Page 16 of Christmas Homecoming Secrets

EIGHT

F or a moment, Jade waited for him to respond, to react, to…something. Finally, he blinked. “A what?”

“A child. A daughter. Her name is Mia and she’s five years old.” Better to start simple. I have a daughter instead of You have a daughter or even We have a daughter was just…easier. If she had used you or we , she doubted his reaction would have been quite so…calm. “Bryce?”

“I…see.” He sucked in a breath and raked a hand over his head. “Wow.”

“That’s it? Wow?” Ask me , she wanted to yell. Ask me if she’s yours.

“Okay,” he said, “well, I guess I understand why you moved back here. You needed your parents’ help to take care of the baby.”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Frank never said a word.”

“Frank apparently never said much of anything to you about me,” she muttered.

“Sorry?”

“Nothing. Look, I told you that because—”

The door slammed open, followed by running footsteps clamoring up the steps and into the den. “Mommy? We’re back! Can we decorate the Christmas tree now?”

Jade closed her eyes for a brief moment. When she opened them, Bryce looked pale. “Can we finish this later?” she asked.

“Of course.”

Mia stopped when she saw Bryce in the den, and her eyes widened when she spotted Sasha lying in front of the fireplace. Then her attention swung back to Bryce and she grinned. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“I’m Mia. Who are you?”

Jade’s throat tightened. Mia had never met a stranger. Making a new friend—especially one who had a dog—was always at the top of her priority list.

Bryce rose and went to kneel in front of the little girl. “I’m Bryce, a friend of your mom’s.”

Mia’s face fell. “Mommy’s friend Frank died. Did you know him?”

“I did. He was my friend, too.”

“I miss him. He took me and the twins to a birthday party, and he always brought me ice cream. It’s very sad.”

“Yes, it sure is.” Bryce cleared his throat.

Mia stepped closer. “Who’s that?” she whispered and pointed at the dog.

“That’s Sasha,” he whispered right back.

“Wow,” Mia breathed softly. “Can I pet her?”

“Sure.”

Bryce walked her over to the dog that looked like she could crush her with one paw. “She’s ginormous,” Mia said.

“Ginormous?” Bryce asked. “Where’d you learn that word?”

“Jessica.”

“Well, this ginormous dog is a Great Pyrenees and she loves kids.” He directed her hand to Sasha’s ears, and Mia scratched. Sasha’s eyes closed and Mia giggled.

“She likes it,” Mia said.

Jade watched the two, heart thundering, palms sweating, confusion swirling. Why would he think he’d be a lousy dad? He was amazing. Okay, so he’d only been interacting with Mia for all of three minutes, but still…

“So,” Bryce said, “what’s this I hear about decorating a Christmas tree?”

Mia’s face brightened. “It’s all ready. Lolly saved the popcorn from last night—well, most of it—and Gage and Jessica are trying really hard not to eat the rest of it.”

Bryce raised a brow. “Just Gage and Jessica?”

“Well… I might be trying pretty hard, too.” Another giggle escaped her.

“Then I guess we need to get down there.”

“Are you going to help?”

“If that’s okay with you.”

“Of course. The more the merrier, my mommy always says.”

He looked up and met her eyes. She tried not to blush, ordered herself not to, but the heat crept into her cheeks anyway.

“Does she, now?”

“Yes, but you have to bring Sasha.”

“Well, then, how can I refuse?”

Apparently, he couldn’t.

Together, the three of them walked over to her parents’ side of the house and found her mother in the kitchen, popping more popcorn. “Hi, Mom, look who’s here to help decorate the tree.”

Her mother turned from the microwave, gasped, and threw her arms open as she hurried to him. “Bryce!”

He hugged her. “Hello, Mrs. Hollis.”

“I’m so glad you’re home.” She leaned back and cupped his cheek as he looked down at her. “And I’m so sorry about Frank.”

“We all are.”

“More popcorn, Mom?” Jade asked.

“The other didn’t last very long.” She let Bryce go and returned to the microwave to pull out a yummy-smelling bag.

“I’m sure it didn’t.” Jade clasped her hands and looked at Mia. “Well, now, how about a little tree decorating?”

“I’ll get Gage and Jessica,” Mia said. “They’re in the playroom.” She darted down the hallway and soon returned with the twins. “This is Bryce,” Mia told them. “He’s Mommy’s friend.”

Gage studied him from under lowered lashes and Jessica frowned at him, but said, “Hi.”

Jade forced some cheer in her voice. “All right, little people, let’s have some fun.” Mia cheered, Gage smiled and Jessica giggled.

Jade led the way into the den, and Mia picked up the remote and aimed it at the stereo system sitting on the bookshelf. Soon, Christmas music filled the house and ornaments hung from the tree. The children’s faces beamed, and Bryce seemed to be enjoying himself.

Even Gage had gotten over his initial shyness and let Bryce lift him to place an ornament on a top branch.

Guilt slammed her that she was enjoying this time with her family while Heather was grieving. She should be there with her. She should be looking for Frank’s killer. She should be doing something.

Bryce caught her eye and she gave him a tight smile. He raised a brow, and then his expression softened. “It’s okay,” he mouthed. Her heart settled a fraction. He was right. These kids needed her, and they deserved a happy Christmas.

When it was done, Jade stepped back to admire their work. “It’s perfect, you guys.”

“Hit the lights, Pop,” Gage said.

The overhead lights went off and the multicolored bulbs covering the tree twinkled merrily.

Jessica walked over to hug her. “Thank you for this,” the child said softly. “Even if this is all there is, it’s already the best Christmas ever.”

Jade’s heart splintered, and she squeezed the little girl to her and kissed the top of her head.

“I totally agree with that.” Today had been a teaser, a sampling of what could be .

And hit home it was exactly what she wanted.

Her gaze went to Bryce, and the longing intensified.

“All right, everyone. Dig in to the leftover popcorn.”

Her phone rang as the kids raced to the bowl.

She stepped out into the sunroom for a little privacy.

The snow fell on the other side of the floor-to-ceiling windows, and it occurred to her that she was too exposed.

If someone were truly trying to kill her, she needed to take more care.

She backed into the small alcove where the outdoor storage room was.

It faced the house and shielded her from any possible prying eyes. “Hi, Captain.”

“How are you feeling, Jade?”

“Okay.” She just realized she still sounded pretty hoarse. “Not a hundred percent, what with the aches and pains, but I’m all right. What can I do for you?”

“Two things. First, I got a look at that security footage from the shooting. Unfortunately, it doesn’t tell us much. The shooter was thin, and wore a flannel shirt and a green generic ball cap. Looks to be about five-seven or five-eight, but could be a couple of inches taller.”

Or shorter. “So, that’s a dead end.”

“For now.”

“And the second thing?”

“Looks like they’re bringing Swift out of that coma in the morning. If you feel up to it, you want to question him?”

“Of course.”

He paused. “I only met Frank a few times. This isn’t a tiny town where everyone knows everyone, but it’s small enough that I know the majority, and I liked Frank. What was he working on? Do you know?”

“The drug ring, sir. He was trying to figure out who the head person was.” Well, that was true enough. She didn’t see the need in telling him Frank suspected a dirty cop—at least not yet.

“Sounds like he got too close to figuring that out.”

“Yes, sir.”

“CSU couldn’t find a personal laptop, and there wasn’t much on his work computer. His boss said if there was anything on a computer, it would be his personal one. You know where it might be?”

She frowned. He was following this case awfully close. “I don’t kn—Wait a minute. I saw it on that desk in Frank’s den when Bryce and I went looking for him. I even tried to access it, but it was password-protected.”

“I asked Heather and she said she didn’t know where it was. Said Frank must have had it on him when he disappeared.”

“No, that can’t be right. I’ll head over to his house and check.”

“Do that and let me know what you learn from Swift.”

“Will do.”

She hung up and turned to find Bryce watching her through the glass doors. When she returned to the den, she quietly filled him in. “I need to get that laptop. I’m also thinking of going to see Heather.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a great idea. You’ve got security here.”

She bit her lip. True. “All right, then I’m going to ask her to come over here and bring the laptop. She loves the kids. Maybe being around them will… I don’t know…help. Somehow. I can take the laptop in tomorrow on our way to see Swift.”

“It’s worth a shot.” He paused. “And I’d like to go with you in the morning to see Swift.”

Jade frowned. “Why?”

“Because maybe the fact that I kept him alive until the paramedics got there will make a difference in what he tells us.”

“Huh. Good point.”

“Then I can tag along with you?”

“What are you going to do if I say no?”

“Come anyway.”

“That’s what I figured.”

* * *

For the rest of the afternoon, Bryce alternated between watching his phone, checking the windows and playing with the kids—and watching Mia.

He’d admit to doing the math in his head and wondering if she could be his.

Every so often, he thought he saw a flash of… something…that reminded him of himself.

No, that was crazy. Jade would have told him.

Maybe he should just ask her.

But if Mia wasn’t his, Jade would be horribly offended.

But if she was his…

Why hadn’t Jade told him?

She would have, so obviously Mia wasn’t his.

The turmoil continued to twist inside him, but he thought he hid it well.