Page 87 of All I Want is You this Christmas Final

“Exactly.” Jared opened his sock drawer and while he dug through the folded pairs, Ian’s letter dropped over the side and onto the floor.

Anna Beth, now sitting on the edge of the bed in the sheet, went for it. “I’ll get it.”

Time stilled as Jared moved to beat her to the envelope. “No, don’t.”

Anna Beth shot him a puzzled look as he tried to snatch the envelope out of her hand. “I was just going to hand it to you. What’s your prob…” her voice trailed off as she looked at front of the envelope. “Problem.”

Jared watched the emotions shift across her face as her gaze flicked from him to the white rectangle in her hand. “What is this?”

There was no easing into this one, not when she looked tense enough to snap. “It’s a letter from Ian.”

“But why is it addressed to you?”

“I don’t know why. He sent it two years ago—”

“Two years?” she said, shrilly. “Why? What does it say?”

Her green eyes were wild and he knew she must be thinking the worst. “He wanted me to give it to you when you were finished.”

“With what?”

“I don’t know. The list?”

Anna Beth’s eyes narrowed. “Wait, you knew all along about the list?”

“No, well, he mentioned a list, but not what it entailed. He just asked me to help you when you came back to town.” Jared waved his hand toward her. “You can read it. There’s a letter for you inside as well.”

Anna Beth pulled out his letter, scanning the page. Jared’s stomach lurched as he tried to decipher what thoughts may be rushing through her mind..

“What the…I…I don’t even know

what I want to say right now.” She looked up at him, tears pooling in her eyes. “And why were you hiding it from me?”

“Anna Beth, I wasn’t hiding it.”

“It was in your sock drawer, Jared, like a dirty little secret.” Anna Beth started gathering up her clothes. “I can’t believe you kept this from me.”

“Anna Beth, I didn’t do this to hurt you. I was respecting his wishes.”

Anna Beth laughed bitterly. “You didn’t even know him.”

“That’s true, but he entrusted me with it.”

“And what about us? He sent this to you when we weren’t even speaking and you didn’t think to mention it when we started talking again?”

Jared took a calm, even breath. “Honestly, it’s not as though we were conspiring to harm you. He wanted me to hold the letter for you until the time was right. I was going to give it to you. Despite whatever you’re thinking, I would never intentionally hurt you.”

Anna Beth drew a deep, shaky breath. “I know that. Deep down, I do, but...I am too upset to do this.”

“Do what? Talk? Let me explain myself?”

“Yes!” She dashed at her cheeks. “Can you please leave so I can get dressed.”

“Anna Beth, please…”

“Jared, I can’t think clearly when I’m around you. I thought we were creating something special, but...I need to process everything. And I can’t do that here with you.”

Jared’s shoulders sank like a thousand-pound sack dropped on them from the sky and he turned to go but he stopped and faced her once more.