Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Jenna
I’m still close enough to Aaron, Colin, and Amelia to hear Amelia send them off to get in line to see Santa. It seems a bit overkill to me to take a kid to see Santa twice. What’s she trying to prove, after all?
But I’m not a mom. And I’m definitely not a mom who only sees her kid a few times a month, so what do I know?
Colin’s obviously excited to see Santa again, so it clearly won’t do any harm.
Looking down at my tablet, I check to see if I’ve gotten any texts or emails about the ChristmasFest before continuing my rounds. No emergencies in the offing, so I start back the way I was going before I spotted Aaron.
Only to stop short when I find Amelia blocking my path. She gives me that same fake-nice smile from when we shook hands. That’s the reason I decided I should move along and get back to my day until she’s at least distracted with taking Colin to see Santa or, better yet, gone altogether.
“Oh, did you need directions to the restroom?” I ask, making it clear I overheard their conversation.
“If you just go through those doors right there,” I point to the door clearly marked Restrooms about halfway down along the back wall, “the ladies’ is on the right.
” I return her not-so-nice smile with my customer service smile, then make to step around her.
But she shifts, blocking me again, and I really don’t want to do this. “Hi,” she says in that smooth way women sometimes do when they really want to eviscerate you. “I’m not sure what exactly you think it is you’re doing—”
“Oh, well, I got hired to run the ChristmasFest, so I’m just here doing my job. Thanks. If that’ll be all …”
This time when I move to step around her, she lays her hand on my arm, her fingers digging in ever so slightly, just enough to let me feel the edge of her talons through my sweater.
“No, that won’t be all. You know perfectly well that’s not what I’m referring to.
I know it seems like Aaron’s free as a bird, but he and I have been talking again lately.
Colin deserves to have both his parents.
You seem sweet, and I’m sure you think finding a guy with a kid means that you get to skip all the unpleasant parts like changing diapers and midnight feedings and wiping snotty noses.
It’s a ready-made family, after all! But Colin doesn’t need a replacement mother.
And Aaron doesn’t need a replacement bed-warmer, either. ”
I blink at her. Did she just … did she just call herself a bed-warmer?
“I’m sorry, I’m not sure I understand what you’re implying.”
She bares her teeth, and this time it’s obviously not a smile, her fingers digging in harder. “Look. Leave Aaron and Colin alone,” she hisses. “They’re mine.”
“I’m not sure what you think—” I start, but before I can finish my sentence, she practically throws my arm back at me and stomps away.
I don’t know where she thinks she’s going, but it’s neither in the direction of the bathrooms—though I realize that was just an excuse to confront me without Aaron or Colin witnessing it—nor the North Pole.
I watch her disappear into the crowd, then shrug and continue with what I’m supposed to be doing. Namely, my job. If she wants to threaten me, she can find her own way to the North Pole.
That encounter stays with me the rest of the day, though, much as I try to ignore it.
Her claims don’t make sense, which means I should easily be able to dismiss them. I mean, yeah, she’s Colin’s mom, so that part’s not ridiculous. I’m not trying to replace her, though, so that’s a non-issue as far as I’m concerned.
The other part, though … the part where she seemed to indicate that she and Aaron might get back together. That’s the part that doesn’t sit right with me.
If he’s been talking to her like that, why would he date me?
And we clearly established that we’re a couple already.
He wants to spend the week with me, at least when I’m not at work, and we’re planning on staying the night together all week, with me joining him, his mom, and Colin for Christmas Eve dinner as well as spending Christmas Day with him and his mom.
Not exactly evidence that he still has feelings for Colin’s mom.
And from what he’s said, he never had strong feelings for her even when they were sleeping together.
Obviously he liked her well enough, but neither of them wanted more than something casual, and from what he said, she’s the one who set their relationship on the non-sexual co-parent track before Colin was even born.
So what’s her deal, then?
Wishful thinking?
Maybe. Or maybe it’s that Aaron, by his own admission, hasn’t dated anyone since her, not even casually.
He’s been too busy with Colin. Maybe she always thought he’d be waiting for her when she was ready for him?
Or maybe she sees him dating at all as a threat to the equilibrium they’ve established over the last few years?
Given that she only sees Colin a few nights a month, though, I’m not sure how she thinks me being in the picture would change anything. Aaron might be happier, which would make him a better dad, and …?
Not exactly a devastating consequence.
Or … obviously she thinks I might try to step into some kind of maternal role, but from what I can tell, Aaron’s mom already fills that role to a large degree. Why isn’t she a threat?
And while I can understand and maybe even give her a little bit of a pass on that front, I don’t understand the implication that she and Aaron are talking about getting together.
That’s the part that sticks with me and that rings totally false. It conflicts with everything I know to be true.
Should I talk to Aaron about it?
That’s the real question, and the one that runs through my head anytime I’m not actively focused on something else.
If I tell him, what will he do?
I don’t want to mess up what seems to be a pretty good relationship between him and Amelia. Maybe I misunderstood what she meant …
Maybe if I give it time and show that I’m no kind of threat to her and Colin’s relationship, she’ll realize she’s overreacting.
And I can always tell Aaron later if it becomes a thing, right?
Right.
It’s not until the end of the day when I’m heading home that I come to that conclusion. I’m just going to pretend like nothing happened with Amelia. If I were going to say something, I should’ve said it when Aaron found me again after leaving Colin and Amelia at the North Pole.
I’ll wait until she says or does something else. If she says or does something else. I have enough to get through without creating problems that don’t really exist. What are the odds I’m going to have to deal with her again soon anyway?
Aaron arrives at my apartment within minutes of me getting there. I open the door and greet him with a hug and a kiss.
Grinning, he backs me inside, kicking the door closed behind him and dropping a bag on the floor at our feet, then wraps both arms around me and kisses me thoroughly. “Hi,” he says, pulling back after making my knees weak.
“Hi,” I say back, my grin matching his.
“I’ve missed you,” he says, kissing me again.
Giggling, I kiss him back and shake my head. “You saw me this afternoon.”
He shrugs, giving me a boyish smile. I like him like this, all happy and relaxed. “Still missed you. I was on my own, kicking around my house all day. I was so bored, I tackled some of the house projects I’ve been putting off!” He widens his eyes as though to show the direness of the situation.
“Oh no!” I bracket his face with my hands. “You poor thing! We’ll have to get you junk food and movies, stat!”
“Exactly,” he says, leaning in for another kiss.
“I’m glad you understand. Speaking of junk food …
” He reaches for the bag at his feet—one of those reusable bags you get from the grocery store, the name of our local store emblazoned on the side—and pulls out a white paper bag.
“I brought burgers and fries. And …” He sets the bag on the dining table next to us, then reaches into the bag again, pulling out a bottle of wine.
“I thought some wine would be nice. It’s a huckleberry riesling from a local winery.
You seem like the kind of girl who prefers a sweet wine over a dry one. ”
Grinning, I reach for the bottle. “You’ve got me all figured out.”
“I’m not sure I’d go quite that far, but I’m learning.” He watches me thoughtfully as I pull two wine glasses out of my cabinet and unscrew the top of the wine bottle. I’m guessing this wasn’t an expensive option, but it smells good when I pour it into the glasses.
“Well, you’ve figured out the important points to start with. The best way to get in my pants is food and wine.”
He laughs, picking up the bag of food and letting me precede him as I carry the glasses of wine to the coffee table. We settle on the couch, and I fill him in on the rest of my day. “It was surprisingly calm, actually. I figured the week before Christmas would be the wildest, but so far …”
Reaching out, he raps his knuckles on the coffee table. “Don’t jinx yourself. You still have three days left. It could get wild.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “I suppose that’s true. It’s crazy to think there’s only three days left, though. Then I’ll be like you, trying to figure out what to do with myself when I’m not working twelve plus hours a day, six days a week!”
“Awww,” he reaches for me, pulling me against him and leaning down to kiss me. “If you get too bored, you can always get in touch with me. I’ll make sure to keep you entertained.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “You’ll have Colin. And besides, you have a job too. I know you’re off while Colin’s off for Christmas break, but after that, you’ll get back to your normal life.”
He raises an eyebrow. “And you won’t?”
I shrug, taking a bite of my burger. “I guess. It doesn’t feel like a ‘normal life’ in the same way, though.
There’s a long lull between the end of ChristmasFest and the summer activities.
” Narrowing my eyes, I look into the distance and chew, contemplating.
“Do you think anyone would want a Valentine’s Day thing downtown? Or St. Patrick’s Day?”
When I glance at him, he has his eyebrows raised. “You really want something else to do so soon?”
Sighing, I shake my head. “It doesn’t have to be as big as ChristmasFest obviously.
But you said there’s a local winery. We could do a wine tasting event.
Or a wine and chocolate thing the weekend before Valentine’s Day.
Get businesses involved …” The wheels in my head start turning.
“Just a small, one-day event,” I murmur.
“Maybe let’s finish ChristmasFest first,” Aaron suggests dryly.
I smile at him. “Okay, fine. But it’s my literal job to put on events for the town.
Who’s going to get mad if I put it together and make it happen without impacting traffic?
” My brows come together as I start thinking about logistics.
“I’ll need some kind of permit, depending on what I decide to do,” I murmur.
“Jenna. Stop. Finish this before you work yourself into another massive undertaking!”
Grinning, I shake my head. “Okay, fine. I’ll get through this week, catch up on sleep, and then I’ll start putting together my idea for Valentine’s Day. Worst case, I don’t manage to pull it off this year—or I do a scaled down version—and implement the real thing next year.”
“Deal,” he says. “Then eat your food. You’ll need your energy because after that, I plan on taking you to bed.”
I giggle at that, but the heat and purpose in his eyes as he drains his wine dries up my laughter, replacing it with a frisson of arousal. And I take a huge bite of my burger.
Aaron chuckles, finishing his and scooting closer to me. Even though I’m only half done with mine, I think that hunger’s been sated enough for now. Setting down my burger, I climb onto his lap and kiss him. “Take me to bed.”