Page 15 of The Wish List
“I want to.”
“Okay, then.”
I squeezed her hand. “Thanks.”
“Uh-oh, he’s headed back. Hope your butt is recovered.”
I grinned. “If not, you can kiss it better for me later.”
I left her laughing.
* * *
AJ’s laughter rang out loudly as we went to the bigger hill again and again. We had a snowball fight, him and me against his momma. She was far better at it, building up an arsenal and pelting us with them mercilessly. I loved seeing her happy and giggling. Her cheeks were flushed with the cold, her eyes dancing. She was beautiful, and I kissed her after tackling her in the snow. AJ jumped on top of us, and we rolled around, throwing handfuls of snow, chuckling and teasing.
We were all wet and cold when we got back to her little apartment. She made us hot chocolate and threw our wet clothes in the dryer at her neighbor’s.
“She lets me use her machines,” she explained. “She’s away for Christmas right now.”
We spent the rest of the afternoon watching a Christmas movie. Eating popcorn. I insisted on ordering in dinner, and we ate a feast of Chinese food, AJ exclaiming over every new dish he tried. It was simple, fun, and I couldn’t recall ever feeling so content in my life.
After he went to bed, we ended up on the sofa, locked in each other’s embrace, our mouths moving together with a hunger that couldn’t be satisfied. She was beautiful in her desire. Achingly sweet in her pleas for more.
“I don’t want to rush,” I murmured, wondering who the hell was talking. I wanted her. I wanted her more than I could recall wanting another woman in my entire life.
“Please give me this,” she whispered. “A memory I can think of and hold close.”
I drew back, shocked. “No, baby,” I whispered back. “No, that is not what this is. I’m not going to disappear. I won’t fuck you and vanish. I’m not walking out of your life.”
“I have nothing to hold you.”
I rested my forehead on hers. “You have given me more happiness in a day than I have felt in years. You and AJ. That is priceless. What you give me is inestimable. Your heart is far more valuable than the millions I touch every day.”
She clutched my wrists. “I want to believe that.”
“Then do. I told you—I’m your wish list.”
I hated to leave her. I had to force myself to walk out the door. I kissed her long and hard before leaving, promising to return the next day by lunchtime. It would be Christmas Eve, and I wanted as much time with them as possible.
In the condo, I prowled the vast space, noticing the emptiness of the rooms and the coldness of the décor. I had never given much thought to it before.
For all its shabbiness and cramped space, Rosie’s place was a home. This was simply a place to live.
I thought of how, with one phone call, I could have the place decorated, a huge tree brought in. Presents delivered and enough food to feed an army by tomorrow. I could bring her and AJ here and give them a Christmas beyond their expectations.
Except, I knew she wouldn’t like it. She would be overwhelmed and uncomfortable. Unlike women in my past, she wasn’t interested in me for my money. I barked out a laugh in the silence of the room. She had no idea who I really was. What I did. How rich I actually was. She had admitted to googling me, but she hadn’t dug very deep. It didn’t matter to her.
But she mattered to me. How it happened so quickly, I had no idea, but it did. I cared about her. About her son. And I knew she felt it too.
And I wanted to make Christmas good for her—for both of them.
Without overwhelming her or scaring her off.
I picked up my phone and made a call. A shocked voice on the other end answered.
“Asher?”
“I need your help.”
