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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
FRIDAY EVENING, KARA loosened her seat belt, allowing her to twist around in the passenger seat of Jason’s SUV to check on Samantha. The little girl’s head had lolled to the side and her eyes were closed. The hint of a smile still pulled at her lips, while bits of buttered popcorn dotted her chin.
It had been quite an evening, with dinner out followed by an animated Christmas movie. In fact, the whole week had left Kara breathless, from her phone interview for a promising junior management position in Ohio, to letting her guard down with Jason and remembering what a good friend he could be.
She tried telling herself that with things improving with him, she wouldn’t lose her job. But she couldn’t hang her and her daughter’s future on wishful thinking. Not only hadn’t he mentioned the possibility of her staying on at the Summit, but they still had so much left unsaid between them.
She’d put off talking to him about what had happened all those years ago, thinking that once he understood he wasn’t Samantha’s father, he wouldn’t be back. But he’d surprised her. He’d been so thoughtful, so attentive. Now that this thing between them no longer seemed so casual, she had to tell him the whole story. Her insides shivered with anxiety.
Although it really worried her that Jason was unwilling to forgive his father. Would he be as unforgiving with her when she explained the circumstances of Samantha’s birth? The soda and popcorn she’d had at the theater suddenly didn’t sit so well in her stomach.
At her house, Jason carried Samantha inside.
“I’ve got it from here,” Kara said, taking hold of her daughter.
His searching gaze went from her to Samantha and back. “I should get going—”
“No.” She wanted to get this talk over with, now that she’d finally worked up the nerve. “Stay, please—unless you have someplace to be.”
He shook his head.
“Good. You can wait in the living room while I tuck this little one into bed. I’ll be right back.”
“But Mommy, I’m awake.”
Kara let her stand on her own, but made sure to grab her hand, not wanting her to scamper away. “You’re still going to bed. It’s way past your bedtime.”
“Aw, Mom.”
“No ‘aw, Mom’ with me. Scoot.”
Samantha yawned and headed to her room. The lack of protest told Kara her daughter was beyond exhausted. She’d be asleep in no time. Once they got her teeth brushed, her clothes changed and the covers turned down, Samantha begged for a bedtime story. Kara firmly believed reading to children should be a priority, but she had really hoped Samantha would be too tired to notice tonight.
“Read me ‘The Night Before Christmas.’” Samantha sent her a pleading look.
“But sweetie, Jason is waiting for me.” Kara pulled the pink comforter up and tucked it under her daughter’s arms.
“He can read to me.”
What? Jason reading to her daughter? No, not tonight. Before they got any closer, Kara had to talk to him—had to set things straight.
“Jason! Jason!”
“Samantha Jean, quit screaming,” Kara said in a stern but hushed voice.
In the next moment, she heard hurried footsteps in the hallway.
“Is something wrong?” He peered into the room.
“Will you read me a story?” Samantha held up the Christmas storybook while clutching Bubbles with her other arm. “This is my favorite.”
He looked at Kara. At this point, she supposed making a fuss would only cause more problems. She nodded her consent. She took a seat at the foot of the twin bed while he approached Samantha and accepted the book.
“Sit by Mommy,” her daughter insisted.
His glance met Kara’s and she nodded again. She scooted over and he eased down beside her. His thigh brushed hers. The heat of his body permeated her jeans, warming her through and through.
He opened the book and cleared his throat. Samantha settled back on her pillow as his lyrical voice read each line with intensity. Kara closed her eyes and listened. His voice wrapped around her with its warm tones, like a plush blanket being draped around her shoulders.
