Naughty & Nice

by J. S. Scott

  “See, that wasn’t so scary.”

  Kay let out a small breath. She was trembling so hard that he just picked her up and carried her toward his truck. “Eli! I’m too heavy for you to carry.” Her face flamed as she imagined him pulling a muscle or getting a hernia from hefting her around.

  Eli grunted. “Hardly. I think I can handle carrying a girl. Do I really look that wimpy to you?”

  Kay giggled. He looked so affronted that she’d even suggested that he wasn’t strong enough. But she was just trying to save his back the trouble. She wasn’t exactly a small girl. Not like the girls he was probably used to.

  “I’m sure you can carry anything, but you shouldn’t have to. I’m fine. I can walk.”

  He set her down. “Okay, as long as you don’t start crying again. I don’t think there’s a man alive who knows what to do with a crying woman.”

  Just then a horrible screeching sound pierced the air. Eli grabbed her and turned them away, shielding her with his body. Kay’s ears were ringing but she still registered the firm muscles pressed up against her backside. Heat swept to her face.

  She looked up from the cradle of his protective hold. Their faces were so close together. She’d never dreamed a man would put himself physically between her and harm. Even if he was just doing his job, it was more than anybody else had ever done for her.

  “I’m sorry about your car.”

  Kay looked back and gasped. The cables holding her car had snapped. Now her sedan was completely in the ditch, tilted drunkenly on its side. This time when Eli picked her up, she didn’t protest.

  As he carried her away, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight of her totaled car.

  * * * * *

  Eli pulled up to his parents’ house and turned off his truck. He’d already called his mom so she knew to expect them. He just wasn’t sure what to expect from himself.

  He hadn’t asked Kay’s opinion about what to do or even entertained the idea of taking her to her parents’ house. His brain had been taken over by some dominant instinct to protect her. That meant he wanted her where he could keep an eye on her.

  Kay took her seat belt off and turned to face him. He braced himself. She had every right to yell at him. They didn’t even get along. He certainly had no right to make decisions for her.

  “Eli, thank you for coming to get us. I honestly wasn’t sure what I was going to do.” She leaned over and squeezed his arm.

  He looked down at her hand in surprise. She quickly took it back. “Sorry. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks.”

  After a few moments of awkward silence, he could only respond with “You’re welcome.”

  Kay pushed open her door and hopped down. There was a muffled curse as she half slid, then fell. He pushed open his own door and rushed around the truck to help her.

  “Be careful. It’s pretty high.”

  “Yeah, and I’m vertically challenged. I know.” She shrugged and pulled open the back door. “Can you get her down? I don’t want to take a chance that I might fall while holding the car seat. It’s pretty hard to carry as it is.”

  Eli reached up into the truck and unhooked the car seat from its base. When she caught sight of him, Hope’s eyes lit up and she let out a rousing squeal. Eli laughed, unable to help himself. When was the last time anyone was that happy to see him? He tickled her under the chin and lifted her down.

  It was still startling to see how much Hope had grown. He was used to thinking of her as “the baby.” But now she was so much bigger, with round cheeks and laughing eyes. Her brown skin was the same warm shade as her mother’s, and her short, silky black hair had transformed into a wild curly mass. He’d always found it fascinating how quickly babies changed. How they looked at birth was usually nowhere close to how they looked just a few months later.

  Just as they reached the steps, the front door flew open and his mother rushed out. Eli immediately felt bad. His mom must have been really worried the whole time he was gone. He opened his arms as she approached, but his mom bypassed him completely and enfolded Kaylee into a hug.

  “You poor thing! We were so worried.”

  Kaylee looked just as shocked as he did, but she allowed his mom to fuss over her.

  Eli just shook his head. “Gee, thanks for the concern, Mom.”

  Julia just sent him a chastising look. “Oh, hush. I knew you were perfectly fine. Now come in out of the cold.”

  As they bustled into the house, his mom shut the door behind them, cutting off the whistling sound of the wind. Julia took Kay’s coat and then pulled her into another hug. After a moment, Kay melted into the embrace and let out a soft sigh. The sound hit Eli right in the center of his chest. It sounded like she’d had the weight of the world on her shoulders and just gotten out from under it.

  He’d made the right decision to bring her here. If you needed comfort, there was nowhere else in the world better than his parents’ house to get it.

  “Now, let’s get you settled.”

  “Thank you. I’m really sorry to barge in on you this way,” Kay said.

  “Oh, honey, you’re not barging. You needed help. Everybody needs a little help sometimes,” Julia replied.

  Eli set Hope’s baby carrier down gently. “Mom, can you get the baby settled while I show Kay to her room?”

  Just as he expected, his mother’s eyes went bright with happiness at the sight of the baby.

  “Of course I can. I can take care of this little angel.” She knelt next to the baby and tickled her belly while undoing the car-seat restraints.

  Eli grabbed Kay’s hand and pulled her down the hall that led to the bedrooms. He stopped at the first one on the left and pushed the door open. A light was already on next to the bed, casting a soft glow over everything. His mother had probably started tidying the room as soon as he called.

  Kay sat on the edge of the bed gingerly. “This is your room?”

  Eli shrugged. “It used to be. We all come home for Christmas and stay in our old rooms. It’s nice for us all to be together again.”

  Kay picked at a small corner of the blanket. “Sounds nice. Having everyone together like that.”

  “Since Bennett lives in a converted barn out back, Mom offers his old room to guests. Mara’s boyfriend surprised her with a trip to New York for Christmas so Matt and Penny are using his room this year. They’re planning to head to Penny’s parents before the New Year. According to Matt visiting his parents as well would have been more family time than he can handle. Last year, my mom’s friend Miss Doris stayed over because her husband was in the hospital during the holidays. Mom didn’t want her coming home to her empty house after visiting him each day.”

  “Your mom is wonderful.” Kay crossed her arms, pulling the sleeves of her sweater down.

  “Are you cold? I can get you another blanket.” Eli moved to the closet and pulled down one of the spare comforters his mom kept on the top shelf.

  “No, that’s not it. I just need to feed the baby.” Their eyes met and she dropped her gaze to her lap. Kay looked faintly uncomfortable. Probably because they were in his small room alone together.

  Eli took a step back to give her some space.

  “Mom can do that. I’m pretty sure she’s got plenty of baby food here for Jada.” His mother was probably planning on feeding the baby and putting her to bed. It was a good thing his younger brothers were happily married and willing to provide their mother with grandchildren. Eli was willing to do just about anything for his mother, but grandchildren was one thing he couldn’t give her.

  He dropped the extra comforters on the end of the bed.

  “You don’t want to deprive her of baby time, do you? She has to share baby Jada with the other women. Ridley and Raina have been hogging her apparently. They need another baby out there before they start fighting.”

  “It’s not that. It’s just—” Her cinnamon-brown skin turned slightly red at the top of her cheekbones. “I need to feed her. You know…�
� She pantomimed holding the baby to her breast.

  “Oh! Right.” Eli backed up so fast he almost tripped. “Uh… I’ll go get her.”

  He couldn’t meet her eyes as he left to find his mom. The thought of Kay holding the baby to her breast did something funny to his insides. His protective instincts were always in overdrive around her anyway, but the image of her feeding her baby made him feel like he needed to stand guard and protect her while she was so vulnerable.

  Since he was clearly going insane already, it was best if he left to see about getting a tow truck out to pull her car from the ditch. Emotions weren’t his area of expertise, but practical matters—those he could handle.

  * * * * *

  Kay smoothed her daughter’s wild curls back from her forehead. A few minutes after Eli left, Julia appeared carrying Hope. She’d nursed the baby for half an hour and then changed her diaper. The house had been quiet when she’d arrived, but she’d heard an explosion of activity in the last ten minutes.

  There was music and the sound of pots and pans clattering. They’d come so late and probably interrupted the family dinner. At the very least, she could offer to help Mrs. Alexander clean up.

  When she opened the door, she was shocked to see Eli leaning against the wall outside.

  “Eli? I didn’t know you were out here waiting.”

  “I just got here a few minutes ago.”

  He didn’t say anything else, just turned to walk down the hall. Kay followed, cuddling Hope higher on her hip. They walked through the kitchen and into the dining room. The table was set with delicate wineglasses and beautiful white plates trimmed in gold. Julia stood at the head of the table, carving a turkey that looked big enough to feed a village.

  “Are you hungry, honey? I saved you a place right next to Eli.” Julia looked up from her carving and smiled brightly at them.

  Kay’s mouth fell open. “I thought you would have already eaten dinner. It’s so late.”

  “Oh, sweetheart, I held dinner when Eli went out to look for you.”

  Now she just felt completely self-conscious as everyone turned to look at them. “Oh no, I ruined your Christmas dinner. I’m so sorry—”

  “Nonsense!” Julia interrupted. “You didn’t ruin anything. We’re all here now and ready to enjoy a nice dinner with family and friends. None of us could have thought about eating if we didn’t know you were safe.” She walked around the table and handed the carving tools to her husband. “Now, you two sit down. I’ll just take this little angel so you can eat.”

  Kay watched, befuddled, as Julia plucked the baby from her arms and sat down with Hope in her lap. Eli nudged her gently toward the left side of the table. There were only two seats left. She sank down gratefully, Eli next to her.

  Dinner was a raucous affair with eleven adults and four children all taking up space in the dining room. Mark and Julia sat at opposite ends of the main table. Jackson, Ridley, and Bennett sat on one side while Eli, Kay, Matt, and Penny sat on the other. She was sitting so close to Eli that their thighs brushed every time she moved.

  Jackson and Ridley’s two kids were seated at a smaller table. Nick and Raina sat with them, cutting up their meat and trying to keep them from knocking over their cups.

  The babies were passed around until they ended up on someone’s lap. Everyone talked at the same time, and Kay could barely keep up with who was saying what. Dishes were passed across the table and there were second and even third helpings dished out. When Eli saw her eyeing the mashed-potato bowl, he picked it up and put a huge serving on her plate.

  “I’m sure I don’t need that much,” Kay lamented. At home, she’d get an earful from her mother if she ate this much, but she couldn’t help it. Everything was so delicious and she needed comfort food after the day she’d had.

  Eli gave her an appraising look. “Eat. You’ve got to be starving. Isn’t nursing a baby hard work? Raina’s always telling us how she’s still got to eat for two since she’s nursing Jada.”

  “Well, I don’t look like Raina,” she mumbled. Eli’s sister-in-law was a bona fide supermodel and stick thin. She could probably eat everything on this table and still fit her whole body in one of Kay’s pant legs.

  “I’m glad you don’t. Now eat.”

  Eli’s voice was commanding and Kay shoveled a mouthful of potatoes into her mouth automatically, all while her mind raced over his words.

  He was glad she didn’t look like Raina? What the hell did he mean by that?

  Kay looked up to see Eli still watching her. His dark, intense gaze didn’t leave hers until she swallowed and took another bite. Kay shivered when he finally turned away. On her other side, Eli’s father asked her a question about her upcoming album. She tried to focus on the conversation, but for the rest of the meal, her mind was on that one sentence.

  I’m glad you don’t.

  Chapter Four

  Kaylee had always secretly wondered how Elliott’s mother had dealt with four children. There were days when she was completely overwhelmed taking care of Hope and she didn’t even have any other children to worry about. But as she stood back and watched Mrs. Alexander turn down the bed and set up the spare playpen she kept for her granddaughter, she suddenly understood how she’d done it.

  Julia Alexander was obviously a superhero.

  “Thank you so much for setting this all up. I wasn’t sure where I was going to put Hope tonight.”

  Julia waved away her thanks with an amiable smile. “It’s nothing, sweetie. I always keep an extra playpen here just in case Nick forgets to bring one for Jada. It’s just a simple model. No bells and whistles, but it gets the job done.” She moved around the room, snapping her wrists briskly to open the clean sheets she carried under her arm.

  “Oh, you don’t have to do that.” By the time Kay got the words out, Julia had already spread the clean fitted sheet on the bed and was shaking out the flat sheet.

  “Wow. You’ve got everything set up and it would’ve probably taken me twice as long to get things right.”

  Julia patted her on the arm. “Years of experience, dear. Now, let me know if you need anything else. Or if you need any help with the baby.” She tickled Hope under the chin and the baby let out a gurgle of delight. “I really don’t mind rocking her if she wakes up in the middle of the night.”

  Kay smiled at the hopeful tone in Julia’s voice. Eli had warned her that his mom had baby fever and that she’d probably offer to help out with Hope. What he didn’t understand was that she didn’t mind at all. It had been ages since she’d slept soundly. She was more than happy to take any help she could get.

  “I would love that.”

  Julia’s face brightened and she squeezed Kay’s arm gently. “Excellent. Well, once she’s asleep come on out to the family room. It was an Alexander tradition when the boys were growing up to take a peek into our stockings on Christmas Eve. Since my boys are still boys”—she rolled her eyes affectionately—“they still do it to this day.”

  Kay grinned at the image of Elliott as a little boy taking a peek at his Christmas gifts. “That sounds like fun. I’ll just rock Hope for a while and then I’ll be out. She usually goes to sleep pretty quickly if I sing to her.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll wait a few minutes before I put the hot cocoa on.”

  After Julia left, Kay bounced Hope on her hip gently, humming softly under her breath. Hope fidgeted for a while, then rested her head on Kay’s shoulder. As Kay sang the familiar words of her favorite church hymn, the baby let out a wide yawn. When Kay looked down at her, she was fast asleep.

  She continued walking and singing softly until she was sure Hope wouldn’t wake up, then placed her carefully in the playpen. The plastic unicorn was already in there, so she placed it near the baby’s clenched fist and then covered her with her blankie. Kay backed out of the room and closed the door quietly behind her.

  “Is she asleep?”

  Kay jumped and then let out a breath when she noticed Eli waiting
for her in the darkened hallway. “You scared me. Yes, she just nodded off. She’s had a long day.”

  Eli walked closer, coming out of the shadows. “So have you.”

  “Yeah, it’s not every day I crash into a ditch. Thank God for that.”

  He grunted and took her arm gently. “That’s why you need to sit down.”

  His words were gruff, but a small rush of pleasure made Kay shiver. Even when he seemed so remote and cold, he was still looking out for her well-being. Taking care of her.

  “Your mom said something about hot cocoa?”

  “There’ll be plenty of that along with cider, eggnog, espresso, cookies, cakes, brownies, you name it. In case you hadn’t figured this out yet, the Alexanders love a good party. Food is a big part of that.”

  They entered the family room, and Kay took a seat on the edge of the room. Julia brought them steaming mugs of cocoa filled to the brim with fluffy marshmallows. Plates of cookies were passed around, and after trying valiantly to ignore the delicious smell, Kay gave up on having willpower and took one. Warm chocolate melted on her tongue and she finally began to relax.

  It was so surreal to watch Jackson and Nick fighting over the candy dish and to have a supermodel sitting on the couch talking about an acting role she’d been offered. This time last year she’d been pregnant and terrified, wondering how in the world she was going to take care of a baby by herself. Her own mother hadn’t even been speaking to her at the time. Their dinner had been a tense, silent affair.

  If things had gone to plan, this year wouldn’t have been much better. She’d be shivering in her cold, empty apartment, worried about how to keep her daughter warm. Instead, Hope was safe and happy while she was sitting next to her secret crush and drinking cocoa. They were both safely tucked away in the warm interior of the Alexanders’ living room, surrounded by happiness.

  Everything was perfect.

  * * * * *

  “Come on, everyone. It’s time to peek in the stockings.” Julia herded all her children and grandchildren closer to the tree. Across the fireplace mantel, six stockings hung in a row, each one lovingly hand-knit by their Grandma Alexander, Mark’s mother.