Mistletoe & Kisses Read online

  “Taylor,” she starts as she sits down at dinner, “should I plan to go home for Thanksgiving next week? I’m not sure what Daniel and Aunt Susan are doing, but I can go home if you want to have someone here or if you’re going to be with your family.”

  “I’m sorry, Isabella. I almost forgot about the holiday, since I take my test the following week. I hadn’t planned on going anywhere. I’d love to do Thanksgiving together. I won’t even study that day if you want to do something.”

  “Really? I don’t understand. Why don’t you have someone special to share the holiday with? How are you still single?”

  “Well, I guess I’m too busy right now, and the few people I have dated in recent years just weren’t a good fit. We wanted different things. None of them made me want to change my life at all.”

  “Oh.” She’s not sure if she should pry any further. Does she really want to hear about his love life? If he shares too much, she may be sick. But there is a little part of her that wonders what kind of woman he is interested in. She thinks maybe, just maybe, it’ll help her figure out what a guy like him is looking for. After all those years of watching the people around her fall in love, she thought Eric would be her happily ever after. Oh, how she was wrong.

  “What are you thinking?” Taylor pushes his empty plate aside and give her his undivided attention.

  “Um . . . well, I was.” She takes a deep breath, trying to slow her racing heart. “I was just wondering what kind of . . . um . . . ah, woman you would be interested in.” Closing her eyes, she adds, “Clearly I need help in that department. I couldn’t even hold the attention of my own husband for long. Guess I should figure out what I did wrong.”

  When she opens her eyes, she makes eye contact with Taylor accidentally, and is surprised by the compassion in his eyes. “Isabella, why on Earth do you think you did something wrong?”

  “Why would my husband not want to come home to me? To the house he picked? With all his beloved belongings in it. It has to be me, or something I did or didn’t do. He . . .”

  “Stop!” Taylor practically yells, interrupting her, but realizes his mistake when she jumps and her seat to screeches along the floor. “I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. It just makes me angry that he took that beautiful girl and turned her into this”—he points at her—“this unconfident, insecure woman. He broke you, not the other way around.”

  “Um . . . thanks. I think.” She pulls her chair back to the table and tries to the fact that she’s shaking inside, afraid of where this is going. And yet, she’s hopeful. Maybe she’ll find out why he was so opposed to going out with her in high school, and maybe even how she can keep a man’s attention. After all, she doesn’t want to be lonely forever. It’s been long enough.

  After a few calming breaths, he tries again, saying, “Isabella, the marriage fell apart because of him, not you. A man doesn’t cheat because there is something wrong with his woman, he cheats because there is something wrong with him. Don’t take one ounce of blame in this situation. It’s all his. All. Of. It.”

  “It can’t all be him.” Her eyes are filling with tears and she’s trying her hardest to fight them. She doesn’t want Taylor to see her as weak. With a huff, she admits, “I really don’t know what happened. I just know one day he was around and the next he was distant. I just need to know what to do to keep it from happening again.”

  “Isabella, please don’t cry,” Taylor says, but it doesn’t stop the tears from falling. Taylor gets up and walks around the table. When he gets to her, she lets him help her stand up. Then he takes her hand and guides her to the living room to sit on the couch. When he pulls her close to hug her, her breath hitches and her brain gets fuzzy. It’s been so long since she’s had anyone’s arms around her, and his are so strong. She closes her eyes and tries to imprint this moment on her memory, knowing it won’t be a regular thing for them. It’s what she dreamed about her whole senior year, and even into college . . . until she met Eric.

  “Thank you,” she whispers, while trying to pull herself back out of his arms. But Taylor just squeezes tighter.

  “I like holding you. Just relax.” He rests his head on Isabella’s as she relaxes into him.

  “I like it too.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  THANKSGIVING ARRIVES IN the blink of an eye, and Isabella isn’t sure what the plan for the day is. Taylor has been so busy with work and studying that she hasn’t wanted to bother him about what they were going to do. At the last minute, she figures she could go to a restaurant by herself. After all, it won’t be the first holiday she’s spent alone.

  Trying hard to squash the disappointment of spending today alone, Isabella dresses modestly in dark skinny jeans and a simple and a tan-colored sweater. Then she adds a cute pair of knee-high boots, which are very fashionable for late fall in California. She does her make-up quickly with a natural eyes and a light-pink lip gloss. Hoping she looks fresh for the holiday, she heads into the kitchen for breakfast.

  When she rounds the corner, she is pleasantly surprised to see Taylor in the kitchen, getting ready to make what looks like waffles and bacon. Her heart melts a little and she tries to convince herself it’s not a big deal. He’s just being nice.

  “Special occasion?” she asks as nonchalantly as she can, despite the rapid beat of her heart.

  “I told you I’d make today special. This is just the beginning.” When he flashes his perfect smile at her, it practically stops her heart. She has to hold onto the edge of the table to keep from falling over.

  “Thank you. I knew you were busy, so I kinda thought I’d be spending today alone, like I usually do.”

  “What? You’ve been spending holidays alone? Where was Eric?”

  Embarrassed, she ducks her head and responds softly, “The first year we were together. Since then, I’ve spent them all alone. Although, the first few I didn’t know I’d be alone until after I’d already cooked. He always said he’d be home. After a few times, I stopped preparing and went to a restaurant alone. I have no idea where he was. The first time he didn’t come home, we argued about it and I thought it would never happen again. The next time, I asked where he’d been and he told me not to worry about it, and of course we fought again. After that, I stopped asking. It wasn’t worth the argument.”

  She barely finishes talking, before he’s got her in his arms. Isabella loves the feel of his arms around her, but she can’t help but think about how much it’s gonna hurt to leave him and his safety. But he only agreed to have her there until the divorce was final, so she better not get used to having him there.

  “Isabella, why didn’t you go home? Your family would’ve loved to have you.” His arms are still around her when he speaks.

  She responds as she tries to pull away from him. “I was embarrassed, and Eric would’ve never let me go home alone.”

  “Stop trying to get away. You need to know that you have support. I’ll always be here for you. I told you today would be special, and it will be.” He places a kiss on the top of her head, and squeezes her tightly one last time before releasing her. When she steps back, he can see her eyes are full of tears, though she’s doing a good job at keeping them from falling. “Why are you about to cry?”

  She fiddles with her hands, so nervous to admit the truth. “Um, you make me nervous.”

  “What?” The hurt is written all over his face.

  “Not because I’m afraid of you.” She takes a deep breath, summoning the courage from deep inside her. She’s never had to be up front about her feelings. “You make me feel things.” Ok, so maybe she can’t do it after all.

  “Feel things? I think you may have to be a little clearer.” The smirk on his face says he knows what she means, but he’s obviously not going to let it go.

  “Ugh!” She turns away and tries to put a little distance between them, but he stops her.

  “Isabella, I’m sorry. I won’t push. Let’s just have breakfast and then we can get ready for what f
or the day.”

  The lump of regret in her throat stops her from being able to respond, so she just nods her head. She had the chance, and now it’s gone. As she sits and waits for him to finish breakfast, she thinks that keeping her feelings to herself is for the best anyway. Last time she tried with him, he shot her down. She’s sure it’ll be the same again. She knows in her heart that he’s just protecting her as a favor to Daniel.

  Isabella offers to clean up the breakfast mess when they are. Although the conversation was a little awkward, the food was delicious. “Go get yourself ready. Let me know if I need anything else, or if I should change.”

  “Isabella, you are perfect the way you are.” After leaving that comment sitting in her mind, he turns and heads to his room.

  He’s only gone about twenty minutes before he returns. “Ready, babe?” The term of endearment catches Isabella off guard and he must notice. “Sorry. I’ll behave.”

  “It’s fine. And yes, I’m ready. Do I need to bring anything? You seem to have a lot of stuff in that bag.”

  “Nope. I’ve got everything we need. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  The ride on the freeway is long. She knows they’re headed inland, but she can’t figure out for the life of her where. “Are you gonna tell me where we’re going?”

  “Nope. I want it to be a surprise.”

  “Well, it sure is. I’m not sure I’ve ever been this far inland before. What city are we in?”

  “We are in Yorba Linda now, but we aren’t staying here. It’s gonna be at least an hour to get where we’re going.”

  “Will you tell me what city?”

  “Nope. Just relax. I want you to be surprised. It’s more fun that way.”

  The rest of the drive is filled with very little conversation. Isabella watches the cities pass by and still can’t figure out where they’re headed until they turn onto CA 18.

  “The mountains? You’re taking me to the mountains?”

  “Can you just be patient?” He laughs but doesn’t actually answer her.

  Instead of pushing her luck, she just lets it go.

  When he pulls into the driveway of the cute little cabin, she looks around in awe.

  “It’s beautiful here. Is this place yours?”

  “I wish,” he says with a chuckle and gets out of the car. He walks around to open her door, then helps her out of the car. “It’s one of the guys from the firm’s. He is letting us stay here for the weekend. He told me we’d love Lake Arrowhead, so I figured why not.”

  “I didn’t bring anything for the weekend.” The frustration is evident in her tone.

  “I’m sorry. I wanted this to be a surprise, so I packed some things for you. I think I got all we need. If you need something else, we can get it tomorrow.”

  “On Black Friday? The busiest shopping day of the year. Are you crazy?”

  “Well, just hope I got everything then.”

  She is shocked when she sees two bags in the trunk. “When did you get my stuff?”

  “This morning. I packed my stuff last night and already had it in the car. I hope you’ll like what I brought for you.”

  “I hope so, too. I hate Black Friday, there are too many people everywhere.”

  When he laughs, she can’t help but smile. He’s so carefree and fun. The exact opposite of Eric. He makes her feel like it’s okay to be herself and she likes it. She’s tired of trying to be a museum piece and wants to just live.

  Chapter Twenty

  TAYLOR SHOWS ISABELLA to the Master bedroom and tells her that he’s sleeping in the guest room. It shouldn’t, but seeing how thoughtful he is makes her heart flutter. Besides just being a gentleman, he’s put a lot of thought into the weekend.

  As she unpacks, she is surprised that, not only did he pack everything she’d need, but he even picked her out some of her sexiest undergarments. She’s a little embarrassed that he went through those things, but it also gives her a little thrill knowing he’ll be thinking of her wearing them.

  They meet in the cozy living room, where Taylor has started a fire in the stone fireplace. He’s also set up a little feast on a blanket on the floor next to the fire. The weather isn’t unseasonably cold, but it’s definitely cooler in the mountains than by the beach, and the fire takes the chill out of the air.

  “Wow!” Isabella is practically breathless when she speaks. The feast he’s laid out is full of all the traditional Thanksgiving fixings. “Is that . . . ” Her voice trails off as it fills with emotion.

  “Yes.” He knows exactly what she’s talking about. “I had Daniel send me the recipe, but I had someone special prepare it for you. I remember you talking about it in high school, and I figured it’s been about that long since you had it.”

  Tears stream down her face. She’s in disbelief that he could remember something so insignificant. His thoughtfulness is overwhelming. She can’t figure out if she’s crazy or if maybe, just maybe, he could have feelings for her too. But she’ll never ask. She can’t handle being turned down by him again.

  “I can’t believe you remember. It’s the one thing I miss most at the holidays. I’ve gotten used to eating alone, but I miss her scalloped potatoes.”

  “Come here”—he motions with his hand—“we don’t want it to get cold.”

  She moves slowly, still having trouble comprehending what is happening. This is so intimate feeling, and yet, so amazing. She resolves right there that she’ll never again let someone treat her the way Eric did. She wants this, moments like this. She doesn’t need a big house, an expensive car, or maids to do all the work. All she needs is to feel wanted, important to someone, like someone’s equal, and their partner.

  “Thank you.” Her voice is still thick with emotion. “This is amazing.”

  “You deserve amazing, Isabella.” Without making a big deal about what he’s said, he hands her a plate. It isn’t long before they are talking about the weekend and what he’s got planned.

  “I do have to study a little each day, but I have something for you to do while I study so you aren’t bored.”

  “I don’t need you to find things for me to do. I’m used to being alone, remember.”

  “But I don’t want you to be lonely. Trust me, you’ll love what I have planned.”

  “Are you gonna tell me what the plan is?”

  “Nope. Not unless I need to change it. First off, did I pack the right things?”

  When pink spreads across her cheeks, he smiles. They both know what she’s thinking about.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you need anything else?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Good. We’ll relax here this evening and watch a movie or two, and tomorrow we’ll start the fun. I can’t wait.”

  “Neither can I.” The happiness on her face is all he needs to see to know he’s doing the right thing, and he hopes that she’ll be ready to hear what he has to say by the end of the night tomorrow.

  When they are both full, they work together to put the massive amount of leftovers in the fridge.

  “We have enough left over to feed an army,” Isabella says, and laughs as she puts the turkey into a gallon zip lock bag to avoid having to do too many dishes this weekend.

  “It’s not like there’s really a turkey to feed two. I figured it would be nice to have enough for a few days, anyway.”

  When they work together, things get finished very quickly.

  “Why the sad face?” Taylor asks, putting his hands on her hips and turning her slowly to face him. Even once they’re face-to-face, he doesn’t drop his hands.

  “I was just thinking how nice it is to have you help with the little things. Eric never helped after dinner with the food or the dishes. In fact, I was thinking that he never actually cooked for me either.”

  “That is just pathetic.” When her eyes drop and are no longer looking at him, he realizes her misunderstanding. “Not of you. Of him. He is a pathetic excuse for a man. You deserve
to be spoiled.”

  “I don’t need spoiling. I just want to feel wanted.”

  “You should. And you will.” He sees her puzzled expression and knows she’s not ready to hear him say it now, so he quickly changes the subject. “It’s still nice out. Let’s go for a walk.”

  “That sounds nice. Although I’m too full to walk too far.”

  “Me too. We’ll stay close to the cabin. Let’s just go outside and explore what’s out there.”

  He opens the back door, and they step out into what can only be described as paradise. There’s a huge wooden deck that that overlooks a lush green yard, with the lake about fifty feet from the deck.

  “Oh. My. God.” She looks in all directions, awe obvious on her face.

  “Right.” He is just as wowed as she is.

  “This has to be the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. The residential areas by lakes in Chicago aren’t even this pretty. This is breathtaking.”

  “I agree. This has nothing on lakes back home.” Then he sees the path that goes around the lake. “Let’s walk on the path.”

  She nods and follows him down the steps on the decking. When they get to the path, Taylor reaches for Isabella’s hand. As nervous as it makes her, she doesn’t pull away. She likes the warmth of her hand in his. But when she looks up at him, the heat in his eyes causes her nerves to settle in her stomach and her knees to feel weak. She can’t believe that she’s seeing the desire she feels reflected in his eyes, so she shakes her head to regroup. She must be mistaken, thinking again that he’s just doing what Daniel asked of him and taking care of her.

  The walk is beautiful and the air is just what Isabella needs, but she can’t think of anything but her hand in Taylor’s. She hears him speak and knows she responds, hopefully appropriately because she can’t comprehend a thing with the hum running from her hand to the rest of her body.