I'll Be Home for Christmas

  Unsure how to respond, he considered what he’d come to say and knew he couldn’t tell her now. He was going to have a baby with this woman. And, oddly enough, he wasn’t as unhappy about it as he’d told himself he’d be. A baby gave him hope that, even with everything working against them, they might be able to create a relationship. He wanted that, wanted her. He just wanted her to love him in return—with all the passion she’d felt for Mark—and wasn’t sure that was possible.

  The silence stretched out as he weighed his options.

  “Are you terribly upset?” she asked.

  She was watching him intently. If he cared about her as much as he was beginning to believe, the way he handled the next few minutes would be very important. “No, I’m not upset.”

  Her smile grew more genuine. “Really?”

  “Really.” But he wasn’t even remotely willing to let her claim the baby was Mark’s. Would she try to insist? “What would you like to do about it?” he asked.

  “I want to keep the baby.”

  “I realize that.” He was wondering what she wanted to do about him. “Where do I come into the picture?”

  He watched her throat work as she swallowed. “I don’t want you to—to feel forced or...or trapped. I understand that this occurred because of...extenuating circumstances. If you’d prefer not to be part of the child’s life, I’ll handle it on my own. I don’t need any help.” One of her hands moved to cover her abdomen, an instinctively protective gesture.

  That didn’t reveal how she felt about him. But the fact that she wanted this baby, his baby, made him inexplicably happy, although he couldn’t imagine why. He wasn’t a young man anymore; he’d turn forty-four in April. He’d thought he was beyond all this. And yet...it felt like a second chance—for both of them. “There’s no way I’d ever support you telling anyone that my baby is Mark’s,” he said.

  “We could say I was artificially inseminated and I don’t know who the father is. That would provide the most protection for your career—no breaking news story that you impregnated the enemy.” She laughed but it didn’t sound as indifferent as she’d probably meant it to.

  “Do you really think I’m that shallow?” he asked.

  She didn’t respond.

  “We’re talking about a baby, Adelaide. Our baby. My career doesn’t come before that.”

  “That’s how you feel?”

  Could this really be happening? With Adelaide? “That’s how I feel.”

  “So what do you propose, er, suggest?” she asked.

  He stepped closer to see if she’d back off, but she didn’t. “I suggest we keep our options open.”

  Her eyes drifted shut as he ran a finger over the contours of one cheek. “What kind of options are we talking about?” she breathed. “Dating?”

  Maxim’s pulse began to speed up. He’d never expected this, not from Adelaide, but she seemed...interested in his touch. Even here in the relative warmth of the valley with no snow or danger around them. Even in the house she’d shared with Mark. “Lovers, at least,” he said.

  Her eyes opened. “What about marriage?”

  He pulled her against him. “I’d want that to be a possibility. What about you?”

  “It could definitely be a possibility,” she murmured.

  “Good.” Now was when he should tell her. But she was so open to him. For the first time since he’d met her, the remote Adelaide Fairfax was willing to trust him and accept him—as the father of her baby, maybe more.

  “I missed you this past week,” he admitted.

  “I missed you, too,” she replied and stood on tiptoe to kiss him.

  Tell her! his mind raged. But she felt so good in his arms, he couldn’t. Instead of letting go, instead of breaking the bad news, he deepened the kiss.

  “I’m glad you’re not upset about the baby,” she whispered against his lips.

  He wasn’t upset as long as she wanted him, too. He knew she wouldn’t once she learned what he was responsible for digging up about Mark. But somehow he’d stop her from finding out. He’d get hold of Harvey, do whatever he had to in order to prevent it from going public—even if it meant paying the bastard off. The longer he kissed Adelaide, the more convinced he became that he’d do anything to keep her.

  “Make love to me,” she whispered.

  A flicker of guilt made him hesitate. That was a line he shouldn’t cross. Not until he’d contacted Harvey and made some sort of arrangement, not until he could feel reasonably secure that she wouldn’t be devastated tomorrow.

  “I’d like to, but—” he searched for an acceptable excuse “—I’ll come back. I’ve got some things to do.”

  She guided his hand to her breast. “Are you sure it can’t wait?”

  Suddenly he couldn’t think of anything important enough to keep them apart. He’d fix the situation so she wouldn’t be hurt, which meant he could stay and make love to her as many times as she wanted him to.

  “I guess I can do it later.” He could still see Mark watching them from that damn portrait so he swept her into his arms and carried her into one of the guest rooms. No way would he make love to her in Mark’s bed.

  As their clothes came off, he stared down at her and realized that she was exactly the woman he wanted—the woman he’d wanted for years.

  “At last,” he said and smiled when she responded so greedily to his touch.

  Twelve

  Maxim watched Adelaide in those first minutes after he awoke. He wanted to have breakfast, spend the entire day with her, but he had to talk to Harvey as soon as possible.

  “Hey,” she whispered sleepily when he kissed her neck.

  “I’ve gotta go,” he told her.

  “So soon?”

  He laughed at the reluctance in her voice. He’d stayed far too long already and was afraid he’d be too late to stop Harvey. “Yeah, but I’ll see you later.” He got out of bed, then hesitated. His girls were coming home today, which meant he’d be tied up with them. “Actually, Megan and Callie are flying in for Christmas, so...”

  “So you need to spend some time with them. Of course.” She stretched as she turned to face him. “Have fun.”

  He wondered what his two daughters would think of Adelaide, but couldn’t imagine that they wouldn’t like her. He was eager to introduce them, to include her in his family. Would they be willing to accept her? “Any chance you can join us for dinner tomorrow night?” he asked.

  “Isn’t tomorrow Christmas Eve?”

  “Yeah.”

  She propped herself up on the pillows. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “Positive.” He wasn’t as confident as he sounded. He’d dated since Chloe but not a lot, and he’d never brought a woman home to meet his children. But...he was hopeful they’d be open-minded.

  “Okay.”

  “But just so you know, the baby’s a secret. For a while.”

  “Of course. There’s no hurry to tell anyone. I won’t even start to show for three or four months.” Her eyebrows drew together as she sobered. “But...are you really ready for another woman in your life, Maxim? Are they?”

  He smoothed the hair out of her face. “We’re all ready, as long as it’s you.”

  She gave him a sexy smile. “I’ll be there.”

  “I’m glad.” He bent to kiss her again. “Maybe they’ll go to bed early, and we can see if Santa has a little something for you.”

  Laughing, she fought to avoid him as he chafed her neck with his unshaved chin. “Go home,” she complained. “I need sleep. You wore me out last night.”

  “Call me when you get up,” he said and left.

  He tried to reach Harvey as soon as he walked out of Adelaide’s house, but Harvey wasn’t answering. Maxim called him several time
s before he left for the airport at noon and tried again while he was on his way home with the girls. He knew he couldn’t talk freely with them in the car, but he could set up a meeting.

  “Shit!” he muttered after his sixth failed attempt.

  “What’s wrong, Dad?” Callie asked.

  Frowning, he hit the off button on his Bluetooth. He hadn’t meant to curse aloud. “Nothing.” With a smile on his face to cover his growing unease, he encouraged them to talk about their classes, their grades, their friends and the boys they were dating. It wasn’t until they got home and Megan and Callie went to unpack that he had a few minutes alone. He used the time to call Harvey again.

  Harvey’s voice mail picked up. “Harvey, get in touch with me, damn it,” Maxim said. “I have a proposal for you. I think it’s something you’ll want to hear.” He started to hang up but brought the phone back to his ear. “I don’t care what time of day or night it is,” he added, then disconnected.

  “Dad?”

  Maxim glanced up to find Megan standing on the stairs. With her auburn hair and greenish eyes, she looked like her mother, but Callie, his younger daughter, resembled him. It made him wonder who his new baby would look like—him or the fair-skinned Adelaide? “What?”

  “Where’s the wrapping paper?”

  “I don’t know. Did you check with Rosa?” His live-in housekeeper was in the kitchen, cooking one of the girls’ favorite meals.

  “She thinks we’re out.” She gave him the smile that told him he was about to do her a favor. “Any chance you’ll go get some more? Or maybe a few gift bags? I’d do it myself, but I’m dying to take a shower and Megan’s busy primping. She said Ryan’s coming by to see her.”

  “I thought she told me she and Ryan hardly talk anymore,” he said.

  “I guess they talk enough that she’s already told him she’s home.”

  Maxim liked Ryan and didn’t want to miss seeing him. But someone had to get the wrapping paper. And maybe Harvey would call while he had some time alone. “Sure,” he said. “Be right back.”

  * * *

  On the day before Christmas the weather dropped to forty-three degrees, bitter cold by Sacramento standards, but the extra chill didn’t bother Adelaide. She spent the morning warm and snug in her house, visiting parenting sites on the Internet. She couldn’t believe she was pregnant. Just when she’d been feeling most alone, just when she’d given up the hope of ever having a family, she was expecting.

  It was almost too good to be true. But a baby meant she had so many decisions to make. Since their crash in the Sierras, her enthusiasm for winning the nomination and then a seat in the state senate had begun to wane; now it was entirely gone. She wondered if she could keep the people who worked for her on the payroll and have them campaign for Maxim instead.

  Maxim... He hadn’t liked Mark and he didn’t pretend otherwise; that wasn’t easy to accept. They’d have to discuss it eventually. But for two people beginning a new relationship, they were dealing with enough challenges. They had the baby coming, the public response to what they’d done, the surprise and possible resistance of Maxim’s children. Best to adjust a little at a time.

  Imagining what would happen when word of her condition reached the media, Adelaide cringed. It would be embarrassing. There was no escaping that. But she doubted it would hurt Maxim’s career—especially if she threw her support behind him.

  Propping her chin on one hand, she smiled dreamily as she remembered the way he’d reacted to news of the baby. Her life was heading down a path she would’ve considered impossible just ten days earlier, but the baby she was carrying changed everything.

  Would they eventually marry? It wasn’t as if she couldn’t love Maxim. She was afraid she already did.

  Who would’ve thought—

  The ringing of the phone startled her out of her reverie. Reaching for the cordless handset on her desk, she saw M. Donahue on caller ID and smiled as she answered. “Hello?”

  “Hey, gorgeous. I’ve got good news.”

  “What is it?”

  “They were able to recover Mr. Cox’s body yesterday. He’ll be home for Christmas.”

  Adelaide wished Cox had made it out alive, but it was a relief to know his family would at least be able to say their goodbyes and lay him to rest. “How’d you find out?”

  “The helicopter pilot called me.”

  “Why didn’t he call me? I left him several messages.”

  “It was only by chance that he returned my calls first. I told him I’d notify you.”

  “Oh. Do you know when the funeral is?”

  “He’s originally from Bakersfield, so they’re taking his body there and having a small, private ceremony next Monday.”

  “I’d like to attend, but if it’s meant to be private, maybe I should just send my condolences to his family.”

  “That’s what I plan to do. I can give you the address. Are you still coming tonight?”

  Forcing aside the sadness she felt about Mr. Cox, she leaned her head against the back of her seat. They hadn’t seen each other since he’d left her house yesterday morning. He’d been with his daughters since then, but he’d called several times. “If you still want me there,” she said.

  “I do. I want to celebrate Christmas with you. And I want you to meet Megan and Callie.”

  She’d met his children before. She and Maxim had run in the same circles for so long she’d even met his parents. But only in formal situations. Not in this capacity—not as the woman pregnant with his child. “Are you sure they wouldn’t rather have you all to themselves? I don’t want to intrude...”

  “Megan’s got an old boyfriend coming over. And Callie has two girlfriends joining us. You won’t be intruding. Besides, I’ve told them to expect you.”

  “How did you explain our connection?”

  “I said we got to know each other while we were stranded, and now we’re friends.”

  “Were they surprised?”

  “Of course. But they got over it quickly. Megan even said she thinks you’re one of the prettiest women she’s ever seen. She said I should’ve asked you out a long time ago, before you could get it in your mind to run against me.”

  She laughed. “Already a strategist.”

  “I wish I’d thought of that.”

  Closing her eyes, she pictured them all gathered around the Christmas tree. She’d imagined this scene once before, as an outsider looking in. Now she’d be part of it. Until this moment, she’d been afraid that tonight might not work out. She felt self-conscious about barging in on a family’s celebration. She felt as if she’d been doing that for years—all the time she was growing up in the system after her parents had died in a house fire. “What should I bring?”

  “You don’t need to bring anything.”

  “What if I want to?” she insisted. “What would your girls enjoy?”

  “Like most kids, they have a sweet tooth. You could bring a dessert, I guess.”

  Suddenly, it felt more like Christmas than any Christmas Adelaide had ever experienced. “I’m looking forward to it,” she said and got off the phone so she could go to the grocery store. For the first time since Mark died, she felt like cooking.

  * * *

  Maxim sat in his living room alone. The area in front of the Christmas tree was now crowded with the gifts his daughters had wrapped. Megan and Callie were in the kitchen, laughing and talking with friends, their voices occasionally rising above the Christmas music playing throughout the house. He planned to go back in and join them. He needed to help Rosa finish cleaning up the brunch he’d made, but...something was bothering him, and he was pretty sure he knew what it was.

  He’d gotten hold of Harvey Sillinger last night and been assured in no uncertain terms that there was nothing to worry about conc
erning Mark Fairfax. But Maxim couldn’t put it out of his mind. Harvey’s insistence that Maxim should’ve known him better than to assume the worst set off warning bells in Maxim’s head. That statement was so off base it was almost absurd. He’d seen Harvey in action, knew he was ruthless. Usually, Harvey was proud of that trait. So why would he pretend to care about those he might hurt? And why would he suddenly be so amenable to keeping his mouth shut? Harvey hadn’t been willing to commit himself to silence the day he’d stormed out of the office.

  Something had changed in the past two days...

  Rubbing his temples, Maxim went over the conversation they’d had last night.

  “I can’t believe you think I’d leak information you told me not to, Maxim,” he’d said, defensive from the first moment Maxim had managed to reach him. “So what if we haven’t known each other long? I did a good job while I was running your campaign. Anyone else would’ve been thrilled with what I accomplished.”

  This wasn’t about what he’d accomplished, and Maxim had told him as much. Harvey was very dedicated. It was his tendency to forget who was boss that disturbed Maxim—that and the fact that he didn’t seem to understand the meaning of the word mercy.

  “I would’ve expected you to know me better than that,” Harvey had gone on.

  “I just want to be sure, Harvey. That’s all,” Maxim had said. “I just want to be sure.”

  “What happened to you while you were stranded in the mountains? That’s what I want to know, because you certainly haven’t been the same since you got back. You don’t act like you even care whether you win the primary.”

  He cared. He loved his job and wanted to keep it, but he wouldn’t do it by hurting Adelaide. “I nearly died, Harvey. Coming that close can give you a whole new perspective.”

  “From my perspective, you’re losing your edge. But that’s none of my business. You have nothing to worry about. Nothing from me, anyway.”

  The clarification had brought a stab of alarm. “What’s that supposed to mean? You and I are the only ones who know about the intern, right?”