Tempting Fate

by Lisa Mondello

  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?

  "Honey, I'm..." She heard her father's voice crack. She tried to choke back her tears, but she just couldn't keep her emotions at bay. It was the first time in seven years hearing her father’s voice. He cleared his throat. “I thought it was about time I called.”

  After all this time, she didn't know what to say. She filled her lungs with air before attempting to speak. "I’m...really glad you did. Did you get the picture of Kristen?"

  His voice suddenly sounded lighthearted. "She's beautiful. She looks just like you."

  "Yeah."

  They were silent for a few agonizing moments. Like with her mother, Lauren feared the awkwardness that plagued them would win out.

  “Ah...how on earth did Kyle track you down?”

  “Kyle. Yes, he seems like a...persistent fellow.”

  She chuckled as a tear rolled down her cheek. “Well, he has that way about him.”

  "He said I should be proud of you, that you're a wonderful mother.”

  She swallowed hard. “I’ve really missed you, Daddy."

  There was silence before he answered again. “Listen, honey, about what happened.”

  "No, Daddy. Let's not talk about that. It was a long time ago. Please, let's just start over." She didn't want to dredge up the past. It was better to leave all the bad feelings where they were and start anew.

  "But you need to know that I never thought it would be like this. I never meant to make you feel we didn't care. It’s just...somewhere along the way I’d forgotten how to reach out to you."

  Hot tears streamed down her face. "I’ve always been here, Daddy."

  She heard his muffled sobs. After a few seconds, her mother got on the line.

  "Lauren?"

  "Yeah, Mom, it's me." She held her hand to her mouth.

  "Is everything okay, sweetheart?"

  She sniffed and wiped her moist cheeks. “It could be. Mom, it’s been so long. I have some time off of work next week and...I’d like to see you and Daddy...if it’s okay."

  “Next week?”

  Lauren held her breath. “Yeah.”

  “I was hoping it could be sooner. That is if you don't mind. Kyle invited us to have Christmas dinner with you there."

  Kyle was as tenacious as ever and she had to laugh at that. "Sounds
like something he'd do."

  Her mother cleared her throat. “Your father and I have talked about it. We won't come if you don't want us to."

  “Oh, I want you to come. Please come. You won't believe how big Kristen is, and I know she'd love to meet you." She gulped back a sob. “We have a lot of catching up to do, don’t you think?”

  "Yes, I think it’s time. I love you, honey."

  Lauren closed her eyes. Simple words that meant so much. "Me, too. I'll see you tomorrow."

  She hung up the phone and took a deep breath. It was a start. One small step that alone they were never able to make. But Kyle had made it possible.

  Looking through the doorway, she saw Kyle was still in the other room talking to Chas. Knowing her makeup was probably all over her face by now, she decided to go upstairs to the guest room and freshen up before talking with him.

  * * *

  "It's good seeing you, buddy," Chas said, slapping Kyle on his back.

  "Me, too. I'm sorry things didn't work out in New

  Jersey." He shrugged uncomfortably.

  Chas waved him off. "At least I don't have to listen to Kim complain about how much she never sees the family anymore."

  As Chas talked about his plans, Kyle glanced through the doorway at Lauren. She stood with her back to him. One hand was on the phone, the other was touching her face. Right then, he would've done anything to know how she'd reacted to her father's telephone call.

  If it hadn't been for Mrs. Hopkins being able to remember that Lauren had come from Syracuse, he never would have been able to track them down. He remembered she mentioned her parents were psychologists. He called every number in the Syracuse phone book until he tracked them down. It took him half the day, but three quarters of the way through the listings, he found them.

  At first, Samuel Alexander was less than enthusiastic about talking to a total stranger about his daughter and refused to speak to him on the phone. But Kyle wouldn’t be put aside. It was much too important to Lauren. If he could help them mend their fences, then it was worth doing anything it took to make it happen. He got in the Jeep and drove all the way to Syracuse to meet with them. Only then did Lauren's parents see how serious he was and finally agreed to talk to him.

  Turning back to Chas, he asked, "Do you have anything lined up yet?"

  Chas shook his head. "With the baby due in a few weeks, I figured I'd just wait until after Kim delivers and help her for a week or so with the girls. I've got my sights set on that property over in Belchertown. You know, the one that was abandoned a few years ago."

  "Yeah, it's been on the market a while."

  "Well, I have some ideas for a re-hab project you might be interested in getting in on. I could use your help putting it together."

  Kyle smiled. It felt like old times. Except now, their partnership had nothing to do with trouble. “When you're ready to talk business, let me know."

  Chas glanced over at his family and smiled with affection. "Fate has a funny way about her, doesn't she?"

  "Are you getting philosophical in your old age?" Kyle teased.

  "Hey, who are you calling old?" Chas gave a mock punch to Kyle's stuffed suit. "Beer belly and white hair. Look at you. You look like hell."

  He laughed along with Chas, but stopped short when the laughter faded. "Do you ever wonder what things would be like for us if we'd never been in that accident?" he asked, suddenly uncomfortably. After all this time, Kyle truly believed they’d gotten past what had happened that awful night. But unlike Chas, Kyle’s life had been turned around for the better. Chas had all his hopes and dreams stripped from him. “You regret losing that scholarship?”

  Chas chuckled, shaking his head. "Hell, no. If I’d gone off like I’d planned, I'd probably be working too many hours, divorced, giving all my money to an ex-wife who'd love spending it."

  "No, seriously."

  "I am. If I could go back and change things, I wouldn't do it. It was fate. If that accident never happened, I never would have met Kim and we wouldn't have what we have." Chas glanced over at Kim, who was sitting on the sofa with a coffee cup on her belly. The kids were gathered all around her, staring intently at her belly until the little bundle inside kicked the cup off. "Kim and the girls are the best thing that ever happened to me. I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. All in all, I’d say I’m truly blessed.”

  Kyle smiled, feeling his heart lift a notch. "I'm really happy for you."

  Chas motioned toward the kitchen. “She seems like she fits right in here. You might want to think about settling down yourself."

  Kyle looked over and saw Lauren was now off the phone.

  “I'm working on it."

  She turned in their direction, and he saw her wiping her cheeks. She was crying. Crying. His heart plummeted as she turned and ran from the kitchen. What had he done?

  Chas shook Kyle's hand. "I've got to get my little princesses home." He lowered his voice. "This Santa has some bicycles to put together before morning. We'll see you soon?"

  "You bet."

  Kyle couldn't wait any longer. He had to find out how things went with Lauren and her parents. Seeing how upset she was, it didn't look good.

  After giving a quick search to the rooms downstairs, he groaned inwardly. She was gone.

  Most all the other guests had either left or were saying good-bye at the door. As he rounded the corner of the family room, he saw Julie and Kristen sitting cross-legged on the floor, playing with the paper dolls they'd gotten as a gift. But he still couldn't find Lauren.

  Why hadn't he listened to her and stayed out of this business with her parents like she asked? After he’d hung up the phone with them this afternoon and learned that they'd agreed to make amends, he was sure he'd made the right decision in going to see them. They were finally willing to try to work out their problems. It seemed like everything was going his way.

  Now he wasn't so sure. Maybe he'd just made matters worse.

  # # #

  Chapter Eleven

  Lauren pulled the flowered comforter up to Kristen's chin and kissed her cheek. "Did you have a good time tonight?"

  Kristen nodded, already half asleep.

  She kissed her goodnight and flicked off the light on the nightstand before lightly walking across the room. She started to close the bedroom door when she saw Kristen's bolt upright in bed. From the light streaming in from the hall, she saw how wide and luminous her little girl's eyes were, searching for the answers to something as if it lay heavy on her mind. She swung the door open again. "What is it, hon?"

  "Do you think Santa Claus will really be able to find us here?" Kristen asked.

  Lauren immediately felt a lump in her throat, but tried to appear nonchalant when she answered. "Yes, of course. He already saw you here tonight, didn't he?"

  "Mommy, that was Kyle," Kristen replied, whispering as if she didn't want anyone else to hear.

  "Oh, well..." She padded across the floor and eased herself down on the mattress next to Kristen. "Then I guess I'm just going to have to call Santa and tell him where we are."

  The skeptical look on Kristen's face told Lauren that she wasn't sure of that answer, either.

  Lauren decided to try another approach. "There is going to be a special surprise for you tomorrow."

  Kristen perked up. "You mean Santa is really going to bring me a daddy?"

  Her smile was so bright, it made Lauren's heart ache. She'd been ready to tell Kristen that she would meet her grandparents for the first time. Lauren had always talked of her parents and kept their picture displayed. Kristen would periodically ask questions about her grandparents, but tomorrow they would become real to her. It was what Lauren had dreamed of for so long.

  But that was not what Kristen truly wanted.

  This thing with Kyle was so brand new. There was no telling where it would lead them. Lauren wanted to give it all she had to give. But having a relationship with Kyle didn't mean Kristen would get her Christmas wish f
or a daddy. She only hoped that come Christmas morning, Kristen wouldn't be too disappointed.

  "Honey, I don't think that's possible."

  Kristen's eyelids drooped and her lips pouted. "I know," she said softly. "Santa Claus already told me all the daddy's were taken."

  Lauren heaved a sigh and tried to sound cheerful. "I know there will be something special from Santa tomorrow morning. But you can't get your present if you don't go to sleep."

  Instead of questioning her mother again, Kristen gave an idle nod and lay her head back down on the feather pillow. Lauren kissed her on the forehead and left the room.

  A few minutes later, she pranced into the living room to join Will and Judy, who were already setting up their Santa display.

  "I hope you don't mind, we already started," Judy said. "No matter what time they go to bed, Julie and Scotty will be up at the crack of dawn."

  Will chuckled, fatigue pulling at his features. "And so will the rest of the house." He pointed to the cardboard box sitting next to the sofa. "Kyle carried your box in for you."

  Lauren felt giddy with delight. The living room, like the rest of the home, was beautifully decorated. Stockings hung along the stone fireplace, each one embroidered with the names of all the family members. She smiled when she saw that Judy had added stockings for her and Kristen. Earlier, Kristen had been quick to point out that she recognized her name next to Julie's. The tree was still lit with tiny white lights and literally covered with glass ornaments. The formal appearance of this tree was a sharp contrast to the one they'd decorated at her apartment just days before. But it held its own unique charm. Beneath the tree, Judy and Will placed packages wrapped in every imaginable color and design.

  A rendition of I'll Be Home for Christmas by Johnnie Mathis played softly on the stereo. Lauren filled Kristen's stocking with the few odds and ends she'd purchased and swallowed a large lump in her throat. For the first time in years, Lauren felt as if she were part of a family. And tomorrow would bring her closer to her own.

  She started to tie the big red satin bow she'd purchase at the linen store around the dollhouse and stopped. Looking around the room and down the hall, she realized something, or rather someone, was missing. It just didn't seem right setting up the dollhouse without Kyle. After all, he was the one who made this gift possible. Where was he?