A Christmas Prayer: An Autistic Child, a Father's Love, a Woman's Heart (Christmas Romance) by Linda Wood Rondeau Page B
Authors: Linda Wood Rondeau
Ads: Link
liking each other? Cool.”
Max blushed. “If you don’t mind, Jasmine and I will pass on Avata r. We’re going to her place after we eat. We have a different movie to watch. Several, actually.”
“Hey, you’re my ride home, Max.”
He tossed Ethan the keys.
“So I’ll see you, when?”
“Much later,” Jasmine said.
Ethan pulled Alexis into a quick embrace and an even quicker kiss before Gib returned from the bathroom. “Ecstatic.”
“What’s that?”
“The kiss … at Taberg Tower.”
“Good word … not descriptive enough.”
“We’ll experiment on the right word after Gib goes to sleep. We’ll have a few weeks before I resume my tour if we still can’t figure out how to describe it. I’ll be back as often as I can.”
For her or for Gib? “Everything’s on the table. Let’s eat.”
Ethan gave thanks, and before long, the meal took on an ambiance of normal. How her mother made things special year after year was a mystery. Hardly the kind of Christmas she’d grown used to as a child. And what would a future Christmas bring? She looked into Ethan’s eyes. Did love loom on the horizon? If they were fortunate enough to find it, would it survive the constant buffeting Gib’s needs would hurl at them? Only God knew.
Epilogue
Christmas One year later
Alexis glanced at the blushing bride and groom now making their way through the tables. A beautiful wedding thanks to Ethan’s generosity.
Jasmine glowed in her Vera Wang, pink princess gown, but Alexis felt heavy in her matching purple maid of honor dress. Or maybe it was her heart that weighed her down.
She glanced at Jasmine’s bridal bouquet she’d left as a centerpiece for the head table, a cascade of purple and pink roses. Alexis’s spray of carnations was a nice complement to the men’s pink and purple boutonnieres. The Guilford residence had been decked with purple and pink mums throughout the house. A double celebration on Christmas Day.
Yet, Alexis didn’t feel like celebrating. Too much was changing too fast.
While she rejoiced for Jasmine’s happiness, she could not help but ponder what her own future held. A wedding? She’d like to hope for it. But, most of her time with Ethan had been spent helping Gib transition into his new life as the son of a Country Music star.
Where did that leave her?
Not that she felt rushed nor believed the label “married woman” completed God’s purpose for her on this earth. Yet, when she was with Ethan, a longing lingered in her soul for more of him. Or was it a fairytale dream?
Alexis helped Jasmine take her seat when the couple came back to the head table. “How I’ll miss you. Max, why do you have to take my best friend so far away?”
“The world’s a small place in this day and age, Alexis. Planes fly to Los Angeles, you know.”
“I know, but it’s different when we don’t see each other every day.”
Max laughed. “Not forever, Alexis. We’ll be back in a year once Ethan’s Hallmark movie contracts are done. And we’ll be here probably more than we aren’t. Or, didn’t he tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“His last tour will be in March. He likes being a dad and wants more time with Gib.”
“Maybe the girlfriend is always the last to know.” Ethan had proven to be the closed type, not quick to offer information. He claimed he was afraid of her criticism. They had some things to work on as a couple—if they were to be one. Ethan gave no hint he wanted more than what they had and Alexis could not define their relationship beyond a few dates when Ethan came to roost at Guilford.
Love? Yes. She loved Ethan. Did he love her? He’d said so many times. His home again/away again lifestyle made any talk of a future difficult. Was that the kind of life she wanted? Love messages by text instead of in her ear every night? His whole career had been on the move. Would he truly be happy settling down to take care of Gib?
Probably selfish, but how she wished
Max blushed. “If you don’t mind, Jasmine and I will pass on Avata r. We’re going to her place after we eat. We have a different movie to watch. Several, actually.”
“Hey, you’re my ride home, Max.”
He tossed Ethan the keys.
“So I’ll see you, when?”
“Much later,” Jasmine said.
Ethan pulled Alexis into a quick embrace and an even quicker kiss before Gib returned from the bathroom. “Ecstatic.”
“What’s that?”
“The kiss … at Taberg Tower.”
“Good word … not descriptive enough.”
“We’ll experiment on the right word after Gib goes to sleep. We’ll have a few weeks before I resume my tour if we still can’t figure out how to describe it. I’ll be back as often as I can.”
For her or for Gib? “Everything’s on the table. Let’s eat.”
Ethan gave thanks, and before long, the meal took on an ambiance of normal. How her mother made things special year after year was a mystery. Hardly the kind of Christmas she’d grown used to as a child. And what would a future Christmas bring? She looked into Ethan’s eyes. Did love loom on the horizon? If they were fortunate enough to find it, would it survive the constant buffeting Gib’s needs would hurl at them? Only God knew.
Epilogue
Christmas One year later
Alexis glanced at the blushing bride and groom now making their way through the tables. A beautiful wedding thanks to Ethan’s generosity.
Jasmine glowed in her Vera Wang, pink princess gown, but Alexis felt heavy in her matching purple maid of honor dress. Or maybe it was her heart that weighed her down.
She glanced at Jasmine’s bridal bouquet she’d left as a centerpiece for the head table, a cascade of purple and pink roses. Alexis’s spray of carnations was a nice complement to the men’s pink and purple boutonnieres. The Guilford residence had been decked with purple and pink mums throughout the house. A double celebration on Christmas Day.
Yet, Alexis didn’t feel like celebrating. Too much was changing too fast.
While she rejoiced for Jasmine’s happiness, she could not help but ponder what her own future held. A wedding? She’d like to hope for it. But, most of her time with Ethan had been spent helping Gib transition into his new life as the son of a Country Music star.
Where did that leave her?
Not that she felt rushed nor believed the label “married woman” completed God’s purpose for her on this earth. Yet, when she was with Ethan, a longing lingered in her soul for more of him. Or was it a fairytale dream?
Alexis helped Jasmine take her seat when the couple came back to the head table. “How I’ll miss you. Max, why do you have to take my best friend so far away?”
“The world’s a small place in this day and age, Alexis. Planes fly to Los Angeles, you know.”
“I know, but it’s different when we don’t see each other every day.”
Max laughed. “Not forever, Alexis. We’ll be back in a year once Ethan’s Hallmark movie contracts are done. And we’ll be here probably more than we aren’t. Or, didn’t he tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“His last tour will be in March. He likes being a dad and wants more time with Gib.”
“Maybe the girlfriend is always the last to know.” Ethan had proven to be the closed type, not quick to offer information. He claimed he was afraid of her criticism. They had some things to work on as a couple—if they were to be one. Ethan gave no hint he wanted more than what they had and Alexis could not define their relationship beyond a few dates when Ethan came to roost at Guilford.
Love? Yes. She loved Ethan. Did he love her? He’d said so many times. His home again/away again lifestyle made any talk of a future difficult. Was that the kind of life she wanted? Love messages by text instead of in her ear every night? His whole career had been on the move. Would he truly be happy settling down to take care of Gib?
Probably selfish, but how she wished
Similar Books
