A Home for Christmas (5 page)

“You were amazing, kid,” Riley told him as they
were leaving the track.

“Thanks!” Cam said, his face beaming.

“So, what do you want to do to celebrate?”

“I don’t know.  What do you think, Mom?”

“Up to you, bud.  Wherever you want to go.”

“Can we play LaserTag?”

Jenna looked over to Riley, knowing that LaserTag
would involve him, not her.  Riley smiled.  Oh boy.  She was in
trouble now.

“Sure, LaserTag it is.”

Jenna decided if she hadn’t already been falling
for Riley Stanton, after seeing the excitement on Cam’s face each time they
came out of the LaserTag room, she definitely would be now.  Going through
LaserTag with a former Navy SEAL, Cam was in seventh heaven.  They won
every single time they went in.  Cam never had won at LaserTag
before.  Every time they came out, he had an even more exciting story than
the last time.  She knew she would never forget the look on his face or
the sound of excitement in his voice.

By the time they got home, Cam was worn
out.  He and Riley played two rounds on the PlayStation and then Cam, on
his own, told them good night and went to bed. 

“Thank you so much for all you did for him
today,” Jenna told Riley, handing him a mug of hot chocolate as she settled on
the couch next to him.  “You really helped pull him out of his pre-race
funk.”

“His dad has really done a number on him, hasn’t
he?”

She sighed.  “He has.  Wade is…I don’t
even know him any more.  He’s definitely not the same guy I knew.  I
wish I could talk to him like I used to, but I can’t even relate to him any
more.”

“He’s changed that much?”

“Yes.”

He reached out to tuck a lock of her hair that
had escaped her ponytail behind her ear, then trailed the backs of his fingers
down her cheek.  Jenna closed her eyes and slightly leaned into his
touch.  Riley placed his mug on the coffee table and cupped her face in
his hands, leaned forward and for the first time, gently captured her lips in a
tender, lingering kiss.  Jenna gasped and he used that opportunity to
deepen the kiss, his tongue sweeping into her mouth to duel with hers. 
She tasted so sweet, just as he thought she would.

In the hall, well out of their line of sight, Cam
watched Riley kiss his mom and couldn’t help the hopeful feeling that raced
through him at the sight.  He really,
really
liked Riley, even if
it had only been two days since they knew him.  He was really cool and he
wasn’t all caught up in himself the way Cam’s dad was.  After watching
them for a minute, Cam quietly tiptoed back to his room and prayed that his mom
would decide to keep Riley around.

The following week was like nothing Jenna had
ever experienced before.  Riley came over every evening after work. 
He helped Cam with his homework.  He got there before she did on Wednesday
and he and Cam had dinner ready by the time she got home.  Jenna had to
fight tears as she sat at the table.  It had been so long since someone
had cooked for her.  To be honest, other than her mother, she didn’t think
anyone ever had.   Wade certainly never did.  

Watching Cam work so closely with Riley, having
Riley there filling the role that Wade had abandoned, even sitting at a table
with candlelight and roses and food she hadn’t had to prepare…it was a lot for
her to handle.  She was barely hanging on by a thread and when Riley had
initiated the blessing, she lost it.

“Mom?” Cam asked, uncertain of what was
happening.

Jenna covered her face with her hands, silently
crying.  She heard the scrape of a chair and then suddenly Riley was
there, his arms around her, lifting her from the chair.  She heard him say
something to Cam and then he carried her from the room.  He sat on the
couch and cradled her in his lap and just held her while she cried.  After
several minutes, when her tears had subsided somewhat, Riley reached down to
cup her chin in his hand and lift her face so he could see her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Nothing to be sorry about,” he said, smoothing
his hands over her cheeks to wipe her tears away. 

“Mom?” Cam asked, drawing her attention. “You
OK?”

“I’m good, bud, I’m sorry.”

Riley looked up at Cam and made eye contact with
him.  Jenna wasn’t sure what passed between them, but Cam got up and left,
leaving her there with Riley. 

“Look at me,” he said, softly.  When she
raised her eyes to meet his gaze, he lifted her hand and kissed her
knuckles.  “What’s going on?”

She took a deep breath.  “It’s just…no one’s
ever done something like this for me before.”

“Like what?  Take care of you?”  She
nodded.  “Better get used to it, babe.”

She squeezed his hand, tears falling down her
cheeks again.  This time, Riley leaned forward and kissed them away before
touching his lips to hers.  For the first time, Jenna didn’t hold herself
back.  Maybe it was because Cam was just down the hall and she knew it
couldn’t get out-of-control.  Whatever the case, she turned in his arms
and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.

“Thank you, Riley,’ she whispered when they
pulled apart, pressing her forehead to his, and placing her fingertips against
his lower lip.  He nipped her fingertip lightly, then ran his tongue
around her finger.

“Anytime,” he replied.  “and I mean
that.  You don’t have to do it all alone any more.”

“Riley,” she whispered, kissing him, “please
don’t make promises you can’t keep.  My heart is fragile enough, but Cam…”

He kissed her back.  “Quit while you’re
ahead, babe.  Don’t piss me off.”

She smiled and combed her fingers through the
back of his hair.  “I’ll try.”

“Good.  Let me take care of you,
Jenna.  You and Cam.”

“Tell you what.  You’re still here by
Christmas and we’ll talk,” she said, giving him a final kiss then sliding off
his lap. 

He watched her walk down the hall to Cam’s
room.  Closing his eyes and letting his head fall back on the couch, he
reached down to adjust himself in his jeans.  For the first time since
leaving the Navy, Riley felt like he wasn’t just spinning his wheels.  Jenna
and Cam had come to mean a lot to him in just a few short days…and that
surprised him.  He’d never really seen himself as the settling down sort
but after spending these days with them, it was becoming easier to see. 
He wanted them both.  He admired Jenna’s strength and courage.  She’d
distanced herself from her ex.  He’d checked her financials.  She’d
made a success of her maid service and bought this house without any of
Blackwell’s money.  It was a nice house in a nice neighborhood. Not as big
as the house she’d had when she was with Blackwell, but no shack, either. 
All the money that Blackwell sent for Cam, she was putting into a college fund
for him, except in December, when she used part of it to buy Cam’s Christmas
presents. 

“Falling asleep on me, Stanton?” she asked.

He smiled when she sat beside him but didn’t open
his eyes. 

“Just thinking,” he said softly.

“About?”

“You.”

“You flatter me,” she said and he could hear the
smile in her voice.

“Just stating facts.  You and Cam…Jenna, you
both mean a lot to me.”

“Riley…” she started but he stopped her by
pulling her into his arms and kissing her until she was clinging to him and
breathless.

“Don’t over think it, OK?”  She
nodded.  He kissed her once more, then reluctantly released her and
stood.  “Good night, Jenna.”

“Good night, Riley,” she echoed.

***

The next few days passed just as pleasantly as
the previous ones.  Jenna was learning to take Riley’s kindness in stride
and not get quite as emotional over the small, thoughtful things he did. 
Friday night, Jenna sat pensively in the living room while Cam was on the phone
with Wade in his bedroom.  She hated when Cam spoke to Wade because he was
always sullen for the first few hours afterward.  Riley was working late
that night and told her he probably wouldn’t make it over until Saturday
morning.  It was the first night since she met him that he wouldn’t be
with them and she found she missed him more than she was prepared for.

Cam came out of his room and handed the phone to
her.

“Dad wants to talk to you,” he said, then left
her to go back into his room.

Taking a deep breath and praying to keep her
cool, Jenna raised the phone to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Who the hell is Riley?” Wade snapped without
preamble.

She closed her eyes and counted to ten before
speaking.

“Hello, Jenna.  How are you?” she said
dryly.

“Cut the bullshit, Jenna!  Who is this guy
you’ve had around my son?”

“Excuse me?  Where do you get off,
Wade?  How many girlfriends have you had around your son since our
divorce?”

“We’re not talking about me.”

“Riley is none of your business.”

“He damn sure is if he’s gonna be in my kid’s
life!”

“I’m not doing this with you, Wade.  Did you
need to discuss anything about Cam?”

“I want an answer, dammit, Jenna.”

“Riley is someone who has shown an interest in
both me and Cam.  He’s the first man I’ve brought around our son since the
divorce.  That’s five years, Wade.”

“I don’t like it,” he snapped.

“Well, it really doesn’t matter what you
like.  I have full custody.  You haven’t seen
your son
in over
six months
.  You don’t get to dictate to me who I choose to see.”

“Bullshit!” Wade growled.

“Good-bye, Wade,” she said, ending the call.

She closed her eyes for a moment, calming her
temper, then got up and went to Cam’s room.  He was lying on his back on
his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“You OK?” she asked, sitting on the side of his
bed.

He sighed.  “Yeah.  I’m sorry I said
something to him about Riley.”

“He’s not a secret, Cam.  It’s OK if you
talk about him.”

“I know, but I should have known better than to
say anything about him to Dad…I was just so mad at him for not coming to my
last race and I wanted to get back at him.”

Jenna’s heart hurt for her son.  He didn’t
deserve to be treated the way that Wade treated him.  One day, Wade would
regret these years he missed out on…but that didn’t help Cam now.

“I know, baby, you don’t have to apologize to
me.”

“Yeah, but it made him gripe at you.”

“He tried to gripe at me,” she amended, winking
at him.  “Don’t you worry about me, Cam, OK?  I can handle your dad.”

“Is Riley coming over tonight?”

“I don’t think so.  He had to work late.”

“Is he on a mission?”

“Not like you’re thinking.  He’s working in
the surveillance room.”

“Boring!”

“Pretty much.”

“Do you like Riley, Mom?  Like, really like
him?”

She laughed and stood up.  “Good night,
Cameron.”

“I take that as a yes!!” he called after her,
making her laugh.

Jenna went into her room and got dressed for
bed.  Once she was settled under her covers, she took out her phone and
texted Riley.

Busy?

His reply was almost immediate.
Nope. 
Just got home, actually.

Can I call you?

Her phone rang in her hand and she smiled as she
answered.

“Hi,” she said, settling into the pillows.

“What’s up?”

“First, I missed you today.  We’ve been
together every day for seven days.  Gotten used to seeing your face.”

His warm chuckle melted over her through the
line.  “I missed you, too.  More than you know.”

“Yeah?”

“Yup….but that’s not why you’ve called, I have a
feeling.”

She sighed.  “Well, not only why…Wade called
Cam tonight.”

“That’s good, right?”

“Not really.  Every time they talk, Cam gets
real quiet for hours afterward.  Tonight, he gave Wade an earful…about
you.”

“Oh, bet that didn’t go over well.”

“Mm, like a ton of bricks.  Wade made him
give the phone to me and then tried to get on his high horse about who the hell
I was bringing around his son.  Can you believe that?  After all the
women he has paraded around Cam since the divorce!  I ended up hanging up
on him.  He immediately called back but I didn’t answer.”

“Did he threaten you?”

“No.  That’s not Wade’s style.”

“Even still.  If he calls again, answer, put
him on hold, call me and merge the calls.  I’ll handle him.”

“That’s sweet of you, but not necessary.  The
only way Wade bothers me is in how he handles Cam.  Nothing he can say to
me or about me bothers me anymore.”

“Still, if he calls and harasses you, I want to
know, OK?”

“OK.  What do you want to do tomorrow?”

“I’ve got to work in the morning but I’m free
after that.”

“Just come by when you’re done.  We’ll be
waiting.”

“Will do.  Goodnight, Jenna.”

“Goodnight, Riley.”

The next morning, Jenna was awakened by pounding
on her front door.  Grabbing her robe, she got up and ran to the door, Cam
close behind her.  When they saw who was on the other side, they exchanged
shocked looks. 

“Go call Riley,” she told Cam and waited until he
was in his room before she opened the door.  “What are you doing here,
Wade?”

“Is he here?” he snapped.

“He’s in his room.”

“Not Cam.  Your boyfriend.”

Jenna’s eyes bugged.  “Are you freakin'
kidding me?  You couldn’t be bothered to come to your son’s last race last
weekend but you flew all the way here overnight because I’m seeing
someone!?!?!”

“You’re my wife, Jenna!” he snapped.

“Ex-wife, Wade!”

“Only because you were being stubborn,” he shot
back, pushing past her into the house.

Jenna looked at him as if he’d just sprouted two
heads.  “You have
got
to be joking!”

He shot her a lethal glare.  “You didn’t
answer my question.  Is he here?”

“No, he isn’t, not that it’s
any
of your
business.”

“Who you bring around my son is one hundred
percent my business.”

“OK.  Now you’re just being
delusional.  We’ve been divorced five years.  In that time you have
gone through at least six live-in girlfriends, all of whom were around Cam at
one point or another and I never said a single word, did I?”

“That’s different,” he growled.

“Excuse me?”

“I never intended any of those women to be around
for any length of time.”

“And that makes it better?!?!  What kind of
an example is that for you to set for your son?”

“Are you sleeping with him?”

“That is none of your business!”

He took a step closer to her, she knew he thought
to intimidate her, but her days of caring what Wade Blackwell said and thought
were long gone.  When she didn’t back down, he scowled at her.

“You’ve changed,” he noted.

“Yes, I have.  You need to go, Wade. 
Go on back to L.A.”

He reached out to touch her hair but she jerked
back.