A Heart for Christmas (10 page)

“We have church in the morning, but we don’t have anything planned afterwards.”

“In that case, would you and Lacey like to accompany me ice skating?”

“That’s one of Lacey’s favorite things to do,” she told him.  “We’d love to.”

“Great.”

Christopher escorted her to the door, and then inside. 

“Would you like to stay for a cup of coffee, or tea?”

“Yes, I would, but I’m going to say no.”  He rested his hands on her waist.  “Thank you for tonight.  It was a lot of fun.”

“I thought so, too.  Thanks for dinner…and the ice skating.”

Christopher kissed her again.  “We haven’t gone yet.”

“True, but I know we’ll have a good time.”

He laughed.  “Goodnight, Yvie.”

Yvette hugged him.  “Goodnight, Chris.”

They kissed a final time and then he stepped out into the night.  He walked back to his car, but couldn’t keep himself from glancing back at the house.  Yvette was still at the doorway watching him.  She waved when their eyes met.  He waved back, and then slid into the driver’s seat.  The w
ay Yvette had said his name made his heart beat rapidly in his chest. 

“You’re pitiful,” he said aloud.

He waved a final time before he backed out of the driveway and drove off.  He and Yvette were at the beginning of something great, and he could not wait to see where it led.

Just then his cell phone rang.  Christopher engaged his Bluetooth device and put the call on speaker.

“Hello?”

“Hi honey.
”

“Hey, mom.”

“Well…how did your date go?” Margaret probed.

Christopher shook his head.  “You’re timing is impeccable
—as usual.  I just left Yvette’s house.  Our date was amazing, thanks for asking.”

“I knew it would be,” Margaret enthused.  “
Don’t worry I’m not going to ask for details.”

Christopher’s chest shook with mirth. 
“Great, because I wasn’t going to give you any.”

By the time he reached his condo, he had
filled his parents in on only cursory facts about his date.  He kept the more personal aspects to himself. 

An hour later, Christopher was sitting in the living room starting at the downtown Raleigh skyline.  He was restless, and sleep eluded him.  He was thinking about going to bed when his cell phone chimed.  He reached over and scooped it off the coffee table.  When he saw the number, he smiled.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Not much.”  He typed.  “You?”

“The same.  I can’t sleep.”

“Neither can I.  You want to talk?”

“Sure.  Answer your phone.”

Seconds later, Christopher’s cell phone rang.  He picked up.

“I thought you would have been sleep by now.”

“It’s eluding me,” Yvette said.

“How did Lacey like her evening?”

“She loved it.  She was sorry she didn’t get a chance to see you.  I did tell her about ice skating on Sunday.  She was very excited.”

“I wish it could be tomorrow, but I’ve got a full day at the lot.”

“Me, too.”

They chatted a few minutes more before Yvette began to yawn.

“I’m boring you, aren’t I?” Christopher joked.

“You are not.  I’m sorry; I guess sleep has finally caught up to me.”

“No need to apologize, Yvie.  Get some sleep.  If it’s not too late, I’ll call you tomorrow when I get off.”

“Okay.  Thanks again for tonight.  It was very nice.”

Christopher grinned.  “I thought so, too.” 

“Good night, Chris.”

“Good night, Yvie.”

They hung up, and Christopher decided to go to bed.  Padding to his bedroom, he set his phone on the nightstand and climbed into bed.  Closing his eyes, Christopher tried his best to put thoughts of Yvette out of his mind. 
Good luck
.  He told himself.  How good she had felt in his arms and the kisses they shared would definitely be playing like a montage in his head tonight.  There was no way he could deny how he felt anymore.  He had been dealing with it for the entire four years of college, and another year afterwards.  When he least expected it, thoughts of Yvette would drift into his mind.  Knowing he had no chance of acting on his feelings caused him to push his dreams aside, but since she had come back into his life that was no longer possible.  He simply couldn’t deny the truth any longer.  That realization made him laugh quietly.

“Yvette Baker Stilwell,” he
said in a bemused tone.   “You have definitely captured my heart.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Christopher picked up Yvette and Lacey on Sunday a
fternoon and took them ice skating at the Raleigh Winterfest.  Afterwards, they went to out to lunch.

“I didn’
t think you could skate that well,” Yvette said while they were waiting for their food.

“I do okay,” Christopher replied.  “Of course I can’t hold a candle to Miss Lacey here.”  He glanced over at her.  “You
skate beautifully.”

“
Thanks.  My dad used to take me,” Lacey replied quietly.  “He used to say I was a ballerina on ice.”

“I can see it,” Christopher responded.  “I’m glad that you and your mom came with me.”

Yvette hugged her daughter.  “We are, too.  Thanks for inviting us, Christopher.”

“It was my pleasure.”

Lacey turned to her mother.  “Mom, can we go to the bathroom?”

“Of course, sweetheart.”  She stood up.  “We’ll be right back,” she told Christopher.

Lacey used the bathroom, and then came out to wash her hands.  While she was rubbing her soapy hands under the water, she looked at her mother’s reflection.

“I miss daddy,” she said without preamble.

Yvette knelt beside her.  “I know, sweetheart.   I miss your daddy, too.”

“Mr. Christopher is nice.  You like him, right?”

“Yes, I do.  He is a very special man, Lacey.”

She nodded and walked over to blow dry her hands
, and then they returned to their table.

Halfway through the meal Lacey looked up at Christopher.  “Do you like my mommy?”

Yvette sat her burger down.  Her eyes flew straight to Christopher’s.  He winked at her.

“Yes, I do like your mom, Lacey
.”  He gazed at Yvette.  “A lot.”

“Do you like me, too?”

“Most definitely.” He smiled.  “You and your mother are two of my favorite ladies.”

“That’s good,”
Lacey said in a relieved voice.

“Why were you worried, sweety?”

“Because he makes you smile a lot.  Even Aunt Addie said so.  I didn’t want him to leave and you be sad again.  Like when Daddy left.”

Yvette
gathered her daughter in her arms, and kissed the top of her head.  “Lacey, it’s not the same as before.  Your daddy didn’t want to leave us, but he was in a terrible accident.  You know those happen sometimes.”

Lacey nodded.

“One day at a time, right?  That’s how we said we handle this, didn’t we?”

“Yes, mommy.”

“I think you both are doing a fantastic job,” Christopher told them.  “And Lacey I’m not planning to go anywhere, okay?  I’ll be in your life for as long as you want me.  Your mom, too.”

“You see?  Mr. Christopher will be here, and you can see him whenever you’d like.”

Lacey looked up at Christopher.  He smiled and rubbed her arm.  “I’ve got something that is guaranteed to make you feel better.”

She perked up.  “You do?” 

“Yep.  I’ve got a few Christmas movies with me that I rented today.  I’ll be one of them is your favorite.”

“Really?” Lacey cried excitedly.  “Which ones?”

Christopher rattled off the list and wasn’t surprised when one caught Lacey’s attention.

“Home Alone,” she blurted out.  “That’s one of my favorites.  “The Year Without a Santa Claus, too.”

“Then I’ll let you borrow them when I drop you home, okay?”

“That’s very generous,” Yvette replied.  “What do you say, Lacey?”

Lacey bounded out of her chair and threw herself in Christopher’s arms.  He held her close, and hugged her tight. 

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“You’re welcome, kiddo.”  Christopher felt his heart expanding in his chest.  Lacey Stilwell didn’t know it, but she now officially had him wrapped around her little finger. 

When he drove them home, Yvette insisted that he stay and watch one of the movies he let Lacey borrow.  She picked the animated one since the Heat and Cold Miser were two of her favorite Christmas characters.  Yvette made popcorn, while Lacey assisted Christopher in building a fire in the family room.

The three of them sat on the couch with Lacey in the middle.  Christopher’s arm rested on the back of the couch while they watched the movie.  Occasionally, his fingers would come in contact with Yvette’s hair.  Once she glanced back and their eyes met.  They both smiled before returning their attention back to Lacey’s commentary of the show.

By the time the movie was over, Lacey was sound asleep.  Christopher picked her up and carried her upstairs to bed.  He went back to wait for Yvette while she got Lacey into her pajamas and tucked her into bed.  By the time she made it back to the family room, the television was off and her radio was on.  Christopher stood up when she entered the room.

“Smooth Jazz?  I like it,” she told him.

“Me, too.  Dance with me?”

Yvette’s eyes widened.  “Here?  Now?  I look like a mess,” she lamented.

“Yes here, and right now—you look beautiful, too, by the way.”

She stared at her jeans, turtle neck and sweater.  “Now I don’t.”

Christopher held his hand out.  Sighing, Yvette moved forward and clasped his hand.  He brought it up to his lips and kissed it before pulling her into his arms.

“Quit fishing for compliments,” he whispered against her ear.  “You know I’d find whatever you were wearing amazing.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck.  “Is that so?”

He took her hand and twirled her around.  “Absolutely.”

They swayed in time to the music in companionable silence.  Each lost in their own thoughts.  When the song ended they sat down on the couch. 

“Today was so much fun, Chris.  You have a friend for life,” Yvette told him.  “Lacey thinks you’re the best.”

“I’m glad.  I’d do anything to put a smile on her face,” he vowed.  He lifted his hand up and twirled a piece of Yvette’s hair between his fingers.  “Her mother’s, too.”

Yvette leaned in and kissed him on the lips.  Christopher used the hand resting in Yvette’s hair to pull her closer. 

“You taste like nacho cheese,” he teased.

She burst out laughing.  “That’s the popcorn seasoning and you know it.”

His eyes darkened.  “It’s sexy.”

“I’ll bet,” she countered.

The sat in companionable silence for a while looking at the fire flickering in the fireplace.  Yvette’s arms were wrapped around Christopher’s middle, and his arm was draped casually around her arm.

“Yvie.”

“Hmm?” she said in a relaxed voice.

“This may seem fast to you, but…I want you to know that I don’t want to date anyone else.  You’re all I need.”

She raised her head off his chest.  A lump formed in her throat.  “Me, too.”

Christopher stroked her cheek with his thumb before he bent down and kissed her.

“Thank you for what you said to Lacey earlier.  I’m not sure why she was feeling so melancholy all of the sudden, but it helped her to know that you were here.  You know…in case she needed you.”

“I was serious Yvie.  Your daughter means a lot to me.  There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her—or you.”

“I know,” Yvette said quietly.  “I can feel your sincerity.”

“It’s much more than that,” he said softly.  “I want you to be my girlfriend.”

She sat up.  “Chris—are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure,” he said matter-of-factly.

Yvette wanted to shout her elation, and fear at the same time.  She wanted to be Christopher’s girlfriend, but she was also scared about it.  It was a huge step, in such a short amount of time.  Were they even compatible?  There was also Lacey to consider.  If they got close and it didn’t work out, Lacey would be devastated.
  She would be, too.

“
Christopher, I—”

“Hey, I know there’s a lot to
mull over, Yvette.  Just take some time to think about it, okay?”

She nodded.  “Okay.”

With a nod, he got up and helped her to her feet.

“I think it’s time for me to go.”  He
lightly kissed the bridge of her nose.  “I’ll call you tomorrow.”