A Christmas Rendezvous

by Karen Booth

Jeremy was frozen for a moment, letting that bit of information tumble around in his head. “What? Seriously?”

  His dad drew in a deep breath, staring off into space as if he couldn’t possibly handle the admission. “He never made things easy on me. That’s for sure.”

  Jeremy’s mom stepped closer to him. “As the person who had to listen to your father complain every night when he came home from work, I can tell you that it was far worse than that.”

  “Dad? Why didn’t you ever tell me this? And why are you doing the same thing to me?”

  “Because it made me stronger to be tested like that,” his dad snapped. “It made me a better lawyer.”

  Jeremy wanted to laugh, but this was all striking him as incredibly sad. If only they’d had this conversation ten or fifteen years ago. He might be in a very different place. “You don’t have to be miserable to be strong. That all comes from within as far as I’m concerned.”

  “It’s the only way I know, Jeremy. I don’t know what you want me to tell you.”

  Jeremy approached his dad’s desk. “Dad. I love you. I hope you know that. I love you even though you make it very difficult some days. But I can’t work with you anymore. Either you step aside or I do. I’ll leave it up to you.”

  His mom came up behind him. “Son. Do you really want to do that? Close this door on your career?”

  He turned to her and placed his hand on her arm. He really did love her. “My career isn’t going anywhere. But at the rate we’re going, the three of us aren’t going to be much of a family. The situation at work has been bad enough, but we need to talk about how things went south after Kelsey left me. I didn’t feel supported. And I never took the time to think about how unhappy it made me until I talked to a friend about it.” Isabel had shown him so much in such a short amount of time. How had she done that?

  “You never told us you felt that way. I thought we were supportive.”

  “I should have said something. I know that now. I shouldn’t have kept it bottled in. But you were not supportive. You were embarrassed.”

  “Embarrassed for you. The things Kelsey said about you were horrible. No mother wants her son to go through that. To experience that kind of betrayal.”

  “But you never really said those things to me. All I heard were the things your friends were telling you.”

  Jeremy’s mom frowned and her eyes grew misty. “I didn’t?”

  He shook his head. “You didn’t.”

  She wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so sorry. I never, ever wanted to hurt you. You and your father are the most important things to me in the entire world. I love you. I love you both.”

  Jeremy returned his mom’s hug. “I love you guys, too. Hopefully that can save us.” As soon as the words left his lips, he realized that they weren’t really his. They were Isabel’s. From the night they met. I believe that love is the only thing that saves anyone.

  The thought of Isabel sent goose bumps racing over the surface of his skin and that was when he realized it—he loved her. As improbable as it was, he’d fallen in love with her. Could love save him? Was it as simple as that? Was it meant for him? He’d spent the last few years so unhappy, convinced that his empty existence was something he must learn to accept. A fact of life. But did it really have to be that way? He wanted to believe that it didn’t.

  “Are we going to see you for the tree-trimming party?” his mom asked. “I look forward to it all year.”

  Jeremy was determined to keep building bridges, not tearing them down. He wanted to be the sort of man who made connections, not destroyed them. “My only problem is that I’d like to bring a date. Isabel Blackwell.”

  His dad’s eyes became as large as dinner plates. “Excuse me?”

  Jeremy wasn’t about to go into a long, drawn-out explanation. He wasn’t even certain Isabel would accept the invitation. “Yes, Dad. We actually had a brief romantic relationship before the case started. I never said anything because I thought it wouldn’t be a problem. And honestly, it wasn’t, until you decided to try to drag her through the mud today.”

  Jeremy’s mother’s face was full of horror. “Oh. Well, that’s awkward, isn’t it?”

  Honestly, it couldn’t be any more uncomfortable for Jeremy than anything else he’d endured with his parents. “It doesn’t have to be if Dad apologizes.”

  “You have to apologize,” his mother blurted. “Otherwise, it’ll ruin Christmas.”

  “You can’t ruin Christmas, Dad.”

  Full of resignation, his father nodded. “I will apologize. First thing.”

  Jeremy could be content with that. “Then I will do my best to convince her to come.”

  Jeremy said his goodbyes to his parents, then marched down the hall, feeling as though a weight had been lifted. He’d finally said his piece with his family and the world hadn’t ended. In fact, it had gone quite well.

  Just then, his phone rang. He plucked it from his pocket and answered, striding down the hall.

  “Yes?”

  “Jeremy. It’s Ben.”

  At this point, Jeremy was prepared for anything. “Do you have news for me?”

  “I do.”

  “Am I going to be happy about it?”

  “Depends on what you were hoping for.”

  Was Jeremy ready for the answer? He had to be. Because the truth was that he wanted to put this whole thing to bed and turn his attention to Isabel and the baby.

  * * *

  Isabel arrived back at Jeremy’s place, and of course, it just had to be snowing. Again. As if the sight of his beautiful brownstone, with the grand steps and stunning front door, didn’t hold enough vibrant reminders of what had happened between them. They’d not only fallen into bed, she’d fallen into the Christmas spirit for the first time in years.

  Funnily enough, the most pressing thing she could think of as she looked at the facade of Jeremy’s house was that it needed a wreath with a big fat red bow. She needed to rein herself in. There was no telling what that afternoon might hold. Jeremy was having a showdown with his father and Mr. Summers. There were too many things that could go wrong.

  As she climbed out of the car and zipped up her coat, she had to admit to herself that despite her predicament, she wasn’t feeling truly pessimistic right now. She accepted the reality of her situation. Jeremy had never asked for this—an undeniable tie to her, forever. And that was fine. She was strong and independent. She could care for a child on her own. And she’d wanted this more than anything for so long. Nothing was going to keep her from building her own little family. Life was once again proving to be quite unlike what she had hoped for, but she wouldn’t put herself or her future on hold. She’d done that after Garrett left, and the pain of losing her first pregnancy had made her tread water for years.

  But as she ascended his front steps, she was overcome with another wave of melancholy. She and Jeremy could be good together if they had a chance. They could be great. She cared for him deeply, and was holding on to feelings that sure felt an awful lot like love. Such was the case with bad timing. Only some things in life lined up perfectly. Not everything. At least not for Isabel.

  She unlocked the door with the key Jeremy had given her and flipped on the light in the foyer. After taking off her coat, she made her way upstairs to check on Cat and the kittens.

  “Hey there, Mama,” she said when she carefully pulled back Jeremy’s dress shirts to reveal the cardboard box. Cat was half-asleep with her eyes part open, the kittens nursing and kneading at her belly. Cat looked up at Isabel and blinked—such a simple thing, and yet Isabel was so taken by the beauty of the moment. There was this sweet and beautiful creature caring for her babies, at utter peace with the world. Isabel hoped that her future could be like that.

  She hoped more than was probably reasonable.

  “Hello? Isabel?” Jeremy’s v
oice came from downstairs. “Are you home?”

  Home. She was home. She wanted to believe she was. “I’m up here. With the cats.”

  She heard his steady footfalls on the stairs and moments later, he appeared at the closet doorway. “Of course you’re up here.”

  “I had to get my kitten time.”

  “I’m wondering if I can steal a minute with you. Or maybe more.” From behind his back, he produced a huge bouquet of red roses. “I’m hoping these will convince you.”

  Isabel popped up from the floor, planted her face in the flowers and drew in the heavenly smell. “I don’t need convincing to talk to you. Although I appreciate the effort. They’re beautiful.” She then worried there might be a specific reason for the kind gesture. “Mr. Summers. Did you talk to him? Is he throwing down the gauntlet?”

  “I did talk to him. For quite a while, actually. Turns out that when he got so mad about the story yesterday, he hadn’t actually read the letters. After I talked to him this morning, he finally did.”

  “And that made things better or worse?”

  “Better. Much better. He called and told me that he realized just how much his father loved Victoria Eden. Truly loved her. I guess that in the end, he stopped seeing it as this salacious affair and more as a love story between two people who met at the wrong time.”

  Isabel blinked several times, struggling to catch up. “So what does that mean?”

  “He’s agreed to the terms. A lump sum of the original loan amount by January 1 and 10 percent of the Eden’s online business in perpetuity.” Jeremy shrugged his way out of his suit jacket and hung it on a hanger. “So I guess what I need to know from you is whether the Eden family is definitely on board.”

  “They are. I heard from Mindy on my way back here and it was Sophie who leaked the letters to the press. I told her that they had to agree to the terms if we had any chance of wrapping this up.”

  “See? What a shark you are.”

  “I’m not. I’m just like you, Jeremy. I wanted this to be over so we could deal with the real-life stuff that’s sitting in front of us. I know that I unloaded a lot on you today, and I’m not trying to let you off the hook, but I do want you to know that there is no pressure from me. You can take all the time you want to think about this and decide what you want.”

  “I already know what I want.”

  Isabel was surprised by his quick response. She only hoped that he wasn’t going to say that he’d decided he didn’t want her. “You do?”

  “Yes. And it all came to me when I had it out with my dad this morning.” He reached for Isabel’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go sit on the bed so I can tell you the whole story.”

  They traced into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the mattress. He held her hand the whole time he was recounting what had happened with his parents and how relieved he was to finally clear the air.

  “I’m so glad it all worked out. But I’m still not sure how that helped you figure out what you want.”

  “I ended up telling my mom something you said the night we met.”

  Isabel narrowed her eyes in confusion. “Good Lord, Jeremy. What in the heck were you talking to your mom about?”

  He laughed so hard that she could see his body relax. “Love. We were talking about love.”

  “I don’t remember us discussing that. At all.”

  “When you were telling me your universal truths. You said that you believe that love is the only thing that ever saves anyone. And as soon as the words came out of my mouth, I realized that you saved me. You brought me back to life.”

  He reached out and smoothed her hair back and she peered up into his eyes, which were full of tenderness and love, the things she most craved. “If I did that, Jeremy, it was only because you make it easy. You’re so pure of heart. It’s impossible to not get caught up in that. To admire it.”

  “If that’s the case, it’s because I’m better when I’m with you. That’s all there is to it. And I don’t want to walk away from what’s already between us.”

  Isabel’s mind raced. She felt the same way. Exactly. And it was only leaving her with one conclusion.

  He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out. “It might sound crazy...”

  Oh my God.

  “I know we’ve only known each other for a little while...” he continued.

  “But I love you.” They both said it. At the exact same time.

  For a moment, they sat there, staring at each other in disbelief. Then the laughter came and an embrace and finally a kiss that made every bad thing that had ever happened fade into nothingness. Isabel had waited her whole life for this moment, and she knew Jeremy had, too.

  “The baby,” she said. “I know it’s a lot.”

  “Of course it’s a lot. But I’m forty years old. I don’t want to let life pass me by. I don’t want to let you or this moment pass me by. We have to take everything life has given us here, Isabel.”

  “We have to take each other.”

  “Yes. Absolutely.”

  “And never let go.”

  Epilogue

  “Do you think it’s cheesy to get married on Valentine’s Day?” Mindy posed the question to Isabel as they stood in the grand master bedroom of Sam and Mindy’s splendid new home.

  Isabel shook her head, helping her future sister-in-law adjust the bustle of her wedding gown. It was a jaw-dropping bias-cut silk charmeuse that hugged every curve. Isabel was guessing Sam might pass out the minute he saw her. “No. I think it’s sweet.”

  “It was Sam’s idea, you know. Who knew he could be such a sap?”

  “I knew. I knew it all along.” Isabel already found herself blinking away tears. It would be a miracle if she could get through the ceremony without sobbing. Pregnancy hormones were definitely getting the best of her, but she relished every frantic and slightly chaotic moment of it. She’d be twelve weeks along in six days, then she and Jeremy would finally tell his parents. It’d been a bit of a rocky road to start with them, but they were making strides, especially since Jeremy’s dad had apologized for trying to drag Isabel through the mud.

  “How are we doing in here?” Sophie ducked into the room with Emma at her side.

  Emma, who was showing all five months of her pregnancy, clasped her hand over her mouth when she saw Mindy. “You look so gorgeous. Sam is going to freak.”

  “You do look amazing. But I figured you already knew that,” Sophie said, wandering farther into the room.

  Mindy shot her a look. “A bride still wants to hear it, you know.”

  Sophie sat on the edge of the bed, watching Mindy adjust her hair. “I’m still surprised you didn’t opt for a big wedding, but I suppose you’ve always been a bit contrary.”

  “After Emma and Daniel got married at city hall, I started to see the wisdom of it,” Mindy said. “Having something low-key means way less drama. Plus, Sam didn’t want to wait any longer, and honestly, I didn’t want to, either.”

  The question of not waiting for life to start was certainly on Isabel’s mind. She and Jeremy hadn’t discussed marriage aside from agreeing it was best for the baby if it happened eventually. It wasn’t that she was expecting a grand proclamation of love, more that she just wanted that certainty in her life. If he didn’t pop the question soon, she planned to do it herself.

  Of course, Jeremy had a lot on his plate now that he’d convinced his father to retire and step aside. There were lots of changes afoot at Sharp and Sharp as a result, including Jeremy bringing Isabel on board to start a new family law division. It was not only a good move forward for the firm, it was a way to save on office space, and they agreed that it would make things much easier when the baby arrived. They would likely get a nanny, but they also wanted to be as hands-on as possible.

  A knock came at the bedroom door. Reginald, Eden’s creative direct
or and by all accounts, the sisters’ de facto uncle, poked his head inside. “Everybody decent?” He didn’t wait for a response, waltzing into the room in a pink suit and black bowtie festooned with pink hearts.

  “Reginald, Gram would have loved that outfit,” Sophie said.

  He took it for a spin. “You think?”

  “Definitely.”

  Mindy glanced at the clock on the bedside table. “You guys should head out there and get your seats.”

  Sophie, Emma and Isabel descended on Mindy, giving hugs and the gentlest of kisses on the cheek so as not to mess up her makeup. Sophie in particular was getting extremely choked up by the moment. “I love you all so much. Emma, you’re the light and joy of this family. You make everything better. Mindy, you’re the one who manages to keep us all moving forward.” She then turned to Isabel. “And Isabel, at this point, you’re pretty much our sister. We love you, too, and not just for saving Eden’s. You helped us preserve our grandmother’s legacy.”

  Isabel was so overwhelmed with emotion as the four of them joined in a group hug. “This means a lot to me. I’ve always wanted sisters.”

  Reginald cleared his throat loudly. “What about the stand-in for the father of the bride?”

  “Get over here.” Mindy waved him into the fray, but he only stayed for a beat or two before getting them all on schedule.

  “Ladies, I need you to clear out. I have a bride to escort to the altar.”

  Isabel, Sophie and Emma hurried down the hall and descended the grand staircase into the foyer where the chairs were assembled. It was a small gathering—a few people from Eden’s, like Lizzie and her new boyfriend, and Duane, the security guard. There were some people from Sam’s office and Mindy’s company, as well.

  Isabel ducked into the seat next to Jeremy. “Hi,” she whispered, pecking him on the cheek.

  He took her hand and smiled, but otherwise kept quiet. Honestly, he’d been a little on edge all day, but she tried not to read anything into it. They were happy together, but he was under a lot of pressure to keep Sharp and Sharp firing on all cylinders.