Home For The Holidays

by Elena Aitken

  Damon raised an eyebrow and grinned.

  Jeremy muttered a curse word under his breath and spoke to Brody, because the others knew damn well who Bella was. “Bella is an old friend,” he explained. “She used to spend her summers here with her grandfather when she was a kid.”

  “And Jeremy was madly in love with her.”

  He shot Logan a look. “I was a kid.”

  “Doesn’t mean you didn’t love her.” He shrugged. “I know a bit about that.”

  Jeremy couldn’t help but laugh because Logan had been in love with his now-wife, Faith, since they were kids. Even though he hadn’t outright admitted it, they all knew it was true.

  “And now she’s back?” Brody prompted. “To stay?”

  “No. Which is why, even if there was something—which there’s not,” he added quickly. A lie and they all knew it. “Nothing would come of it. She’s a professional singer. Glacier Falls is no place for her.”

  “Tell that to Steph,” Logan said. “She’s quite literally the most famous actress in the world right now and she’s not in a hurry to leave. She’s talking about buying land.”

  “I don’t think Bella is in the market for any land in the middle of nowhere.” Jeremy looked down into his almost empty beer glass and for a second allowed himself to think about what that might look like. Bella staying in town. It looked good.

  Very good.

  “She’s only in town for the holidays.” Saying it out loud left a sour taste in his mouth.

  “You should bring her to the ranch on Saturday.”

  Jeremy looked at Logan. “The ranch? What’s on Saturday?”

  “Don’t tell me you forgot. No, wait, tell me you forgot,” he added with a grin. “Because Faith will kill me if she thinks I forgot to invite you. I didn’t, did I?”

  Jeremy laughed at his friend as his memory came back to him. “I didn’t forget,” he said but added, “Okay, well, I did. But I remember now. That’s why you needed all the lights.”

  “Exactly.” Logan raised his glass. “Bring Bella. It will be fun. We’ll have sleigh rides and hot chocolate and a big bonfire in the yard. Very festive.”

  Jeremy nodded. Cuddled up in a sleigh with Bella? It did sound like fun. A lot of fun.

  Chapter 6

  Bella hadn’t believed Jeremy when he told her that they could have warm days in the mountains. Especially considering it had taken her two full days to warm up after their tree-cutting expedition. But he was right, and it was a perfect winter day. The sun shone in the blue sky, making it almost warm enough to unzip her jacket. Almost.

  She’d been excited to join Jeremy at Ever After Ranch for a day of Christmas festivities and not just because she wanted to spend more time with Jeremy—although that definitely factored. Ever since arriving in Glacier Falls, she’d been excited about Christmas in a way that she hadn’t been since she was a little girl. Spending the holiday with Papa had a lot to do with it, she was sure. He genuinely enjoyed every single moment of the season. The day before, they’d spent time in the kitchen trying—and mostly failing—to recreate some of her mother’s Christmas baking. All recipes that apparently used to be her mother’s. But if her grandmother and her mother had the baking gene, Bella certainly hadn’t inherited it. Which was why she’d ended up in town at Sweetie Pies, buying a platter of Christmas baking.

  Either way, they’d had fun trying to make them work. And as far as Bella was concerned, that’s what it was all about. She’d enjoyed making memories with her grandfather more than even she’d expected to. It made her sad to think that she’d missed out on so many other holidays in Glacier Falls. Why her parents had insisted on Christmas in the city was beyond her, because there really was something magical about spending the season in the mountains.

  Bella wasn’t completely unaware. It wasn’t just spending time with Papa that was helping her have such a good time. She glanced over at Jeremy, who caught her smiling at him.

  “What’s that for?”

  “Nothing.” She winked at him. “I was just thinking about how much I’ve been enjoying my time in Glacier Falls.”

  “Oh yeah? Spending time with your grandfather?”

  It was cute that he was fishing for her response, but Bella couldn’t help but let him dangle on the line a little longer. “It really has been great,” she answered honestly. “I had a small breakthrough with him the other day. He agreed to move.”

  “He did?” Jeremy genuinely looked surprised.

  “Well, he agreed to move out of his house. But he refuses to move to the city.”

  “That seems reasonable.”

  Bella turned to face him. “It does?”

  “Glacier Falls is his home. There’s some great seniors homes here in town. Why would you want him to move to the city?”

  She hesitated. “Because that’s where we live.”

  Bella didn’t miss it when he flinched. What did that mean? Before she could let herself dwell on the possibility, she quickly looked out the window right as they drove through the gates of Ever After Ranch. “At any rate, it’s a start.”

  “It is,” he agreed. “I’m sure you’ll find him a great spot where he’ll be happy, and safe. And…you know if you need a hand with anything, I’d be happy to help.”

  “Thank you.” She glanced over at him again as he parked his truck next to a line of others in the Ever After Ranch yard.

  Spending so much time with Jeremy had definitely helped her get in the holiday spirit. It had also helped her feel things she wasn’t sure she’d ever felt before.

  “You ready for this?” He smiled and reached across the cab of the truck to squeeze her hand. “There’s going to be a lot of people.”

  “Great,” she answered honestly. “I love people.” Bella couldn’t help but laugh. “And it’s been a long time since I’ve seen most of these guys. I’m really looking forward to it.” It was an honest answer. “Thank you for bringing me.”

  Bella held Jeremy’s gaze for a moment before he leaned across the space and pressed his lips to hers. “I assure you, it is very much my pleasure.”

  A shock went through her all the way down to her toes that were cozy in her warm boots.

  There’d never been another man who’d given her that type of thrill from a simple kiss. In fact, she’d forgotten that feeling existed at all. She’d been sixteen the last time she’d felt it. When she’d kissed Jeremy for the first time.

  Bella would have happily stayed in the truck kissing him all day, but before she could even attempt to sway him to her way of thinking, he’d hopped out of the truck and had opened her door.

  “Ready for some festive fun?” Jeremy offered her a hand that she took.

  “Absolutely.”

  The moment her feet hit the ground, she heard the music mixed with the jingling of bells and she had to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” Jeremy wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. It was such an intimate move, but it felt perfectly right.

  “It’s just so…” Bella shrugged. “Christmasy. I kind of love it.”

  “It’s pretty awesome, isn’t it?” Jeremy led her toward the barn, where the horse-drawn sleigh had just pulled up. “And this is my favorite Christmas carol.”

  “It is?” Bella tilted her head to hear it better. “It is,” she said, remembering that he’d told her a few days earlier. “The Christmas Song.” Jeremy nodded and she started singing. “Jack Frost nipping at your nose.”

  Jeremy’s smile encouraged her, so she kept singing.

  When the song was done, he pulled her in for a quick kiss. “And now it’s really my favorite.”

  “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. It’s just so festive.”

  “Don’t apologize. It was amazing.” He squeezed her hand and used his free arm to gesture to the trees. “As soon as the sun goes down and the lights come on, I think you’ll be even more impressed. The girls did a great job. Oh!” Jeremy pointed toward a small group. “Speak
of the devils. There they are. Come on. I want to introduce you.”

  Bella laughed. “I’ve met them before, remember?”

  “Doesn’t count,” he said as they got closer. “We were kids then.”

  She stopped short, forcing him to stop as well. “We met when we were kids, too.”

  Jeremy turned and wrapped her up tight in his arms. “It’s not the same. We’re…” Instead of finishing his thought, he kissed her thoroughly, right in front of everyone by the barn. A fact she only remembered when a few whoops and hollers of appreciation sounded.

  “Don’t just stand there kissing her all day.” A beautiful blonde woman, who Bella instantly recognized as one of the Turner twins—which one, she never could be sure—squeezed between them, breaking up the kiss. The woman turned to chastise Jeremy with a waggle of her finger before looping Bella’s arm in hers and tugging her toward the waiting crowd.

  Fortunately, Bella didn’t embarrass easily because for the next few minutes she was fawned over and teased about spending all her time with Jeremy.

  They were all so welcoming that, just as when she was a kid, Bella felt right at home. It didn’t take long before she was laughing and joking with everyone as if they were old friends. Which, in a way, they were. The blonde turned out to be Faith. But her sister, Hope—who was pregnant and on bed rest—joined them as well from a wheelchair that she clearly hated.

  “It’s a means to an end,” she told Bella as she rested her hands on her blanketed stomach. “If it means that this little one is safe and sound, then I’ll keep sitting and let everyone wait on me hand and foot.” She laughed and reached up to take her husband’s hand.

  “You know I’ll go to the ends of the earth for the two of you, babe.” Levi bent down and kissed her on the forehead. It was such a sweet and touching moment, that Bella felt as though she were intruding.

  “They do that all the time.” Stephanie Starz, the movie star, joined her and shook her head with a laugh. “They all do it.” She rolled her eyes but Bella could see that she didn’t really mind. “It’s hard being the only single one around this group.” She groaned but then laughed. “But hey, it’s better than being stuck with someone you shouldn’t be, am I right?”

  Bella had never considered herself the type of person to get star struck, but she found herself at a loss for words with the bubbly, beautiful redhead who she’d only ever seen on the big screen or on magazine covers up until that point. The fact that she’d turned out to be Faith and Hope’s older half-sister, who’d been adopted as a child, was still big news everywhere.

  “You’re not the only single person, Steph.” Jeremy had joined them again. He put his arm around her again as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and they’d been a couple for years, or were even a couple at all.

  “Oh yeah, right.” Stephanie shook her head. “Like you’re single.” She raised an eyebrow and laughed.

  She stiffened a little and laughed along with her new friend. They weren’t a couple.

  She glanced over at Jeremy, who wasn’t laughing, but was watching her with a question in his eyes.

  Or were they?

  “Sleigh bells ring! Are you listening?”

  Even though they were all singing along to the carol, Bella’s voice rang out clearer than the others as the horses pulled the sleigh through the snow. Jeremy was transfixed by Bella’s voice.

  Hell, Jeremy was transfixed by Bella.

  It felt so right to be with her. He’d been a little worried that it would feel strange to be around all his friends with her considering they weren’t really a couple, but it hadn’t. Not even a little bit. In fact, it had felt absolutely perfect. He didn’t want to think about what those feelings meant. Or what it might mean when the holidays were over and Bella went back to the city. She’d laughed when Steph suggested they were a couple. But that didn’t really mean anything.

  It was something they hadn’t discussed yet. And why would they? They’d only been—

  “Your voice is amazing!”

  Jeremy’s train of thought was interrupted by Stephanie. She’d moved herself to the hay bale across from them and had grabbed Bella’s hand, effectively jerking her forward and out of his arms.

  He missed the feel of her next to him, but he couldn’t help but laugh at Stephanie’s gushing.

  “Are you professionally trained? You sound like an—”

  “Angel,” Jeremy couldn’t resist finishing for her. “She does.” He winked at Bella, who grinned.

  “Thank you,” she said to both of them. “I sing in a…well, I…” Her smile twisted into a quick frown before she glanced over at Jeremy and quickly caught herself. “I sing professionally, actually.”

  “Well, you’re amazing. Do you have any originals? Or even better, an album I could listen to?”

  “Steph, leave the poor girl alone,” Logan called across the sleigh. “We have time for one more carol before we get back to the ranch.”

  “How about ‘We Wish you a Merry Christmas’?” someone yelled. A moment later, the whole group was caught up in the tune, and Bella was once again tucked into the crook of his arms.

  It had been a perfect day, as far as he was concerned. The sky was blue and while the sun was out, it had been warm enough for sweaters, especially when they skated on the little rink that had been set up. Now that the sun had gone down, it had cooled off considerably, but Jeremy wasn’t upset about that at all because it meant he could pull up the fleece blanket over their laps and pull Bella even closer to keep warm.

  Under the cover, when her hand slipped to his leg and squeezed his thigh, a jolt of desire shot through him. It was all he could do to keep from pulling her up onto his lap so he could kiss her the way he’d been dying to all day, right then and there.

  He could wait.

  As it turned out, Jeremy had to wait even longer than he’d expected to because when the sleigh ride wrapped up, Levi had a bonfire going in the yard, and they were shuffled along with the rest of them to warm up with a cup of cider next to the fire. It was late by the time they walked through the ranch yard, under the twinkling lights he’d helped to hang, and back into the truck.

  “That was a fun day.” Bella sank back against the seat. “But I’m exhausted.”

  He tried to hide his disappointment, but obviously wasn’t successful at his efforts, judging by Bella’s chuckle.

  “If you’re tired, I’ll take you home, but—”

  “But I’d rather go back to your place.”

  He turned so quickly in his seat, she laughed again. Harder this time.

  “Is that okay?”

  For a split second—but only a split second—Jeremy thought about playing it cool. And then his instincts kicked in and he closed the distance between them and did what he’d been wanting to do all day: kissed her hard and without question as to what his answer was.

  Chapter 7

  Jeremy’s apartment was a third-floor walkup that backed onto the river just off Main Street. It was tastefully, if not simply, decorated and clean. Those were the only details that Bella registered as he unlocked his front door and stepped inside to turn the lights on. He’d barely had a chance to turn around when she was in his arms, kissing him.

  Bella had never been shy when it came to men and getting exactly what she wanted. She’d never had trouble feeling sexually empowered and had no problems initiating as long as it meant she’d get what she wanted. Something about Jeremy felt different, though. With him, she’d been a bit shier than she’d ever been. Maybe it was because they’d known each other when they were kids. She’d been his first kiss. Not hers, though. Billy Johnson had been her first kiss in fourth grade. By the time she was sixteen, she’d kissed a handful of boys. Not enough to make her an expert, by any means. But to fourteen-year-old Jeremy, she had been, and she’d enjoyed playing the role of teacher.

  Now, though, they were all grown up and there was no doubt in Bella’s mind that the experience level betwee
n them had leveled out over the years. Something about that made her a little nervous.

  And excited.

  She pressed him against the wall and kissed him hard while her hands traveled to his chest.

  “This is a very thick jacket.” She struggled with the zipper before he cupped his hands over hers and gently removed them.

  “Let me.” He unzipped his jacket, shrugged it off, and let it land in a heap on the floor. “Better?”

  “Not quite.” Bella bit her lower lip and once again let her hands roam over his body. This time, her hands slid easily over his thick sweater to the hem, where she could lift it up and over his head.

  Damn. He had definitely grown up from the boy he’d been all those years ago.

  She swallowed hard and trailed her fingers over the hard planes of his chest. Jeremy shivered under her touch.

  “Your hands are freezing.” He protested, but made no move to stop her.

  His breathing deepened as his chest rose and fell. His arousal fueled her, and Bella moved her hands to his jeans and the undeniable bulge there. Bella ran her hand over his hardness and Jeremy groaned. “You’re killing me, woman.”

  “In all the best ways, though.”

  “Definitely.” He bit his bottom lip as she deftly slid the leather from his belt buckle.

  Bella took her time unzipping his pants, relishing every moment as she drove him crazier. His breath came faster with every second.

  “Bella.” He growled her name like a warning. A warning she had no intention of heeding.

  With the zipper finally down, she moved her hands—now suitably warmed up—around to his backside and pushed his jeans to the ground. Jeremy stepped out of them and kicked off his boots all in one move, and then he stood before her naked except for his underwear. Bella took a step back to admire the man in front of her. And was there ever a lot to admire.

  Jeremy let her look. But only for a moment before he stepped toward her. “Screw this, Bella.”