Finally Satisfied (7 page)

She did. But not tonight. She shook her head,
wishing she had the courage to say yes instead. But she’d taken
some huge steps tonight and she wasn’t ready for another. “Not this
time. But ask me again sometime, please?”

He put an arm around her shoulder, oh so
casually. His body heat warmed the chill she hadn’t even noticed.
Angel turned to look up at him. His head was closer than she’d
expected and his lips were barely an inch away. He had a firm,
masculine mouth. No pouty lips or thin, mean ones here. She licked
her lips and felt Mitch go very still.

“Angel,” he whispered as he closed the
distance and their lips met.

She knew it was wrong. She should push him
away. He was Eric’s brother, a Turner. He would turn against her
just like his parents and brother had.

But when he teased her lips open with his
tongue and deepened the kiss, gathering her close to his warm body,
all thoughts of his family faded away and he was simply Mitch. The
one person who had always been there for her--or would have been if
she’d let him. The one who’d offered her a way to keep her baby,
even though he would have lost his chance at college, at the big
scholarship.

She slid her arms around his neck, bringing
their bodies into full contact. She could feel how much he wanted
her. If he touched her, down there, he would know just how much she
wanted him back. But he didn’t. He kissed her senseless, then
simply held her, her head on his shoulder, until the cool night air
brought them both back to their senses.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he guided her back
into the house. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

“I’m not,” she whispered. But he didn’t hear
her. He was too busy trying to fill the awkwardness with words as
he walked her back out into the hallway, away from the temptation
of the four poster bed with the navy blue comforter, away from the
seduction of the moon and stars.

She wished he’d stop. Stop talking. Stop
pulling away. Stop trying to fix every damned thing.

***

“Merry Christmas, dear.” Angel’s mother was
in full Christmas morning mode. She’d started laying out the brunch
buffet and the family-sized table was covered from corner to corner
with everything from donuts to shrimp cocktail.

“Merry Christmas, Mom. What’s all this? You
have enough food here to feed a dozen people”

“Just a half-dozen. Whatever we don’t eat
this morning we can snack on this afternoon.”

Angel stopped and turned to look at her
mother, who was frying sausage links on the stove. “A half-dozen,
Mom? There’s you, me, and Cara, right? That’s three. Oh, and I
guess Cara’s bringing Gray, so that’s four.”

“Yes, and Reggie and Sam are coming by. He
gave his staff the day off.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me about this?
I don’t have gifts for Reggie and Sam.” She’d barely had enough
money for presents for her mother and sister. And Mitch. His
present was hidden in her closet and she still wasn’t sure she had
the nerve to give it to him. Which reminded her… “Is anyone else
coming?”

Mitch had said he spent Christmas Day with
Gray. So if Gray was coming here, that meant…

“I believe Gray’s cousin might be coming with
them.”

“Mo-om! Why didn’t you tell me? Oh my god, I
look like a mess.” She turned and ran up the stairs and hit the
shower. Christmas morning had always been a lazy occasion. No one
dressed up. Hell, most of the time they didn’t even get out of
their pajamas before noon. But this year her mother had changed
everything and hadn’t even thought to tell her.

Angel stood under the pounding water and
washed her hair. It took her a few moments to realize that even
with such a huge change, no panic attack symptoms had appeared. No
racing heart beat. No hyperventilating. No chest pains. Not even
the idea of spending her normally quiet, peaceful Christmas with
Mitch had sent her running to hide. No, she’d run to fix herself up
instead.

A smile spread across her face. Mitch was
coming for Christmas! And she was actually happy about it.

Her smile faded. Was her son having Christmas
with his family? Could they afford gifts? What was he into now? Did
he have his driver’s license? Would they give him a car for
Christmas? She could never compete with that.

You don’t have to compete, remember? He
doesn’t even know you exist.

She thought about what she and Vanessa had
talked about last week. It was okay if her son didn’t know about
her. All that mattered was that he was safe, happy, healthy.
Vanessa had guided her through the steps of registering with
several sites that reunited adopted kids with their biological
parents. If he was looking for her, he’d be able to find her now.
All she had to do was wait. And pray.

She took special care with her makeup, dried
her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail, then wasted precious
time going through outfit after outfit before she finally decided
on leggings, a long sweater, and boots. Casual without being
sloppy, but also without looking like she’d given a lot of thought
to her clothing choice.

She took Mitch’s gift from the closet, added
some ribbon and a bow to the plain red paper, and found a gift tag
to attach to the front. Then she sat down at her computer to see
what she could do for Reggie and Sam. She’d had an idea a few days
ago, then forgot it in all the hustle and bustle leading up to the
holiday. She’d thought she’d have a couple of days to work on it
after Christmas. Well, it wouldn’t be perfect, but she thought
they’d like it.

She finished wrapping it as the doorbell
rang.

***

Mitch stood a few feet behind the others, wondering
what he was doing there. He hadn’t seen Angel since the night he’d
kissed her. Though she’d stayed long enough to help him with the
wrapping and to drink a cup of hot chocolate, he could tell he’d
pushed her too far, too fast. She was itching to go from the moment
they’d left his bedroom.

Since then he’d stayed away, busy at work
with sick kids and older adults thanks to a fast-moving flu. His
arms were full of gifts for everyone, Angel included, but his real
gift to her was still in his car. It wasn’t something he wanted to
spring on her in front of an audience.

Mrs. Kensington opened the door, a big smile
on her face. “Come on in out of the cold. Mitch, it’s good to see
you. How is your family?”

He murmured a response and slipped past her
into the house before she could question him more closely. He
looked around the living room. A fire burned brightly in the
fireplace, a large tree twinkled in the corner. The dining room
table looked ready to collapse under the weight of food and candy.
But Angel wasn’t there.

He shouldn’t have come. He never would have
agreed to come with Gray and Cara if not for the chance to see
Angel. Where was she?

A door closed upstairs and he looked up.
Angel appeared at the top of the stairs and his heart skipped a
beat. She looked beautiful in a bright red sweater and skinny black
pants. He moved to the foot of the stairs as she took the first
step. Her boot slipped on the carpet and she flailed her arms in
the air for a moment, nearly dropping her packages, before she
grabbed the rail and caught her balance. By that time he was
halfway up the staircase.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just feeling a bit foolish. Thanks for
coming to my rescue.”

He lifted a hand to her cheek. “You seem to
be doing a pretty good job of rescuing yourself.”

A blush spread across her cheeks and she
ducked her head. “We’d better join the others.”

She held the rail with one hand and he kept a
hand under her elbow just in case she slipped again, but they made
it to the bottom without further mishap.

“Thanks,” she said. “I just need to put these
under the tree and then we can eat.”

Once she arranged them to her satisfaction,
they went into the dining room where Gray and Sam had already piled
their plates high with an impossible amount of carbs and calories.
He caught Gray’s eye and lifted an eyebrow while staring pointedly
at the plate.

“Not a word, cuz. It’s Christmas.”

“Your cholesterol doesn’t know that.”

Cara stepped up beside Gray. “Is there
something I should know about your cholesterol levels?”

He glared at Mitch. “Not really. It’s a
little high. No big deal.”

Cara reached over and removed two cinnamon
rolls from his plate and put them back on the table. “Yes, it is a
big deal. Now that I know, I can make sure you eat better.”

She led Gray toward the living room and he
leaned close to Mitch as he passed by. “Traitor,” he whispered.

Angel laughed. “I almost feel sorry for him.
Cara can be overwhelming when she goes into mother mode.”

By the time they’d finished their food and
passed out gifts, Mitch had relaxed and felt almost like part of
the family. Cara’s mother was his favorite kind of hostess--one who
sat and enjoyed her company and didn’t mind if they got their own
refills or drinks. She didn’t feel like she had to “perform” like
his own mother did. He’d much rather enjoy her company than have
her wait on him.

Which made him very unlike his father.

Angel waited until everyone else had passed
out their gifts before bringing hers out from under the tree. She
quietly put them next to each recipient before returning to sit
next to Mitch. “This is for you. It isn’t much, but…”

Mitch pulled the ribbon and bows off and set
them aside. Then he tore off the paper. In his hands he held
probably the best portrait he’d ever seen of himself. “When did you
do this?”

“On the ship. I was watching you and you
looked so distinguished in your suit and tie that I could resist
snapping your picture. I thought maybe you could hang it in your
waiting room or something. If you like it, that is.”

He set the picture aside and kissed her
cheek, aware that the others were watching them. “I love it. Thank
you. Now, I have something for you, but this is just part of it.
Your main gift is in the car, but I want to give it to you when
we’re alone.”

She took the small box and carefully
unwrapped it. It was a jewelry box. Her mouth went dry before she
realized it was too big for a ring. She carefully opened the box.
Inside was a birthstone necklace.

Tears welled in her eyes and ran down her
cheeks. She fumbled trying to get it out of the box, so Mitch took
it from her and placed it around her neck. She laid her hand over
the birthstone, holding it against her chest.

“I can’t tell you how much this means to
me.”

“I realized how important his birthday was to
you when we were on the ship. No one who hasn’t been in your shoes
realizes how difficult those birthdays must be.”

She nodded. “I have a present in my closet
for every single one, and a letter to go with them.”

“Can I ask you a question? What did you name
him?”

She might not have answered him if he’d asked
the question a few weeks earlier. But now, she wanted him to know.
“Ryan Mitchell Kensington.”

Mitch was stunned. “You named him after me?
Why?”

“I named him Ryan for the father I never
really knew, and Mitchell for the only stand up guy I knew at the
time. I couldn’t name him after Eric or your father, not after the
way they’d treated me, and I really didn’t know any other men.”

“Well, I’m honored. As soon as we can leave,
I want to show you your other present.”

***

Angel struggled to catch her breath. No one
had ever given her a gift that meant as much as this one did. Not
even her mother, or Cara. No one else had understood. Only Mitch.
If Ryan had been his, it would make more sense. Eric had never once
asked his name, never knew his birthdate. Once his parents had
threatened to destroy her reputation, she’d never spoken to him
again.

What else could Mitch possibly give her that
would mean as much?

When she’d finally gotten her emotions under
control, she turned back to the others. Cara and Gray were just
beginning to open their gift, Reggie and Sam hadn’t gotten to
theirs yet, and her mother’s gift still sat unopened. Her mother
never opened her gifts until she’d watched them open theirs.

“Oh, Angel! I love it!” Cara squealed and
bounced on the couch. “It’s so absolutely perfect!” She turned the
framed picture to show the others before she handed it to Gray.

He looked at the picture for a moment, then
put an arm around Cara’s shoulders. “I agree. You captured our
feelings exactly.”

The picture was also from the cruise. She’d
taken their picture on the dance floor after he’d proposed. They
were oblivious to anyone else, their bodies close, Cara’s hand in
Gray’s. He was looking down at her with such awe and wonder it made
Angel’s heart ache even now. And Cara was looking up at him, the
same love and emotion shining in her eyes. It was a once in a
lifetime capture. She’d had to sneak away from the group to get her
camera after the proposal, because she wanted to preserve the
memories for Cara. Then she’d hidden it in her oversized sling
purse after dumping out most of its contents. At the time of the
picture, every eye had been on the couple and it had been easy
enough to circle around behind them and get the shot from near the
bandstand.

They’d been so intent on each other, they’d
never noticed she was there.

Reggie reached for her present and ripped the
paper off, ribbons and all. “I can’t wait to see mine!” She held it
up so Sam could see it too. “Oh, it’s beautiful! This was on the
way back to the dock, on the Champs-Élysées. I still remember that
kiss.”

“Well, I should hope so,” Sam said with mock
indignation. “That was my most romantic moment ever.”

“Hah. That better not be all the romance
you’ve got in you.” Reggie held the picture at arms length so she
could see it better, and sighed. “You are an amazing photographer,”
she told Angel. “You captured the moment so perfectly.”