Christmas Wish Come True. Jaimie Admans

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СКАЧАТЬ style="font-size:15px;">      Isabella’s interest sharpened. She attempted to make the woman feel at ease now. “I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs. Forrester. I’m Tyler’s teacher and…live-in guest.”

      “You mean, his nanny?” Abby Forrester asked.

      “No, I wouldn’t say that. The arrangement is only temporary…”

      “I’m sorry, Miss…Isabella,” Abby said. “It’s none of my business, really. I called to talk to Jordan about visiting Tyler today, if that’s possible. Kim wanted my husband – Zach – and me to be a part of his life.”

      Isabella was at a loss for words. She hadn’t considered that Kim might have chosen the Forresters as Tyler’s guardians. Thankfully, Abby Forrester eased her concerns.

      “Don’t get me wrong,” Abby continued. “Jordan is Tyler’s uncle – and he should be with family now, of course. We discussed visits later on, but since we’re in the area, we’d like to stop by, if you think Jordan wouldn’t mind?”

      “Well, I don’t know.” Isabella paused. It wasn’t her place to give consent for the couple to visit Tyler. But, since Jordan was considering them as possible parents for Tyler, he shouldn’t mind if they came over. And anyway, she’d like the chance to meet them – see what she was up against on her mission to keep Tyler with Jordan. “When did you want to come over?”

      “I know it’s short notice, but we’re Christmas shopping in Denver today. And…it seemed like a perfect opportunity to drop off the gifts we bought for Tyler.”

      Isabella knew Emily wouldn’t be home with Tyler until sometime after noon. And Jordan, well, that was anybody’s guess. “I’m the only one here this morning. However…” she took a deep breath “…I don’t see why you can’t stop by and drop off the presents. Tyler’s with Emily, but maybe they’ll return before you leave.”

      Abby Forrester hesitated, her voice muffled as she spoke to another person. Isabella assumed it was Zach Forrester. “All right, Isabella,” she answered after a moment. “Thank you. We’ll be there within the hour.”

      ***

      Jordan stared at the sprawling brick structure. It was a single-story building, but with lots of square footage, enough to fill the needs of the entire city. This project had been his saving grace, since the accident. It occupied his thoughts, kept him from falling into the dark abyss of regret. He’d spent every spare minute orchestrating the construction, even rolling up his sleeves and doing some heavy lifting himself. It took his mind off the deaths. First, burying Kim. Then accepting that Derek was gone, too.

      Jordan was told the couple died after their car went over a steep cliff above Horsetooth Reservoir, in Fort Collins, just north of Denver. His brother was never found, and the search for him had gone from rescue to recovery within a few days of the accident.

      So, Jordan took Derek’s son in. And his work kept him from facing the decision that weighed on him now. In the weeks since he’d met his nephew, he’d become more attached to him than he wanted to admit. Hell, who was he kidding? Those sad eyes had drawn him in from the start. Of course, he knew Tyler wasn’t responsible for the sins of his parents. But how could he be a loving influence on him if he couldn’t get over the mountain of hurt from the past? He could see that Tyler needed love and security. With those basic comforts, he might eventually be okay. But it was Jordan’s own emotional instability that forced him to consider allowing another couple, possibly the Forresters, to adopt Tyler.

      Now, with this project nearly wrapped and ready for the unveiling, and two other high-rises he’d contracted on hold due to negotiations, he had more time to spend with his thoughts. And they scared the hell out of him. Not just the ones concerning his nephew, but those of the beautiful and sexy Isabella Stevens, as well. She’d come into his life unexpectedly, and he was terrified that he’d already fallen for her…hard. And too fast.

      Just like he had for Kim.

      But Isabella was nothing like Kim. Not at all. She was the day to Kim’s night. She was a ray of sunshine in his gloomy world. And he wondered now if it could possibly be different this time. If he could take a chance on another potentially heart-crushing relationship.

       God help him.

      He got into his truck, unzipped his leather jacket, and leaned back in the plush seat. For the first time since it happened, he let his mind return to Christmas Eve seven years ago, when he’d asked Kim to be his wife. He’d planned it all out, had the round solitaire ring made to his specifications, and bought the jewelry chest to put it in, so the size wouldn’t give away the surprise.

      He’d popped the question, and Kim said yes. They made love beside the Christmas tree they’d decorated together. A few hours later, Derek – the younger, more sophisticated Butler brother – showed up. Kim never looked at Jordan the same way again. Three months later, when Derek returned from the job in Canada, it was over. And Jordan hadn’t put up a tree, or celebrated Christmas since.

      But Tyler and Isabella brought the holidays back into his life.

      He started the engine, but he wasn’t ready to go home yet. He didn’t want to be alone with Isabella. It was a few weeks till Christmas – he’d have to start thinking about setting up visits between Tyler and the Forresters. Isabella wouldn’t be happy about that. She’d done a decent job of bringing his nephew out of his shell in a short time. But the fact remained: Tyler was six years old and needed a family. He needed two parents who loved each other. He needed a mother. And Jordan couldn’t offer him any of that.

      So, Santa be damned. The Forresters were his best hope to fill Tyler’s needs.

      ***

      Isabella was more nervous than she’d been on her first day substituting at Snow Pass Elementary. She watched out the window as a black sedan pulled into the driveway and parked. A tall, striking man with dark hair got out of the driver’s side and walked around to open the passenger door. Already, Isabella was keeping mental points, and she had to admit that this was ‘one’ for Zach Forrester. He was a gentleman…good.

      As Abby Forrester stepped from the luxurious car, she stared up at the house, visibly admiring the stone architecture that was Jordan’s creation. She was pretty, Isabella thought. Not beautiful, like she imagined Kim had been, but fresh and clean. There was no makeup on her face, and her hair was past her shoulders, nearly as dark as her deep-set eyes. She looked like a mom. One point for her.

      Isabella had pulled her own hair back into a ponytail and changed into a gray skirt and sweater just moments before the couple arrived. She checked her reflection in the mirror on the wall of the foyer as the doorbell rang. It was almost like open house, meeting her student’s parents for the first time – something she hadn’t had the privilege of doing at Snow Pass, having arrived well after the school year began. But this wasn’t school, and these weren’t Tyler’s parents.

      Not yet, anyway.

      She opened the door, greeting the Forresters with a polite ‘nice to meet you’ and ‘Merry Christmas’. They were carrying several brightly wrapped packages of various sizes and Isabella led the way to the living room where they placed them under the tree.

      “Would you like some coffee?” Isabella’s smile was guarded.

      “Yes, thank you,” Abby replied.

      Isabella СКАЧАТЬ