won’t be coming back tonight,” Jordan whispered, glancing at Tyler. “He’s been having trouble sleeping – I don’t want to wake him now.” Isabella stood, her tired eyes focusing on Jordan in the firelight as he spoke. “You’re welcome to stay here for the night but, if you’d rather go home, I’ll call a cab.”
“I’m sorry. Tyler insisted I read this story to him,” Isabella said softly. “I didn’t know how long you’d be…out.”
She handed the book to Jordan. He absently flipped it open and read the note written inside. “To my son, Tyler – you made my fairy tale come true. Love, Mommy.” He closed the cover, noting how the princess sitting amidst the seven small men resembled Kim.
“It’s Tyler’s favorite – he sleeps with it sometimes,” he said, almost to himself. “I think it reminds him of his mother. He misses her…” A brief sadness crept in, along with regret. But it was quickly replaced by the bitter remembrance that Derek had been Kim’s happily ever after. They’d even died together.
“I meant no harm when I suggested Tyler write a letter to Santa,” Isabella made a nervous effort to explain. “I had no idea about his parents. Everything was so crazy at school, with it being the day before Thanksgiving, and my first day teaching…I wasn’t informed. He seemed so sad – I just wanted to help him find some Christmas joy.”
“Which will be blown all to hell on Christmas morning.” Jordan heard Isabella’s soft gasp and immediately regretted his sharp tone. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“No…you’re right,” Isabella whispered. “I wish there was a way I could fix this…”
Jordan stayed silent for a long moment, resisting the urge to tell her it was okay. Because it wasn’t. And he needed help figuring it out. He was new to this parenting business, and he had no idea how to handle any child, let alone a six-year-old whose fragile emotions were about to be shattered on what should be the happiest day of the year. “You could move in here.” He said the words before the idea fully formed in his head. He forced himself to meet her stunned gaze.
“What…?” Isabella’s surprise was almost equal to his own.
Jordan threw up his hands, frustrated. “It’s just an impulsive thought – probably even a reckless one. But…I’m desperate here. And Tyler seems to like you. A lot. You’re good with him – when you’re not promising him miracles, that is.” He noted the embarrassment tinting her skin, and the spark of doubt in her eyes. “Forget I even suggested it.”
He mentally kicked himself for thinking out loud, and moved to Tyler, lifting him from the sofa. He gently carried his nephew down the hall. Isabella followed and stood in the shadows as he tucked Tyler into his bed, under a cozy, animal-print blanket. His skin pricked with awareness as he felt her stare. Was he crazy, asking Tyler’s beautiful teacher, a woman, to move in with him? He looked down at his sleeping nephew. He’d asked it for Tyler, not himself. And he’d pushed his own doubts, and fears, aside to do it.
Isabella walked back to the living room, and Jordan left Tyler, catching up with her near the fireplace. For a few moments, they stood side by side, silently staring into the flames.
“I’m sorry I’ve made matters worse,” Isabella spoke first.
Jordan shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I didn’t expect any of this – my brother’s death, meeting my nephew for the first time. Taking him in.” He felt Isabella’s surprised glance. “It’s a long story – but my brother Derek and I were estranged. Besides the fact that I barely know Tyler, my job requires much of my time and attention.” He sighed. “This arrangement is only temporary, and Emily’s a big help, but still…”
Isabella’s attention snapped to his face. “What do you mean?”
Jordan ignored the guilt that spiked his conscience. “Tyler’s stay here can’t be permanent. I have a nice couple in mind – Derek’s friends in Boulder, the Forresters. They recently contacted me about spending time with Tyler. I think they could be good for him – they love kids, apparently. So, when he’s strong enough, I plan to send him on short visits to their home. With any luck, they’ll become Tyler’s new parents.”
He defended himself against the disbelief in Isabella’s eyes. “Surely you can see I’m not father material, Miss Stevens. But I’m Tyler’s only living relative. It’s my responsibility to bring him through this first Christmas without his parents – which hasn’t been made any easier by your ‘Dear Santa’ project.”
A long, pregnant silence filled the room. He didn’t know why he was compelled to appeal to the woman whose mere presence put pressure on the protective cage around his heart.
It would probably be wiser to call a cab, send her off – into the night, and out of his life. And so he surprised himself again with his next words.
“The offer to move in still stands. You said you wished you could fix this. So, will you help me, Isabella?”
***
Isabella. He’d said her name for the first time…so soft, so sweet…
So terrifyingly seductive.
It sent electricity pulsing through her veins, and left goose bumps on her skin. Reason enough to throw his offer out the window. And leave.
The way he affected her only added to her worries – and drove her up the wall. On one hand, he infuriated her with his calculated, almost cold planning of Tyler’s future. Then, on the other hand, he made her go warm all over with just a word or a look – and made her wish for things she had no business thinking about.
She should run as far from his piercing eyes and magnetic pull as she could get…
But what would happen to Tyler? He’d lost too much already. His situation was a mountain compared to her own small pile of issues – it consumed her self-preservation instinct with each new disclosure Jordan shared. Still, staying here…
There must be some other way to help.
“This is all…overwhelming,” she started. “I’ve only known Tyler for a few days. And we can’t forget that I’m his teacher. I don’t know if it’s ethical…”
“You’re living in an extended-stay hotel, for God’s sake. We could make this work. I have a guesthouse. You could stay there, and compensate me by looking after Tyler when I’m gone. Emily checks in, but she’s especially busy this time of year. And what could be more ethical than a teacher trying to help her troubled student?”
Jordan’s argument was valid, she thought. The orphaned boy – her student – had already grabbed her heart to the point where it would be unethical not to help him in any way she could.
“The idea of moving in here…is huge. I have to consider whether it’s the right thing for Tyler. And yes, there’s the issue of my job. I hope to secure a permanent position at Snow Pass someday. Even if I agreed to stay, I’d have to check with the school first.”
“That’s understandable,” Jordan replied slowly. “But surely they won’t object if we’re not technically living together.”
It was crazy to even consider it.
