THE BENNETTS' CHRISTMAS (The Bennett Family and the Masters Family Book 6)

by Brenda Jackson

  He stood. “I don’t accept your apology, Monica, since there’s no need for you to make one. You followed your heart. Unfortunately, doing so took you away from me. Goodbye.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  WHEN LANDON TURNED TO walk out the door, Monica knew she had lost him, truly lost him. The raw emotion in his voice sent a wave of sorrow rushing through to her soul because she knew his pain. She’d felt it. But his pain was pain she’d caused.

  Although she wanted to fight for him, to hold on to his love, she didn’t really know how. No man had ever told her he loved her the way he had, not just in words but in deeds.

  Still, she had to do something to win him back. She believed he still loved her, but evidently, he thought she didn’t love him back. She had to get through to him. She had to.

  “I do love you, Landon.”

  Her words stopped him. It took a moment, but he slowly turned around. The angry look on his face surprised her. “I don’t think you know what love is, Monica. If you did, you would have realized that when two people love each other, they can work out any issues that might come up between them. I never told you to give up your dreams for me, nor do I recall demanding that you have my baby before you were thirty-five. You told me more than once that you didn’t give a damn about any biological clock ticking and I got that. Yet, I fell in love with you anyway.”

  “And I fell in love with you, too! I was just confused that last night on the cruise, Landon. I honestly didn’t believe you could love me, not really. But I’ve had some time to think this past week and you know what I’ve come to realize?”

  He threw his head back and looked up at the ceiling a moment before looking back at her. “No, what?”

  “I realized that getting my PhD means nothing if you’re not there cheering me on, telling me how proud you are of me for achieving it. And you are wrong about the cruise. It meant much more to me than getting my next orgasm. You made the cruise special. You will never know how much I looked forward to spending every day—and night—with you.”

  Monica swallowed hard, feeling tears gather in her eyes. “I do love you, Landon, but I was scared. I saw how my biological father treated my mother and I didn’t want that. So I was very cautious about who I gave my love to. I wanted to make sure I was prepared to look after myself just in case the man I chose wasn’t who I thought he was, leaving me high and dry. I wanted to be an educated woman who had it together. A woman who didn’t need a man, even if she might want one.”

  She swiped at her tears. “What I didn’t realize at the time was that I’d never have to worry about those things with you. To you, forever actually means forever. I don’t want to lose that, Landon. I don’t want to lose you. I love you so much. Please believe that.”

  A part of Landon wanted to turn around and continue walking out the door, but something was happening to him. Love was thawing out his heart. She’d been right when she said he still loved her. He hadn’t been able to deny it. Another thing he couldn’t deny was the fact that he had missed her. He had missed being with her—sharing time, sharing thoughts and ideas. And during those times when they’d made love, he had shared himself as well as sharing passion.

  “Landon, please give me another chance. The only way I can be happy is if I have you in my life.”

  He stared into her eyes, needing to see if her words were sincere. In her dark eyes, he saw it—love. She had meant every single thing she’d said. The tears streaming down her cheeks, unheeded, sealed the deal for him. She loved him. Now what was he going to do about it?

  Landon took a couple steps toward her, then stopped. Because she was suddenly moving toward him, racing across the room to throw herself in his arms. And he caught her, held her. Then he whispered, “I love you.”

  His words made her cry harder and he pulled her in tight to his body. When moments passed, and her crying hadn’t yet let up, he leaned back and bracketed her face in his hands. “Why all the tears, sweetheart?”

  “Because I thought I had lost you. I wanted to believe that you still loved me, but I didn’t know for sure. I was afraid you wouldn’t forgive me.”

  “I’m sorry, too, Monica. I am sorry for expecting too much from you. Just because I fell in love with you on the cruise, that didn’t mean you’d feel the same way.”

  “But I did feel the same way, Landon. I just didn’t know how much you meant to me until I returned home. I couldn’t sleep at night, and I could barely eat. All I could think about were the times we had spent together, how you’d made each and every day I spent with you special. Then I knew for certain that I loved you.”

  She swiped at her tears. “I figured something out, too. Loving you doesn’t mean I have to give up my dreams. I still plan on resigning from the Tribune and moving back to Atlanta. Because you’ll be there. So I don’t have to choose between loving you and getting my PhD.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  And then he leaned in and kissed her. His tongue tangled hungrily with hers and she returned the kiss the way he’d shown her. He finally broke off the kiss and closed his eyes, breathing in her scent. Needing to touch her, his hands roamed over her body—shoulders and back, and especially her backside. “Just so you know, I had changed my mind about remaining in Vegas until Monday. I thought I’d fly out tomorrow to North Carolina to be with my family on Christmas. Will you fly out there with me to meet them?”

  The smile she gave him at that moment almost broke his heart. “Yes, and I want to introduce you to my relatives at our family reunion, the day after Christmas. They’re going to love you.”

  He tenderly caressed her cheek with his fingers. “And I know my family will love you, too.”

  Landon paused. “And just so you know, I have dreams too, Monica. Mine revolve around making sure that your dreams come true. I want to be a part of your life forever. I want marriage, babies, a partnership with you that will last a lifetime. But I won’t rush you into anything. I got to know you on vacation. Now I want to give us a chance to get to know each other day to day. And don’t worry about the fact that you live in St. Paul for now, and I live in Atlanta. I have a lot of frequent flyer miles.”

  She smiled up at him. “That’s good to know. And whenever you do come to visit me, I will welcome you with open arms.”

  He chuckled. “That’s good to know, too.”

  And then he swept her into his arms. “I want to make up for the days I missed not being with you,” he said, heading for the bedroom. “What do you think?”

  “I think that’s a wonderful idea, Landon Chestnut. Simply wonderful.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  SEBRINA WOKE THE NEXT morning to find daylight shining on her face and Parker’s arms wrapped around her. She was pressed against his chest and the manly scent of him filled her nostrils. Snuggling closer to him beneath the warm covers, she enjoyed the feeling of having his leg slung over her thigh. She wasn’t ready to open her eyes yet. For now, she was content to just lay there in Parker’s embrace, savoring his heat as well as memories of last night.

  They had made love all through the night. Her body was still tingling in certain areas and she loved it. She loved him.

  He began to stir, and his leg tightened over hers. She also felt the hardness of his erection bumping against her hip. Life was good. She slowly opened her eyes.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” he said in that deep, husky voice of his.

  He always had of way of making her feel just that—beautiful. He also made her feel wanted, needed and desired. Yes, she certainly felt desired, especially after last night. “Good morning to you, Mr. Stanhope.”

  He chuckled as he leaned in to kiss her lips. “Mr. Stanhope?”

  “Umm, yes. After last night, you are definitely the boss.”

  “And you are my lady.”

  Now it was her time to chuckle. “Would a lady have done all the things I did last night?”

  A smile curved his lips. “My lady would.”

&nbs
p; She sat up. “Today is Christmas Eve. What would you like to do?”

  “Well, this is the first thing,” he said, sliding out the bed.

  Sebrina watched him cross the bedroom floor to pick up the duffle bag he’d used as a suitcase. His naked back was to her, so she couldn’t see what he was pulling out of it, but when he turned around, his hands were behind his back. He smiled over at her and she smiled back, wondering what was going on. But she figured he would tell her when he was good and ready.

  In the meantime, she was enjoying the eyeful she was getting, since he was totally naked. Her gaze roamed all over him—from his tussled brown hair and stubble-darkened jaw, to the perfect pair of muscled shoulders and manly chest and tight abs. Going lower, her eyes couldn’t help lingering on the juncture of his manly thighs and the erection she saw growing in front of her eyes.

  “I love you, Sebrina.”

  She snatched her gaze back to his face, and she smiled. “And I love you, too, Parker. All of you.”

  “All of me?” he asked walking back toward the bed, his hands still behind his back.

  “Definitely, all of you.”

  “That’s good to know. And it makes my next question easier to ask. Will you marry me?”

  Sebrina blinked and before she could recover, he had an open jewelry box in front of her face, a gorgeous diamond ring nestled inside it. “Oh my God! Where did that come from?”

  He chuckled. “Out of my duffle bag.”

  “I know, but where did you get it? When did you get it?”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Does that mean you won’t give me an answer until I tell you?”

  His words made her realize she hadn’t answered his most important question. “Yes! Yes! I will marry you, Parker.”

  “Good,” he said, sliding the huge diamond on her finger, then slipping back into bed with her. He pushed up on one elbow, admiring the way the ring looked on her finger. It was a perfect fit and exactly where it belonged.

  “Now to answer your question—this belonged to my paternal grandmother. When she died, she left it to me to present to the woman I fell in love with and married.”

  “It’s beautiful, Parker,” she said, holding her hand out to stare at it. “You know, people are going to wonder how in the world we ended up engaged when we haven’t gone out on an official date yet.”

  “Who needs dates when there are outings? And I want to continue those outings with you, Sebrina.”

  She glanced over at him. “And I with you.”

  “But speaking of dates of another kind…we can decide on a date for the wedding later. Right now, I just want to know that you are mine, always. I hope this is a Christmas that we won’t forget. We’ll have a lot to tell our kids one day.”

  She threw her head back and laughed. “True, but shouldn’t we tell our families first?”

  “Later,” he said, and then pulled her down in his arms again.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  “HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE, SWEETHEART. Are you ready for our day to start?”

  Monica lifted one eye open to look up at the man looming over the bed. “That’s not fair,” she said in a breathy chuckle.

  Landon lifted a brow at her. “What’s not fair?”

  “I’m younger than you, but you have three times the stamina. I did my best to wear you out last night, but now, you’re up, and I can barely drag myself out of bed.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Didn’t being on that cruise with me all those days teach you anything?”

  “Yes, of course they did. Didn’t I show you some of the things you taught me last night?” she asked, giving him a sultry look.

  A smile curved his lips. “Yes, baby, you most certainly did. Now come on, let’s get dressed and get out of this room before we get into any more trouble.”

  She took the hand he offered and eased out of bed. “You think making love to me is trouble?” When he didn’t back up, she snuggled close to him and felt the hardness of his erection. He was fully dressed, and she was naked. Oh, the possibilities…

  Landon had tried to wake her for breakfast, but at the time, she was too exhausted to even open her eyes. He went back to his room to dress, and as soon as the door shut behind him, she fell back asleep. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was close to lunch time. Had she slept for almost three hours?

  “Baby, you are the best kind of trouble. I’m looking forward to you keeping me on my toes for the rest of my life,” he said.

  “I like the sound of that.”

  “Do you really?”

  “Yes, Landon, I do.”

  He took a step back but instead of moving out of her way, he got on his knees. She looked down at him. “Excuse me, but didn’t you have breakfast already?” she asked grinning, figuring a little oral sex to start the day was what he had in mind.

  She heard him chuckle before he rubbed his nose against her feminine mound. “Don’t tempt me, Monica. That’s not why I’m down on my knees.”

  Monica moaned as he continued to rub his nose against her. She drew in a sharp breath when she felt his tongue. Releasing a breathless laugh, she said, “You could have fooled me.”

  He then leaned back on his haunches and met her gaze. “I can’t help it that I like tasting you there every chance I get.”

  “You won’t hear me complaining. So, if you’re not down there to taste me, what are you doing?”

  “This”, he said, easing a small box off the floor beside him. “While you were asleep, I decided to go shopping.”

  Monica’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the white velvet box. And when he opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring nestled on white satin, she drew in a deep breath. “Landon!”

  “Will you marry me, Monica?”

  Tears she couldn’t contain began flowing down her cheeks. “But, but...I don’t believe it. You want to marry me?”

  “Of course, I want to marry you. And the sooner the better. I love you and you love me. Besides, I figured I needed to put a ring on your finger so men would stop coming on to you. This will let them know you’re taken. So, will you marry me?”

  “Yes, I will marry you, and I promise to love you forever and be a good wife and mother to all your babies.”

  After sliding the ring on her finger, Landon stood. “I know you will. I was going to wait and give it to you tomorrow on Christmas Day, but I couldn’t wait. Besides, we’ll spend tomorrow morning in the air, flying to North Carolina.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck. They would arrive at his parents’ place in time for Christmas dinner and then spend the night. Then the day after Christmas, they would fly to Atlanta to attend the Bennetts’ Christmas Family Reunion. Everyone would be so surprised when they found out she was now an engaged woman.

  “You have made everything so special this year for me, Landon.”

  “And you have made things special for me as well.” He leaned in and took her lips with a hunger that she knew was just the beginning.

  The next thing she knew, he had tossed her on the huge bed, immediately flipping her to her back. “I’ve decided I’m hungry after all.” And then he proceeded to make her his meal.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  THE BENNETTS’ CHRISTMAS FAMILY REUNION

  DATE : DECEMBER 26 - DECEMBER 28

  WHERE: ATLANTA, GEORGIA AND MACON, GEORGIA

  Family REUNION AGENDA IS ATTACHED

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  THE FOUR WOMEN STOOD together, looking over the crowd. It seemed more Bennetts were in attendance at this family reunion than there had been in years past. Definitely since their great-grandfather Ethan’s death.

  Alexia Bennett Masters, Rae’jean Bennett Garrison, Octavia “Taye” Bennett-Bennett and Brandy Bennett Masters took in the gathering with huge smiles on their faces, knowing somewhere in heaven, Ethan and Idella Bennett were smiling as well.

  So much had happened over the past fifteen years. The family had grown by
leaps and bounds. And Alexia, Rae’jean and Taye now included Brandy as part of the ‘Bennett Pack’ whereas, when they’d been teens, they would not have. But they could now laugh about those days and appreciate how close they were now. All of them were successful in their own right, and all were happily married to wonderful men.

  “I just can’t believe that Sebrina and Monica got engaged to men you hadn’t even met until today,” Alexia said to Taye, grinning. “Those girls definitely know how to do things in a big way.”

  Taye couldn’t help but grin back. “I know, right. You should have seen the shock on my face when both my daughters arrived yesterday for Christmas dinner wearing engagement rings and introducing us to the men they plan to marry. Parker and Landon are absolute sweethearts, and I already love them both. They have made my girls happy.”

  “Of course, I’ve known Parker for years, and I’m glad he’s becoming part of the family,” Rae’jean said happily. “Funny how that worked out, isn’t it? I thought Grady was meant to join our family, but in the end, he didn’t. Now, sixteen years later, his nephew will. I talked to Grady and Lynn yesterday and they’re deliriously happy for them. And I’m also looking forward to getting to know Landon. He’s a cutie.”

  “Like Haddison, he’s a bit older. But I think he’s just what Monica needs,” Taye said.

  All the ladies agreed. Another thing they all agreed about was that they’d never seen Monica and Sebrina happier than they were now. Both were wearing beautiful engagement rings on their fingers and had handsome men by their sides. If anyone had a problem with Sebrina and Parker’s upcoming mixed marriage, they knew to keep their opinions to themselves.

  “Any plans yet for the weddings?” Brandy asked.

  “Not yet, but I understand it won’t be a double wedding, like Kennedy and Victoria had.”