by Nola Cross
He thought about the worries she’d expressed earlier. Were they asking for trouble by dating across racial boundaries?
No. How could it be wrong when every fiber of his being vibrated with the rightness of it?
“What are you thinking about?” she asked, trailing her fingers across his chest.
I love you, Sunny.
As the unexpected words pushed against his lips he bit them back. It was way too soon to have such deep feelings for her, wasn’t it? They’d only known each other a couple of weeks.
“Just savoring these last few minutes, lying here with you.”
“Uh-huh. I don’t want the night to end either.”
“When can I see you again?”
She considered for a moment, her restless fingers stilling. “Would you and Spencer like to come for dinner on Christmas Eve? I usually make something traditional. Maybe a ham or even a turkey? Which do you like best?”
“Either one. Tell me what to bring.”
“How about a nice bottle of wine and a green salad?”
“We’ll be there.”
Chapter 9
Sunny’s hands trembled as she lit the pair of red tapers in the floral centerpiece. She glanced at her watch yet again. Ben and Spencer were now five minutes late. You could hardly classify that as late. She should just try to be calm. Still, her heart pounded erratically as she surveyed the table one last time.
Everything was perfect. Deep green tablecloth with the red and green checked runner, the centerpiece of white mums, fir sprigs, and red candles. Each place at the table set with her best white china, linen napkins, and crystal glassware. As the wicks flared fully to life, sparkling light reflected off every shiny surface.
She turned to the gilt framed mirror at one end of the room and checked her hair and makeup again. She’d gone all out—eye makeup, earrings, and upswept hair. Was it too much? Would Ben think she was trying too hard?
No, it was all right to dress up. This was Christmas. What was wrong with her anyway? Why was she second guessing herself about every little thing?
She turned sideways, assessing her profile, sucking in her belly as best she could. The simple black sheath was snug, making her breasts and hips more prominent. Would Ben like that? A little pang of arousal washed through her. That had been happening regularly since last Friday night, every time she remembered his hands moving on her body, his lips branding her skin.
It had been, without exception, the loveliest night of her life. Almost too good to be true. She had found herself responding to his ardor with a degree of passion and fearlessness she’d never experienced before. She’d been bold, daring to play the games of a seductress she’d always yearned to try.
It seemed at the time that Ben had thoroughly enjoyed himself as well. But how could she be sure? Any moment now, he would walk through that door. Their eyes would meet. What would she see in his? Approval? Desire? Or disinterest?
Oh God! What if he wouldn’t look at her at all?
Her belly dipped.
What if he didn’t come?
“Sunny?” From the back door, his voice echoed through the house. Her heart leaped.
“Coming!”
She saw Spencer first as he rushed into the dining room. “Hi, Sunny. Here’s some nuts. Where’s Jasmine?”
Chuckling, she took the can of almonds he held out. “Thank you. Those look delicious. Jasmine’s in her room. Go on in.”
When she got to the kitchen, Ben was already there, concentrating on removing an assortment of wine bottles from a brown paper bag. A covered salad bowl sat on the counter. For a moment, Sunny thought she might faint. Why didn’t he look at her?
“Wow. Three different wines? That ought to hold us.” Her voice shook.
“I wasn’t sure if we were having ham or turkey, so I got both white and red. And a bottle of champagne for good measure. Let’s get these two in the fridge.”
He handed her the bottles, finally making eye contact. His eyes widened as he took in her appearance. Then he grinned.
“God, Sunny. You look good enough to eat.”
Relief flooded her as he came to her, sliding his hands around her waist with all the familiarity she had hoped for. He pulled her close and claimed her lips. Where their bodies met, she felt the unmistakable bulge of his erection.
“See what you do to me, woman?” His breath was warm against her ear. “I can hardly think of anything but you.”
As she melted into his embrace, Sunny was filled with a sense of joy and hope she hadn’t felt in years. Being back in Ben’s arms felt like being home.
“I’ve missed you too,” she said. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas.” He kissed her again, his tongue finding its way into her waiting mouth. His hands stroked down her body, cupping her butt, bringing her up hard against him.
She pushed her hips into his. Within seconds she felt her panties dampen with fresh desire.
“You think Peggy might be available tonight?”
She giggled. “It’s Christmas Eve, so I doubt it.”
“A guy can dream, can’t he?”
* * * *
It was a wonderful meal, the turkey juicy and tender, with cornbread stuffing, potatoes and gravy, yams, and homemade cranberry sauce. She’d made both pumpkin and chocolate cream pie as well. He had a slice of each. By the time he was done, he’d had to undo the button on his slacks.
He sipped at his coffee, letting his eyes rest on Sunny’s lovely face, enjoying a feeling of contentment he would have thought beyond his reach a month ago.
“Can we be excused, please?” Jasmine asked.
“Hold on a minute. Wait here.” All eyes looked at him expectantly as he left the room. When he returned moments later, the children shrieked with glee at the wrapped packages he held in his hands. He passed one box to each child.
“Can we unwrap them right now?”
“Okay with you, Sunny?” he asked.
She nodded.
The children tore the paper away from their gifts. He’d given Spencer a remote control car. It was an instant hit. “I already put batteries in it. Take it into the hallway where you won’t run into anything, okay? And make sure you give Jasmine a turn.”
Meanwhile, Jasmine was oohing and ahhing over the WonderTales Pony grooming set he’d bought her.
“Oh,” she said, examining the array of tiny brushes, combs, and bows. “I hope Santa remembers to bring me my pony. Do you think he’ll remember what I want, Mama?”
“I’m sure he will.” Sunny winked at Ben, giving him a surreptitious thumbs-up sign.
“Here’s yours.” He moved her plate and cup aside and set the heavy package in front of her.
“What can it be?”
“Open it.”
Sunny peeled away the paper, revealing the bright red metal tool box. Her face was a study in bewilderment.
“You told me you didn’t have any tools, remember?” He unlocked the box and showed her the contents. “See? Here’s a hammer made to fit a woman’s hand. Standard household wrench set. Screwdrivers. Flashlight. Even a selection of nails and screws.”
“What, no saw?” she joked.
“If you need to cut any trees, you can borrow mine.”
“This is really nice, Ben. Thank you.”
“Check out that box of finish nails there.”
Bemused, she opened the tiny box. He watched her face change as she discovered what was inside. Her eyes lit up with pleasure and surprise.
“A charm bracelet! It’s so pretty!” She studied each of the three silver charms.
“The slice of pizza commemorates our lunch at Mr. Toad’s. They didn’t have a waffle pizza charm.”
She laughed. “This little tree must be for the trip to the tree farm.”
“Yep.”
“And this tiny candle?”
Their eyes met and held.
“For the way you looked last Friday night. I never want to forget.”
“Let me see, Mama.” Sunny passed the bracelet to Jasmine, who examined it with care. “I like it,” she said, passing it back.
“Will you help me put it on, Ben?”
He stood next to her, her nearness and her subtle fragrance playing havoc with his senses. After he’d managed to fasten the clasp, he grasped her hand and kissed the back of it. The kids didn’t seem to notice.
Sunny’s eyes were molten gold as he let her hand slip away. “I have something for you guys too. It’s nothing as wonderful as this bracelet though.”
She passed a small box to Spencer first. He ripped the paper off and exclaimed over the bug catching set. “Cool. Look at this magnifying glass. I can see every speck of pumpkin pie on the tablecloth.” Both children crowded in to get a look.
“This is for you.”
Ben took the small envelope, decorated with a clever drawing of a pie with steam curling up from the crust. Inside were twelve hand-lettered coupons, each good for one month of Sunny’s Homemade Pie-of-the-Month club. He chuckled. “That’s very thoughtful. Spencer and I will look forward to cashing these in.”
His heart sang. Did this mean she was committing to being a part of his life for at least the next twelve months? He could almost imagine the next year unfolding, one pie at a time, making Sunny and Jasmine more and more dear to him.
They almost didn’t hear the doorbell above the children’s happy chatter and the sound of the RC car on its maiden run down the hardwood hallway.
“Who could that be?” Sunny started for the living room, but before she was even out of the room, they all heard a man’s voice bellow, “Sunny? Sunny?”
Sunny’s face blanched. She turned startled eyes to Ben. “Charles!” she hissed.
Obviously her ex-husband had seen fit to let himself in. Ben felt a hot, protective anger rise in his chest. He put his arm out to prevent Sunny from moving forward as the man he remembered from Pioneer Square sashayed into the room. He carried several wrapped boxes. He stopped short, his eyes widening in surprise as he stared at Ben.
“You! What are you doing in my house?”
“It’s not your house anymore, Charles. I knew I should have had the locks changed.” Sunny’s voice shook with anger. Her body trembled against Ben’s restraining hand.
“Daddy?” Jasmine appeared at the hallway door, her eyes huge.
“Baby!” Charles knelt down and set the packages on the floor. He held out his arms to her. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”
Jasmine threw herself into her father’s embrace. “I knew you wouldn’t forget me. I knew it!” A radiant smile transformed her face.
“Of course I didn’t, baby. Now you take these presents and go put them under the tree. No peeking until morning, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy.” She gathered up the boxes in her arms and left the room.
Charles rose and faced them both again.
“That was very nice of you, Charles,” Sunny said.
“I know how to do right by my child. My child.” His eyes narrowed to slits. He glared at Ben for a moment, then turned to Sunny. “Girl, what you doing with this white guy?”
She glanced over at Ben and almost imperceptibly shook her head. Ben frowned.
“Ben and I are friends. The kids play together.”
“So you’re not fucking him, then?”
Sunny gasped. “That’s not your business.”
“I don’t know. It might be. I just might be moving home.”
“Moving home?” A look of stunned confusion crossed her face.
Jasmine came back in the room just at that moment. “Yes! Oh, yes!” She began to jump up and down. “Daddy’s back! Daddy’s back!”
“What about Sharina?” Sunny crossed her arms over her chest.
“I sent that girl packin’. She won’t be back if she knows what’s good for her.”
“Really?” Sunny’s tone of disbelief was lost on the man.
“That’s right. As of today, Charles Williamson is a free man.”
“Daddy’s back! You hear that, Mama?” Jasmine danced around the room, clapping her little hands.
Sunny grasped her head with both hands, turning to face him. “Ben, I’m sorry, but I need to ask you to go.”
“Are you sure?” An ache started in his chest. “You’ll be okay?” He glared pointedly at the other man.
She nodded. “I’ll call you soon. Okay? I’m sorry. Merry Christmas.”
No one spoke as he went into the hallway and rounded Spencer up. They gathered their gifts and their coats and went out through the kitchen door. He half expected Sunny to come running after him, but no one tried to stop him as he buckled a subdued Spencer into his car seat and headed for home.
Chapter 10
“Dad, wake up. Wake up, Dad.”
Ben opened one eye and managed a weak smile at his son, who leaned in close, his breath warm on Ben’s face. “Good morning, buddy.” The bedside clock read a few minutes past six.
“It’s Christmas morning, Dad. I checked the tree. It looks like Santa came. Can I go look in my stocking?” His little body was gyrating with eagerness.
“Sure. But don’t unwrap anything under the tree until I get there. Understand?”
“Yes. Okay. Hurry up!”
Ben couldn’t help but grin as Spencer zoomed out the door. What he wouldn’t give for even a quarter of that bright energy this morning. He swung his legs over and sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for the pounding in his head to die down. He probably should not have had those two stiff whiskeys last night, but it was the only way he could stop the incessant movie running through his head: the scene in Sunny’s dining room replayed there in an endless loop.
Groaning under his breath, Ben pulled on his robe and located his slippers, then headed for the bathroom. A splash or two of cold water on his face and a couple of ibuprofen and he was chipper enough to face the coffeemaker.
Five minutes later he settled on the couch in the family room with the first cup out of the pot. “Okay, pal. You can open one at a time. But make sure I get a look at the tag first.”
As Spencer tore through each package in a flurry of ribbon and paper, Ben jotted down who they were from. Stan and Kathy had sent additional presents, mostly clothing, and his own parents had set aside gifts before they left on their jaunt. His sister Carol had sent an electric train set. There was even a box of building blocks from Corinne’s brother. He’d have to make sure to send thank you notes. He and Spencer would do them together next week.
Planning ahead for the father-son activity felt good, like an anchor in a sea of bleakness. Maybe they could see a movie or two. There were always kids’ movies playing at Christmastime. And he’d been meaning to take the boy bowling as well. Ben mulled over the possibilities, doing the best he could to block all thoughts of Sunny out of his mind.
Suddenly he realized that Spencer was standing in front of him.
“Aren’t you going to open yours, Dad?”
“Oh, yeah. Thanks.” He took the shirt box Spencer handed him. Inside was a blue sweater from his mom. There was a box of golf balls and tees from his dad—he hadn’t played golf in years—and from Stan and Kathy some cologne that was actually quite nice. He splashed some on, wondering idly whether Sunny would like it. Then he shoved the thought away.
“Can I play with my RC car now?”
“Sure. I’ll make us some cereal and toast in a few minutes, okay?”
Ben gathered all the shredded paper and stuck it in the fireplace. Then he added some kindling and a couple of logs and got the fire going. It made the room seem a bit more festive, making up some for the sudden dearth of bright packages under the forlorn looking tree.
He headed for his room and pulled on jeans and the new sweater. Then his gaze fell on the dresser where he’d left the envelope of pie coupons. He swallowed hard, trying valiantly not to think about what might be happenin
g at Sunny’s house this morning. But the images whirled through his mind like a sandstorm, wearing away his resolve. He gave in and fell back on the bed, cradling his head in his hands. His gaze strayed over the bumps and ridges in the plaster ceiling as he finally allowed himself to imagine the worst.
Once he and Spencer had been out of the way, had she welcomed Charles home? The man had certainly acted as if he intended to stay. With Jasmine so thrilled at her father’s return, could he really blame Sunny if she took him back and gave him another chance? Maybe the guy had learned his lesson and would treat his wife and daughter better this time.
As he let those thoughts trickle in, a dark anger boiled up in him. Both Sunny and Jasmine deserved better than Charles. It didn’t take a genius to see the man was an immature user at best. And he’d left Sunny—gorgeous, sexy Sunny—with a completely undeserved inferiority complex about her body.
Did she take Charles back into her bed last night?
The blood roared in his ears as he imagined the woman he loved being touched by another man. Being violated by a scummy guy who didn’t deserve to kiss the ground she walked on.
What the hell? What was wrong with him? Why am I lying here miserable instead of telling Sunny how much she means to me?
He’d lived on the dark edge of deep despair for nearly two years. Sunny had pulled him back from there with her kindness and warmth and beauty. He wasn’t about to lose his chance for happiness without putting up one hell of a fight.
He threw on shoes and a jacket and ran downstairs. He found Spencer still in his pajamas, pouring cold cereal into a bowl at the kitchen counter.
“Go get dressed, buddy. We’re going to Jasmine’s house.”
“All right!”
Five minutes later they were bundled into the SUV. Throwing the stick into reverse, he began to back out of the driveway. He’d almost reached the street when Sunny’s blue station wagon zipped in behind him. Stunned, he watched in his rearview mirror as she parked, got out, and walked up to his window. He rolled it down.