“Oh, Wesley.” Her heart soared, but she held her emotions back. “This…you are the best.”
She took two steps forward and rewarded him with a kiss. “I love us too.”
“I was hoping for that reaction.” He murmured and kissed her again before letting her go.
“What about Melanie? Doesn’t she get one too?” Jaycee asked.
“She sure does.” Shannon pulled Melanie close and handed her a bag. “Open it, baby.”
“Baby!” Melanie pulled out her ornament. “Baby Jesus!”
Shannon gasped and looked at Wesley. “How did she know that?”
He shrugged.
“Let’s put Baby Jesus on the tree.”
“No, no.” She held the ornament close to her heart, hugging it. “My Baby Jesus.”
Shannon laughed.
“I don’t think she’s going to surrender willingly.” Wesley laughed.
“I guess she likes it.” Shannon looked at the boys. “Okay, it’s way past your bedtime and you two have school tomorrow.”
“Ah…can’t we skip school tomorrow?” Jaycee pouted.
“No. Bed. And make sure to do a good job brushing your teeth.” Shannon pointed to the hallway, then looked at Wesley. “He’s in kindergarten and he already wants to skip school.”
The boys reluctantly obeyed, and Shannon tucked Melanie in. The precious baby had already been half asleep, with her ornament clutched to her chest, before Shannon pulled the blanket over her. She’d sleep like a rock tonight.
Shannon would no doubt sleep well too. She’d been going since early that morning. She yawned as she walked back into the living room and joined Wesley on the couch. The lights from the Christmas tree twinkled as they cycled off and on.
She stared at the Christmas tree and sighed. “It’s so pretty.”
“That was fun.” Wesley slipped his arm around her and she snuggled close to him.
“Are you as tired as I am?”
“Probably not. You look pretty worn out.” He smoothed her hair with his hand, then lifted her chin. His kiss was slow and gentle and everything wonderful.
She could stay like that forever. Right there, nestled in Wesley’s strong arms, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
“I should let you get some sleep now.” He murmured into her temple, kissing it in the process.
“I wish you didn’t have to go. Ever.”
He caressed her cheek, then gazed into her eyes. “That’s exactly how I feel. But I should go.”
She reluctantly moved so he could stand up from the couch. “Thank you for tonight, Wesley. It was a lot of fun.”
“Speaking of fun, I was thinking of leaving around six on Saturday to go to the Creation Museum. Will that work for you?” He walked toward the door.
“Six sounds good. I’m looking forward to it.”
He pulled her close and kissed her one last time. Emotion warred in his eyes. “I’m falling helplessly in love with you, Shannon Parker.” He grazed her forehead with his lips, then stepped out the door.
~
Shannon was nearly ready for bed when a knock sounded at the door. Wesley? Maybe he’d forgotten something.
It was times like this she wished her door had a peephole. She pulled the door open.
Her eyes widened. “Aiden? What are you doing here?”
He stepped into the house without invitation.
“It’s wonderful to see you too, Shan.” His voice was louder than usual. Had he been drinking? One whiff of his breath told her that her assumptions had been correct.
She wanted to tell him to go home, but she couldn’t imagine him driving anywhere in his current state. “Why are you here?”
She closed the door, denying the frigid air entrance.
“You haven’t been answering my phone calls or texts.” His voice was still loud.
“Keep it down. The kids are asleep.” She reprimanded in a forceful whisper. “I did answer them, remember? I told you that our relationship was over and to stop trying to contact me. I have another boyfriend now.”
“Aw, Shan. Don’t be like that.”
“Aiden, you’re drunk. How did you get here?”
He held up his keys and jingled them in his hand.
She rolled her eyes, then took his keys from him. She’d have taken him home if the children hadn’t been in bed already, but that wasn’t an option now. She could suggest he sleep in his car but it was really cold outside. She sighed.
“Okay. You’re not going anywhere tonight. I’ll get a blanket for you and you can sleep on the couch.”
He reached for her, but she stepped out of the way. “You gonna join me?”
“No. Now take off your shoes and go lie down.”
“You’re bossy.”
“I know. I’m also tired. Now, if you don’t want to sleep in your car tonight, I suggest you do as I say.”
“Aw, Shan. I can drive home. Or we could go on a date.”
“I’m not going on any more dates with you. And you’re certainly not driving anywhere.” She took him by the arm and led him to the couch. “Now, go to sleep.”
As soon as he sat on the couch, Shannon went to retrieve a blanket from the hall closet. Aiden was already out by the time she returned to the living room. She sighed in blessed relief and covered him with the blanket before heading off to bed herself.
~
Christopher knocked on the Parkers’ door the following morning. He couldn’t wait to see Jaycee’s face light up when he saw that he’d kept his promise to see him off on the school bus this morning. He’d even brought a box of candy canes to give to Jaycee so he could distribute them to his friends.
To his surprise, a shirtless young man opened the door. Christopher’s jaw dropped. Who was this young man and why was he here?
“May I help you?” The young man’s tone was rude.
Christopher’s brow furrowed. “Who are you? And why are you here?”
“I’m Shannon’s boyfriend and I spent the night. Any more questions that are none of your business, old man?”
Somebody needed to put this young man in his place. But…Shannon’s boyfriend? Spent the night? Hadn’t she been with his gross sohn just last night?
“Is Jaycee here?”
“Yeah.” The young man closed the door, leaving him out in the cold.
A moment later, the door swung open and he was greeted with Jaycee’s wide grin. “Santa!” The boy threw his arms around his legs. “You came.”
Warmth radiated through Christopher, almost enough to forget his rude welcome this morning. “You ready?”
“Yep.” He turned around and hollered into the house. “Brighton, let’s go! Santa’s here.”
Shannon poked her head out of the kitchen and waved. “Did you remember your lunch, Jaycee?”
He held up an insulated lunch container. “Right here.”
“You be good,” she told Jaycee. Her eyes moved to Christopher. “I’ll drop off Melanie in just a little bit.”
“You’ll probably be there before I get home.”
“Okay. Thanks for doing this for Jaycee.”
He nodded, waved then stepped out the door with the boys.
It was only a short walk to their bus stop and Jaycee chatted the entire way. The boy was a burst of sunshine. Before Jaycee left his side, Christopher had given him the box of candy canes. Jaycee hugged him, then literally bounced onto the school bus.
Jaycee and his smiling friends all waved with their candy canes as the bus drew away from the curb.
He was certain Jaycee would have a wonderful day and he was happy he could be a small part of it.
Wesley, on the other hand, was a different story. Christopher would need to make a phone call to his gross sohn to see what exactly was going on. Had he and Shannon broken up sometime between last night and this morning? It didn’t seem possible, as happy as they’d been, but who knew?
Nevertheless, he’d speak to Wesley.
&nb
sp; TWENTY-THREE
Wesley’s phone vibrated in his pocket and he reached to see who it was. He glanced down at the number. The phone shanty? Why would Grandma or Grandpa be calling this early in the morning? Hopefully nothing was wrong.
He tapped to answer the call. “Hello?”
“Wesley?”
“Hello, Grandpa. Is everything okay?”
“I’m not sure.” He heard the concern in Grandpa’s voice.
“What’s going on? Are you and Grandma watching Melanie? Is she okay?”
“Jah, she is fine.” He paused. “Did you and your aldi have a fight last night?”
“A fight? No. Shannon and I are great.” Why had Grandpa asked that? “Is…why do you ask?”
Grandpa’s heavy sigh came through the phone. “I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but I think your aldi might be cheating on you.”
His heart clenched. No, that wasn’t possible. Was it? “Grandpa, why are you saying this? Did you hear something?”
“Nee, I saw it with my own eyes.”
He would not get upset. He would not panic. “Saw what? What did you see, Grandpa?” Did he really want to know?
“I stopped by the haus this morning to see Jaycee off on the school bus. A young man opened the door. He said he was Shannon’s beau. He said he spent the night.”
“Spent the…what?” His heart raced. No, this wasn’t Shannon. Not his Shannon. There had to be a good explanation. There had to be.
“He answered the door without a shirt on. I’m pretty sure he was telling the truth. He looked like he’d recently awakened.”
This was unbelievable! “Are you sure you were at the right house?”
“Oh, I’m sure. Jaycee and Brighton left with me. I saw Shannon too.”
“You saw Shannon? What did she say? Did you talk to her?”
“She was in the kitchen. She seemed happy. I chust said hello.”
His hand raked through his hair. “Who was it? Was it Aiden?”
“I don’t think he said his name, chust introduced himself as Shannon’s beau.”
“Is there anything else you can tell me?”
“Nee, that’s it. I chust thought you’d want to know. I don’t want to think ill of your aldi, but…”
Yeah, neither did he. “Okay, thanks for letting me know, Grandpa.”
He clicked off the phone. He hadn’t planned on making a trip into town today, but now it seemed inevitable. He could text or call Shannon, but he really needed to see her in person. He needed reassurance.
~
Shannon had just served a platter of food to the customer at the counter when Wesley walked into the restaurant. She was happy to see him, but her smile faltered when she noticed his concerned expression. Hopefully nothing was wrong.
“Hey.” She smiled as she moved past him with a platter in her hand. “Be right back.”
She glanced over her shoulder and saw him plant himself in his usual spot. She set Aiden’s food down in front of him and he smiled up at her. “Thanks for everything, Shan. Are you sure you won’t reconsider?”
“I already told you, Aiden. I’m with Wesley.”
“He’s an idiot.”
She frowned. “No, he is not. He’s a great guy.”
She wondered if Aiden had noticed that Wesley had come into the restaurant. Either way, she needed to get back to him. This was a busy morning and she didn’t have time to converse. Especially with Aiden.
She moved back to the counter, her hands empty now. She looked at Wesley. “Coffee?”
He shook his head and frowned. Something was wrong. There had to be something wrong if he refused a cup of coffee.
She stopped in front of him and reached for his hand. “What is it?”
He pulled his hand away. The cold gesture stung more than the biting snow this morning. “Did Aiden spend the night last night?” He wouldn’t bring his eyes to hers.
“Yes, he did.” She glanced back as the bell dinged, indicating the food was ready.
He stood from the bar stool.
Her heart nearly stopped. “Wesley, don’t go.”
“You’re busy.” He glanced at the two plates of food in her hands.
“Yes, I am. But we need to talk. Please stay.”
“Hey, Shan.” Aiden called from his booth. “This thing’s out of ketchup.” He held up an empty bottle.
She sighed, but caught the look of hurt in Wesley’s eyes. “It’s not what you think.”
But she couldn’t stand there and talk. The customers needed their food. “I’ll be right back.”
She hurried to one of the booths, dropped off the food, and asked the customers if they’d needed anything else. Aiden could wait for his ketchup.
To her relief, Wesley had sat back down. For a moment, she’d worried that he’d leave. But he didn’t strike her as the leaving type, which brought a bit of comfort to her heart.
She grabbed a cup of coffee for him, so she’d have an excuse to talk with him a minute. She set it down in front of him. “Aiden stopped by last night after you left. He’d been drinking. I didn’t think it was safe for him to be on the road in his condition. I would have told him to sleep in his car, but it was too cold. I’m sorry, but I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Why didn’t you call me? I would have come back. I could have given him a ride home.”
“You were probably halfway home already. I didn’t want to bother you. Besides, Aiden’s car was at my house.”
His jaw worked. “I don’t like you being in the house alone with him. I don’t trust him.”
“I really didn’t know what else to do. I was tired and I just wanted to go to sleep.”
“Call me next time, okay? Anytime. For any reason. Even if I was already home, I would have come back.”
“Okay.” Another order came up and she grabbed the bottle of ketchup for Aiden. She quickly took the order to the table, dropped off the ketchup, then checked on her other customers. When she returned, Wesley still sat at the counter drinking his coffee.
He reached for her hand. “I’m sorry I overreacted. Forgive me?”
She couldn’t resist his puppy dog eyes. “Okay. But I’m a little concerned that you don’t trust me.”
“It’s him I don’t trust.” He glanced toward Aiden’s table. “Put yourself in my shoes, Shannon. If you showed up at my house in the early morning and saw a pretty young woman dressed in a little nightgown, who you knew was my ex-girlfriend, how would you react?”
She frowned. “I think I’d be upset.”
He nodded. “And for good reason. I don’t have any business having an ex-girlfriend sleep over, right?”
“You’re right. But I would hope that you wouldn’t let her drive intoxicated.”
“No, I guess if I was in the same situation you were in, I likely would have done the same thing. But that doesn’t mean it still wouldn’t have looked bad to others.” He stood.
“Are you leaving?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. I have some business to discuss first.” He glanced at Aiden.
“Wesley…” She worried her lip.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be civil.” He dug in his pocket and brought out a five-dollar bill, then placed it under his coffee mug.
She noticed a customer with her hand in the air. “I’ve got work to do. See you on Saturday, then?”
“You bet.” He stepped close to kiss her cheek, but must’ve thought better of it. He squeezed her hand instead. “Don’t work too hard.”
~
Wesley slid into the booth across from Aiden.
Aiden frowned. “What are you doing?”
“I want to know what you’re doing.” Wesley’s stare was pointed, and dead serious.
“I’m obviously trying to enjoy my breakfast. Last I checked, that wasn’t a crime.” His sarcasm grated on Wesley’s nerves.
“You know that is not what I was referring to. I thought I made it clear that I wanted you to stay away
from Shannon.”
“And I want a billion dollars. We don’t always get what we want, do we?” He had the audacity to smirk.
Wesley’s fists clenched. He wanted to knock this guy into next Thursday so badly he could taste it. But he’d promised Shannon he’d be civil and he planned to keep that promise. “If you continue to bother her, I will get a restraining order.”
“Listen, Lesley. Or whatever your name is. This is a free country. If I want to visit Shannon here or at her house, I’m going to. Go ahead and try to get a restraining order. They won’t give you one.” His annoying laugh almost undid Wesley’s resolve.
Wesley needed to walk away right now, because if he didn’t, this guy was going to get seriously hurt. His nonresistance roots ran deep, but not that deep. It took everything in him to slide out of the booth and walk away.
“That’s what I thought.” Aiden laughed.
Wesley ignored him, although every fiber in his being wanted to retaliate. But he was a better man than that. He would not let this jerk take control over his thoughts.
He did, however, need to have a chat with Shannon.
As soon as she moved to the register, he met her there. “Will you call me as soon as you get off work?”
“Why?” She glanced toward Aiden’s table.
“We need to have a talk. I don’t trust that guy. At all.”
“What did he say?”
“Well, he has no intention of staying away from you. It might be wise to get a restraining order.” Or a gun, because a piece of paper wasn’t going to stop a bad guy from doing bad things, if that was what he wished to do.
“I don’t know if it would do any good.”
“Why wouldn’t it? It would at least be a deterrent, right?”
She shrugged. “His dad is a cop.”
“What?” Now things were beginning to make sense. The cop who claimed Wesley had been stalking Shannon. It had to be Aiden’s dad. Which meant Aiden was probably the one who’d called in. He likely thought he could get away with whatever he wanted. And he might just be right to a certain extent. Oh, boy.
Wesley sighed. “Well, let’s just do our part. We can try to ignore him and hope he goes away. If he keeps coming around, I think we should go ahead and file a restraining order. At least then, there will be a paper trail.”
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