She went to get her guitar. "I thought about what it meant to come back here again. To come back and see you again. But now I realize that seeing you was what I needed, and what I wanted the most. And also what I was most afraid of.
"I ran once, but I want you to know I'm never running again, no matter how hard it gets. I love you, Ethan."
She started the song, the music perfectly clear in her head, soft melody, heart-filled strains of love pouring from her guitar as she sang only to the man she loved. A slow, sweet melody, a pouring out of her heart, her very soul, for Ethan.
"The swing out back where we'd talk for hours You'd smile, I'd blush, the world was ours Back then I didn't know all I had I threw it all away when it all went black
Girlish dreams are glitter and polish Up in smoke without a backwards glance You gave me your heart then you let me go I thought you didn't care. I didn't know
You set me free to give me a chance I took my heart with me and never looked back I hurt you then because I didn't see What it was you did for me
I was blind and foolish on my own The lights were bright, it was all for show Lonely nights, years on the road It's not enough anymore. I want to come home.
The world's a big place with so much to see I've learned a lot, I soared and was free But the tie still remains, drawing me here And now I stand next to you without fear
The soul knows who lights the flame Of love and desire, I know his name I don't want to run, I don't want to roam I want to come home, I want to come home
My wandering ends but our journey begins All it takes is for you to let me in Open the door and give me your love I want to come home, I want to come home To you."
The room fell silent, and Mrs. Kent cleared her throat.
"That was lovely, Riley. Now the rest of you can come help me in the kitchen."
"But Grandma, I want to hear Riley sing some more."
"Later, Zoey. Riley and your daddy have some talking to do."
"Riley, do you love my daddy?"
Riley turned a tear-filled gaze to Zoey. "Yes, Zoey, I do love your daddy."
Zoey grinned. "I thought so. That's pretty cool, because he loves you, too, don't you, Daddy?"
Riley turned back to Ethan to see him nodding at his daughter. "Yes, muffin, I do love Riley."
"That's so cool. My daddy loves Riley Jensen."
Riley laughed through her tears.
After everyone left, Ethan came over to her, took her guitar, and laid it against the sofa. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, a deep kiss filled with all the love she'd always wanted but was afraid she'd never have.
And when he broke the kiss, he said, "I was afraid to ask you to stay. I couldn't ask it of you."
"I'll have to travel. I was afraid to ask that sacrifice of you. I love my career."
"I'd never make you give it up. Zoey and I can travel with you in the summers."
"You'd do that?"
"I'd do anything for you."
She smiled, then laughed, put her hands around his neck. "Anything?"
"Yes."
"Will you give me babies to fill that huge house of yours?"
He arched a brow. "How soon do you want them?"
"Really soon."
"Then I guess I'd better put a ring on your finger and marry you. Really soon."
"I love you, Ethan."
"I love you, too, Riley."
As Ethan kissed her, and then as her family--because they were all her family now--crowded in to offer congratulations, she realized she'd been given all she wanted for Christmas. The man she loved, a beautiful daughter, a family who would always be hers, and love.
The best gift of all was always love.
About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton lives in Oklahoma and spends a fair amount of time on the back of her husband's Harley, where she often gets lost plotting her next story as the warm (and sometimes cold) breeze whips her face. She loves reality television, is a sucker for romantic comedies, and completely loses track of time when reading a great book. She's a total romantic and longs for the happily ever after in every story, which you'll find in all her books.
Jaci has won the RT Book Reviews Reviewer's Choice Award and has been a finalist in the National Readers' Choice Awards and Bookseller's Best Awards. She writes contemporary romance, erotic romance and romantic suspense, writing in the genres she loves to read.
You can find Jaci on the web at www.jaciburton.com, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jaciburton and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jaci.burton.
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ISBN: 978-1-42689087-1
Copyright (c) 2010 by Jaci Burton
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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Jaci Burton, All She Wants for Christmas
(Series: Kent Brothers # 1)
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