Aria's Christmas Wish

by Victorine E. Lieske

  Jacob played the game with Aria twice, before he stood and brushed off his knees. “I’d better go see if your mother needs any help.”

  “Okay.” Aria began to set up the game again, content to play by herself.

  He walked into the kitchen, the smell making his stomach rumble. Kendra was at the stove pouring batter on a frying pan. “Can I help?” he asked.

  She turned and smiled at him. She’d pulled her hair up in a messy ponytail, strands falling to frame her heart-shaped face. Her cheeks seemed to glow. Man, was she even more beautiful today? It didn’t seem possible. She took his breath away. “Yes. Can you get out the syrup from the cupboard and heat it in the microwave?”

  It took him a moment to regain his composure. “Sure.”

  She pointed to the cupboard, and he rummaged through it until he found the bottle of syrup.

  “One minute should do it,” she said.

  He nodded and did as she said. “Anything else?”

  “Want to get the whipped cream out of the refrigerator? Aria likes to eat her chocolate chip pancakes with that instead of syrup.”

  “Whipped cream on pancakes? I’m in.” He opened the door and found the can of Reddi Wip. He grabbed it and turned to her. “Remember when we raided your mother’s kitchen, and ate all her whipped cream? She was so disgusted.”

  She laughed. “I’m sure we’re not the only teenagers who ate Reddi Wip right out of the can.”

  He uncapped it, feeling playful. “Here. Open your mouth.”

  She made a face. “No way.”

  “Come on. Relive your teen years. Open up. It tastes better straight from the can.” He stepped closer to her.

  She laughed. “Stop fooling around. I’m going to burn this pancake.”

  He motioned. “Flip it. Then open your mouth.”

  “You always were stubborn.” She flipped the pancake then shot him a look. “Come closer to me with that can and I’ll belt you.”

  “You will not. You know you want some.” He opened his mouth and shot a little whipped cream in. “Mmm. It’s good.”

  Aria came in the kitchen. “What are you doing?”

  “Here, open your mouth.”

  Kendra’s eyes widened. “You will not teach my daughter how to do that!”

  He would have paused had Kendra not been half laughing when she said it. “I will, too.” Aria obediently opened her mouth, and Jacob shot a squirt of whipped cream in.

  Aria giggled and ate the cream. She rubbed her tummy. “Yum!”

  “See? Aria knows it’s good.”

  Kendra blew out a breath. “You two are impossible.”

  “Let’s get Mommy to open her mouth. She should try it too, don’t you think?”

  Aria jumped up and down. “Yes! Mommy. Try it.”

  “I’m cooking,” Kendra said, but she was smiling, fighting back giggles.

  “Come on. Time to give in.” Jacob put his arm around her waist and pulled her to him, the can of whipped cream raised high.

  “Okay, fine.” Kendra opened her mouth and looked up.

  Jacob squirted a dollop of cream on her nose.

  Kendra gasped and Aria squealed. “Mommy. It’s on your nose.”

  “Give me that,” Kendra said, squirming to get the can from him while wiping at her nose. Jacob was too busy laughing to fight her very hard.

  She grabbed the can and squirted him in the face. Since the can wasn’t upside down, all that came out were splatters. But that didn’t matter to Aria. She laughed and screamed, “Do it again.”

  Jacob wiped his hand over his face and wrestled the can away from Kendra. “You’re getting it now.”

  Kendra squealed and tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he held on. “I cry mercy,” she said, laughing.

  “Okay, I won’t do anything. Open up. I’ll put some in your mouth. I swear this time.”

  He could see the indecision on her face as she tried to figure out if he was lying, or not. Finally, she stopped squirming and opened her mouth.

  He did as he said he would, and she smiled as she swallowed. “You’re right. That tastes better from the can.”

  He stared into her eyes, deep pools of brown with little flecks of gold. He could feel his heart thumping wildly in his chest. Her lips were slightly parted, and all he wanted to do right now was kiss her. But he knew she’d freak if he did, so he refrained.

  “You’ve got a little something,” she said, holding back a smile, and pointing to his face.

  “Yeah, so do you.”

  “Where?”

  On impulse, he leaned down and licked the whipped cream off her nose. Aria dissolved in a fit of giggles. “He licked you, Mommy.”

  She stared up at him, her eyes wide. “I can’t believe you did that.”

  “I’m not going to apologize.”

  A burning smell hit his nose and he jumped back from her. “Oh, the pancakes.”

  Kendra gasped and ran to the stovetop. She grabbed the spatula and the pan. “This one’s burned.”

  He wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Oh, well. I’m still not going to apologize.”

  She tossed the pancake in the trash and rolled her eyes at him. “You should probably get out of the kitchen if you ever want to eat.”

  He nuzzled her neck. “I don’t mind the wait.”

  She pushed him away. “Get out.”

  He would have been offended if she hadn’t said it with a gigantic smile on her face.

  Chapter 14

  Kendra stood in the kitchen, her heart doing a crazy samba dance in her chest. She leaned against the counter and tried to get her emotions in check.

  She hadn’t flirted like that since she and Jacob had been in high school. It had felt wonderful. But she wasn’t a schoolgirl anymore. She had Aria to think about. She had to be the grown up here, and act like it.

  Still, her fingers trembled and her skin tingled. It felt good to be in Jacob’s arms. He was funny, and it was wonderful to be around him. He made the dark clouds go away.

  And how amazing he’d been, getting information out of Aria about her Christmas wish. She didn’t think he could do it, but if he kept it up, she believed he could get it out of her by the end of the day.

  And how sweet of him to even care about something so small. It was a tiny thing, but it meant so much to her. She wanted to give her little girl her heart’s desire. And to have Jacob help her with that meant the world.

  He really was a kind man. The thought worked its way around her head as she poured another pool of batter into the pan. She could see herself falling back in love with Jacob. She blinked as she let that sink in. Fall back in love? Had she ever fallen out of love with Jacob?

  The pancake sizzled after she flipped it. The memory of all those nights, alone in her room, as she listened to his songs came to her. She thought about the way his music affected her, like it was a part of her that was ripped out six years ago. Maybe she never had gotten over Jacob.

  She thought she was dealing with it. Leaving it all behind her. But maybe she was just as hurt as the day she’d found out he’d left Highland Falls.

  And now she had to face those feelings.

  Aria came running into the room. “Jacob’s going to sing a song for us. Come on, Mommy. Sing with him.”

  “I have to finish cooking the pancakes, sweetheart. I can’t.”

  Aria’s shoulders slumped. “Okay.” She left the kitchen, but she looked so dejected, Kendra felt bad for rejecting her idea. Maybe she could get Jacob to sing again later, after they went to the fountain. Aria sure loved it when he sang.

  She couldn’t blame her daughter. She used to love it, too.

  She didn’t realize Jacob had his guitar with him until she heard him start to strum it. Her heart leapt and she sucked in a breath. She hadn’t heard him play his guitar since that night at the campfire. He’d sang to her, then they’d roasted marshmallows.

  He was playing the opening notes to the song he’d been humming ye
sterday. Then he started to sing. And the words made her knees weak.

  She walked in the room and I caught my breath. I hadn’t seen her in so long.

  I took her hand and she took my heart. Or maybe she never had let it go.

  She was everything in the world to me.

  And now I know, now I see,

  I need her in my life.

  She gives me breath. Brings me light.

  She is my day and is my night.

  I don’t know why I ever let her go.

  I’ll never let her go…again.

  Kendra didn’t realize she had tears streaming down her face until she saw one fall and hit the counter. She grabbed a napkin and dabbed at her face. His voice. Those lyrics. Was he singing about her?

  Sometimes she imagined his songs were about her, when she was feeling vulnerable. When she needed to cling to the idea that Jacob was still in love with her, even from far away. Was she being desperate, thinking he had written these lyrics for her?

  Or was it just a song?

  No matter what it was, she couldn’t let it dissolve her into a blubbering idiot. She wiped her tears away and steeled herself. Even if Jacob did want to pursue a relationship, how would that even work? He couldn’t move to Highland Falls to date her. And she couldn’t follow him around like a groupie.

  No matter how she placed the pieces, her and Jacob didn’t fit together anymore. She had to face that fact. It wasn’t meant to be.

  She listened to Jacob sing as she finished making the pancakes. He sang a couple of his songs, then began singing Home is Love. Aria squealed when she heard the first few notes. She loved that song. Kendra heard her singing with him, and her heart melted. Maybe she was biased, but she thought her daughter was talented.

  Kendra set the table and put the pancakes on a plate. She got out three glasses and filled them with milk. After Jacob ended the song, she poked her head into the other room, forcing herself to look unaffected. “Time to eat.”

  “Yay!” Aria ran to the table, and Jacob followed after her.

  Jacob entered the kitchen and they came face to face, neither one of them saying anything. Her pulse jumped. He gave her a shy smile. Why couldn’t she think of something to say?

  “You brought your guitar,” she finally blurted, and then cringed. That was a stupid. Her mind had blanked, especially after listening to his new song.

  “Yeah,” he said, looking at her in that way only Jacob could. His eyes half-hooded. She knew he was feeling her out. Trying to figure out what she was thinking.

  “You sounded good,” she said as she passed him the plate of pancakes.

  “Thanks.” He stabbed one and put it on his plate, then did the same for Aria.

  “Oh! I forgot the chocolate chips.” Kendra jumped up, her chair making a terrible scraping sound on the linoleum. Her face flushed as she grabbed them from the cupboard, but not from embarrassment for forgetting them. She was suddenly self-conscious with Jacob looking at her.

  “Here you go,” she said as she opened the container and handed it to Aria.

  “Can you make the smile, Mommy?”

  “Sure.” She took her daughter’s plate and began putting the chocolate chips on the pancake.

  “Very cute. Will you do that to mine, too?” Jacob winked at her.

  A warmth washed through her. “You hush.”

  “No, I’m serious. I want to try a smiley face pancake.” He pushed his plate toward her.

  “They’re good,” Aria said. “Mommy makes them the best.”

  Kendra added the whipped cream nose to Aria’s face, then handed it back to her. “Here you go.”

  “Looks delicious,” Jacob said as Kendra dropped chocolate chips onto his pancake.

  Aria folded her pancake in half like a taco and picked it up. “See? Eat it like this.”

  “Oh, that’s a great way. You’re smart.”

  Aria beamed.

  Kendra handed him back his plate. “Enjoy.”

  He picked up his pancake like Aria and bit into it. “Yum. This is good. You’re right, kiddo. Your mom makes them the best.”

  They ate in silence for a few moments before Aria piped up. “Did you hear Jake’s song, Mommy?”

  Kendra sucked in a breath, but unfortunately, she had food in her mouth and it started a coughing attack. She picked up her glass of milk and gulped down the cool liquid. Jacob patted her back. “You okay?”

  She nodded. She didn’t want to speak. She was too humiliated.

  “I like Jake’s song. He said it will be on the radio.” Aria happily munched on her pancake taco.

  Kendra’s gaze snapped to his. He was looking at her expectantly. But she didn’t know what to say to him. What did he want her to say? She dropped her gaze. “It was good,” was all she could think of to say.

  “I’ve been working on it for a while now.”

  “You have?” She stared at him. Maybe it wasn’t about her, then? Maybe it was about some other woman in his life. Why did that twist like a knife in her chest?

  “Yeah. The tune, anyway. The lyrics didn’t come to me until…recently.” His eyes penetrated through her.

  Her face heated. “Oh.”

  “You know, I think I want to add smiley face pancakes to my list of foods I have on hand when I’m on tour. Do you know anyone who could travel with me, and make them for me for breakfast?”

  Aria laughed. “You’re silly. No one makes them like Mommy.”

  Jacob shrugged, not taking his eyes off Kendra. “Well, then. Too bad.”

  Kendra’s heart pounded and her hands grew sweaty. She had to get away from Jacob. He was too smooth. Too good-looking. She was going to fall hard, and then be devastated when he left her cold and alone.

  She’d been down that road before. It was all too familiar. And she wasn’t going down again.

  Chapter 15

  Jacob had taken a chance singing his song to Aria. He knew he was pushing things, but he couldn’t help it. He had made a mistake six years ago. When Kendra hadn’t answered his calls, he should have hopped on a plane and come back. He should have made her speak to him face to face. He’d always regretted letting things die the way he did.

  And now, sitting next to her, he felt he had been given a do-over. A second chance. And he wasn’t going to let her go another time.

  Things in his life were complicated, that was true. But he could make it work. He had to. Kendra was his soul mate. And he had to have her back.

  “You should see my tour bus. It has three bedrooms, a full bath, and even a kitchen.”

  Kendra reached for her milk but missed and knocked it over. Milk spilled over the tabletop, skittering over the Formica in a mad frenzy and then dripping onto his lap. “Oh!” She jumped up and grabbed a kitchen towel.

  “Sorry.” She sopped up the mess from the table, then handed him a paper towel roll. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  He grabbed her wrist and looked into her eyes. “Nothing. You’re perfect.”

  He had hoped to get a smile out of her, but she just turned from him, a blank look on her face. He inwardly cringed. He was coming on too strong again. He needed to back off.

  Aria hopped down from her chair. “I’m done. Can I go play?”

  “Take your plate to the sink. Then wash your hands.”

  “Okay.” Aria did as she was told.

  Jacob dabbed at his jeans with a paper towel. He hadn’t gotten it too bad. Kendra finished mopping up the mess on the table and rinsed out the towel. She motioned to him. “Are you finished?”

  He nodded and stood. “Yeah. Thanks for dinner. You make great pancakes.”

  Her cheeks turned pink. “They’re from a mix.”

  “Well, you mix them well.” He grabbed his plate, stacked it on hers, and brought them to the sink. He stood close behind her. His instinct was to get even closer. Touch her. Kiss her. He craved it. But she tensed, and he took a step back.

  “It’s almost dark,” she said as she
turned on the faucet to rinse the dishes.

  “Yes.”

  “Aria will be glad. She can’t wait to show you the fountain. She doesn’t realize you grew up here.”

  He chuckled. “She’s a cutie.” He hesitated, then put his hand on her shoulder. “You’ve done a great job with her.”

  She turned to him. He couldn’t quite read her expression. “It hasn’t been easy.”

  Before he could decipher what she meant, she brushed past him and into the other room. He sighed and rubbed his temples. He didn’t know what else to do. He only had five days before Christmas. Then he had to leave.

  And he wanted Kendra and Aria to come with him.

  “Jake!” Aria came running into the kitchen. “Look. It’s dark outside now. We can go make a wish.”

  Jacob picked up his daughter, a surge of emotion rushing through him. She was so big. He’d missed so much of her childhood. He cradled her to his chest. “Yes, we can,” he managed to say.

  “I know just what I’m going to wish for. Do you?”

  He nodded, his throat closing. “I do.”

  “That’s good.”

  Kendra appeared in the doorway, but she stopped when she saw Aria in his arms. She leaned against the door jam.

  “I have a special wish.”

  Her eyes widened. “I do, too.”

  “I know you do.” He touched the tip of her nose, and she smiled. “We both have special wishes, don’t we?”

  Aria nodded.

  And then inspiration struck him. “Mine isn’t a present you can put under the tree, though.”

  Aria’s mouth popped open. “Neither is mine,” she whispered.

  Jackpot. He was going to get it out of her. “Really? That’s so cool. We both have wishes that can’t be wrapped.”

  Aria nodded again.

  He lowered his voice. “Do you want to do something fun with me?”

  “What?” she whispered.

  “Do you want to exchange wishes?”

  “What does that mean?”

  He smiled at her childlike innocence. “It means trade.”