Kicking off his shoes, Ethan adjusted a pillow beneath his head. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Bianca Torres haunted his thoughts as he imagined where the next few days might take them. Like a fast-growing fungus, she’d gotten under his skin and there was nothing that was going to make her go away. Ethan smiled, a bright smile filling his face. He suddenly imagined that if Santa were really watching, he’d be straddling that fine line between his naughty and nice lists. Heaving another deep sigh, he closed his eyes and eventually drifted off to sleep, the memory of Bianca dancing sweetly through his dreams.
Bianca had been able to sneak into the family home without disturbing either of her parents. Her father had fallen asleep in his favorite chair, snoring loudly as the late-night news watched him from the TV set. Peeking into her parents’ bedroom, she was happy to find her mother in her own deep slumber, the heavy exhalations of her breathing echoing through the room.
After cutting off the light that they’d left on in the kitchen, Bianca took a quick shower before sliding beneath the cool sheets of her queen-sized bed. As she pulled the covers up and over her pajama-clad body, she wondered if Ethan was in his own bed. And she wondered if he was thinking about her the way she was thinking about him. Because she was thinking about Ethan Christmas.
She slid her palm across her stomach, then clenched her hand into a tight fist. She had enjoyed everything about their evening together. It had been a great time. Spending time with Ethan was easy and it was comfortable. Something about the man was like the sweetest balm.
She rolled onto her side, wrapping her body around an oversized pillow. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so easily with a man. But Ethan made her laugh. He had a sense of humor equal to her own and his energy ignited something voluminous within her. He excited her and she loved how that felt. It would have been nothing to spread herself open to him, and had their circumstances been different, she wouldn’t have hesitated. As Bianca bit down against her bottom lip, she heaved a deep sigh. Sleep was elusive, but when it finally came, she drifted off thinking about Ethan and nothing else.
Chapter 4
Bianca was giggling into her cell phone when her mother slammed abruptly through her bedroom door. Her eyes widened in surprise at the intrusion. “Hold on,” she muttered just before clamping her hand over the receiver.
“Are you okay?”
Sharon was still fighting with her wheelchair, trying to maneuver it to her bidding. “I’m fine. I need you to . . .” she started, pausing midsentence. “Are you on the phone?”
“I was,” Bianca said with a slow eye roll.
“I’m sorry. I guess I should have knocked. Who are you talking to?” Sharon asked, eyeing her curiously.
Bianca shook her head, returning to her call. “I’ll have to call you back,” she said into the receiver.
Ethan laughed. “Your mom, huh?”
“This is so not working for me.”
He chuckled warmly. “It’s not a problem. I was thinking about you and I just wanted to call to say hello.”
“That was very sweet of you,” Bianca said, her voice dropping to a whisper. She turned her back on her mother, mindful of the woman’s watchful eye.
“I guess I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“Definitely,” Bianca responded.
He called her name.
“Yes?”
“Tell me you miss me as much as I’m missing you.”
She felt herself grinning foolishly. “You are so not funny!”
Ethan made kissing sounds into his cell phone. “Blow one back to me.”
“Thank you for calling,” she answered.
“Just pucker up and blow me one kiss. I dare you.”
Bianca laughed, a warm blush flooding her face as she disconnected the call, not bothering to respond. Her mother was still eyeing her curiously.
“So what can I help you with?” Bianca asked, avoiding the look her mother was giving her.
Sharon paused, eyeing her intently. “Why are you blushing? Was that Jarrod?”
“It was a friend.”
“It was Jarrod!” Sharon clapped her hands excitedly.
“You’re going to drive me crazy,” Bianca said, lifting herself from the bedside.
Sharon laughed. “Don’t be embarrassed. I’m glad you two are enjoying your time with each other.”
“So what was it you needed?” Bianca asked a second time.
“All the ornaments are downstairs in the storage room behind your father’s man cave. I need you to bring up all the red plastic containers.”
“All of them? You have like fifty red boxes down there.”
“It’s not that many, but I need them all.”
“We don’t even have a tree yet. Is Daddy ready to go get the tree yet? I can go with him to pick one out.”
“It’s been taken care of. Ethan and his son volunteered to bring it when they come. Ethan has an old pickup truck so it won’t be too much of a problem. Your father went down and paid for it earlier this morning so we’re all set.”
“Isn’t that special,” Bianca muttered.
Sharon ignored the comment. “Bring up the boxes please, and then we need to get started on dinner.”
Bianca layered the last cup of grated cheddar cheese atop a baking dish of spaghetti and crushed tomatoes.
“When you’re done with that, Bianca, dot it with a few pats of butter,” her mother ordered, “then it will be ready to cook. It needs to bake at three hundred and fifty degrees for an hour so we probably need to go ahead and get it in the oven.”
Bianca nodded. “What are we serving with it?”
“You need to make a tossed salad, and I have some garlic toast in the big freezer in the washroom.”
Bianca wasn’t willing to admit it out loud, but she really was enjoying her time with her mother. Taking orders as her mother held court at the kitchen table was teaching her the mechanics of old family recipes that she’d not eaten in a long while. She was actually looking forward to replicating them on her own once she went back home to Raleigh.
An hour later, the table was set for five, the baked spaghetti was almost out of the oven, and the rest of the meal was ready to be served. When the doorbell rang, Bianca could barely contain her excitement.
“I’ll get it,” she exclaimed. Her eyes were wide as she swiped her hands on a kitchen towel, snatched off her apron, and adjusted her blouse.
She moved hurriedly toward the front door just as her father pulled it open, tossing her a look over his shoulder.
“I’ve got it,” he said, amusement teasing his words.
Her mother had wheeled herself to Bianca’s side just as her father pulled the door open. On the other side Ethan and Jarrod were both grinning as they peeked from behind an oversized tree. The Fraser fir stood close to eight feet tall. It was lush and full, a deep, rich green, and it smelled like Christmas. As the two men and her father dragged it inside, Bianca’s holiday spirit increased tenfold.
“Thank you,” Sharon exclaimed. “You two don’t know how much Miguel and I appreciate this.”
“It was our pleasure,” Ethan said, tossing Bianca a quick look.
“We will work for food,” Jarrod added with a warm laugh.
Her mother smiled. “Jarrod, did you and Bianca have a good time together the other night? She never tells me anything.”
Bianca’s eyes widened as she rushed to Jarrod’s side, grabbing his hand. “Do not answer that! There will be no interrogations going on here,” she said, her gaze meeting her mother’s. She pulled Jarrod toward the back of the home, meeting Ethan’s nervous stare with one of her own.
Behind them, her mother laughed. “Young love!” she exclaimed, chuckling heartily. “Ethan, make yourself comfortable. I’m sure our children will be back as soon as Bianca tells Jarrod what he can and cannot say. She’s bossy like that!”
Jarrod was smiling brightly as Bianca closed her room door behind them. “This i
s really starting to get interesting,” he said, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “You didn’t tell your parents that you had dinner with my father?”
“No, and you’re not going to tell them either.”
“And my father is okay with this?”
“He doesn’t have a choice. I don’t want the drama.”
“Weren’t you the one lecturing me about secrets coming to bite you in the ass?”
“This is different. Now, I’m keeping your secret so you have to keep mine. You cannot tell! Promise me!”
Jarrod shook his head. “We’re both headed straight to hell. This is going to blow up on both of us and it’s off to Hades for me and you.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
“So what am I supposed to do if your mother asks me any more questions?”
“Say nothing. I’ll call her off, but if she keeps coming after you, I’ll handle her.”
“You hope.”
Bianca reached up to kiss his cheek. “Thank you. I owe you one.”
“You owe me more than one.”
She laughed. “Your father will pay it.”
They were still laughing as they returned to the other room. The festivities were already under way as Ethan and her father secured the tree in the tree stand, her mother conducting its position in the corner of their family space. Ethan turned to stare at them and Bianca gave him a bright smile.
“How can I help?” she asked, cutting her eyes in her mother’s direction.
“The lights are in that box on the table. They need to go on first,” Sharon said.
Moving to where her mother pointed, Bianca lifted the lid on the container and peered inside. She laughed as she examined its contents. “My mother is so OCD!” she exclaimed, pulling the first set of lights from inside. The strand was pristinely wound around a plastic tube and wrapped neatly in plastic.
“You’ll appreciate my OCD when you see how easy it is to hang those lights,” she said with a slight giggle.
Bianca shook her head as she moved to Ethan’s side. Her gaze danced easily with his and he grinned brightly. She passed one end of the lights into his hands. “Mr. Christmas, do you mind?”
“Not at all,” he said, his expression smug.
Jarrod laughed. “I want to help too!” he said, his tone teasing.
Bianca rolled her eyes as he stepped to her side to give them both a hand. In no time at all, the lights were strung, the ornaments hung, and they were all tossing strands of silver garland at the branches. Laughter filled the room as they all shared anecdotes and stories, enjoying the fellowship.
Ethan reached for the large star, passing it to Bianca. The two exchanged a look before she turned and moved to her father’s side. “Ready, Daddy?”
Miguel nodded as he wrapped an arm around his daughter’s shoulders and hugged her warmly. He gestured for her to step onto the foot stool and he extended his arm to help her prop the star atop the tree. Her smile was full and bright and she couldn’t help but think about all the past Christmases when her father had lifted her in his arms to put the last trimming on their holiday tree. The memories brought a tear to her eyes and as she stepped back down she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him back.
Ethan’s voice suddenly rang out from where he was standing, the man breaking into a chorus of “Oh, Christmas Tree.”
He was a tenor and his tone was smooth, like rich velvet. As he sang, Sharon shut off the lights in the room, allowing the bright glow of the lit tree to illuminate the space. Bianca stared, completely awed, still holding her father’s hand. When his song was finished, Ethan suddenly looked embarrassed, color rising to his cheeks.
“That was beautiful!” Bianca exclaimed. “I didn’t know you could sing.”
Ethan laughed. “I do a little every now and then.”
Her mother chimed in. “Don’t let him fool you, Bianca. Ethan is quite the talent. Every year he leads the annual Messiah Open Sing at the United Methodist Church. It’s always spectacular!”
Bianca’s gaze shifted back to Ethan. “Handel’s ‘Messiah’?”
He nodded. “Jarrod will be singing with me this year. Won’t you, son?”
Jarrod shook his head. “Only because you’re forcing me.”
“That’s wonderful! I’m sure Bianca would love to hear you both sing, wouldn’t you, Bianca?” Her mother grinned.
Bianca looked from one to the other. “Oh, I wouldn’t miss that for anything in the world,” she said, her gaze finally resting on Ethan.
“It’s a date then,” her mother mused. “Bianca will be there to represent the family this year. Miguel, you should go with her, honey.”
Bianca’s father shook his head from side to side. “That sing thing is just a little too dull for me. I’m sure there has to be a basketball game playing that night that I can’t miss. I’m almost positive.”
They all laughed.
“Something smells really good,” Jarrod said, breaking the reverie. “Really good.”
“The food’s ready if you two are,” Bianca quipped.
“I didn’t know you could cook, Bianca,” Ethan quipped back.
She tossed him a look, a wry smile blooming full across her face. Heading in the direction of the kitchen, she muttered under her breath as she passed him, her voice a low whisper for his ears only, “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Ethan Christmas!”
Bianca stood at the kitchen sink rinsing the last of the dishes before placing them in the dishwasher. In the other room, her mother was regaling their company with stories of her activism and social service. She’d been a die-hard hippie back in her heyday and still possessed that carefree spirit of a flower child. Bianca had heard the stories of their protest marches and sit-ins since she’d been a little girl and was almost able to quote the tales verbatim. She found herself smiling and appreciated how Ethan and Jarrod both appeared interested even though she suspected it was all polite pretending.
“Can I be of any help?” Ethan asked, moving into the kitchen and standing beside her.
Surprised, Bianca felt herself grinning. “Now you offer to help, after I’m almost done?”
He grinned with her, shrugging his shoulders. “Better late than never,” he said as he bumped the side of her body with his own.
“That’s just like a man.”
He laughed. “Jarrod’s enjoying your mother. She and your father have had a fascinating history.”
“I thought they might be boring you two to death.”
“Not at all. Jarrod’s a history buff and he’s always taken advantage of any opportunity to talk to seniors about their experiences.”
“I like Jarrod. He’s a good guy.”
“He is. I hope he finds a good woman one day. I’d like to have grandchildren.”
Bianca eyed him for a moment before commenting. “What about children? Have you thought about having any more?”
Ethan paused in reflection. “I’ll be honest. I really hadn’t given it any thought. Once my ex-wife and I separated and Jarrod left home, I put all that behind me. What about you? Do you want children?”
Bianca took a deep breath. Her mother had been talking about grandchildren since Bianca first learned how babies were made. But she’d truly had no interest, thinking that one day, with the right man, her biological clock would chime, she’d answer the ringer, and the matter would be settled one way or the other. Bianca had never imagined herself just deciding one day that she wanted to be a mother. But, if it happened, she would roll with the flow and move Sharon Torres close by to babysit.
She shrugged her shoulders. “I have more interest in practicing how babies are made than actually having a baby,” she said with a slight smirk.
Ethan laughed. “Nothing wrong with that, I guess.”
There was a moment of awkward silence that wafted between them. Ethan looked around the room nervously, pushing his hands deep into the pockets of his slacks. “Well, I guess
I should go back and rejoin the festivities.”
Bianca nodded. “That’s probably a good idea. We wouldn’t want you to be missed.”
He was just about to make an exit when Bianca grabbed his arm. Tossing a look over her shoulder to ensure no one was watching them, she turned, backing him against the refrigerator door. She leaned her body against him, her pelvis locked tight to his. Ethan’s gaze flickered with heat as he tossed his own cautionary glance toward the room’s entrance.
The two locked gazes and held the connection, allowing a wave of heat to flood them both with emotion. Bianca bit down against her bottom lip, gliding her hips in a slow shimmy against the front of his slacks. Ethan gasped, sucking in a swift breath of air. His body stiffened, fighting the rise of nature that threatened to expose his growing desire. He crossed his arms over his chest, tucking his fists beneath his armpits. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t ignore the effect she was having on him. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his body around hers and let his fingertips dance against the warm caramel tones of her skin.
Bianca took an abrupt step back, her seductive mouth lifting into a teasing smile. Ethan found himself panting ever so slightly, disheartened by the cool air that suddenly blew between them. The moment had been too heated and it had left him yearning. He looked nervously toward the door as he swiped a hand across his brow. “You are bad,” he whispered, the words coming with warm breath.
Her laugh was low and seductive as she turned from him and moved to the other side of the room. She tossed him a look, her dark eyes shimmering with mischief. “I beg to differ. I’m just that good!” she said before making an about-face and exiting the room.
Chapter 5
Bianca slid into a booth at the High Five Coffee Bar. After ordering a large espresso, she ticked items off the long list her mother had sent her out the door with earlier that morning. It had taken most of the day, but she’d finally whittled down the lengthy to-dos and only had one more errand to run before she could call it a day.
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