The Christmas Collection, page 31
When Jasper showed up in my apartment three years ago, he didn’t come without a plan.
Apparently, after talking things over with Adrian, they devised a safe way to bring me to Chicago. Jasper’s concern was obviously my safety, and Adrian had an idea that would kill two birds with one stone—keep me safe, and keep me close enough for the more skeptical Morelli associate to keep an eye on me.
I didn’t take it personally. Adrian didn’t know me yet. I didn’t know he’d ever get a chance to, but since Jasper had already let it slip that I knew some of what he did for work, the decision was made—I’m not even sure by who—that I would move to Chicago, but I wouldn’t stay at Jasper’s apartment. I would stay at the safest place in the whole city.
Mateo’s house.
It’s enormous, with separate living quarters for servants. Adrian and his family live in the upstairs apartment, while Jasper and I moved into the downstairs rooms.
It was never meant to be a permanent situation, but since the servants’ quarters are essentially an entire two story house, we haven’t been in a hurry to leave. Even with a baby-turned-toddler, we have plenty of room here, and it never really feels like we’re living in someone else’s house.
Jasper still does work for Mateo, and, well… now I do, too—just the domestic kind. I finally got to meet the enigma, and boy did he not disappoint.
Even though his boss is married with a beautiful wife he’s clearly crazy about and not one drop of interest in me (beyond what Jasper may have shared about his business, of course), Jasper wasn’t okay with me living under his roof alone—even in the servants’ quarters.
He’s a crazy, senselessly jealous man sometimes, but it’s okay. I love him, anyway.
I’m a maid for the family, an assistant to the aging housekeeper, Maria. I guess she lived in the servants’ quarters downstairs before we moved in, but whether it was to give us more space or her more privacy, Mateo moved her into one of the rooms in the main house shortly before Jasper and I moved in.
My job is only part-time, mainly to help out Maria. I handle the laundry and most of the shopping, then I help out serving dinner and whenever else Maria needs it, but I still have plenty of time to spend with Livy while Jasper is at work.
Mateo isn’t remotely stodgy about the help keeping to themselves, either, so Livy gets to play in the ridiculous playroom Mateo built for his kids.
Her favorite thing, though, is the ridiculous playhouse he had built for them in the backyard. It’s a legitimate princess tower, straight out of a fairytale. I don’t know how much money that man has, but it’s clearly too much.
I like pretty much everything about where we live right now, but another nice bonus is that since Jasper and I both work for him, Mateo doesn’t charge us anything to live here. We don’t have utilities or rent or much at all to pay for outside of cell phone bills and groceries, so we’re able to sock away the majority of our pay toward a house. We’re saving up for a nice, big one. Jasper is still paranoid about the idea of living in a place with less security than Mateo’s, and… well, I think the Pentagon has less security than Mateo’s house.
It’s okay, though. I’m perfectly content to live here as long as we need to while Jasper saves up for a fortress of his own.
“Hot chocolate,” Livy says, tugging off her mittens and dropping them as she runs into the kitchen.
“Yes, Mommy is making you some hot chocolate,” I assure her. “It’ll need to cool down before you can drink it, though.”
Livy sighs dramatically, her little belly sticking out as she turns around and toddles into the living room.
The Christmas tree twinkles in the corner and draws Livy to it like a moth to a flame.
“Not so fast,” Jasper says, scooping her up right when she’s about to snatch an ornament.
Livy giggles, wrapping her baby arms around his neck and squeezing him. “Dada.”
Jasper kisses her on the cheek. “Yes, I know you’re adorable. I’m still not gonna let you dismantle the Christmas tree.”
“Ball,” she objects, pointing to the pretty ornament she just about had her hands on.
Jasper shakes his head. “We’ve been over this. It’s not a ball, it’s an ornament. You can’t play with them. They’ll break.”
She sighs again with all the drama, then looks around for something else to get into.
Distracting her like a pro, Jasper says, “Why don’t we go change you into pajamas while Mama makes your hot chocolate?”
“O-tay,” she says brightly.
My heart contracts with every little o-tay that drops from her lips. I can’t help stealing a glance at both of them as Jasper totes our daughter down the hall to her bedroom.
Jasper slides me a look at he passes, winking at me just before he moves out of view.
A smile claims my lips, a sigh of contentment drifting out of me as I gather enough Christmassy mugs for all of us.
By the time they come back, the hot chocolate is ready. Livy isn’t patient, so I put an ice cube in hers to cool it down quicker, then once it was cool enough I poured some into a sippy cup.
She looks precious in her Christmas pajamas. I got her a soft pink nightgown with Santa faces and reindeer all over it. She has a matching nightie for her doll, Wendy, and I can see that Jasper dutifully helped her change Wendy into her pajamas already, too.
He’s such a wonderful father. Attentive to her just like he is to me. I haven’t married him yet, but only because I told him a long time ago I’d only marry him in Stillwater, and I’m a woman of my word.
We have gone to Stillwater for Christmas the last couple of years, but this year Jasper wanted to stay home for the holidays. Since Livy understands more this year and she’s really looking forward to Santa visiting, I thought it was a good idea, too.
We settle in on the couch with our hot chocolate and a warm blanket. Jasper sits behind me, I sit between his legs, and Livy sits on my lap as we watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas—an annual Christmas Eve tradition for our family.
Despite being a little ornament thief herself, Livy doesn’t see the parallel. When the Grinch starts shoving the Christmas tree up the chimney, she hops down off my lap to point her finger at the TV and scold that no-good Grinch for being so naughty.
“If only she knew,” Jasper murmurs in my ear, sending delightful shivers down my spine.
I grin and lean back against him. “She’d tell you off, for sure.”
“Permanent member of the naughty list.”
“Don’t tell Livy. She’ll set her mind on straightening you out, and you know those Hardings… when you set your mind to something…”
Jasper softly kisses the back of neck. “It’s a done deal.”
I know he’s not trying to stoke any fires, but I can’t feel his lips on my neck without wondering when we can slip away to bed.
We certainly can’t go to bed early tonight, so I sit forward, summoning all of my willpower to keep my focus where it needs to be.
The credits are rolling on the cartoon, and Livy is taking advantage of her father distracting me to make another play for that ornament.
“Olivia Noelle Harding.”
She turns around, shooting me big, innocent eyes. “What, mama?”
“Keep your hands off those ornaments, young lady.”
“But, Mama…” She looks back at the tree longingly.
She has too much of her daddy in her. I want to sigh with defeat and tell her to break every last ornament on the tree if that’s what makes her happy.
Luckily, Jasper is ready with another distraction. I didn’t notice he brought it out when he brought Livy and her doll out in their Christmas pajamas, but he reaches behind him and picks up the copy of The Night Before Christmas he bought me in Stillwater.
“Ready for your bedtime story?” he asks Livy.
“Yeah, yeah,” she says, bobbing her little head and running over to jump up in my lap.
I sit up and shift positions so Jasper can hold the book while I hold Livy and everyone has a good view. Livy sits sideways in my lap, her legs stretched out on top of mine, her bare little toes wiggling.
I cover those bare little toes with my hand. “What happened to your socks, young lady?”
She giggles mischievously and burrows into my chest so she can pay attention as Jasper starts reading the book.
I secure my arms around my baby and rock her gently, noticing her sweet little head gets heavier and heavier as Jasper flips page after page.
About halfway through, she yawns.
By the time we hit “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night” her eyes are closed, her mouth hanging half open, and she’s fast asleep.
“She didn’t make it,” Jasper says, his tone lightly amused and tinged with affection.
“She had a big day.” I shift her slight weight, turning her and resting her head on my shoulder as I stand up with her in my arms.
“She had a big day. I did all the manual labor,” he jokes.
I smile at him and walk softly into the kitchen. I already got out the plate for Santa’s cookie and the glass for his milk, but I figured we would put all that out right before Livy went to sleep.
“Livy,” I say softly, trying to rouse her. “Do you want to put cookies out for Santa?”
“Mm.” She stirs. “Chocolate cookies?”
I kiss her on the cheek. “All kinds of cookies. You can pick which ones.”
She’s sleepy, so she keeps her head resting against my chest as I haul the plate over and let her pick out which cookies to leave Santa. Jasper follows me in, fetching the milk from the refrigerator. Livy smiles sleepily as he fills the cup and puts it by the cookie plate.
“There, all set. Can we go brush your teeth now?”
She nods, but rests her heavy head against me in a way that confirms I will be doing all the brushing.
Once her little teeth are clean, I haul Livy in to her room and lay her down in her toddler bed. She turns on her side and clutches the nearest stuffed animal, but her eyes don’t open.
I pull the blankets up over her, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “Goodnight, baby. See you in the morning.”
When I emerge from Livy’s room, I find Jasper walking down the hall with an armful of presents. I back out of his way, then, once he passes, I go fetch more gifts from our closet so we can pile them all around the tree.
With every wrapped present I slide beneath the tree, I get more and more excited, imagining what Livy’s reactions will be tomorrow morning when she opens all of her gifts.
My heart is full to bursting by the time we’ve finished. Jasper is on the floor with me, his strong arms locked around my waist from behind me as we survey at the tree and all the presents.
“Nice work,” he tells me, kissing the curve of my shoulder.
I lean back against him. “She’s going to be so excited.”
“She sure will.”
“A couple of those might be for you, too,” I tease, looking back at him.
Jasper smirks. “Oh yeah?”
I nod playfully. “Maybe one or two.”
He unlocks his arms from around my waist, letting one slide down between my legs. I gasp, opening my legs wider on instinct and closing my eyes as the first stirrings of desire kindle between my thighs.
“I may have a present or two for you, too,” he murmurs, kissing my hair as he continues to play with me through my yoga pants. “If you’ve been a good girl this year.”
I open my eyes just so I can narrow them at my naughty future husband. “I’m always a good girl.”
He smiles down at me warmly as his finger pushes into me. “I know you are.”
Jasper can always make me come without removing my clothes—a special talent, that—so I shouldn’t be surprised when he slides his hand down the front of my pants and toys with me until I’m writhing in his arms. We shouldn’t be doing this in the living room—there are security cameras even in our part of the house, plus anyone could come looking for laundry and walk in on us, but Jasper has a way of making me forget about those things. I’m so swept up in his touch and his words, making him filthy promises I can’t wait to keep. Being Jasper’s good girl might mean being on the traditional naughty list, but I’m perfectly okay with that.
I try to mind my volume as I cry out and melt in his arms, going so limp I’d fall flat on the floor if not for the strong, solid wall of his body behind me.
“Mm, that was nice.”
He chuckles warmly against my ear. “Now, are you ready for your early Christmas present?”
“I sure am.”
“It’s a big one.”
I smile slyly, reaching back to rub the bulge in his pants. “I can’t wait to open your big present.”
Jasper chuckles, catching my wrist and drawing it away from his cock. “Christ, that’s not your present, snowflake. I’m being serious. I want to give you your big gift tonight, that way it doesn’t overshadow Livy’s present opening tomorrow.”
“Oh.” I try summoning some of the strength back into my muscles. “That’s a good idea, actually. Should I give you yours, too?”
He shakes his head. “I can wait. I just really want to give you this one tonight. I think you’re gonna like it a whole lot.”
I smile, crossing my legs and preparing myself for a gift Jasper picked out for me. “I’m sure I will.”
Despite saying he was giving me my big gift tonight, the box he pushes over to me is small and rectangular, like the one I gave him that first year with the keychain in it.
“This is my big gift?” I ask skeptically, reaching for it.
Jasper nods, his gaze trained on the small box. He looks almost… nervous. That’s not a look I see on him very often.
More eager than I was before, I tear into the paper.
Beneath the gift wrap is a box that looks exactly like the one that came with they keychain I bought him in Stillwater. My brow furrows and I cast him a curious look, but he simply nods for me to keep going.
I remove the top of the box and sure enough, there nestled inside is the keychain I bought him in Stillwater.
“Is this a joke?” I ask, looking at his face. “You can’t regift me the present I bought you three years ago and call it a present, mister.”
Jasper smirks. “Look closer.”
My gaze darts back to the box. I pick the keychain up, and when I do, I see it’s not just the my heart is in Stillwater keychain I bought him. There’s a key dangling from the ring.
“A key? A key to what?”
“Remember that house you liked in Stillwater? The big one on that street right before my mom’s with the Christmas tree in the window?”
My heart stalls. “Yes,” I say tentatively.
“I bought it for you.”
Shock.
“For us,” he amends.
“What?” I say breathlessly, unable to comprehend.
I mean, I hear what he’s saying, but there’s no way we could afford that house, not even saving every penny we’ve made between us these past three years living in the servants’ quarters of Mateo’s mansion. Jasper does okay, but my pay is a pittance.
“Jasper, how? We can’t… we can’t afford that.”
“We can,” he assures me. “I cashed in every favor I’ve ever been owed, and I’m lucky to have good friends who were happy to help out a bit as a sort of severance package.”
My gaze lifts to his, my eyes wide. “Severance package.”
Jasper shrugs, almost bashful—a look I’ve definitely never seen on him again. “I told you we’d move to Stillwater if I ever retired.”
I’m too stunned to move, but joy swells up inside me. “You’re retiring?”
I’ve never had a problem with Jasper doing what he does for work—he was in it when I met him and that was the life that suited him.
Deep down, though, it’s hard not to feel afraid sometimes when the man you love is routinely putting himself in immensely dangerous situations. I may not know every detail of Jasper’s work, but I know enough to know it’s not safe.
That got even harder after Livy was born.
I would have never asked him to change, to stop, but my fear of losing him did grow after that. He assured me that if anything ever happened to him, Mateo would make sure Livy and I made it back on our feet, but that wasn’t what I was worried about.
It was him I was afraid of losing. Maybe the people he works for can replace Jasper if something happens to him, but I can’t. He’s the man I want to grow old with, and I could never love an ordinary man after knowing what it’s like to be loved by him.
He ruined me, just like I knew he would.
And I’m so glad he did.
“I’m retiring,” he verifies softly.
I sigh, pushing out a breath I had no idea I’ve been holding for the last three years. The relief flooding my system is so dizzying, it makes me unsteady. I throw my arms around his neck and hold him tight. “Thank you,” I whisper, burying my face in the crook of his neck.
He may not have said he’s doing it for me, but I know he is. Jasper enjoys the work he does, he enjoys the people he works with and for. It’s the only life he really knows, and some part of me thinks he might miss it once he’s out, but he’s getting out, anyway—for me. For Livy.
He’d do anything for me and Livy.
Jasper’s strong hand settles on my back, the other going to my waist.
It’s a long time before I let go. When I finally do, I pull back to look at him. “When?”
“In the new year. Probably January, maybe February. I still have some stuff to handle, loose ends to clip and tie up, plus I have to deal with the financial shit on the house. I already put in the offer and they accepted it, but I wanted to wait before we moved forward with everything. They knew I was giving it to you as a Christmas gift, so they agreed to wait. I didn’t want to be finished with the process already, just in case you reacted differently than I expected and didn’t want to move anymore.”
A teasing smile graces my lips. “I mean, I do find my work deeply fulfilling. I’m not sure I can leave it.”
