Page 44 of Family Forever
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Over the next few days, they all seemed to settle into a routine similar to what they had during the summer months, and Marissa couldn’t be happier. Though she loved college, what she loved more was being in this house full of noise, structured chaos, and testosterone. Deep in her heart she knew she belonged in the Jacobs house and with Dylan. Now if only she would actually get to see him while she was home for the holiday. He seemed to be in the barn, morning, noon, and night. She hoped Thomas would return to work soon so Dylan could get some rest. He looked tired all the time and even thinner than normal.
Marissa had spent the morning preparing food for the big Christmas dinner she planned on serving in the early afternoon. With the threat of Santa, she was able to get Nate, Luke, and Braden to do nearly anything she asked. They cleaned up their rooms and were now dusting and vacuuming the living room. She laughed to herself as she used the Santa leverage to its fullest. Now, certainly Braden was too old to be a real believer but she couldn’t tell for sure if Nate was still a true believer or not, but the excitement in Luke’s eyes let her know he knew Santa was real.
It was after noon when Dylan and Cole strolled in from the barn, Aric had strolled in a couple hours earlier. They had worked the morning shift, and Will and Juan were taking the afternoon shift with the help of one of the part-timers, so that all the Jacobs brothers could attend the Christmas Eve church service together. Then on Christmas Day, Dylan, Aric, and Cole would take the second milking so Will and Juan could be with their families in the afternoon. It didn’t surprise her to know Dylan would arrange everyone’s schedules so they were able to spend time with their families on this blessed holiday.
Cole snatched the lid off the slow cooker and eyed the ham with the look of a starving wolf.
“Hey, put that lid down,” Marissa snapped teasingly, “that’s not ready yet.”
She reached into the fridge and pulled out some salami and cheese, and then glanced over her shoulder at the two handsome men standing behind her. “Wash your hands while I whip up a sandwich for you guys to hold you over.”
Cole dashed toward the sink but Dylan hesitated.
God forbid he let her wait on him. “Hands, now, or you can’t have your sandwich.”
Dylan stepped next to Cole and washed his hands.
She handed Cole his plate but before taking it from her hand he leaned toward her and kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks, you’re the best.”
His full smile was contagious. He was such a schmoozer.
She reached back, grabbed Dylan’s plate off the counter and handed it to him. His gaze held hers for a moment. Was he going to kiss her as well? Anything, she would give anything for just one peck from his lips. She willed him to kiss her, silently begging God for this favor. No luck. He thanked her, then yanked his gaze from hers before snatching a bag of chips off the counter and taking a seat at the table with Cole.
Cole tilted his head to the side and offered her a soft sympathetic smile.
She sat with the two men while they ate. Cole was full of conversation, as always, but Dylan was even more quiet than usual. Preoccupation filled his gaze. What was up with him? Maybe he was just tired.
“You look like you could use a nap,” Marissa stated.
“I’m fine. I’ll help you in here. I just need to shower first.”
Marissa glanced around the kitchen and shrugged. “No need, I’m all set in here, you can rest before dinner and church.”
He parted his lips to speak but Marissa chose to cut him off. “I’d hate to have you fall asleep during Nate and Luke’s performance tonight. That wouldn’t look good. So you’ll take a nap.” She cringed inwardly at her own harsh demanding tone.
Dylan eyed her curiously without a word, and out of the corner of her eye she caught Cole’s wide grin. Cole’s grin didn’t surprise her. He knew her state of mind. They talked regularly and she knew he knew she was about at the end of her rope waiting for Dylan to come around, which is why Cole suggested the plan he did for New Year's Eve. Feeling guilty about facilitating such a plan, she pushed the thought of it out of her mind. She’d deal with it later, after Christmas.
After shooing Dylan and Cole out of the kitchen, she continued on with the meal preparations. Once done, she planned on spending time with the boys, which probably meant watching Nate and Luke rehearse their lines for the Christmas pageant. Though she’d already watched them perform at least fifty times she welcomed watching them again.
Shortly before four o’clock, Marissa began setting the table for their Christmas feast. She pulled the china from the hutch and placed it on the long kitchen table covered with a red tablecloth. She imagined what it must have been like for Mrs. Jacobs to set this table for her family, the joy she must have felt to cook such a feast for her husband and children, and the pleasure she must have felt buying and wrapping gifts for her children, knowing how pleased they would be when Santa visited. It broke her heart to know that poor little Luke and Nate probably didn’t have much recollection, if any, of a Christmas with their parents. She did her best today to prepare a meal similar to what Cole had told her about from their past, and she was bound and determined to do her best to make sure the Jacobs boys, and men, knew they were loved unconditionally.
Once complete, Marissa eyed the lovely table. It was time to wake Dylan so he could call the troops to dinner. She tapped on his bedroom door. No response. She tapped again. Still no response, so she gripped the knob, turned it and cracked open the door just a bit. “Dylan.”
Nothing.
She stepped into the room and gasped when her gaze landed on him sprawled out on top of the bed wearing nothing but the towel he’d obviously wrapped himself in after he showered. The poor guy must have been so tired he didn’t even have the energy to climb under the covers. But lucky her. Her mouth watered at the sight of him. The hard planes of his chiseled abs rose and fell with each deep, even breath he took. Even though she’d seen him shirtless on occasion in the past, the exhilaration shooting through her veins was just as robust this time, if not more forceful, than the first time she’d seen this glorious sight. Her heart hammered in her chest so hard and loud she was surprised it didn't wake him.
Her fingertips burned at the mere thought of touching his bare skin and tracing his sculpted muscles. His thick chest was peppered with hair trailing down over his stomach, the thinning line disappeared under the towel. She wanted to see where it ended. Skimming over the towel, her gaze landed on his powerful thighs, all muscle, glorious mouthwatering muscle.
Marissa stepped toward the bed, reached out and touched his shoulder. His eyes popped open and he shifted abruptly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Dinner’s ready.”
He sprang into a seated position. “Shit, I slept that long.”
“Yeah, so?”
“I have so much to do.”
