If anything were to happen, it would catch the media’s attention.”

  “Yup.” He smiled. “So, we’re in agreement?” he asked, liking the plan even more since Laura was okay with it.

  “Yes.” She nodded. “Now I may have to let you take me shopping this weekend. I don’t think I have anything appropriate to wear to a news conference.”

  He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her again. “Anything you want.” He lifted her chin up and placed his lips softly over hers. “Anything,” he said again.

  He couldn’t control his body as she rubbed hers against him.

  “Laura,” he warned.

  “Please, Simon, I need to feel alive,” she begged. “I need you.”

  “Are you up for this?” he asked.

  She chuckled. “I’ve just taken a five-hour nap,” she purred as she wrapped her fingers around his growing cock.

  He lost all ability to think as she started moving against him. Running his hands slowly over her wet body, he enjoyed the little sexy sounds she was making.

  “Please,” she practically purred against his skin, “show me. Show me that I’m alive. That you love me.”

  “I do,” he said, lifting her into his arms and sitting on the shower bench. She slid onto his lap, her thighs on either side of his as he adjusted himself into her. As she slid slowly down on him, he kissed her and held her tight. She felt so right in his arms, felt so right in his life.

  He knew that it wasn’t his fault his father was a power-hungry megalomaniac. And no matter what happened now, he wasn’t going to let the man ruin his life again. Not when he had finally just won Laura back.

  “I love you,” he said as she slumped against him after their mutual release. “Marry me. Be with me. Always.”

  She leaned back, tears rolling down her cheeks and a smile on her lips.

  “Yes, of course, I will. Always,” she said before kissing him.

  They sat under the hot spray until Laura sighed, and he knew that she was tired again. Then he lit another fire in the bedroom, and they crawled under the covers. When he heard her stomach growl, he went into the kitchen and grabbed the rest of the pie. They sat up in bed watching a Hallmark Christmas special until she fell back to sleep in his arms. He thought about the ring and the other gifts he’d purchased for her, which were still locked in his glove box.

  The following morning, they woke to a fresh foot of snow. Laura seemed to be in a better mood and, as far as he could tell, she was physically back to normal.

  They dressed and, after eating the breakfast of French toast and eggs they’d made together, he drove them down to the facility.

  He’d sent a text to Barbara to let her know they would be stopping by and when they walked in, all of the staff were waiting for them.

  The front hall was completely decorated for the holiday. A massive Christmas tree and faux red Santa sleigh were set up in the main entryway. String lights and fake snow were everywhere, along with other images of the holiday.

  “Welcome back,” everyone cheered as they entered.

  Laura laughed and hugged everyone, and they all wished her a speedy recovery.

  He was happily surprised to see how much the staff knew and cared for Laura. Barbara even cried a little when Laura replayed what had happened to her.

  “I should have known that man was no good,” Barbara said. “I saw him sneaking around in the basement the other day.”

  “You did?” he asked. “Where?”

  “The boiler rooms. I thought maybe he was helping the guys check the system out, but now…” She dropped off.

  Laura looked at him. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” he lied and thought about heading down there to make sure the man hadn’t damaged anything. “I…” He stopped when she took his hand in his.

  “We’ll check it out together,” she said softly. “After this party is over.”

  He nodded. “I’ll call the HVAC guys in to check the system as well.” He pulled out his phone and shot a text message off to the head HVAC contractor, Wayne. After getting an instant reply from the man, who said he was already on site, he suggested they all head down there now.

  The heavy metal door that led to the basement area had a new lock that could only be unlocked by a staff member’s key card or a code. Simon used his master key card and led Laura down the metal flight of stairs into the massive basement.

  The old basement had been cleared out and now housed a large room of computer servers that ran the entire facility, a large storage room that was currently half-empty, and three smaller storage rooms that were full of donated clothing and children items. Then there was the massive HVAC room that housed almost all of the building’s brand new heating and air-conditioning systems, along with the boiler for the hot water. There were two massive fans on the roof of the building that had been helicoptered into place during construction.

  Seeing Wayne and a few of his workers, they made their way across the basement.

  “What about the other rooms?” Laura asked, nodding towards the closed doors to the storage areas.

  “We’ll check them too,” he agreed. After shaking Wayne’s hand, he explained his concerns about Lee being seen down there a few days ago.

  “My guys have been working down here nonstop. We’ve made the necessary changes to the system since it’s been up and running for the past forty-eight hours.” He nodded towards the room that housed most of the system. “She’s purring like a Jaguar.” The man smiled with pride. “We haven’t seen anything off in here.”

  “Good.” Simon relaxed slightly. “We’ll go check the other rooms then.”

  Taking Laura’s hand, he unlocked the first storage room and turned on the bright lights.

  “Wow, I can’t believe how much stuff was donated. I saw a few loads of this being delivered.” Laura stepped into the room. “The kids are going to love picking out their own clothes.” She turned around and took everything in. “You know, I could help down here too. Maybe set it up like a closet or a store?” she suggested. She tilted her head, as if she was thinking. “You know, arrange everything by age, size, sex.” She shrugged and looked at him.

  “That would be… wonderful.” He smiled and walked over to hug her.

  “And this is just one room?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” He motioned towards the other two small rooms. “Three rooms. I had the staff separate it out by age. This is infant through toddler. Next door is toddler through pre-teen and the last…”

  “Is teen and up,” she replied with a smile. “Smart. I think with some racks in here, the kids would feel like they’re going shopping instead of getting handouts.”

  “Great idea,” he agreed.

  “We could even paint the walls…” she started, and he chuckled.

  “I get it. You’ll have free rein down here when you’re up to it.” He laughed when she did a little buggy dance.

  “This is going to be so much fun.” She laughed and hugged him again.

  His smile fell away as he realized that nothing in the room had been disturbed
. “Let’s try the next room.”

  The moment he unlocked the next door, he knew instantly that there was something wrong.

  Chapter 21

  She knew there was something wrong when she felt Simon tense next to her.

  “What is it?” she asked at the same moment that he pushed her body behind his.

  “Run!” he screamed and slammed the door shut just as the explosion sent her flying backwards. Her body hit the cement wall a few feet away, knocking the breath out of her and causing her head to spin.

  “Run!” Simon’s cry echoed in her head. Everything was fuzzy for a moment and seemed to pulse with each heartbeat.

  She could hear the workers that they’d just talked to yelling and watched as they ran towards her as if in slow motion. There was so much yelling and she tried to focus on what was being said, but there was a high-pitched ringing in her hears from the explosion.

  “Grab the fire extinguisher!” someone shouted.

  “Put it out! Smother it!” someone else was shouting.

  Simon, she thought and glanced around for him. Wayne and another man were huddled, working over a figure and spraying the area with a fire extinguisher.

  She turned her attention back towards the doorway. The explosion had almost ripped the door off the hinges, and she watched in horror as several of the men battled a fire that had broken out inside the room after the initial explosion.

  Everything, all of the donated clothes for the young kids, was on fire.

  “Get her out of here,” she heard Simon’s voice finally.

  “Simon!” she cried and tried to crawl towards his voice. It was then that she noticed he’d been the one on fire. The one Wayne and the other guy had been trying to rescue. “Simon,” she cried again when she noticed the burns on his hands and arms. His sweater was ripped completely off, and she could clearly see his red skin covered in a layer of foam from the fire extinguisher. Wayne had used a fire blanket to put out the fire that had taken most of his clothes. The blanket covered most of Simon’s body.

  “Get her out of here,” Simon said to Wayne. “In case there’s another bomb.” He pushed the man with his burned hand.