“I bet I could make you happier, once we get the kids to sleep,” Simon drawled in a low, wicked voice.
Kara’s core clenched and heat flared between her thighs. She smiled into the darkness as she agreed, “I’m sure you can.”
“I have a heart-wish saved for a special occasion,” Simon answered in a low, hopeful voice.
She leaned into him and flicked her tongue over his ear. “You won’t need it tonight or any night that you want me.”
“I always want you. You’re mine, Kara, and you always will be,” he answered in a harsh whisper, both of them keeping their voice down, even though Timmy was fast asleep, his head leaning sweetly against Ginny’s car seat.
“And you’ll always be mine,” Kara retorted, running her palm down the side of his face.
“Damn right,” he grumbled, his voice starting to sound lusty and bossy. “You’re the best damn present I’ve ever gotten. You always will be.”
Kara bit back a smile, thinking that being loved by and loving the man beside her was the best gift she’d ever had, too.
At one time, Kara hadn’t believed in miracles. Nothing miraculous had ever happened to her in her life, and she’d struggled through heartache and poverty, just trying to survive. But just like the Barbie she’d gotten tonight, sometimes marvelous and rare things did come in time. Simon was living proof.
She sent up a silent thank you to Santa for reminding her that something as precious and rare as the love that she and Simon shared was worth the waiting and the pain.
Just like Santa had advised them, she’d love him well. Men like Simon Hudson were rare, and as soon as the kids were settled and asleep, she’d show him just how much she loved him.
“Do you think I’ll get to take all this stuff with me, Simon?” Timmy asked anxiously on Christmas day, surrounded by a mound of presents that was taller than he was.
Simon looked at the apprehension in the child’s eyes and scowled. Kara was in the kitchen making Christmas dinner, so he was holding a sleeping Ginny against his chest as he lounged on the couch and wondered if he’d bought enough presents for everyone. Yeah. Okay. Kara thought he’d gone way overboard, but the way he saw it, more was always better. As much as he loved his wife, Ginny, and Tim, he could buy several semi-trucks full of presents for them and it wouldn’t be enough to even try to show them how much they meant to him.
Hesitating, Simon wasn’t sure what to tell Tim. Hell, yeah, the boy was keeping his stuff. And Simon was keeping the kid.
Mine.
As far as Simon was concerned, Tim was his to protect now, and over his dead body would anyone take his son away. The boy had been through enough, had spent enough of his young life feeling like nobody wanted him. He and Kara wanted Tim, and they were keeping him.
“Come here,” he told the frightened boy in the gentlest voice possible, as he thought about someone —anyone—pulling the vulnerable seven-year-old away from his new home.
Bullshit. Not. Happening.
Tim stood up immediately from his place near the tree and scrambled onto the couch right next to Simon, wrapping a protective little arm around Ginny.
Simon swallowed hard as he looked down at Tim and Ginny, the two of them already bonded. Tim was already a protective older brother to his daughter. “Don’t tell Kara I told you, but we want you to stay with us forever,” Simon said hoarsely. He wasn’t certain how Kara would feel about Simon telling Tim about their plans to adopt him so soon and without her present, but he couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t stand to watch the boy so damn miserable.
Tim looked up at him with a stunned expression. “Forever? You want me to stay?”
Christ! Was it that hard for Tim to believe somebody actually wanted him? That just made Simon even more pissed off at the world. “Yeah. We want to adopt you, Tim. What do you think about that?”
“Why?” Tim asked, his eyes full of wary hopefulness. “I’m sick. I’m a lot of work.”
Simon nearly growled, but he restrained himself. “Do you feel sick right now?”
Tim shook his head slowly. “No. I feel good. But I’ll feel sick sometimes.”
Simon couldn’t argue with that. There probably would be times when Tim had problems, but handling it was part of being a parent. He was more than willing to deal with it. “You’re not sick. You have a disease that will cause you problems sometimes,” Simon answered honestly. “But that doesn’t matter to Kara and me. We love you, buddy. And we want you to be our son and Ginny’s brother. I’m hoping you want that, too,” he told Tim gruffly.
He nearly groaned when large tears formed in the little boy’s eyes and started running down his cheeks as he looked up at Simon with an awed expression. “For real?” Tim asked, his expression still cautiously optimistic.
Jesus. The kid was killing him. Where the hell was Kara? She dealt with this stuff better than he did. Maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned it. “Yeah. For real. And don’t cry. I don’t like it,” he grumbled, swiping the tears from Tim’s face with gentle fingers.
Tim lifted his own palm and scrubbed at the tears. “Because it’s not manly, right?”
Simon could have easily lied and agreed, but he answered honestly. “No, Tim. I don’t like it because when somebody I care about cries, it makes me sad, too.”
“What about happy tears?” Tim sniffled.
“I never saw happy tears when I was young. I don’t think I’ve quite figured them out yet,” Simon replied, smiling at him. “Kara does that happy tears thing, but for me, crying means sadness.”
“I’m not sad, Simon. I’m just scared,” Tim said hesitantly.
Simon frowned. “Why?”
“I want to stay with you, Kara, and Ginny so much. But I’m afraid something bad will happen. It usually does.”
“It won’t,” Simon vowed. “I promise. You trust me, right?”
Tim nodded eagerly.
“You remember what I said about keeping my promises?”
Tim inclined his head solemnly.
“You’ll be my son, just like Ginny is my daughter,” Simon promised, a lump forming in his throat.
Kara had been right. A child didn’t have to have his own DNA to steal his heart. This boy had burrowed himself into that stubborn organ the moment he’d accepted Simon exactly the way he was, scars and all.
“If you adopt me, will I be able to call you dad?” Tim asked hopefully. “And will Kara be my mom? And I’ll be able to call Ginny my sister?”