Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
Heartfelt Wonder
Noelle
“Mr. Timber!” Faith exclaimed as she ran at him with her arms outstretched, ready to greet him with a big hug. “You came!”
“Ah, ah, ah...” Jack held up a hand, and Faith’s forehead collided with it. “Not so fast.”
“But I want to thank—” Jack shushed her.
“Nope.” Jack shook his head. “Mr. Timber gave you a gift, but I’m...”
Jack waited for Faith to answer.
“A maniac?” Faith narrowed her eyebrows.
Jack let go of her forehead.
“No, I’m in character.” He roared with his face up close to Faith’s, and she jumped backward.
Faith erupted into big belly laughter with her hands on her stomach.
“Hey! You’re not supposed to laugh...” Jack crossed his arms in front of his chest and tapped a foot against the floor. “I’m scary. Remember?”
I joined in my daughter’s laughter because I couldn’t help myself.
Jack glared at me, and I placed my hands up in surrender.
I swear, if Jack weren’t wearing makeup, he would have blushed as bright as Rudolph’s nose.
His embarrassment made me realize there was much more to Jack Timber than his big old grouchy attitude.
“Right. You make a mean one.” I giggled.
Jack shot me an unimpressed look. “You’re not helping.”
I shrugged, raised my eyebrows, and covered my mouth with my hand.
Faith went wide-eyed and slapped a hand over her mouth too, trying to contain another giggle, but she snorted. My daughter blushed bright red while hugging the costume, and her little beady eyes went back and forth between us. She waited eagerly with excitement.
Jack placed his hands on his hips. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go get into character, kiddo.”
“Yay!” Faith jumped up and skipped down the hallway with her brand-new outfit.
I watched Faith disappear around the corner in pure happiness because of what Jack had done.
My pulse beat wildly at his generosity, his humorous side, and even the grumpiness he threw into the mix.
I hated to admit it, but without his bitter tongue, there’d be no Jack Timber.
The man I never thought I’d let my daughter hang around, let alone tolerate.
As much as I shouldn’t have, I had grown to like him, but Jack didn’t need to know that.
I turned my attention to Jack. “I didn’t think you’d show.”
“As much as we don’t get along, I made a promise to your daughter, and I intend to keep it,” Jack admitted.
Jack dropped the mean act while Faith wasn’t around. He wandered further into the room and sat his ass down on my dining room table. The wooden frame creaked, and he resumed his grouchy attitude, but his gaze never wavered from me.
I walked right up to Jack, stood tall, and pressed a finger into his chest. All I felt was stuffing from the inside of his outfit and not his solid muscles. I wished I could experience his brawniness instead of this, which slightly surprised me.
Jesus! Get a grip.
“But you’re late.” I glared and slightly pushed against him with my index finger.
“No...” Jack expressed while he glanced down at my finger and grabbed my wrist. “I’m not.”
“Yes,” I hissed and yanked at my hand, but he wouldn’t let me go, “you are.”
Suddenly, Jack pulled me in close. Near enough, I could feel him panting in my face. The edginess made him who he was, and I had grown to completely dig this side of him. My heartbeat sped up.
“No, little Elle. I never gave you an exact time.” His eyes shot down to my lips. “Were you disappointed when you thought I wouldn’t show?”
“Only for my daughter’s sake...” I tugged at my wrist. “Now let me go.”
“I don’t believe you, princess. Here’s what I think...” Jack leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “I think you wanted me to be here so we could be this close again.”
Jack brushed his lips against my ear. “Adjacent enough to talk.”
My pulse throbbed against my neck while he trailed his mouth over it.
“Within reach to touch,” he whispered.
I parted my lips, and a soft whimper escaped me.
“In direct fucking contact so I could make you moan just like that.” Jack licked up my neck until he got to the tip of my chin and pulled back. “Christ. I’m addicted to the sounds you make.”
Frazzled as I was, I caught his gaze. “In your dreams, Timber.”
Jack released my wrist and grinned. “Likewise, Evergreen.”
Heat rose to my cheeks as I rubbed my wrist to get his touch off me, but it was no use.
My skin tingled from his forceful grip, and I couldn’t shake him.
Goosebumps had come alive all over me, and the sensation made me realize this was what Jack did to me.
He created havoc within my body, caused my mind to second-guess what I truly wanted, and tempted me to learn more about him. Especially his sexual capabilities.
Oh! God. Gross, Noelle! Get your damn mind out of the gutter and off Jack.
“It fits! It fits perfectly!” Faith exclaimed with joy as she ran back to us, and I pushed away from Jack.
Faith came in wearing a red overcoat that was tied at the front in a bow. There was a crimson hood with a white fuzzy lining along the edge and two white fluffy pom-poms. She was too darn cute. I wanted to squeeze her cheeks and have her impersonate this lovable character all year round.
“Great, kiddo.” Jack clapped his hands together and glanced around. “Now for the makeup. Where’d it go?”
Jack grabbed the box, placed it over his head and spun around in a circle. Back and forth he went, acting like he was searching for the cosmetics while Faith giggled at him. She jumped up several times to get the cardboard off his head.
“Mr. Timber! Mr. Timber! The makeup isn’t in there,” Faith squealed in glee and hit the tip of the box, only for it to fall to the ground. “It’s on the table, silly.”
My daughter’s laughter was infectious, and I could tell Jack had a hard time containing a grin. The foundation he wore on his painted face made it easier for his smile to spread.
“Oh. There it is.” Jack’s lips formed an unimpressed straight line. “How did I miss it?”
“That’s okay.” Faith shrugged with a smile and turned to me. “Mommy. Can I wear makeup?”
I smiled. “Of course you can, sweetheart.”
“On that note...” Jack put his hands on my back and pushed me toward another room. “It’s time for Mommy to go.”
“Hey!” I exclaimed in dismay and sidestepped away. “I’d want to stay.”
Jack froze with his arms crossed in front of his chest, and he pointed out of the room with an indifferent expression on his face. He was in full character again while the real Jack took a back seat. The damn killjoy was back.
“Absolutely not.” Jack pretended to yawn and glanced down at his wrist at a nonexistent watch. “Time to go get some me time.”
“Go, Mommy...” Faith took my hand and led me further away. “I’ll be okay.”
It wasn’t Faith I was concerned about. I was worried about leaving Jack in this ill-tempered costume to spend more time alone with my daughter. I feared these additional moments to bond and form a relationship that I didn’t want him to ruin with all his goddamn grumpiness.
“I don’t know,” I mumbled hesitantly.
“Oh...” Jack waved a hand at me and made a disgusted face. “Go run yourself a nice bubble bath.”
I glared, unimpressed. “I hate baths.”
“Good. That makes two of us. I prefer to be dirty.” Jack mouthed at me when Faith had her back turned. “Go.”
“Fine. I’ll go.” I pointed directly at Jack. “But I’ll be back soon, and you better take care of her.”
“Trust the process. I’ll make her into a sensation in no time.” Jack playfully winked at Faith. “Right, kiddo?”
“You betcha!” Faith winked back.
Faith let go of my hand, and she skipped back to Jack. She tried to cling to his leg, but he brought out his crabby personality and froze up when she hugged him. I laughed as I left the room and headed to the kitchen stove with an itch to bake something for the two of them to enjoy.
I preheated the oven and washed my hands. The warmth of the stove heated the room while I opened a package of Pillsbury gingerbread cookie dough I got out of the refrigerator. I grabbed my rolling pin and spread out the unbaked mix until it was smooth to the touch.
I used the different shaped gingerbread man cookie cutters one by one to create individual treats to eat. After all the dough was cut, I laid each man out on a greased cookie sheet and heard the oven ding. It was time to bake.
While the gingerbread cookies baked, I made the frosting from scratch. I placed the sweet icing into piping bags, with each color getting its own. Once the timer finished and the gingerbread was done, I let them cool down for ten minutes before the fun part.
Decorating the cookies!
The best part before taking a bite of pure ginger sweetness. The mix of sugar and spice made everything nice. I took a sip of the hot chocolate with small marshmallows on top I’d whipped up, and I was in heaven.
I placed the goodies on a wooden tray and made sure everything was perfect. I was contemplating doing the dishes when I heard giggling in the other room. Curiosity consumed me, and I knew I shouldn’t snoop, but I had to see what those two were up to.
I peeked my head around the corner, but there wasn’t anyone in the dining room. With the tray in hand, I wandered further in when I heard a loud bark. I jumped.
Shit! The tray wobbled, and I almost dropped the contents. I had to be more careful.
I couldn’t stop myself—I had to make sure my daughter was alright. The further I got into the dining room, the louder my heart hammered in my ears. I heard music—a deep, off-tune voice singing out to a cheery, heartfelt melody, and I couldn’t contain a smile. Was that...
I tiptoed to the corner and peeked around the wall. Jack was up on my couch belting out the cutest song while Faith sang along with him.
My daughter beamed up at him with such admiration my heart swelled. Jack made hand gestures as if he were a conductor leading an orchestra, and the beauty of my little girl’s powerful voice grew louder. Strong enough that she sang with happiness, pride, and confidence.
My daughter outshined Jack’s awful off-beat tune, but still, he shined like a bright star. The twinkle in his handsome eyes gleamed with joy as he watched Faith sway to the beat of the music, and she followed his every lead.
Jack had done a wonderful job with her makeup, and I couldn’t believe the effort he had put into her hair.
She had long braids looping around to the back of her head, and the rest stood up slick with a large amount of gel.
His stiff creation ended with a big, bright red bow on top of her head to keep the hairstyle from coming loose.
The amount of styling product within her long strands would be hard to get out, but I didn’t care.
Faith resembled a Christmastime wonderland thanks to this man.
Jack Timber was having fun, cutting loose, and he didn’t give a damn who watched. His performance alongside my daughter made my heart beat in an erratic pattern—much too fast.
Jack had brought Chip over after I had left for the kitchen.
The dog was next to him, howling to Faith’s magical symphony.
The damn dog even wore a headband with reindeer antlers on it.
Normally, I would’ve been angry at Jack for randomly bringing his pet over, but I couldn’t be upset at this.
The joy, smiles, and help he had given to my daughter.
A small giggle escaped me while I gushed like a lady in love at the sight.
I never thought I’d experience this in my entire life.
I got to see Jack Timber for who he truly was.
A kind and generous man, who adored my daughter as if she were his own.
He guided her, cared for her, and wanted the best for her no matter how much he tried to hide it.
Jack was a changed man, and I’d never view him the same way again.