Bella turned and stared open-mouthed at her grandfather. “What? But you love Christmas.”
“It doesn’t mean I always got my own,” he answered matter-of-factly as he picked an ornament off the table, where Bella had laid them out. “It didn’t make a lot of sense to have a tree just for me.”
Jeremy didn’t miss the shadow that crossed Bella’s face at her grandfather’s admission.
“Well, I’m glad you have one now,” she said. “These ornaments are far too beautiful to be tucked away any longer.” She picked up a ceramic angel and admired it before placing it on the tree. “Are you going to help?” she asked Jeremy as she caught him leaning against the wall watching them.
He shook his head. “I was actually going to excuse myself.” Decorating a tree was a family affair. He’d had a lot of fun getting the tree, but he had no place in Roy’s living room with him and his granddaughter.
“What?”
“Nonsense.”
Roy and Bella both spoke at the same time and he laughed. “No, really. I should get going. You two enjoy yourselves.”
For a moment, it looked as if Bella would protest, but he really wished she wouldn’t. As much as he enjoyed spending time with her—and he did—he had his limits, and he was about to reach them.
Being around her without pulling her up tight against him so he could feel every inch of her through that thick sweater she was wearing was getting harder and harder. He needed to take his leave before he did anything X-rated in front of Roy.
“I’ll walk you out.”
He said his good-byes to Roy, promised to come back soon to admire the finished tree, and walked out the door to the porch. Bella pulled the door shut behind her and, without missing a beat, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard.
“I’ve wanted to do that ever since we—” He shook his head. “Ever since we finished the last kiss.”
She bit her bottom lip, sucking it into her mouth a little, and he groaned.
He was definitely doing the right thing by leaving now while he still had a little self-control.
“Damn, Bella. I—”
She silenced him by pressing a finger to his lips. “Will I see you soon?”
He nodded.
Damn straight she would.
“Good.” She winked and, without another word, disappeared back into the warmth of the house.
Despite the wind that had definitely picked up and heralded a coming storm, Jeremy stood there for another few moments, not really feeling the cold before slowly exhaling.
When it came to Bella, he was in so much trouble.
He knew it. And he didn’t care a bit.
As much as she hadn’t wanted Jeremy to leave, Bella had to admit, it had been a good decision. Spending the time with her grandfather as they hung each ornament was special. She’d never before spent a holiday with him at his house, so she’d never seen any of the ornaments they carefully hung on the tree. Even more special was the way Papa told her about each one, where it came from and the meaning behind it.
And they all had a story.
Bella loved it.
“What about this one?” She held up a delicate glass snowflake. “It’s beautiful.”
Papa’s face transformed, a sad smile taking over. “That was the first ornament I bought your grandmother,” he said. “The first Christmas we were married. We didn’t have much money, but I wanted to give her something beautiful. Worthy of her and my love for her.”
“It’s gorgeous.” Bella swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I bet she loved it.”
He nodded slowly. “She sure did. She always hung it in the middle of the tree, so you could always see it.” He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “Will you hang it, Bella?”
“Of course.” She carefully stepped over the boxes and paper strewn on the floor, and carefully threaded the ribbon of the ornament onto a branch, making sure it was nestled securely into the branches before stepping back to admire it.
“It’s perfect. Your grandmother would approve.”
Bella turned to look at Papa. “I wish I could remember her.” The emotion she’d been trying to swallow down threatened to bubble up. She wasn’t usually a crier, but then again, it wasn’t every day she shared such a special moment with her grandfather.
Papa reached out for her hand, and she gave it. Bella let him guide her to the couch, where they sat, her hand still in his. “You are so much like her,” he said. “You look like her.”
Bella nodded. Her grandmother had died when she was a baby but she’d seen pictures, and she did look just like her. From her wavy, dark hair to her green eyes, she was almost a carbon copy of her except for the fact that Bella had a few inches on her grandmother’s five-foot frame.
“And your voice.” Her grandfather shook his head. “You sing just like her. Like an angel sent from heaven. She would be so proud of you, Bella.”
She doubted that. There wasn’t much to be proud of. She’d spent most of her adult life living in cheap apartments, taking whatever gig she could get and hoping for her big break. And she’d thought she’d had it, too, if it hadn’t been for Kyle. Or maybe it was her temper that had gotten the best of her? Maybe she shouldn’t have cared that he was sleeping with other people. After all, they weren’t exclusive. Still…
Bella shook her head. “I don’t know, Papa. I haven’t done anything much to be very proud of.”
He shook her hands and forced her to look at him. “Are you kidding me, Bella? You are living your dream every day and working hard to see it realized. These things don’t happen overnight, baby girl. They take time and the only way to achieve your goal is to try. That’s what you’re doing. Every day. Your grandmother would be very proud of you. Just like I am.”
A tear slipped from her eye and she let it fall to her lap. His belief in her was so strong. Maybe it was enough for both of them.
“Do you know why I moved to Glacier Falls all those years ago?”
She shook her head. Her mom said something about how he’d wanted to run away after her grandmother died, but Bella always thought there was more to it than that.
“It was always your grandmother’s dream to live in the mountains. Did you know that?”
Bella shook her head.
“We talked about it and planned how we’d do it one day. But something always came up to stop us. There was always a reason not to do it. So we’d put it off for later. But then she died and there was no later.” He took a breath. “So I did it. Just the way we should have when she was alive. I took the leap, quit my job in the city and got on at the hardware store here in Glacier Falls. Your mother never could understand why I’d trade that life for this one, but your mother never had a dream like mine.” He squeezed her hands together again. “Like yours.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes while Bella absorbed everything he’d said.
“Thank you, Papa,” she said after a while. “I needed that. I think maybe I’ve lost faith in myself for a bit.”
He laughed and released her hands. “Nonsense. You’ve always had it. You’ve just forgotten for a moment.” He pushed up from the couch and selected another ornament to hang.