The Christmas Keeper

by Jenn McKinlay

  Her green eyes grew dark and her breath was short when she said, “To start with.”

  There would be no distracting her. Quino didn’t really mind, he just didn’t enjoy talking about the past. He’d always been a glass-half-full sort of guy and remembering a time when the glass had not only been empty but smashed to bits by the fates wasn’t his idea of a good time.

  “Christmas was never a big holiday for me,” he said. He sifted his fingers through her hair. “I mean, as a kid I loved it, of course, because presents.”

  Savy smiled. He got the feeling she was picturing him as a boy. Oh, brother.

  “But I didn’t really get into it,” he said. “My parents both loved it, you know, with the mistletoe and decking the halls and all.” He heard the wistful note in his voice but it couldn’t be helped. He’d missed his parents for ten years and he knew he would until the day he died. Savy put her arm around him and squeezed him tight.

  “They were killed in a freak car crash two weeks before Christmas,” he said. “One of the tires blew out right as my dad hit a patch of ice. The car spun out of control and slammed into a tree head-on. My sister, Desi, was with them. They had all just gotten the Christmas tree.”

  He paused. His voice was softer and even lower when he spoke. The words were still hard for him even after all these years. “I remember getting the call in Texas that there’d been an accident. I caught the next flight out of Austin, but I was too late. Both of my parents were dead on arrival at the hospital, and Desi was clinging to life.”

  “Oh, Quino,” Savy said. Her voice was tender. It felt like a balm on his jagged memories.

  “I spent the next two weeks by her bed,” he said. “I talked, I sang, I threatened, I cajoled. I did everything I could to try and get my baby sister to come back to me. She was in a coma. The doctors weren’t optimistic. They said even if she did come back, she’d likely be brain-damaged. With every day that passed her odds of getting better, of recovery, became exponentially worse.”

  He paused. He could still feel the desperation he’d felt. He would have done anything to bring Desi back.

  “I spent Christmas Eve in the hospital chapel. I lit candles, I prayed to my parents, I made deals with God, I cried. It was a rough evening.

  “On my way back from the chapel, I stopped by the hospital gift shop. I bought a Santa hat and a gift for Desi. Obviously, I hadn’t prepped for the holiday up to this point, but I was determined that if it was going to be her last Christmas, she was going to get a visit from Santa and a present.

  “There wasn’t a great selection, so I settled on a stuffed bear, holding a heart. I brought it up to her room, and I sat on the side of her bed and I sang, ‘Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.’ I’m sure the hospital staff thought I was cracked. I didn’t care. I told Desi that she had to wake up, that it was Christmas, and that there was a present for her but only if she woke up. I then told her that we were going to have the biggest, brightest, best Christmases ever but only if she came back to me.

  “She didn’t wake up,” he said. “I fell asleep in the chair beside her bed.” He glanced down at Savy and saw a tear slide down her cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb. “And then a miracle happened. On Christmas morning, Desi woke up and asked why I was holding a bear and wearing a Santa hat.”

  He grinned and Savy chuckled. Then he said softly, “Desi coming back to me was the greatest Christmas gift ever, and I promised from that day forward, I would always celebrate Christmas with my whole heart, and so I do.”

  More tears slipped down Savy’s cheeks, and she pulled him close and kissed him until his ears rang. It was the most natural thing in the world to make love to her again. And this time it was slow and sweet, wicked and wanton, and he knew, just like the Christmas miracle that had brought Desi back to him, he needed to find the miracle that would make the woman he loved stay.

  * * *

  * * *

  IT was late by the time hunger forced them down to the kitchen. Thankfully, tamales really were the fastest reheat food in the world. Wrapped in a corn husk, the masa harina was stuffed with spicy shredded pork, giving the tamales a little bit of heat that was welcome on this cold December night. They sat at the counter, side by side, with Quino’s bare feet hooked into the rungs of her stool, as if he didn’t want her to get away.

  Savy glanced at the man beside her. She was glad she understood his obsession with Christmas now. It made her overlook the hideous sweater he had on. In fact, she even wanted to celebrate with him. How awful to have lost his parents just weeks before the holiday and then to wonder if he was going to lose his sister, too. It had clearly marked him.

  Since she had no reason to leave Fairdale for the holiday, she wondered if she should stay and celebrate with her boyfriend. Whoosh! Even the word boyfriend made the blood rush to her head and she felt a bit dizzy. This was going to take some getting used to.

  “Are you all right, Red?” he asked. He looked at her in concern. “Tamales too spicy?”

  “No, they’re perfect,” she said. In a gush of girliness she didn’t recognize in herself, she said, “You’re perfect.”

  His grin was a slow slide into a sensual invitation that made Savy break out in a light sweat. He leaned close and kissed the sweet spot right below her ear. “Tell me more.”

  When he leaned back expectantly, her breathing was erratic and so was her heartbeat. For the first time, she wondered if this man might be more than she could handle.

  “Well, you’re very nice,” she said. He made a face like she’d said something bad. She fought her laugh and continued. “You’re kind and considerate, and you have excellent manners.”

  He made a retching noise.

  “Let’s see, what else.” She tapped her chin with her finger. “You’re good with animals, kids, and ladies of a certain age. You’re loyal and trustworthy—”

  “Okay, stop,” he said. “Before my manliness shrinks in on itself and starts to weep and wail.”

  “Huh?” she asked, feigning confusion. “Aren’t those all the qualities of a perfect man?”

  “I suppose.” He sounded disgruntled.

  “Would you have preferred a different description?”

  “Yes,” he said. He looked at her with a wicked glint in his eye. “I would have preferred you focus on my sexual prowess, you know, my ability to make you moan and cry out my name, repeatedly, and orgasm so hard you almost black out.”

  Savy felt her temperature rise and it wasn’t the tamales. Oh, this boy knew how to play. She took a long, slow sip of her beer. Then she turned to him with an innocent look.

  “Well, duh, but that doesn’t fall under the perfect category,” she said.

  “It doesn’t?” he looked confused.

  “No, that’s the How did I get so lucky that this guy is my boyfriend? category,” she said.

  One second she was in her seat and the next she was lifted up into his arms and being carried toward the stairs. She laughed as she clung to his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his waist. The desire between them was so raw that the only salve was to make love until the ache diminished. She wondered if that would ever be possible or would she always long for this man as she did right now? The thought was too frightening to contemplate so she shoved it aside.

  Halfway up the stairs, a chime sounded and it took her a moment to recognize the ringtone from her phone. She thought about ignoring it, but the publicist in her couldn’t do it. She pulled the phone from the back pocket of her jeans and glanced at the display while she held on to him with one arm. She gasped.

  “What is it?” he asked. He stopped halfway up the stairs, looking at her face as if he expected catastrophic news.

  “It’s Genevieve,” she said.

  Quino plopped her on her feet and said, “Answer it. At least, one way or another, you’ll know for sure.”

 
Savy nodded quickly and swiped her thumb across the phone. “Hello?”

  “Savannah, it’s Genevieve. I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time.”

  Savy glanced at Quino. He raised his eyebrows as if in question and she knew he’d heard Genevieve. She smiled. No, it hadn’t been a bad time—quite the opposite.

  “No, not at all,” she said. “Nothing happening here.”

  Quino looked outraged. Then he pinched her bottom and she swatted his hand away, turning her yelp into a cough. He chuckled.

  “Yes, well, I have some news,” Genevieve said.

  Savy froze. She looked at Quino and knew her nerves were on full display when he abruptly sobered and looked intently at her phone.

  “Oh, okay,” Savy said. She decided to go for optimism. “What’s the good word?”

  “After much consideration and discussion, Destiny has decided to do a book signing at the Happily Ever After Bookstore on the Saturday before Christmas,” she said. “Congratulations.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  YES!” Savy pumped her fist. Quino let out a whoop of triumph, grinned, and held up his hand. Savy hit him with a hard high five.

  “Oh, man, this is so great!” Savy said. “It’s going to be fantastic—epic even! She won’t regret it. You won’t regret it. I promise.”

  “We can discuss the details—there are many—tomorrow,” Genevieve said. “For now, go celebrate. Oh, and if that’s Quino I hear whooping in the background, tell him I said hi.”

  “I will, and thank you, Genevieve, thank you so much,” she said.

  “There’s no need,” Genevieve said. “Destiny ultimately chose to do the signing because she trusts you and Quino. Don’t let her down.”

  “We won’t. I swear.”

  Genevieve ended the call and Savy jumped into Quino’s arms, kissing his face wherever her lips could reach. “We did it! We did it! Destiny is coming to Happily Ever After!”

  He laughed and hugged her tight, planting one sweetly extended kiss on her lips.

  “Now, Ms. Wilson, what’s the next step?” he asked.

  She blinked at him. Destiny was coming to the bookstore on the Saturday before Christmas, which—she did a quick glance at the calendar on her phone—fell on a Friday this year. Oh, man, she only had two weeks to promote the signing of the decade.

  She had to get going. She had calls to make and press releases to issue. But first, she had to tell Maisy. She opened her phone. She was about to call but then she stopped. No, this was too big.

  “I have to go see Maisy,” she said. “I have to tell her the news in person.”

  “Of course you do,” he said. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the stairs. “Come on, I’ll drive you over.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked. She hiked her thumb toward the stairs. “You’re not disappointed about . . . ?”

  He gave her a look so hot she half expected flames to appear on her clothes. “There’s always later.”

  She grinned. Yes, there was, because he was her boyfriend. Man, a gal could get used to this.

  They pulled on jackets, boots, scarves, and mittens and headed out into the cold, clear night. Quino’s house was lit up with decorations and Savy felt like it was a celebration just for her and the miracle she had just achieved. She realized she could really get into this Christmas thing after all.

  * * *

  * * *

  THE drive over to Maisy and Ryder’s was short. Savy threw out ideas for the signing, and Quino nodded. He loved how her mind worked. She was on fire with ideas for promotion. Every few seconds she made notes on her phone to call this person, that person, or the other person. He couldn’t even keep up. When he pulled up in front of Ryder and Maisy’s house, she jumped out of the truck before he’d even come to a full stop. Lord-a-mercy, the woman was a force of nature. Then he remembered their evening together and realized she was in more ways than one.

  She knocked on the door and Ryder answered. His hair was mussed, his flannel shirt was hanging off one shoulder, and Quino was pretty sure their timing could not have been worse. He grinned, happy to know he wasn’t the only man suffering. Because he knew once Savy unloaded her news on Maisy, the two women were going to spend the rest of the evening plotting and planning.

  “Um . . . hello,” Ryder said. He shoved a hand through his hair as Savy pushed past him into the house.

  “Hi,” she said. “Where’s Maisy?” She continued into the house until she was next to the staircase, then she bellowed, “Maisy!”

  Ryder looked at Quino. “Most people call before they pop in at ten o’clock at night.”

  “Sorry, but it’s like trying to contain a tsunami in a fishbowl.”

  “I’m coming!” Maisy called from somewhere upstairs.

  “Is something wrong?” Ryder asked Quino. “Do I need to grab a box of tissue or something?”

  “No, something is definitely right.”

  “Oh, cool. Beer?”

  “Always.”

  Ryder led the way to the kitchen. The open floor plan of the house allowed the men to see what was happening. When Maisy appeared at the top of the stairs, looking just as disheveled as Ryder, Savy started to bounce on her feet.

  Ryder handed Quino a beer. He twisted off the top and watched the woman he loved lose her mind.

  “You are never ever ever ever going to guess what I’m about to tell you!” Savy said. She was jumping and clapping now.

  “You and Quino are a couple,” Maisy said.

  Savy stopped jumping. She blinked. “How did you know?”

  “You are?!” Maisy asked. “I mean, I hoped, but you’ve been so adamant you weren’t going to get involved. This is wonderful!”

  She stepped off the stairs and hugged her friend tight. Savy hugged her back, and Quino felt Ryder watching him. He turned to look at his friend.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You two?” Ryder asked. “For real?”

  Quino grinned. “I told you she was the one.”

  Ryder took a sip of his beer and held his fist up. Quino bumped knuckles with him and it occurred to him that he was now in the club of guys with a serious girlfriend. He liked it. He wanted to stay. He tried not to dwell on the fact that Destiny’s signing might change all of that.

  “Thank you,” Savy said. “But that’s not my news.”

  “It isn’t?” Maisy asked. She came into the kitchen and leaned against Ryder as if she couldn’t stand to be apart from him. Much to Quino’s delight, Savy did the same to him. It made something inside his chest bloom; he thought it might be hope.

  Savy clasped his free hand in hers and asked her friend, “Are you ready for this?”

  “Yes, what is it that has you so crazy?”

  Savy drew in a deep breath and said, “Destiny Swann is coming to the Happily Ever After Bookstore to do a signing on the Saturday before Christmas.” Then she let out a tiny yelp of joy and clapped a hand over her mouth.

  Maisy’s eyes went huge. Her mouth dropped open. She stared at Savy. She looked at Ryder. She looked back at Savy. Then she asked, “Are you pranking me?”

  “No!” Savy said. “Why would you think that?”

  “To get even for the time I told you that the guy at the bar who asked for your phone number was actually Adam Levine from Maroon 5,” Maisy said. Savy cringed. Maisy looked at Ryder and Quino and explained, “I didn’t think she’d really believe me.”

  “Oh, my God, I was so excited I almost passed out. I forgot about that,” Savy said. “I still owe you payback on that one.”

  Quino made a bad face. “He’s a bit pointy-faced, isn’t he?”

  “Like a ferret,” Ryder added.

  The men clinked beers and Savy waved her hand in the air. “Not the point! Maisy, I swear, this is not a drill. Destiny Swann, after being in seclu
sion for a decade, is coming to the Happily Ever After Bookstore! Your bookstore! To do a signing!” At this point, she let go of Quino’s hand and began to jump up and down.

  Maisy stared at her, blinked twice, and then her eyes rolled back into her head and she went limp.

  “Whoa!” Ryder cried out. He caught Maisy in one arm as he let go of his beer, which Quino caught, and used the other to scoop up her limp form before she hit the floor. “Maisy!”

  “Oh, crap!” Savy spun away to the sink. She grabbed a cloth and soaked it in cold water. She wrung it out and followed Ryder to the couch in the adjacent living room, where he gently set Maisy down. Savy dabbed the cloth on Maisy’s forehead while Ryder squeezed her hands.

  Quino leaned over the back of the couch. He studied Maisy’s face and said, “She’ll be all right. Look, her color is already coming back. I imagine it was just a bit of a shock.”

  Sure enough, Maisy blinked and stared up at Savy. She had tears in her eyes and her lower lip quivered when she said, “Savy, thank you. This means everything to me. You have no idea.”

  “Well, I had a little bit of help from a certain cover model I know,” Savy said.

  She leaned against Quino and grinned up at him, and he felt as if they’d made a Christmas miracle together. The feeling was everything. Then she kissed him right in front of their best friends, giving him hope that he might just be able to corral this girl into staying in his life somehow.

  Maisy sat up. Her eyes were wide. Her cheeks flushed. “We have to plan. There’s so much to do.”

  “I know,” Savy agreed. “We have a million details to nail down.”

  “Are you sure you’re up to it?” Ryder asked. He looked at his fiancée in concern.

  “Yes, it was just the shock. I mean, Destiny Swann—this is incredible. She’s been a recluse for over ten years!” Maisy said. “You can’t buy publicity like this.”

  “Come on, let’s sketch out a few ideas,” Savy said. She led the way to the front parlor, which Ryder and Maisy had made into a home office.