“I guess we’ll have to wait for Christmas.”
“Aw, Mom. We don’t even know who sent it. They’ll never know if you open it now.”
Casey smiled at her son. She couldn’t blame him for being enthusiastic. He’d been so down the past few days that it was good to see him excited about Christmas.
“I’ll know.” She lifted the beautifully wrapped package out of the box. “Wow, it’s heavy. Could you put this under the tree? Carefully.”
Riley lowered the box and pushed it up against the pile, making the small mound of gifts that much brighter. It was all she could do to wait until Christmas herself, like the note instructed. Growing up, she’d always been the one every year who would shake all the presents, trying to figure out what was inside. One year, she’d even peeled back the tape on a few packages for a peek. All that did was dampen her excitement when Christmas actually arrived.
She’d never spoiled the surprise again. And she wouldn’t now, either.
“Come on, Riley. Let’s get some dinner.” She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and together they headed to the kitchen. It didn’t take long, though, before her thoughts drifted back to Jack. At least for a few minutes, she’d replaced the heartbreak of him leaving her again with the anticipation of Christmas.
She shook her head. No more. Starting right now, she was going to embrace the holiday season. Christmas was her favorite time of year. What was she doing letting someone else ruin that for her and Riley?
“How about after dinner we pop some popcorn and string it to wrap around the tree?”
“Yay!” Riley’s innocent eagerness helped melt the ice that had formed around her heart this week. This was the way it should be—the two of them celebrating Christmas together. They would go to Sid and Jackie’s on Christmas morning like they’d planned, sharing the holiday with their adopted family. She refused to let Jack’s absence ruin Christmas for any of them.
Chapter Sixteen
JACK SPUN HIS chair around and stared out the window of his penthouse office. The Boston skyline was lit up for the holiday with strings of white lights. But he felt none of the Christmas spirit that filled the city.
The snow blowing outside the window reminded him of Casey, how she’d marveled at the sound of the snow hitting the leaves during their sleigh ride. Everything since he’d been back in town the past few days reminded him of her. He’d barely survived leaving Casey the first time, and if the past couple of days were any indication, this time would be worse.
He’d made it back in time to save the merger. But he hadn’t experienced the usual thrill from the success. All he felt was…empty.
“Hey, man, you heading out? It’s starting to blow harder out there.” Dan’s voice carried across the room.
“Yeah.” Jack didn’t bother to turn around. Maybe if he ignored Dan, he’d leave Jack alone.
No dice. Dan rounded the desk, crossing his arms and leaning against the window in front of Jack.
“Did I ever tell you how I met Lynn?”
Jack didn’t answer. He didn’t want to hear how Dan had found a way to have a successful career and a personal life.
“I was working some crazy hours on Wall Street right after I got out of school. Twelve, fourteen hours a day. I was a walking zombie. I used to stop at this coffee shop around the corner from the office. One day, I wasn’t paying attention and slammed right into someone in front of me. I put out my hands to catch her. She turned to me, and the very first time I saw her face, I fell in love.”
“So how’d you end up in Boston?” Jack wasn’t really interested in hearing his friend’s story, but it seemed rude not to ask.
“She was finishing up grad school at Columbia. She had an offer for a position in Boston, so I started looking for jobs here.”
Jack raised his eyebrows. “You gave up a good job for Lynn?”
“No, man. The job didn’t matter if I didn’t have her. No offense, but this is just a way to pay the bills.” Dan gestured out the window. “The life outside those windows is the one that matters.”
Jack scratched the stubble on his jaw. Dan had a point. What in the heck was this all about anyway? Jack may have saved the merger, but he’d been miserable starting the minute he’d left the cemetery three days ago. The sights and sounds of the city that used to excite him now annoyed him. It was loud all the time. And his condo felt like a sweater that didn’t fit right. Every time he saw a storefront, he compared it to the gift shop in Oak Grove. The sports bar down the street didn’t have the character of the well-worn wood floors at J.J.’s. And there was no one he wanted to pull onto the dance floor and wrap his body around like he had with Casey that night.
“What in the hell are you doing here, Jack?”
He was busting his ass for everyone in this firm, that was what he was doing. “I’m working, asshole.”
“It sure doesn’t seem like it to me. Maybe you should go home. Or get your butt back to Oak Grove. You’re no good to us like this.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you’ve given up your life for this firm, and what do you have to show for it? The minute you walked back through that door, I knew something about you changed. Your heart’s not here anymore. We did fine while you were gone, other than that hiccup with the merger. We’ll be fine if you leave again. Maybe you should try something different for a while.”
“You think I could?” Jack couldn’t believe he was actually considering Dan’s suggestion. This firm had been his entire life for so long.
“Jack, you started this firm and built it to be successful. But we’ve grown up now, and we don’t need you like we did in the early days. And frankly, you’re not getting any younger. Is this where you want to be in ten, fifteen years? Sitting behind this desk with no one to go home to at night?”
No! Jack wanted to scream the answer at his friend, but based on the expression on Dan’s face, he already knew what Jack was going to say.
Jack grabbed the pile of papers off the desk and stuffed them into his briefcase. He snatched his laptop off the dock and shoved it into his bag and threw both over his shoulder. “No offense, buddy, but you’re right. Your face is not the one I want to see across from me for the next fifty years.”
Dan’s chuckle followed Jack out the door. He stabbed at the elevator button. “Come on. Come on.” He checked his watch. He had just enough time to run home, throw some clothes in a bag, and head to Logan Airport.
To heck with that. He wouldn’t wear half his clothes in Oak Grove anyway. He’d buy new things once he got home.
He just had to get there. His home wasn’t in Boston anymore—it was in Oak Grove. With Casey. He only hoped she would take him back after the way he’d left her. Again.
At least he’d sent something ahead. A gift he’d wanted Casey to have for Christmas since he couldn’t be there. A small token to remind her of the hometown that she loved. The town he now hoped to share with her.
He had expected his gesture to be the end, a parting gift of sorts. Now the prospect of seeing the sparkle in her eyes when she opened the package was enough to send him running for the stairs.
JACK PRACTICALLY LEAPT out of his seat as soon as his flight touched down in Philly. The last time he’d landed, he’d dreaded the long drive to Oak Grove, hadn’t wanted to confront the memories awaiting him there. Now, he couldn’t tear up the pavement fast enough. The yellow dashes in the middle of the road flashed by as he sped to the town—and the woman—he loved.
A gentle snow began to fall as he pulled into town around sunset. A perfect Christmas Eve. A time for rejoicing. He and Casey would have a lot to celebrate. At least he hoped they would. After a lot of groveling on his part, he was sure.
The lights of the town Christmas tree brightened the entire green as he passed. A few couples milled around, hand in hand, smiling and pointing at the tree. If only that could be him and Casey. He glanced at one woman sitting alone on a bench near the base of the tre
e.
Damn, that was her.
He slammed on his brakes and wrenched the wheel, practically spinning on the light coating of snow on the road. He pulled into a spot around the green and hopped out of the car. The silence surrounded him as he stepped onto the snow-covered sidewalk. Flakes swirled around him, landing on the trees and ground with a gentle whisper. No voices or other sounds filled the silence.
It was peaceful…and perfect.
He approached Casey silently and stepped up beside her. “Is this seat taken?”
She lifted her head and her forehead furrowed. “Jack?”
He slid onto the bench beside her and took her hand in his. She didn’t pull away. A good sign.
Her brows narrowed and her mouth quirked. “What are you doing here?”
He stroked her hand, his thumb tracing each soft knuckle. “I missed you.”
She snatched her hand back and dropped her gaze to her lap. “Don’t do this, Jack. I can’t bear it again.”
“Bear what?”
“Your leaving. You left me here all those years ago to deal with my grief alone. I finally got over you and had a good life with Riley. Then you roared back into town a few weeks ago, and despite my better judgment, I dove headfirst into a relationship with you again. I can’t resist you.”
He smirked, but the glare she threw him had him wiping the smile off his face. She was so cute when she was angry, but he knew better than to try and kiss the frown away.
“You’re no good for me, Jack. Flitting in and out of my life, wreaking havoc in my heart. I’m not that strong, and I won’t subject Riley to that kind of instability. Not again. I think he got his hopes up, seeing you and me together, and it’s no more fair to him than it is to me. So please, Jack, just go and leave us alone.”
He grabbed her hand again. She resisted for a minute and then relented. “I can’t do that, Casey.”
A single tear rolled down her cheek. “Why do you keep doing this to me?”
“Because I love you.”
Her eyes widened as her gaze locked on his. “What?”
He didn’t blame her for being confused. He hadn’t understood it himself at first. But once he spent a few minutes thinking about it, he knew. It had always been her. From the day he met her until this minute, Casey had been the only one for him.
He couldn’t go back and fix the past, but he was finally going to reach out and grab his future.
“I do. I love you. It’s always been you, Casey. No one else. Just you.”
“So what does that mean? You want to string me along, have me waiting by for when you drop in for a quickie before racing back to Boston?”
He shook his head. “I’m not going to live in Boston anymore.”
“So where? New York? LA? This is my home. Riley’s home. We have a good life here, and I’m not about to uproot him on your whim.”
“I’m not asking you to do that.”
“Then what do you want from me?”
“I want you, Casey. The two of you. However I can have you. I’m not going to live in Boston anymore because I’m moving back to Oak Grove.”
Her lips pursed for a minute and then her expression brightened the minute his words sank in. Hope swirled deep in her eyes but was soon replaced with wariness. He couldn’t blame her for doubting him—he hadn’t given her much reason to believe in him after all this time.
“I was miserable back in Boston. Everything I used to enjoy about my job, about living in the city, wasn’t there anymore. Because you weren’t there.”
She opened her mouth but he held up his hand.
“It wasn’t just that you weren’t with me. The city was loud and dirty, and people didn’t smile and wave at me like they do here.”
“But what about your job?”
“I handed over the day-to-day operations to my partner and the new vice president we hired. I may have to travel from time to time, but other than that, I plan to work from here. I spend half my time in front of my computer or on conference calls anyway—I can do that from anywhere. And where I want to be is here. With you.”
Casey stared at him, her mouth slightly open. Her pulse thrummed rapidly in her neck, and he longed to lean over and kiss her right there, to nuzzle behind her ear until she was putty in his hands. But she had to make the first move.
He’d laid his heart on the line and it was her decision now. He held his breath, hoping she’d let him back into her life…and her heart.
“I don’t know. Who’s to say you won’t get bored of me, of us, and leave again?”
“Oh, Casey. When I left all those years ago, I was running away. This time, I’m running toward something. Toward you and Riley. And the hope of a life together. The three of us.”
She stared at their linked hands. Her voice trembled as she spoke. “I’m afraid.”
“I know. I’ve given you a lot of reasons to be. Give me a chance, Casey. Let me show you I’m here for good.”
She bit her bottom lip as she studied him. Her hands shook. He squeezed, hoping it reassured her.
Then the corners of her mouth turned up in an easy smile. “Did you say you love me?”
His heart sang and the corners of his mouth turned up. “Yeah, I did.”
“Say it again.”
“I love you.”
She took his other hand in hers, her gaze dropping to where they were touching before raising her gaze back to his. “I love you, too.”
“Yeah?”
“Of course I do. It’s always been you, Jack.”
He leaned forward, his nose brushing hers, and finally noticed the chill that surrounded them. The tip of her nose was red, and her cheeks were bright and chapped. He brushed his lips across hers, and the heat of her breath warmed his face. He kissed her again and she relaxed, her lips soft and pliant beneath his. Like she was giving herself fully to him. He let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her against him. This kiss was one of reunion, of starting over. Of love.
He pulled back just enough to look her in the eye. “I love you, Casey. And I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it to you.”
Epilogue
RILEY SAT ON the floor surrounded in red and green and gold wrapping paper. Casey and Jack snuggled on the couch, arm in arm, watching Riley’s eyes widen as he tore into the present Jack had brought. Snow had fallen most of the night, and the entire world outside the window was coated in a fresh white blanket. White fluff outlined the bare branches on the trees in the front yard and clung to everything, creating a winter wonderland that cocooned the three of them in their own little world.
“Look, Mom. It’s that Lego set I wanted.” The huge box rattled as Riley shook it. He laid it on the floor and studied the rocket ship project in front of him.
Casey leaned close. “That was too much, Jack, but thank you. Riley will be at it for hours.”
Jack waggled his eyebrows at her. Was he thinking what she was thinking? Memories of last night filled her mind. How they’d crept into bed after Riley was asleep and Jack had taken her like a man desperate for his first drink of water after crawling through the desert. How he’d told her he loved her just as he joined himself with her. And then later, how he’d loved her slowly and deeply, bringing her close to the edge before pulling back, making her frantic for him until finally driving her to orgasm and tumbling over with her.
Jack lowered his voice and spoke in her ear, the heat of his breath sending shivers through her body. “I’d love to know what you’re thinking about that’s causing the cute blush on your cheeks. I bet I can guess.”
She smacked him. “Behave.”
He chuckled and turned his attention back to her son and pointed to the tree. “Riley, is that one other gift under the tree?”
“Oh, yeah, remember, Mom? The box from yesterday? It’s Christmas. You have to open it now.”
She turned to Jack. “This package showed up for me yesterday. No return address or anything. Just a note that said �
�Do Not Open until Christmas.’”
“Well, it’s Christmas, so I think you’d better open it.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “Did you have something to do with this?”
He shrugged. “How could I? I’d just gotten back to town when I saw you on the green. Before that, I was on a plane or in Boston.”
She didn’t believe him for one minute, but she played along.
Riley grabbed the box from under the tree and slid it onto the table in front of her. “Open it, Mom.”
He bounced on his toes while she unwrapped the bow.
She still didn’t know what to make of the mysterious gift. She hadn’t had a surprise like this in a long time. She wanted to jump up and down like Riley, but instead she tugged at the paper, easing the tape open.
“Come on, Mom. Hurry.”
She pulled the paper off but the box inside was unmarked. She lifted the lid to find a pile of packing peanuts. What in the heck was in here? She dug down and her fingers brushed against something. She fumbled with the object and then pulled out a much smaller box.
It was a miniature of the Oak Grove Fire Station.
“Oh my gosh, look. It’s one of the buildings in that model town I saw in the shop window.” She dug again and pulled out boxes with pictures of Mug ’n Muffin, Patsy’s Petals, the gift shop, even Clyde’s Hardware Store. Another box had a model of the Town Green, including the annual Christmas tree. With each box she unpacked, the smile on her face grew. The figures were a perfect representation of the town that she loved.
Jack didn’t say anything. He just shrugged when she looked to him.
Finally, the box was empty and the buildings were all lined up on the table, packing peanuts scattered around them like snow. She sighed. “I love it. I wish I knew who sent it so I could thank them.”
“Isn’t there a card in the box?” Jack asked.
“Here it is!” Riley held out an envelope that he’d found at the bottom of the box.
Jack slid closer as she lifted the flap. “Is it a secret admirer that I need to be worried about?”
One Last Gift_A Small-Town Romance Page 12