Page 41 of Dreaming About Forever

She turned away with a quiet, “Good night,” and Jordan waited until her car started and she shifted into reverse before going back inside.

Alicia and his mom were standing by the stairs. The soft glow of the lit-up Christmas tree cast an orange glow over the room.

“I can’t take it. It’s too special,” Alicia said.

His mom pushed something back at her. “You can. I’m telling you to.”

Alicia looked up at him with a slight frown. What had he missed?

“Your mom wants me to keep this ornament.” She held it up for Jordan to see.

It was the ornament Jordan had made in second grade. The assignment had been to make something for someone you loved. He’d given his mom the lopsided circle with scrawled writing in the middle.

I love you more.

“She said she liked it. I think it’s some of your best work,” his mom said.

“But he made it for you,” Alicia said, clutching the laminated circle. “It’s special.”

“It is special, but that makes it a good gift. I know my boy loves me. Although, he hasn’t ever loved me more than I love him,” his mom said with a wink to Alicia.

Despite the twinge of heat creeping under his skin, it didn’t bother him that his mom would gift it to someone else. She’d always been a generous person, and it was one of the things he loved most about her.

“Mom, I don’t think she really wants it.”

“Oh, I do want it. I love it, but I just think it’s special to her.”

“It is special to me. Now it can be special to you. You should have something to remember us by.”

Cold washed over Jordan, replacing the heat from moments ago. Alicia’s time here was limited. His time with her would expire, unless she decided to renew his contract after Christmas.

Even then, they would always be together but separate. They would always be circling each other but never touching.

His torment was either temporary or prolonged. Which was worse?

Alicia rubbed her thumbs over the ornament. “I love it. Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing fancy, but–”

“It’s perfect.” Alicia’s gaze shifted to Jordan, and despite how easy it would have been to tell his mom she didn’t want a twenty-year-old ornament, she seemed genuinely grateful.

“Well, I need to get to bed,” his mom said, stretching her back. “The guys have an early morning, and I want to have my coffee with Jesus before they start rushing around the house.”

Alicia’s phone rang, and she stiffened before pulling it out of her back pocket. “Good night.”

His mom waved and headed for her room before Alicia answered the call. Jordan disappeared into the kitchen, hoping to give her some privacy.

Out of sight didn’t mean out of mind when it came to Alicia. He was used to getting immersed in the client’s life while on duty, but Alicia was growing roots in his childhood home, making it hard to imagine the place without her in it.

He washed the few dishes in the sink and dried them before Alicia walked in. The light in her eyes dimmed in the few minutes he’d left her alone.

“You okay?” he asked.

Her lips thinned, and she stared at the phone in her hand for a second before slipping it into her pocket. “Ashton gave an interview withThe Buzz. He did a fantastic job of distancing himself from the scandal, but I came out looking like an apple who didn’t fall far from the tree.”

“Does it help at all if I tell you he’s an idiot?”

Alicia chuckled, but the sound was more sad than joyful. She sank into a chair at the old wooden table. “A little. You probably think my problems are stupid.”

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