Read Online A Family for Christmas by Mary Eason - Free Book Online

them.
    Rachel nodded and held the door open. “Yes, I know. Come inside, Jack.”
    “Where’ve you been? I’ve been trying to reach you all afternoon.”
    She turned and walked into the kitchen without answering.
    His first reaction was to be angr y , but he squelched that feeling with difficulty. He was trying to be patient. Give her time to accept him back into her life and Sammy’s.
    “Sammy and I went over to Amanda’s for a little while. Sammy’s spending the night with her son. You remember Jason, right?” she added in a rush when he stepped closer. She was as nervous as a cat. He had a feeling it had nothing to do with what they needed to talk about and everything to do with what happened between them the last time. Her reaction to him. His to her. The fireworks that was always there between them.
    He certainly remembered it. The argument that led up to the kiss had kept him awake and reminded him of all the times he’d been desperate to see her again .
    It left him feeling a little vulnerable and exposed. There was no denying Rachel had the ability to make him want to move heaven and earth to make her happy, but he couldn’t give in to that need again. Too many things needed settling between them first.
    And he had a feeling she wasn’t going to discuss any of them willingly.
    “Would you like some coffee?”
    “Rachel...”
    “It’s fresh. I just made it.”
    Jack struggled to control his impatience. “Sure. Fine. Coffee it is.”
    He took cups from the cabinet as he had so many times in the past with Liz during one of their heart-to-hearts.
    Jack handed them to Rachel. Her fingers shook as she did the simple task of pouring the coffee. She splashed scalding coffee onto her hand. Rachel instantly dropped the cup and sent it shattering into a thousand pieces across the floor, along with the coffee.
    Jack reached for her injured hand instinctively and held it under a cold stream of water. The contact between them became electric, crackling from her to him. He looked into her eyes and knew she felt it too.
    She jerked her hand from his as if the contact between them was worse than the burn itself. She put a couple of steps between them, her breathing about as unsteady as her footsteps.
    “Rachel.” He couldn’t disguise the frustration in his tone.
    “I’m fine, it’s nothing. I’ll be okay.” She turned away, embarrassed. “ T hat was one of my mother’s favorite cups.”
    And just like that, she started to cry.
    “ I t’s okay.” He gently took her arm and guided her to one of the chairs. Rachel put her hands over her eyes to cover the tears.
    Jack found the broom and cleaned up the mess, then went in search of something for the burn on her hand. Liz’s medicine cabinet was a virtual wealth of supplies.
    “It doesn’t look all that bad.” He tried to be gentle as he dabbed ointment over the splash of red. “Here, let me get you some more coffee.”
    She didn’t answer, which was okay. He needed time to regroup as well. He poured another cup, adding just the right ingredients from memory.
    “Thank you , ” s he finally managed to say.
    “I know things have a tendency to get kind of out of control between us, but we have to try and get beyond that now. For Sammy.”
    When she looked into his eyes, he hoped she saw his sincerity.
    Something passed in hers before he could define it. Fear, perhaps.
    Dear God, don’t let her be afraid of me.
    “What do you want, Jack? Are you here to tell me you’re going to try and take him from me?”
    That she would think that of him hurt as much as it surprised. “Rachel—”
    “Because I’ll do anything, whatever you want, but I can’t lose him. He’s all I have. He’s my life. Please don’t take him from me.”
    He looked away from her pain, moved by her passion. For a moment, the regret was hard to get beyond. “He’s my son as well. There’s no denying that. And I didn’t even know of his existence until two days ago. How do you