AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Careful,” Jonas warned when she started to lift it out. “There might be something else wrapped up in it.”
Molly’s eyes widened before she set about unfolding the bright blue blanket. The thick material kept Bridget from seeing what was inside, but she did see the frown that suddenly appeared on her daughter’s face. Just as suddenly Molly started laughing.
“What is it?” Bridget asked, overcome with curiosity.
“A doll!” Molly declared, lifting a china doll from the blanket’s folds.
“I thought every girl should have one whether she was too old to play with them or not,” Jonas stated, his mouth twitching in a smile.
“It’s terrific!” Molly grinned. “Both presents are terrific! Thank you, Jonas.”
“You’re welcome.” He inclined his head briefly, smiling, the corners of his eyes crinkling.
The phone rang. “I’ll get it!” said Molly.
“Answer it in the living room,” Bridget told her and Molly darted into the other room.
A second later the ringing stopped and Molly called back, “It’s for me!”
Slowly Jonas crossed the room to where Bridget stood. His gaze flicked briefly to the decorated gingerbread men and women. “Very nice,” he observed.
“They taste pretty good too,” Bridget said. “Here.” She handed him the gloppy-faced one.
“You’re kidding.” Laughter gleamed in his eyes. “You mean you put in all that work and I can take a bite out of this guy?”
“No, I’m not kidding,” Bridget smiled faintly. “I messed him up anyway.”
He was standing close to her. She had to move only slightly to touch him, but somehow it didn’t seem necessary. Bridget had the deliriously warm sensation that he was already holding her in his arms and loving her.
“Have you changed your mind?” he murmured, his compelling gray-green eyes holding her gaze.
“About what?” she asked, feeling the sensual pull of his attraction.
“About tonight,” he answered. “You seem a little—oh, I don’t know. Overwhelmed? Is that the right word?”
As usual, Jonas had made an astute guess. Between minding the store during the Christmas rush, keeping her daughter happy, and drawing faces on little gingerbread people with an icing tube, Bridget had just about had it. And all those stressful things, which were minor, didn’t hold a candle to the one big thing that had been on her mind for months.
“Oh, you know—Christmas can get to anybody. Holidays are stressful.”
He looked at her thoughtfully. “Is it just that? I haven’t said anything but you’ve had a while to think about whether or not you want to marry me. Whether you really love me.”
Bridget felt a sinking sensation and hoped her dismay didn’t show on her face. “I’ve loved you for more than ten years, Jonas,” Bridget answered with amazing calm. “Nothing has changed that.”
His hands spanned the sides of her waist to draw her to him. Bridget melted willingly into his arms, lifting her head for his kiss. It was a searingly sweet promise of love, laced with passion and stamped with a hint of possession.
It was a good thing that she heard Molly hang up the phone to yell, “Vicki’s mom is coming to get me!” and clatter upstairs for real this time.
Bridget got what she wanted: a chance to nestle inside his jacket and inhale the warm scent of him. Jonas rubbed her back lightly, giving her a thorough cuddling and murmuring affectionate nonsense into her hair. She didn’t budge until Molly came racketing back down and headed out the front door. “Didn’t you hear Vicki’s mom honking outside?” she yelled to her mother.
“No,” Bridget called as the front door banged behind her daughter. “Oh, well,” she said to Jonas.
He grinned down at her. “I was just like that at her age. Did what I wanted, moved fast so no one could stop me, and—”
Bridget put a finger over his lips. “The word is headstrong. And yes, you two do share that quality.”
He nodded. “You know, this may sound funny, but sometimes I think she could be my kid.”
The casual remark made Bridget’s heart skip a beat. She’d felt so close to him just then, accepting the tenderness he instinctively knew to offer. More than at any other time that Jonas had held her, Bridget felt safe and secure. He had come home. He loved and needed her as much as she did him.
