A Baby Under the Tree (15 page)

Somehow, some way, this was all going to work out beautifully.

As she threaded her fingers in his hair, she leaned into him, relishing the feel of his mouth on hers, wanting more. Needing more.

Would she ever get enough of
him
—the man she loved? The man who offered her everything she'd always wanted in life—a family, a home?

As the kiss intensified, as the physical hunger that always simmered between them kicked into high gear, she reached for his belt buckle, letting him know she was ready for more than just a kiss, that she wanted a replay of the first night they'd met.

He followed her lead, undoing his jeans and tugging at his shirttails.

This was what they'd been waiting for since that night in March, when two lonely people met and set about to heal each other.

She reached for his hand and led him to the bedroom, where she began to undress, removing her light jacket and letting it flutter to the ground, unzipping her slacks, pushing the fabric over her hips.

As Jillian shimmied out of her pants, Shane stood transfixed, caught up in an arousal of epic proportions and mesmerized by the provocative way she removed her clothes.

When she stood before him in a pair of lacy white panties and a matching bra, the swell of her pregnancy
added a sweet innocence he hadn't quiet expected. He swallowed hard as the woman he loved bared herself to him, offering herself as a gift he would cherish the rest of his life.

With his heart pounding in both love and need, he eased before her, slowly. Reverently. “You're beautiful.”

“So are you.” She unbuttoned his shirt, sliding the fabric off his shoulders. Then she skimmed her fingers across his chest, sending a shiver through his nerve endings and a shimmy of heat through his blood.

As he removed his shirt completely, he watched as she reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, releasing her breasts. He bent and took a nipple in his mouth, tasting, suckling, taunting until she gasped in pleasure.

Then he scooped her into his arms and laid her on top of the white goose down comforter, where they began to work the magic that had been sparking between them ever since the first time they'd spotted each other at El Jardin, the upscale bar in Houston.

Then, after removing the rest of his clothes, Shane climbed beside her on the bed, never missing a beat, as they picked up right where they'd left off.

When their breathing grew ragged, when they were unable to wait any longer, he entered her, giving her everything he had, loving her fully—with his body, heart and soul.

As they reached an incredible peak, as she gripped his shoulders and cried out with her release, he let go, too, riding the waves of an amazing climax.

When it was over, they continued to hold each other,
basking in their love and in the amazing chemistry they shared. Finally, Shane rolled to the side, taking Jillian with him. As they faced each other, drawing sated smiles, she placed her hand on his chest, over his heart.

“I can hardly believe this,” she said, “but making love with you was even more amazing than I remembered.”

“I was just thinking the same thing.” As he ran his hand along the slope of her hip, a slow smile stretched across his face. “And the best part about it is the fact that it's only going to get better.”

She knew he was right, although it was hard to imagine how they could improve perfection. She brushed a hank of hair from his forehead, amazed at the depth of her love for him.

Somehow, it seemed as though they'd always been meant for each other.

“It's too bad we didn't meet each other before we fell into bad first marriages,” he said.

“I'm not so sure about that. Maybe all those struggles we dealt with before made us into the people we are today, people who can fully appreciate and love each other.”

“Maybe so, honey. But I promise you this. I'm in this for the duration.”

“So am I.”

With that, he kissed her one more time, with everything he had, everything he was, everything he ever hoped to be.

T
hree weeks after Jillian and Shane brought Mary Rose Hollister home to their four-bedroom tract house in Brighton Valley, they hosted the family Christmas party as a way to welcome their new daughter into the Hollister fold and to show off their new digs.

Outside, while storm clouds gathered overhead, a December breeze stirred the dried leaves still on the trees. Yet inside, the flames of a small fire in the hearth cast its warmth throughout the living room.

A Christmas tree with blinking white lights and colorful ornaments stood near the bay window that looked out into the street, while the faint scent of pine mingled with the aroma of a turkey baking in the oven.

Along the mantel, adorned with small boughs of pine and a nativity scene, hung three handmade stockings,
each filled with goodies that Santa had brought the night before.

Jillian's grandmother, who'd decided to move into the apartment over Carolyn's Diner after Shane and Jillian had found a larger place, was seated on the new rocking chair near the fireplace. As Gram held the eight-pound baby girl, who'd been dressed in a red-and-white sleeper, she marveled over the tufts of dark hair and blue eyes.

“I swear to goodness,” Gram said, “Mary Rose is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen.”

Jillian thought her daughter was adorable, too, although she and Gram were probably just a wee bit biased.

“Honey?” Shane called, as he came in from the backyard. “Did Jack get here yet? He called a while back, and I gave him directions.”

“Not yet,” she said. “Do you think he's lost?”

“Maybe not. But he should have gotten here by now.”

Dan and Eva Walker had been the first to arrive, along with both sets of twins and Catherine Loza, a friend of theirs who'd been living in Manhattan.

According to what Eva had told Jillian earlier, Catherine had gone through a recent breakup and had wanted to get away. Jillian didn't know the details—and she wouldn't ask—but she couldn't imagine a better place than Brighton Valley to heal a broken heart and to get one's life back on track.

She'd come to love this town and looked forward to starting her student-teaching at Washington High
School in Wexler when the winter semester began in mid-January.

Shane, who'd been appointed sheriff when Sam Jennings retired, was happy with the position, saying that it allowed him the best of both worlds.

When the doorbell chimed, Shane announced, “I'll get it. That's got to be Jack.”

All of the Hollisters would be arriving within the next twenty minutes or so, but Jack had started out sooner than the others. And Jillian couldn't wait to see them. Shane's family had been wonderfully supportive, accepting her as a new daughter-in-law and going so far as to include Gram in all of their family gatherings.

Jillian wasn't sure who was happier to hold the family Christmas dinner—her or Shane. They'd been decorating and planning the meal since Thanksgiving.

“Come in,” Shane told his brother, who entered along with his wife and two sons.

“Trevor,” Shane said to the oldest boy, “why don't you take Evan out to the backyard? The Walkers are back there, checking out the swing set that came with the house.”

As the Hollister boys dashed outside, Jillian met Shane at the door to welcome her brother-in-law and his wife. “Thanks for agreeing to have Christmas in Brighton Valley this year. I know it's a long drive for you.”

“We wouldn't have missed it,” Cindy Hollister said. “Now, where's the baby? I can't wait to hold her. They grow up so fast.”

As Jillian pointed to Gram, Jack scanned the living room and said, “Nice house.”

“Thanks.” Shane slipped his arm around Jillian and pulled her close. “We like it.”

And they truly did. Their new home might be miniscule in comparison to the estate in which Jillian had once lived with Thomas, but it resonated with the love and laughter she'd been longing for during those sad, lonely years.

As Jack and his wife followed the kids out to the backyard, Shane drew Jillian into a warm embrace. “Thank you for making this Christmas my best ever.”

“I'm the one who should be thanking you.”

Then she kissed her husband with all the love in her heart.