Page 24 of Soldier’s Christmas Crush (Trinity Falls: Home for Christmas #4)

WILLOW

W illow woke up the next morning, feeling cozier and more rested than she had since leaving the service, and it took her a few seconds to remember that she was in Jensen’s guest room.

There was almost no light coming in the windows, but she knew it couldn’t be nighttime. She stretched, and then slipped out of bed, padding over to the window to take a look.

The snow was still coming down, big flakes flying in briskly at an angle, as if they were under orders to bury the whole town in a thick blanket of white.

I guess I’m not going back to the village just yet.

She was almost ashamed at the happy feeling that thought gave her.

She and Jensen had agreed to avoid each other until Christmas, but it seemed that the very heavens had opened up to force them together, and there was no way she could argue that .

It’s just as well, she thought to herself as she tiptoed down the hall to the bathroom. Henry’s not feeling well. It’s good for him to have a nurse in the house.

Besides, she and Jensen were adults. They could handle a little temptation without breaking. She freshened up in the bathroom and then made her way quietly out to the living room, expecting to be on her own for a bit.

But Jensen was already sitting in the big easy chair with Henry wrapped in his arms and looking intently at a picture book that Jensen was reading to him.

“Good morning,” Jensen said, looking up at her as she entered the room.

Henry looked at her too, his big eyes solemn.

She couldn’t help cataloguing his appearance. His eyes were clear, and his skin wasn’t flushed, so he wasn’t feverish. And thank goodness, he wasn’t coughing. A sippy cup on the table by the easy chair told her that Jensen was listening to her advice to keep him hydrated.

“Good morning,” she replied. “It looks like you’re feeling a little better, Henry.”

Henry just stared at her for a second, then he smiled a big smile, and she felt her heart melt.

“I was going to make us a great big country breakfast,” Jensen said. “But someone just wants to be held, so it might have to be cereal instead.”

“No pressure to cook, but I’d be glad to hold Henry if you want to take care of your own needs for a minute?” she offered. “Only if Henry would be okay with that.”

Jensen looked to Henry, but the little boy was already holding his arms out to Willow .

“Wow,” Willow said. “That’s so nice.”

“Let’s go to the kitchen,” Jensen said. “Grab a chair, and I’ll bring him right to you. You guys can keep me company while I throw together some breakfast for us.”

“That sounds great,” she told him.

They headed into the kitchen, and she took a seat. A moment later, a very snuggly Henry was deposited in her arms.

“Oh, that’s so cozy,” she told him as he burrowed into her.

“And I’ll just grab some books, if you guys feel like reading,” Jensen said, heading out again.

“What do you think?” Willow asked Henry. “Should we read a book?”

He grinned at her and shook his little head.

She was pretty sure she knew what he wanted, but he seemed to be enjoying the guessing game, so she pretended to have no idea.

“Did you want to make a pot of stew?” she asked.

He shook his head, dimples popping.

“Hmmm,” she said. “Do you want to scrub the floors? Or do the laundry?”

That won her a husky chuckle and a single cough.

“I just don’t know what to do,” she pretended to think out loud. “What do you think we should do, Henry?”

She paused, fighting every urge to offer him what he wanted.

“Nah, nah,” Henry said softly.

She let her eyebrows shoot up and her mouth stretch into a happy smile.

“You want to tell knock-knock jokes?” she asked .

He nodded his head up and down, his eyes radiating pride.

“I’m so glad you told me,” Willow said. “Because I love telling knock-knock jokes. Now let me think of a really good one.”

But when she broke eye contact with the boy to think of a joke, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to find Jensen standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

His gray eyes flashed with emotion and when she smiled up at him, his return smile was so sincere that she felt the warmth of it down to her toes.

“Knock, knock,” she said, turning back to Henry.

His eyes got wide, and she gave him just an extra beat in case he wanted to answer himself this time.

“ Der?” he demanded triumphantly after a moment.

Her heart wanted to beat out of her chest, but she kept going and tried not to show her surprise.

“Doris,” she told him.

“ Oo?” he asked.

“Doris locked,” she said. “That’s why I’m knocking.”

He laughed and laughed even though she was pretty sure he had no idea what she was talking about. It was the rhythm of the joke and the grownups being silly that Henry liked.

Jensen was chuckling too, and his eyes were a little moist.

“ Nah, nah,” Henry said.

“Who’s there?” Willow asked.

But Henry just cracked up. Unfortunately, his laughter turned into more coughing this time. She rubbed his back, and was relieved when he stopped almost immediately.

Jensen set a few books and the sippy cup on the table, then headed to the stove.

“Let’s watch your daddy cook now,” she told him, grabbing the sippy cup and offering it to Henry. “I wonder what he’s making.”

Henry settled back against her chest with his cup, seemingly content to watch Jensen gathering ingredients from the cupboards.

Jensen leaned over to flick on the radio that was on the counter. “Silver Bells” sung by the local children’s choir was finishing up, and Willow enjoyed the pretty song while she and Henry watched Jensen start their breakfast.

For all that he’d said they would have cereal, it sure looked like he was about to make bacon, eggs, and either biscuits or pancakes. Her mouth watered at the idea.

She and Henry watched as Jensen put a few cups of flour into the big bowl and started adding other things.

When “Silver Bells” ended, Chuck Berry’s “Run, Run, Rudolph” came on. Jensen smiled and started dancing a little while he worked.

Henry held out the sippy cup for Willow to take it from him.

She put it on the table and watched the boy watching his daddy.

Jensen had clearly noticed that Henry was watching, so instead of just swaying a little, he began to actually dance and play his mixing fork like a guitar .

Henry squeaked with delight, and wiggled like he wanted to get down.

Willow wanted to let him, but she was worried about him coughing again if he exerted himself, or getting in the way while cooking was going on.

“Should we go dance too?” she asked him instead.

He nodded up and down and she got up with him, sliding him onto her hip.

Jensen came toward them, holding a hand out to Willow. She took it, and he pulled her in, rocking the three of them side to side.

Henry was smiling ear-to-ear, tipping his head in time to the music, clearly happy and excited to be dancing with his daddy.

Jensen pushed Willow out and spun her gently back in and she couldn’t help laughing.

“You’re a pretty good dancer, Jensen Webb,” she said.

“Did you forget about that?” he asked.

She honestly had. Suddenly, her memory was cast back to summers down at the lake. Ransom would always carry his boom box down with Jensen, and the two of them would dance and try to impress girls. As far as Willow was concerned, her brother looked ridiculous. But Jensen could really move.

The memory of how handsome he’d been in his tux, heading out to dance with some other girl on prom night hit her again, and she felt her cheeks heat.

“Oh, you do remember,” he teased, pulling her in.

She laughed again, and Henry clung to her as Jensen held them close to his chest, moving them to the music with a sure confidence that made her melt as much now as it had back at the lake.

And through all the laughter and dancing and breakfast-making, Willow couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if all of this was somehow her life.

Could every day really be like this?