Chapter Five: Shopping With the Family
JC called a few days later and invited the Martin family over. Once they had arrived, the children were dismayed at the emptiness and the non-Christmas mood of the house.
“I thought you liked Christmas.” Dylan made his words sound like an accusation of betrayal.
“Sorry, little dude, I just haven’t had the time—“
“No kissy balls!” Kimmy declared.
JC slid his eyes to Nikki, more specifically her lips. He gave a regretful sigh. “Not a one.”
“You gotta have those! You won’t get kisses.”
Oh, and he wanted lots of kisses from Nikki.
“Guys, maybe JC isn’t around enough to decorate…” Nikki offered.
“The thing is, I wanna decorate and do it up right. Think you guys can help me out by showing me what to buy?”
“Sure!” Dylan crowed.
“Nikki?” JC looked to her.
It sounded like fun, tiring but fun. “Why not?”
The first order was a tree. As much as he would have loved a real tree, JC realized he didn’t have the time to care for it. So they purchased a large, artificial blue spruce that looked quite real.
Lights were next. Lots and lots of lights, he was told. Little lights. Fun lights. Bubble lights. The tree would sparkle.
Assorted garland was purchased.
“What about ornaments?” Dylan asked. “Mom says ornaments should be special, maybe tell a story.”
“Why don’t we pick out just a few to mark this year,” JC suggested. “We’ll just fill the tree with regular decorations this year.”
“Cool!”
Nikki watched as her children scampered off under the watchful eye of JC’s bodyguard. She hadn’t thought much about his celebrity until today. For the most part, they had been left alone – and the people that had approached had been pleasant and respectful…
“What’re you thinking, babe?” JC asked as he followed her eyes.
“That Lonnie makes an odd babysitter,” she said of the huge man.
“They’re safe with him. He’d break somebody in half to protect them.”
“I know…It’s just…”
“Just what?” he urged.
“I never thought of you as JC Chasez…”
“I’m just plain old JC to you and the kids.”
“You aren’t. Not when we’re out.”
“Sure I am. I’m the same guy who likes to get you under the mistletoe.” He held a sprig of the berried over his head and wiggled his eyebrows. “Well?”
She sighed and gave a slight smile. “I can think of millions of girls who’d want to—“
“Don’t. Just you, Nik.”
She stepped close. To his surprise and delight, her lips parted and their tongues touched ever so briefly. “I never got to the bank to make good on that withdraw,” she reminded him huskily.
“Tonight,” he promised. “Just you and me and a bottle of Cristal.”
Nikki shook her head. "No babysitter. And I never drink and drive.”
“I’ll come to your house.”
“I won’t let you drink and drive either.”
“Cool. I’ll sack out on the sofa.” He rubbed his lips against hers. “I want us to be alone together. Say yes, Nikki.”
“Yes.”
“Thanks.” Sliding an arm around her waist, JC said, “Let’s see what trouble they’ve found.”
“Oh, my!” Nikki said in hushed reverence as she stopped in front of a display of nativity sets. She had never been in the sort of stores JC shopped. Well…Wal-Mart, yes, but not the high-end shops he was going into today. What caught her eye was a lovely crèche. It wasn’t overly elaborate or bejeweled. The uniqueness and beauty was in the loving details. Each straw on the roof and floor had been carefully placed. Small crystals made winking stars. The figures had been carved by a master craftsman and hand-painted. The angel’s wings were delicately feathered…
“It is beautiful,” JC murmured close to her ear.
“It certainly is – and then some! I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s yours.”
Nikki turned her head slightly to catch his eyes. “No! I didn’t mean—“
“I know you weren’t hinting,” he assured her. “Just let me get it for you.”
“It’s too much!”
“How do you know?”
“Any store that doesn’t display price tags is too much.” She had yet to see a price tag in this store.
“I can afford it.”
“JC, I don’t want ‘things’ from you.”
“What do you want? You name it.”
Nikki bit her lip. What did she want from this man? “I don’t know exactly…Time…Your company…Your friendship for now…But I do know I don’t want us to be about material things.”
He cupped her face in both hands as he turned her to him. “I don’t want that either, Nik. But that does that mean I am not going to be allowed to get you presents? Isn’t that punishing me for having money?” His thumbs stroked her velvety soft cheeks. “I want to be able to give you things, too.”
“I don’t want the entire world, JC.” She held his hands against her face. “I just want the chance to get to know the you.”
“This is the real me, honey. I promise.” He leaned forward, intending a brief kiss when Kimmy’s voice rang out.
“No kissy ball, no kiss!”
They looked up to see Lonnie with a child riding each arm. The big man was laughing at JC’s vexed look.
“That does it!” JC declared. “I am buying a hat of mistletoe for Nikki.”
“Dylan cheered, “Yeah! Then everyone can kiss Mom!”
“Ooh!” Nikki laughed. “Line ‘em up!”
“Umm…no…one second thought, no hat,” JC said.
“Spoilsport,” Nikki accused with a grin.
Wrapping an arm about her, JC pulled her close and whispered for her ears only, “Right now those sweet lips are all mine. I’m not sharing.”
“Here.” Kimmy thrust a bag at JC.
“What’s this?”
“Kimmy found something that may help,” Lonnie told him, grinning broadly.
From the bag, JC extracted a headband with a six-inch spring attached to the top. At the end of the spring was a sprig of mistletoe. “Wha?…”
“It’s not a kissy ball, but it has kissletoe on it,” the little girl explained.
JC laughed. “All riiight! I’ll try this out when we get home.”
“I’m not gonna kiss you!” Dylan declared.
“Me either,” Lonnie agreed.
“I will!” Kimmy reached out for JC to take her. Once she was in his arms, she snuggled her head on his shoulder.
“Someone is getting tired.” Nikki observed. “We need to get to your place and get your tree done.”
JC nodded. “They can nap while we put up the tree and lights.”
As it was, both Kimmy and Dylan fell asleep on the way to JC’s house. The two men carried the children into the house and laid them across JC’s bed. Before he left the room, JC turned to gaze back at the innocents so fast asleep. He felt a warmth in his chest. He had come to adore these children as much as he did their mom. As a package deal, they were a priceless bargain.
“Fantastic!” JC announced as Lonnie departed.
Nikki looked at the tree with its lights and garland. It was beautiful. “It is a lovely tree.”
“Not what I was talking about.” JC sat on the sofa and pulled her down on his lap. “The tree is done. Lonnie is gone and the kids are still asleep. You know what that means?”
“Umm…cocoa? Pizza?”
“Nope. It means we can do this…” He captured her lips with his, probing until she opened for his tongue.
Nikki thoroughly enjoyed his gentle mastery and the leisurely caress. It had been so long…She slid her fingers into the crisp waves of his hair as he bore her down to the cushions. She moaned, carried away by sensation as his hand slipped beneath the hem of her sweater to glide from her back up her ribs…
“Hey, where’s the kissletoe?” Kimmy demanded from the stairs.
The couple froze for a moment, looked at each other and laughed.
“Kimmy, sometimes you just don’t need mistletoe,” JC declared.