An Unexpected Holiday Gift

by Martha Kennerson

  “And chill out on the public service announcements in front of the press,” Travis added.

  All three men laughed. “I’ll do my best,” Keylan assured them.

  “My apologies, children, my calls took longer than expected,” Victoria announced as she entered the room in a long, short-sleeved blue dress, her hair pulled back in a tight bun.

  All three Kingsley men stood. “Mother,” Keylan and Alexander said in unison and kissed her on the cheek.

  “Aunt Victoria.” Travis came from across the room to offer the same greeting.

  “Now that we’re all here, we can get down to business.” Victoria took the empty wingback chair next to Alexander.

  Keylan checked his watch. “What’s going on now, Mother?”

  Victoria scowled at her son. “Someplace you have to be, or perhaps there is another announcement you’d like to make? Shall I call for a press conference?”

  Keylan’s face went blank. “I can explain.”

  Victoria raised her right hand. “I really don’t care for the details and you know how I feel about drama, especially when it concerns my business. Just keep it off the damn news.”

  “This wasn’t about business, Mother,” he replied.

  Victoria leaned forward and held her son’s gaze. “You are my son. Everything you do is my business.” She sat back in her seat.

  “I told you,” Travis murmured.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied, giving his cousin the evil eye.

  “Now, back to business at hand. We’ve managed to hold off OSHA...for now.”

  “I still don’t understand what workplace and health standards they think we violated,” Travis said, stroking his chin.

  “And we still can’t prove for certain who’s behind all this either.” Alexander huffed.

  “No, not yet, but we will. Now we hear the IRS wants to move up our annual reviews. I asked you here to explain how we plan to prepare for the IRS attack disguised as an audit. You know they’ll be looking for the smallest of missteps to try to nail us on. To make sure that doesn’t happen, I’ve decided to bring back our special consultant to work with Brice on the preparations,” she announced.

  “Are you serious?” Keylan said.

  “Yes, very.” Victoria rose and walked over to the bar, where she poured herself a glass of wine.

  Travis’s brows drew together. “Aunt Victoria, you don’t mean Brooke—”

  “Yes, of course, who else?” She took a sip of her wine.

  “I know I’m not part of the day-to-day business but even I know how difficult that could be,” Keylan attested.

  “I agree, Aunt Victoria. There has to be someone else.”

  “There just might be, Travis...for some other company. Not ours or our family.” Victoria returned to her chair. “For us, there’s only one person, and she’s family.”

  Keylan’s phone beeped and he checked his messages. He smiled and typed out his response.

  “Are we disturbing you, son?”

  “Not at all. Besides, you’ve already made the decision.”

  Victoria crossed her legs. “That I have.”

  “We just have to make sure everything remains professional.” Alexander rose from his chair. “I have to get back to China.”

  “How is she?” Travis asked.

  “She and the baby are doing fine but I won’t be if I don’t get back with her dinner,” Alexander said, leaning down to kiss his mother on the cheek.

  “I can’t wait to meet that little one. Do you know what you’re having yet?” Travis inquired with a big smile on his face.

  “No, China wants to be surprised.” Alexander shrugged.

  “Happy wife, as they say,” Keylan said.

  “Good night, son. Send China my love.”

  “Will do. Later, everyone.” Alexander walked out of the house.

  “I guess I should go, too, since I don’t smell anything cooking,” Travis teased Victoria.

  “I’m your aunt, not your mother. However, I will take you out for dinner. I’d hate for you to have to make that long trek back to your ranch on an empty stomach.”

  “Steaks?”

  “What else?” Victoria frowned before her mouth curved into a big smile.

  “You joining us, Keylan?” Travis stood and stretched out his arms.

  “Not tonight. I have other plans.”

  “Of course you do.” Travis collected the empty bottles and bumped elbows with Keylan before leaving to take the trash into the kitchen.

  Victoria stood and walked her son to the door. “You know, Keylan, Mia and Colby are perfect for you. Just because I don’t care about the drama doesn’t mean I don’t care about the outcome.”

  “I have to go home and change. Have a good evening, Mother.” Keylan smiled and kissed his mother good-night.

  “You, too, son.”

  Keylan had barely crossed his mother’s threshold when his phone rang. He pulled out his phone as he made his way to the car. “You all right, man?” Keylan asked, knowing his friend and agent had taken the initial brunt of Mia’s anger.

  “I’m good but you won’t be when Mia gets her hands on you,” Roger informed him.

  Keylan released a loud and hearty laugh. “You still at the house?”

  “No. I made sure she couldn’t send anyone away or anything back and I got the hell out of there. That little woman is scary.”

  “Yes, she can be,” Keylan agreed.

  “I call for another reason. The commission agreed to count your suspension game days after your doctor releases you.”

  “So...”

  “So if you’re released within the next two weeks, with the current schedule, you can be back playing before Christmas,” Roger explained.

  “That’s great, man.”

  “Just doing my job as the longer you’re off the court, the fewer endorsement days you get in and the less money I make.”

  “Some things never change with you, Roger. Talk to you tomorrow.”

  Keylan got in his car and made his way home. He showered and changed into jeans and a gray button-down shirt. He put on his black leather loafers and headed downstairs, where he exited through the lobby doors, only to be met by a slew of reporters. Damn, I should’ve parked in the garage.

  “KJ, what’s the deal with you and Mia Ramirez?” someone shouted out.

  “Have you two been seeing each other long?” another woman asked.

  A man yelled out, “I hear you’ll be getting back in the game soon. Is that true?”

  “From your ears...” Keylan replied before getting into his car and driving away. Mia’s really going to hate seeing her name in the news...again.

  It took less than twenty minutes to get to Mia’s house and he smiled when he pulled his car into her driveway. He felt a huge sense of satisfaction and pride at the fact that Mia’s place was no longer the dark house on the street. Keylan only hoped Mia would forgive his blatant intrusion into her life. He couldn’t help himself.

  He exited his car and smiled at the white lights that lined her house, the trees and shrubs. The big, colorful ornament balls that had been placed in her trees were a nice touch.

  “Note to self—thank Rivers.” Keylan took a deep breath, released it slowly and knocked on the door.

  * * *

  “Mommy, the door,” Colby called out from his spot on the sofa as a knock came on the door.

  “I know, son.” Mia dropped the dishrag on the counter, turned off the burner under her food and walked to the door.

  She opened it and the look of excitement and joy on Keylan’s face eclipsed her anger. Mia’s shoulders dropped and her mouth curved into a smirk. She couldn’t believe how happy she was to see his overbearing self. “Hi
.”

  “Hello, can I come in?”

  Mia’s hand rose and landed on her hip. “Depends.” She gave him a playful scowl.

  “On what?”

  “Did you come bringing more Christmas surprises and gifts?”

  “Just me...”

  Chapter 19

  Mia stepped aside and waved her hand forward. “Come in.”

  “Keylan,” Colby called, running toward him.

  Keylan bent down and picked him up. “Hey, buddy.”

  “Come see my tree. It plays music.” He wiggled until Keylan set him down. He took his hand and Colby pulled him to his room, stopping long enough to say, “Mommy’s tree don’t sing.”

  “I know.” Keylan looked over his shoulder and winked at Mia.

  Mia narrowed her eyes and fought her laughter as she followed them into Colby’s room, where his Charlie Brown tree had been set up. “See my tree,” he said, climbing onto his bed.

  Keylan noticed that not one thing had been added to the tree. It was exactly as it was when he’d bought it. “That’s a really cool spot for your tree, too, right in front of your bed.”

  “Colby, sweetheart, play with your toys and finish the movie.” She handed him the tablet that was on the dresser. “Enjoy your tree while Mommy and Keylan finish making dinner.”

  “Okeydoke.”

  Mia took Keylan’s hand, led him out of the room and back into the family room. She dropped his hand and looked around. “Nutcrackers, angels and a Santa Claus statue. Thank goodness they don’t move.”

  “Of course it doesn’t move. That would scare Colby.”

  “And all these gifts under this tree.” She directed him to the one he’d had delivered and decorated. “Look at this thing, it’s huge. I didn’t think they could even get it through the door.”

  The corners of his mouth quirked up. “You can’t have a tree or Christmas, for that matter, without gifts. It’s almost as beautiful as you are.” His voice was husky and his eyes dark with desire.

  The way he was looking at her and the sound of his voice ignited something inside Mia. She became very warm in places that only he seemed to be able to reach. From his sexy smile and the way his eyes roamed her body, Mia felt naked in spite of the black leggings and long red T-shirt she wore.

  Keylan walked up to Mia, placed both hands on her hips and lifted her as if she was a delicate doll. Mia’s instincts kicked in, her legs wrapping around his waist as she circled her hands around his neck. “How much time do we have?” he asked, kissing her gently on the lips.

  Mia’s mind was clouded by need. “Time?” she whispered.

  “Before Little Man joins us,” he explained, walking them into her living room, where he sat in the bay window, where the blinds were drawn, out of the view of young eyes, with Mia straddling him.

  Mia laughed. “We have about twenty minutes.”

  “I’ll take it.” Keylan buried his hands in Mia’s hair and devoured her mouth.

  Mia returned his kiss with a level of passion and sense of desperation she’d never felt before. As their tongues danced and Keylan’s lips moved to explore her neck, he whispered how much he wanted her. The pressure that had been building between her legs demanded release. Mia’s hands gripped his shoulders and she began to grind her hips against the bulge in his jeans.

  Keylan placed his hands under her shirt and unclipped her bra. He cupped her breasts and squeezed her nipples as he stared up at her, matching her pelvic moves.

  Mia was lost in the storm of desire. With each grind and stroke she made, the more control she seemed to lose, until something snapped. Keylan muffled the sound of her release with a mind-blowing kiss.

  As Mia’s movement slowed, her embarrassment grew. She buried her face in his neck and uncontrollable tears flowed. Keylan held her close and rubbed her back. “It’s okay, baby.”

  Mia remained still for several moments. She finally built up enough courage to rise and look at him. “I... I don’t know what came over me.”

  Keylan brushed her hair out of her face and kissed a small bead of sweat from her nose. “I hope it was me that came over you.”

  Mia smirked. “I’d say so. I haven’t done that since high school.”

  “Neither have I,” he assured her.

  “I think I should go clean up.” Mia relaxed her legs and rolled off him. “Oh, my.” She looked down at the bulge in his pants.

  “It’s fine,” he promised.

  “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

  “I’m not.” He ran the back of his hand down the side of her face. “Pleasing you pleases me. It also shows how wonderful we will be together when we do finally make love.”

  Mia leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips. “I’ll be back in a few.”

  “I think I should use your guest bathroom. I need to make a few adjustments myself.”

  Mia covered her mouth and laughed. “Help yourself.”

  Mia hurried to her room and went straight to the bathroom. She turned on the shower, quickly undressed and stepped under the spray. “Mia, you’ve got some explaining to do,” she told herself.

  * * *

  After washing up, Keylan collected Colby and the two of them started setting the dinner table. “Do you like the Christmas decorations? They’re not scary, are they?”

  Colby frowned. “No. They don’t move.”

  Keylan nodded as he pulled out the silverware. “How about the lights outside?”

  Colby’s frown deepened. “They don’t move, either.”

  Keylan laughed at the confused look on Colby’s face. “How do they look?”

  “They’re pretty. But they don’t sing.”

  “No, they don’t.” Keylan reached into the cabinet and took out three plates. He moved to the stove and raised the lids off the pots. “What do we have here?”

  “Food,” Colby replied.

  “I can see that, son.” Son... Wow, I actually like the sound of that.

  “This looks like a roast, cabbage over here and beans and rice. Man, does your mom cook like this every Sunday?”

  “Yes, she does,” Mia answered, walking into the kitchen barefoot, wearing dark gray drawstring pants and a white tank top. Her wet hair was pulled back into a high ponytail.

  Damn, you’re beautiful.

  “What are you two up to?” Mia asked.

  “We’re making dinner, Mommy. I’ll be right back.” Colby ran from the room.

  “We were making plates,” he explained. “Everything looks delicious.”

  “Well, don’t let me stop you. Please continue.” Mia took a seat at the island.

  “Everything for my beautiful lady?” he asked before leaning down and kissing her on the lips.

  “Yes, please.”

  Keylan dished up three plates of food and placed them on the table.

  “I’m back,” Colby announced.

  Mia and Keylan turned to find that Colby had changed out of his jeans and was now wearing his pajama bottoms.

  “Honey, are you okay? Did you have an accident?” Mia gave him the once-over. “Why did you change clothes?”

  “Mommy changed clothes. Did you have an accident?”

  “That was certainly no accident,” Keylan murmured.

  Mia’s eyes bore into Keylan’s. “No, sweetheart, Mommy didn’t have an accident. It was just time to change clothes.”

  “Let’s eat and, Colby, you can tell me about the show you are watching.” Keylan sat between Colby and Mia, dividing his attention between the two people that had suddenly become essential players in his life.

  After dinner, Mia and Keylan cleaned up the dirty dishes before wrestling with Colby through bath time, taking his nightly asthma and allergy medicines and story
time before finally getting him down for bed.

  Keylan flopped onto the sofa, pulling Mia into his arms. “Is he always that energetic before it’s time for bed?”

  “Not usually. It’s been a pretty exciting day.”

  Keylan took Mia’s hand and brought it to his lips. “Yes, it has. How’s the hand?”

  “It’s fine. About earlier...”

  “What about it?”

  Mia’s cell phone rang. “Just a second.” She reached for the phone and read the screen. “Hello, Auntie.”

  “Hi, darling. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, but now’s not a good time to talk.”

  “Oh, really, why’s that?”

  Mia sighed. “Keylan’s here.”

  “Bye...”

  Mia looked down at her phone and laughed.

  “Everything okay?” Keylan asked.

  “Yes, just my aunt checking up on me. I feel like I should explain what happened.”

  “I think we both know what happened and it was wonderful.” He wrapped a strand of her hair around his fingers.

  “I need to explain why it happened.”

  Keylan’s forehead creased. “Why it happened?” His confusion was clear.

  Mia stared at her hands. “I haven’t been with a man in that way in quite some time.”

  Keylan used his index finger to raise her chin and stare into her eyes. “How much time?”

  “Nearly five years. Not since before Colby was born.”

  Mia searched Keylan’s face but he remained expressionless. “How’s that possible? You’re the most desirable woman I’ve ever met. I can’t believe there haven’t been any other men in your life.”

  She shrugged. “None that I’ve been interested in...not like that, anyway. I don’t even know why I’ve remained on birth control all these years.” Mia rose from the sofa and walked into the kitchen. “Do you want anything to drink?”

  “No, I’m good.”

  Mia pulled out a bottle of ginger ale from the refrigerator, cracked the seal and took a drink, hoping it would calm her stomach. “Colby was born with so many health unknowns that he became my only priority. I didn’t have time or the energy for much else.”