Holiday Homecoming Secrets

by Lynette Eason

  Jade closed her eyes for a brief second. When she opened them, Heather’s granite features hadn’t changed. “You know Heather’s been going through a tough time. We’ll be here a while. I don’t want you to miss out on your lunch with your cousin.” Don’t give me away, Tom, please. “Why don’t you do that and come back. It’s going to bug me to death if I’m the reason you miss out.”

  For a moment, he didn’t answer, and she wondered if he’d remind her that it was his wife and kids he’d planned to lunch with, not a cousin. Then he sighed. “All right, if you’re sure. You know Darryl should be here any time now. You want me to let him know not to come?”

  “Yes, please. Heather can take me home. She’ll have my back while you have a nice steak.”

  “Right. Talk to you soon.”

  She disconnected and noted the three missed calls.

  “Who’s been calling you?” Heather asked.

  “Bryce.”

  “Gotten chummy with him, haven’t you? I suppose he’s in love with you, too.”

  The venom in those words slapped Jade in the face. “I never really knew you at all, did I?” she asked. “It must have been so very hard being my partner and pretending to be my friend all this time, but I have to say, you’ve given an outstanding performance.”

  Heather’s expression never changed. “Is he gone?”

  Jade glanced out the window. “Yes.”

  “Throw your phone over here.”

  She tightened her fingers around the device, then tossed it onto the sofa.

  “Only you would send away your only hope of rescue,” Heather said. Her finger tightened, and Jade dove behind the kitchen counter, pulling her weapon from her shoulder holster as she rolled. The crack of Heather’s service weapon rang through the house. “I’ve got my gun out,” Jade shouted, “and I will shoot you. Put it down!”

  “Not a chance.” Another shot. One of anger as there wasn’t any way that she could have hit Jade.

  “How could you, Heather? We were friends. All four of us. You killed Frank and now you’re going to kill me? Bryce is going to figure it out once he reads the journal. Are you going to kill him, too?”

  “Don’t talk to me about Frank. Do you know he actually said he cared about me and hoped I’d find someone to love me like I deserved to be loved—and that he had to find you and tell you what he’d done and how he felt? And then he was going to ask your forgiveness.” A harsh bark of laughter slipped from Heather, and Jade frowned. “I was the one he should have been begging forgiveness from.”

  “So, what now, Heather? How long can we stay like this?”

  “As long as it takes. Because whoever comes to the door looking for you is going to get a bullet.”

  “Bryce knows I’m here.”

  “Then Bryce will die unless we’re gone before he gets here.”

  Jade drew in a deep breath and knew she was stuck. She wouldn’t put Bryce at risk. Mia needed at least one of them alive. Anger coursed through her at the lives Heather had already turned upside down—and the lives she’d continue to upend if she managed to kill Jade. Even if she was caught and found guilty, Jade would still be dead.

  “Jade? I’m not playing around. Slide your gun out here and walk to the front door.”

  Hearing the resolve in Heather’s voice, Jade knew there was no way she was letting Bryce walk in and be confronted by the woman’s bullets. She sent up a prayer. “Fine. Let’s go.” She sent her weapon skidding across the plywood and stood, holding her hands where Heather could see them.

  She connected her gaze to Heather’s and found no softening of the woman’s resolve. Scrambling for a plan, she walked to the front door, and Heather fell into step behind her. Jade didn’t have to turn to see the gun still pointed at her back.

  Heather stayed close, and Jade figured she was using Jade’s body to hide the weapon in case one of her neighbors decided to look out a window. Heather had parked her small Honda in the driveway since she kept a lot of her art supplies in the one-car garage, and with each step toward the vehicle, Jade knew she was going to have to do something.

  A horn blasted behind her and she whirled, kicked out and caught Heather’s arm with the side of her foot. Heather hollered and went to her knees while the gun spun away from her. Jade lunged and slammed an elbow into Heather’s head. The woman screamed but didn’t lose her balance. Instead, she threw her body forward and wrapped her hand around the weapon.

  “Jade!”

  From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Bryce moving toward her. Time slowed as Heather turned, lifted the weapon and aimed it at Jade. Jade froze, her senses on hyperalert. Movement to her left. A blur flashed in front of her, then slammed into her. She registered the crack of the gun in Heather’s hand as the air in her lungs whooshed out.

  Another pop from behind her and Heather went down screaming and holding her left shoulder.

  “Stay down! Stay down!” Tom’s harsh order reached her.

  From underneath the heavy body on top of hers, Jade could see Tom approaching, his weapon still aimed at Heather.

  With Tom covering Heather, Jade scrambled out from beneath the crushing weight, heart pounding, blood rushing in her veins. “Bryce!”

  He coughed and groaned. Jade ran her hands over him, looking for the bullet wound. His hand covered hers. “Got the vest,” he wheezed.

  Jade jumped to her feet to see Heather going after the weapon she’d dropped.

  “I said stay down!” Tom stopped his approach, and Jade knew she had only a millisecond to act.

  She threw herself between Heather and Tom’s gun. “Don’t shoot her!” Then lunged and punched the woman in her wounded shoulder.

  Heather screeched and went down. Jade grabbed the weapon and tossed it out of reach, then flipped Heather on her stomach.

  Tom hurried to her side and clapped the handcuffs around Heather’s wrists. Jade looked up at him. “Thank you.”

  He glared. “I understood something was wrong when you said cousin. That was smart. However, getting between Heather and me was just plain stupid. I almost shot you.”

  “I know, but I couldn’t let you do it.”

  His frown deepened, but his eyes flashed understanding. “Ambulance is on the way.”

  “Good. I’m going to check on Bryce.” She scrambled back to him to find him breathing and staring at the sky. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, just trying to catch my breath.”

  She dropped her head to his shoulder. “How’d you know to honk the horn?”

  “The way Heather was walking with you. I knew she had a gun on you.”

  “You saved my life.”

  His arm stole around her. “I had to. Because I can’t imagine living without you. Or even Mia now. Tell me you’ll give me a chance to be the kind of father she deserves. I’ll do my best to be worthy of her.”

  Jade kissed him. Hard and swift and with all of the love her heart held for him. “There’s nothing I want more. I love you, Bryce.”

  He hugged her tight. “I don’t deserve you,” he whispered.

  Paramedics descended, and Jade waved them away still lying across Bryce’s chest. “Check Heather first.”

  “We’ve got paramedics on her. Heard your hero here took a bullet.”

  “To the vest,” Jade said.

  “Ma’am, let us check him out, please.”

  Bryce gripped her fingers. “We’re not done discussing things,” he said softly.

  “Okay.”

  She moved away, her heart full for the moment. Bryce hadn’t said he loved her, but it had been in his eyes. She turned her attention to Heather who lay handcuffed to the gurney.

  Just that fast, her emotion flipped into despair. Anger. Betrayal. The paramedics wheeled their patient toward the ambulance while two officers followed. One would rid
e in the back with her and the EMT.

  Heather met her gaze for a brief moment, then looked away. Jade let out a slow breath and turned to find Bryce next to her. He placed an arm across her shoulders and kissed her temple. “It’s over,” he said. “She killed Frank, didn’t she?”

  “Yes.”

  “And she was behind all the attempts on your life?”

  “She was.”

  “I read some of Frank’s journal,” he said, “and I’ll be honest, based on what he wrote, I think Heather needs help more than prison.”

  “We’ll make sure she gets the mental health services, but I don’t think there’s anything we can do to keep her out of prison.”

  “Probably not.”

  “What about you? Are you all right?”

  “I’ve been cleared. Bruised, but not broken.”

  “You threw yourself in front of that bullet she meant for me,” Jade said, her voice thick.

  “And I’d do it all over again as long as it meant keeping you safe.”

  He wanted to be a father to Mia and he’d taken a bullet for Jade. She was pretty sure that meant he loved her. The question was, would he admit it?

  * * *

  Even through all of the chaos and the interruptions, Bryce still heard Jade’s voice ringing in his mind. “I love you, Bryce,” she’d said. Four words that had thrilled him and scared him to death all at the same time. He was willing to admit he loved her, too, and little Mia had already wormed her way into his heart. In spite of his yearning to be her father, the doubts about his ability to be the kind of father she needed wanted to cripple him.

  Jade squeezed his hand, and he returned the pressure. “Let’s go,” he said.

  “Where?”

  “Someplace peaceful where we can talk without interruptions.”

  She smiled. “I know just the place. Let me call Mom and Dad and tell them they can come home. Then we can go.”

  Two hours later, after promising to give their statements in the morning, Bryce rode Caesar, a beautiful paint with a sweet temperament, and followed Jade to the top of the hill on her parents’ property. When she pulled her horse to a stop, he did the same and took in the view. A manmade lake at the bottom of the hill rippled in the wind. Snow covered the rest of the area, but he could almost picture how it would look in the spring. Rolling green meadows, blue skies, wildflowers and trees. “Wow.”

  “I know. This is the most peaceful place on earth, I do believe.”

  “I won’t argue that.” He dismounted, then helped her down even though she didn’t need his assistance. He turned her to face him. “Jade, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. A lot.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  A slight smile pulled at the corners of his lips. “I know I come with a lot of baggage. Some days, I’ll admit, I don’t even feel like a complete man because of my leg.”

  A gasp slipped from her. “I hope you know that’s not true.”

  “I do. Mentally. But sometimes my self-pity outweighs my common sense. I can be moody and snarky when that happens.” He swallowed and looked away. “I don’t know if you understand what that entails.”

  “I think I have a pretty good idea. I can be that way myself. Everyone can. Life isn’t all about smiles and good times—although it’s necessary to have those. But it’s also knowing you can count on the people you’re doing life with, you know?”

  He nodded, then pulled her close to kiss her. A sweet, cherished melding of lips and hearts. After a moment, he lifted his head. “I love you, Jade. With everything in me. I think it’s only fair that you know that.”

  “Why do I hear a but in there?”

  “Only a faint one. I don’t want to live my life in fear—or regret not taking chances. I don’t want to look back in twenty years wishing I’d done something different. I want a life with you and Mia. I know my PTSD worries you, but if you can bring yourself to trust me—”

  She pressed cold fingers to his lips. “I trust you. I trust you with my life. The one you saved not too long ago.” A shudder rippled through her at the thought, and he hugged her close, relishing her nearness. A little surprised she wasn’t pushing him away. “So, can we tell Mia?”

  “As soon as they get home.” She glanced at her phone. “Which will be any minute now.”

  They rode the horses back to the house, and Bryce saw the Harrises’ vehicle in the drive. His heart pounded, and anticipation made his hands sweat in spite of the chilly weather.

  Mia must have been watching for them, because she burst from the door in an all-out run, launching herself at Jade as soon as her feet were on the ground. “Mama, we’re back!”

  “I see that.”

  Mia turned to Bryce. “I’m glad you’re here, too.”

  Bryce could only stare. This beautiful little girl was his.

  “Bryce?” Jade asked. “You okay?”

  He cleared his throat. “Yeah. I’m okay.”

  Jade smiled. “Let’s go in the barn and have a chat.”

  “Mr. Bryce, too?”

  “Yeah,” Jade said, “Mr. Bryce, too.”

  Once in the barn, Jade and Bryce tied up their horses and quickly pulled the tack from them, then sent them out into the pasture. Jade pulled Mia into her arms and kissed her forehead. Bryce decided he’d never tire of watching the two of them together. The three of them sat on the large hay bales overlooking the land.

  “Mia,” Jade said, “you know how you’ve asked me about your daddy and how you wanted to meet him?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Well, what would you say if I told you Mr. Bryce was your daddy?”

  Mia’s eyes went round and she turned her gaze on Bryce. “You’re my daddy?”

  “I am.”

  Mia wiggled out of Jade’s arms and turned to stand in front of him. “Are you really and truly?”

  “Really and truly.” Bryce couldn’t help the huskiness in his voice.

  “Are you going to be here for Christmas?”

  He lifted his gaze and locked it on Jade’s. “I’m planning on it.”

  “Cool.” She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “Will you take me fishing?”

  Bryce let out a laugh. “Fishing? Sure.”

  “And will you put the squirmy worm on the hook?”

  “Absolutely.”

  She grinned. “You’re a real daddy. Real daddies put the gross worm on the hook for their little girls.”

  Bryce wasn’t sure whether to laugh or not. He caught Jade’s gaze once more and saw tears standing in her eyes. As well as a good dose of humor. She smiled and swiped a stray tear. Bryce held his arms out to Mia, and she let him pick her up. “I’ll bait any hook you want, kiddo.”

  She kissed his cheek. “I’m glad you’re my daddy.”

  “I am, too, Mia.”

  And then he couldn’t speak as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him, but Jade slipped a shoulder under his arm, and he held her close while dropping a kiss on Mia’s head.

  Finally, he managed to push words past his tight throat. “I thought I knew what I wanted and what I didn’t want, Jade. The truth is, I had no idea what I really wanted until you told me Mia was mine.”

  “And this is what you wanted?”

  “This is exactly what I wanted. And I’m beyond blessed to have it.” He kissed her while Mia giggled. “I just have one thing left to say.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I love you.”

  EPILOGUE

  Christmas Morning

  Jade slipped down the stairs of her parents’ house, her bare feet silent on the cold hardwood, but relishing the feel of it under her toes.

  The Christmas tree stood tall in the den, decorated with strands of popcorn and homemade decorations.

  She walked over and looked out the window.
Her home was gone. First burned, then bulldozed to leave a clean slate for a new building. She should feel devastated, but right now, she simply felt blessed and thankful to be alive. And doubly thankful that her family was safe and here to celebrate this beautiful day with her.

  It had snowed last night, and the world of white in the predawn morning greeted her.

  Warm hands slid over her shoulders and she smiled, leaning back into Bryce’s arms. “How was the guest bed mattress?”

  “Comfortable and warm. I appreciate your parents for letting me use it. I really didn’t want Mia to beat me to the tree.”

  She laughed and turned to see Sasha sniff at the gifts under the tree, then lumber over to her gigantic bed near the fireplace. “Sasha feels right at home, doesn’t she?”

  “Of course.”

  She turned. “I love you, Bryce.”

  A sheen coated his eyes for a moment before he blinked. “I love you too, Jade.”

  Her heart stuttered with gladness before settling down to beat a little faster.

  “So, I have a question for you.”

  Butterflies swirled in her stomach. “What’s that?” she asked. He dropped to one knee and Jade sucked in a deep breath. “Bryce...are you doing what I think you’re doing?” she whispered.

  “Shush, you’ll make me mess up the moment.”

  “I’m shushed.”

  He grinned and gripped her fingers. “So,” he said, “here goes.”

  “Here goes what?” Just ask already! She kept the shout between pressed lips, but the yes was already forming.

  “Will you marry me? In spite of my insecurities and doubts? Because while I may have those about myself, the one thing I know for sure is that I don’t want to face the future without you and Mia.”

  She kissed him. Long and hard and until they were both breathless.

  When she pulled away, she had to blink to see through the tears.

  He swallowed. “Um...so, can I take that as a yes?”

  She laughed. “Yes.” The word finally burst from her. “Absolutely.”

  “That was very decisive. Like you know exactly what you want.”

  “I do. I want you.”