"You...love me?" She sounded breathless, as if she couldn't believe he was saying it.
"More than I ever thought possible. Since you and Christopher came into my life, I've felt the stirrings of happiness again." Looking deep into her eyes to make sure she understood, he went on, "I can trust you now because I've finally realized what a sacrifice you made four years ago. You put my needs before yours. Now I'm going to put your needs first for the rest of our lives. I didn't distrust you, Sara, as much as I didn't trust myself--to feel again...to love again. Can you forgive me? Can we start over?"
Tears ran down her cheeks. "I don't want to start over. I want to remember everything we've shared and go on from here."
He took her face between his palms and tenderly brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. "I've hurt you. I never meant to hurt you. I was so damn busy trying to protect myself..."
"Let's both forgive the hurt and concentrate on the love."
He encircled her with his arms and brought her closer. "I do love you, Sara. I'll spend every day for the rest of my life proving it."
"You don't have to prove anything. Just love me."
His lips found hers and made promises he knew he'd keep for a lifetime. Sara promised back, lacing her hands in his hair, loving him.
Suddenly, a sound wound around them. Music? No. Chimes.
They both lifted their heads at the same time.
The chimes on the Christmas angel were moving gently against each other.
Sara's eyes rounded, then she smiled. "I guess Santa arrived."
Jake touched his finger to his tongue and held it up in the air. "Sara, there's no wind."
She laughed--a sound as sweet as the chimes. "No, there isn't. On Christmas Eve, there's magic...and miracles."
Jake pointed to the bright star. "That guided me home. And while it was guiding me..." He squeezed her closer. "I thought about what I'd say to you. I thought a lot about my life, about Davie and Christopher. About us. I realized what a gift children are. And I thought that maybe in a year or so, we could have another child, so Christopher can learn all about sharing first-hand."
"Jake, are you sure?" The question was a gasp of surprise.
He understood her astonishment, the idea had stunned him as well. But he'd thought about it on the drive home. "Yes, I'm sure. And although Christopher needs a brother or sister, there's another more important reason I want to have another child--to show how much I love you."
Resting her hands on his shoulder, Sara said with certainty, "You can do that without us making a baby."
"I know. But I don't want any barriers, Sara. I want your heart to flow into mine and mine to flow into yours. I want it all."
She wound her arms around him and laid her cheek against his heart. "This truly is a night for miracles."
Jake held Sara tight against him and gazed at the star. A night for miracles...Christmas Eve, and he was so thankful he was holding his Christmas angel in his arms.
Epilogue
One Year Later
A bottle of champagne stood chilling on the nightstand beside the bed. Jake had fixed a tray of cheese and crackers while Sara showered. He'd bought a special present for her this Christmas, and he preferred giving it to her in their bed.
The bathroom door opened and Sara emerged, a white satin nightgown flowing with her as she came toward him. Jake swallowed hard. His pulse hammered, and as always when he saw her, his heart overflowed with love.
"You're breathtaking--my Christmas angel."
She arched her brows. "I'm no angel and we both know it."
As she slid into the other side of the bed, he chuckled. "No, you're a lovely woman who's as stubborn as I am sometimes."
Smiling knowingly, she gestured to the food and champagne. "What's all this?"
"I thought we should celebrate. In my heart, Christmas Eve is really our anniversary. I guess I never told you everything that happened that night. We've been so happy, I didn't want to bring up anything to remind you of the rough times."
Sara sidled closer to him and laid her hand on his chest. "Don't you know by now you can tell me anything?"
Over the past year, he'd confided in her many times about hopes and fears, and dreams for their future. "I know. And I guess that's why I thought about this tonight. Why I want to tell you."
Curling up beside him with her head on his shoulder, she urged, "So tell me."
He loved her there, beside him, always. "I told you I went to the cemetery last Christmas Eve and that the brightest star gave me hope and guided me back to you. What I didn't tell you was that I actually thought I heard a voice pointing my thinking in the right direction."
She popped up and looked into his eyes. "I did, too! When I was gazing at the star." She thought about it for a moment. "Do you think it was Davie, or for me--my mother?"
"Maybe. Or the same Christmas angel who touched the chimes. I don't know. But I do know I want to remember that night forever because I realized I had to let go of the past so I could believe in our love for the future. I thought you might want to remember it, too." He took a small box from between the pillows and set it in her lap. "Merry Christmas."
Her eyes glistened with tears.
"Don't cry yet. Open it first," he teased.
She tore off the bow and unwrapped the box. When she opened it, she gasped. A solitaire diamond surrounded by smaller ones twinkled up at her. "The star!"
She'd guessed without him telling her. "Do you like it?"
"It's beautiful. Will you put it on for me?"
He took the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger above the wedding band. "The jeweler said women wear rings like that with their bands. But if you think it's too much, you can wear it on your other hand."
She leaned over and gave him a kiss that told him it wasn't too much, it was just right. When he drew her on top of him so he could show her how much he loved her, she resisted and leaned away.
"What's wrong?"
She smiled and smoothed her hand over his brow. "Nothing. Except I want to give you your gift, too. It's just not quite as tangible...yet."
"I don't understand."
"Well, I can munch on the cheese and crackers over there, but I can't have any champagne."
He saw the glow on her face, the new lushness to her body he thought came from being happily married, and he knew. "You're pregnant!"
She nodded. "The doctor confirmed it yesterday. Are you...pleased?"
They'd talked about having another child many times, but had decided to let it happen naturally without giving the matter undue attention. "Yes, I'm pleased. I'm more than pleased." With a resounding kiss, he told her exactly how pleased. This time when he drew her on top of him, she didn't resist.
He broke the kiss only to murmur, "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Donovan."
Tracing her fingers over his lips, she smiled. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Donovan."
Jake reached to the nightstand and switched off the light.
But the room still glowed with their love. As Jake told Sara again with words and kisses and touches how much he loved her, one brilliant star twinkled at them through the window. In the distance, chimes played delicately, yet no wind blew.
Because it was Christmas Eve--a night for love, magic and miracles.
FROM THE AUTHOR:
Jake's Bride was first published with Silhouette Books under the title Shane's Bride. I still enjoy writing secret baby/marriage of convenience plots. And this was my first one of those. Jake first appeared as a private investigator, helping Nathan Bradley find his ex-wife and children in Nathan's Vow. I liked him so much I decided to give him his own love story. His romance is the second book in my Search For Love series.
Throughout all my books, I attempt to keep the emotion of my characters as the focus. My intention is always to touch my readers' hearts and urge them to believe in happily-ever-after. Since this book was first published, I've gone on to write many more novels, making the USA Today List, the Borders Group Bestseller List and the Amazon Contemporary Romance Bestseller List. Living in Pennsylvania with my college sweetheart and two cats, I spend most days writing, editing, cooking and gardening. I draw inspiration from music, the farm in my backyard, and my hummingbird garden. Relationships have always fascinated me and I look forward to writing about them for a long time to come. For more about me and my latest releases, including excerpts, photos and short stories, please visit my website at www.karenrosesmith.com. To keep in touch day to day, follow me at Facebook, on Twitter @ Karenrosesmith and on my blog—Cats, Roses...and Books! listed on my Amazon Author Central page. Look for more of my books on Amazon Kindle.
Thanks to Judy Bullard for my terrific new cover.
My website:
http://www.karenrosesmith.com
Blog:
http://karenrosesmith.blogspot.com
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/karenrosesmith
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1707769293
OTHER KAREN ROSE SMITH BOOKS AVAILABLE ON KINDLE:
Always Devoted
A Man Worth Loving
Because of Francie
Everyday Cinderellas
Everyday Prince Charming
Forever After
Garden of Fantasy
Love in Bloom
Nathan's Vow
Kit and Kisses
Mom Meets Dad
Ribbons and Rainbows
Toys and Wishes
Wish on the Moon
Excerpt from NATHAN'S VOW:
Prologue
Don't answer it.
Don't answer it.
Do
not
answer it.
Gillian Moore convinced herself to ignore the intrusive sound of the ringing telephone as the golden L.A. sun swept through her open living room window, along with the balmy June breeze.
Her phone rang a second time.
Plucking the leatherbound volumes from her bookshelf one by one, she dusted them with a soft cloth. She always cleaned and straightened her surroundings when her heart or mind was in turmoil. With a quick glance at the phone on her end table, she knew her mother wouldn't be calling on a Monday evening. Madge Moore called her daughter from Deep River, Indiana every Sunday at exactly seven p.m.
Gillian's phone rang a third time.
She swiped the cloth across the shelf, back and forth. In the three months since she'd relocated to L.A., she hadn't confided in anyone or encouraged close friendships. She needed this respite. She needed to find out whether her "gift" would continue to be the major force in her life or whether she had a right to keep it in the background, maybe even completely under wraps.
Her phone rang a fourth time.
It could only be
him
--the man who had called the past two nights, the man with the compelling voice, tinged with authority, commanding in its intensity as it directed her to return his call. She didn't know what he wanted, but she could guess. Heaven knew how he'd gotten her number because no one in L.A. had it, not even the manager where she worked.
Her answering machine kicked on with her brief direction for the caller to leave a message. Her usually lilting tone was serious and cool. She ran her hand through her long, light brown hair. Maybe she should get it cut short…make yet another change in her life. She'd made so many in moving here--she actually had time to herself...to be out in the sun, ride a bike, take long walks. She'd found peace along with the bright California sun and she wasn't ready to let go of either.
"Ms. Moore. This is Nathan Bradley. Again," he added in a deep, almost censuring baritone. "In case you haven't received my earlier messages, I need to speak with you immediately about a matter of great urgency." He paused. "Ms. Moore, I
must
speak with you. Please return my call." He gave his number slowly, hesitated a moment, then clicked off.
Gillian stopped dusting. He hadn't said "please" in his other messages. This time there was a quiet desperation in his tone. She recognized the emotion because the people she'd helped in the past had all been desperate. Nathan Bradley didn't sound like a man who was accustomed to using the word "please," and the huskiness edging the word made her feel vulnerable and guilty, two of the burdens from which she'd tried to escape.
Now this man had brought them to the surface once more. She
wouldn't
return his call. She deserved unpressured time to think about the direction of her life, to have fun working at something she'd never imagined she'd enjoy. Nathan Bradley could find someone else to solve his problem, someone else with a "gift" that had begun to feel more like a curse.