“Do you think you can find someone to watch the kids for a little bit?”

Jake asked Kelly the question as he stroked her hair. She was curled into his side on the couch, a position that had become regular for them after a few weeks of hanging out together. They were watching some action movie that would’ve normally kept his attention, but something was bothering Kelly, and that bothered him.

He’d only landed a couple of hours before, and his first stop was to see Kelly. His bags weren’t even out of the trunk of his car. There had been something in her voice when they’d spoken the night before that told him something was off and seeing her a little despondent only reiterated it. Jake could tell she was trying to hide it, and that it wasn’t drug related, but he had nothing else to go on.

She rolled her hips, so she could turn and look at him. Her blue eyes were normal, other than the fact they were downcast.

“Right now?” Kelly asked, confusion clear in the words.

Jake nodded.

“They’re asleep, and Fee’s so afraid Santa will forget about them because her parents are gone that I’m sure she is for once really sleeping,” Kelly said.

“I know, she told me at least five times. I noticed you guys don’t have a tree set up, but I hope you managed to get them some presents.”

It didn’t matter if she did, because along with his suitcase, Jake had a trunk full of gifts that he’d picked up over the last month. Since she had the kids all the time, getting away to buy anything couldn’t be easy. He didn’t think she’d slack on the “Santa” job, but he wanted to make sure they had a backup just in case things got out of hand.

“I still need to wrap some of them, but I’ve got them hidden in my sister’s old room.”

“Good, what about the sitter? I know they’re asleep, but I’d like to take you somewhere, and the rumor I’ve heard is that leaving kids alone isn’t the best idea.”

The speed in which Kelly started shaking her head was alarming. She sat up straight and reached over to grab his hand.

“We can’t leave them alone. They probably hired someone to watch the house.”

The dejection that he’d witnessed turned to worry as her eyes darted towards the big picture window in front of the house. Squeezing her hand, he pulled on it a little to get her to refocus on him. Something had definitely happened in the week he was gone.

“Why would someone be watching your house?”

Kelly didn’t seem to know where to look. She glanced at him, but then her eyes went back to the window before looking over to where the stairs were behind Jake’s right shoulder. He got the sense she wanted to run somewhere, which only caused him to hold her hand tighter.

“Kelly, what happened?”

Her eyes came back to him. It wasn’t just worry in them. Something was close to causing a full-blown panic attack. Jake let go of her hand, so he could hold the back of her head and bring her head to rest on his chest.

“Calm down. I’m sure the kids are fine upstairs, and I didn’t notice any suspicious cars out front when I got here.”

Jake hadn’t been looking, since he was excited to get inside. Knowing that he should have checked for something made him want to get up and go outside with a flashlight to verify he hadn’t missed anything important.

His mind raced the longer Kelly remained quiet. What purpose could anyone have watching the house? He knew that Kelly probably dealt with some shady characters in the past, but it’d been years since she ran in those circles. He was certain she didn’t owe anyone a chunk of cash, and even if she did, she could’ve paid them off. It wasn’t like she was hurting for money as far as he knew.

“They want to take the kids from me,” Kelly said, her voice barely audible as she spoke into his shirt.

His forehead furrowed as he considered her words. Whereas the idea of someone taking the kids from her seemed to scare her, it pissed Jake off, and his voice showed it.

“Who wants to take the kids?”

Jake was torn between pushing Kelly away to get a look at her or keeping her close. With her head right above his heart, it was the closest they’d been since the visitation when she’d kissed him. She generally leaned against him on the couch, but Jake was taking things slow as far as pursuing more than the close friendship they’d developed.

He wanted more. There was absolutely no doubt about that. But, he wanted to make sure it was the right move for both of them, mainly for Kelly. She’d been so overwhelmed by everything that she needed to find some sense of stability. Clearly, she hadn’t found it yet, if she was worried about someone taking the kids.

“Their grandparents are suing for guardianship. Kirsten’s lawyer called me with the news yesterday.”

“It’s been five months. Why the fuck would they do it now?”

Jake never cussed at the house, because he didn’t want the kids repeating his words. That idea went straight out the window with Kelly’s news.

“I don’t know. Maybe they just got the internet or something and looked me up. That’s all I’ve come up with.”

She shrugged slightly but made no other movement. He expected her to pull away from his hold, reverting to the distance that he sometimes felt between them.

“What’s the lawyer say about it? Did you ask what he thought their chances of winning were?”

As anxious as she was, Jake didn’t think he’d like the answer. He took a deep breath and held it while he waited for her to respond.

“It’s complicated.”

She pushed away from him and stood up, wrapping her arms around her hips. He’d noticed when he walked in that she looked as healthy as he’d seen her as far as her weight. It could’ve just been the baggy white sweater she was wearing, but he thought she might have gained a few pounds. Knowing that she was stressed didn’t back that up, since she was prone to skipping meals when stressed. It had also only been a week, and weight gain at her size took time.

That didn’t change the fact he thought she looked sexy as hell. Her brunette hair was pulled back into a ponytail, which had been pushed to one side from resting her head on him. She looked a little like a hot mess, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“When lawyers are involved, it usually is. Can I call Curtis and ask him to come watch the kids for an hour? I think you need a little fresh air.”

And a bottle of scotch, but since that wasn’t happening, the fresh air would have to do. He looked over at the clock on the wall and verified it was still before eight. He’d been surprised when Fiona had announced at seven it was time for bed. The worry over Santa making it had to be the culprit, because she usually fought to stay up late whenever he came over. The good news was that the early bedtime meant it wasn’t late enough that he’d get laughed at when he made the call.

“It’s Christmas Eve, Jake. I’m sure he’d rather be with his family right now. If you want some fresh air, we can go hangout in the backyard.”

“It’s also snowing, but that doesn’t change the fact I want to take you somewhere. Let me just call him and see if he’s available. I know you have a thing going on with Hannah, but that doesn’t extend to Curtis, right?”

Jake had been straddling the lines of being friends with Curtis and Kelly. He’d seen Hannah since the blow up that no one really talked about. She seemed genuinely concerned about Kelly when she asked about her, but he didn’t feel right giving any details other than she was doing fine. No one was really backing him into a corner. His loyalty just felt like it was being tested sometimes.

“Where do you want to go? It’s not like anything is open.”

Jake smiled and stood up to dig his phone out of his back pocket. He’d already given Curtis a heads-up that a call might be coming. Curtis had warned it needed to be before nine but gave him the idea that he wouldn’t refuse the request. He also mentioned that Brady was probably available, but Jake didn’t take it seriously.

Rather than answer, he went ahead and made the call. Kelly turned to him when he didn’t immediately respond and glared when she saw the phone up to his ear.

“I take it I’m coming that way. You’re at Kelly’s, right?” Curtis asked.

“Yes, sir. It shouldn’t take more than an hour, maybe ninety minutes if traffic is bad.”

“Is she okay with me bringing my wife and kids? No one seems to be close to bedtime, and I’d prefer to spend as much time with them as I can.”

Jake pushed out his chin when he heard the question. He was sure if he said no, Curtis wouldn’t rescind the offer, but he had to ask. It was Christmas Eve.

“Is it okay if his whole family comes over to keep an eye on the kids?”

Jake waited until he’d hit mute on his phone to ask. He wasn’t sure what the response would be, but he knew Curtis probably didn’t need to hear it if an angry Kelly decided to answer.

Kelly raised her brow as she considered it. He was pushing, and he knew it, but her and the kids needed what he had planned. Especially, if there was a chance they’d be pulled away from each other.

“Are you going to tell me where we have to be that’s so important?”

Shaking his head, Jake gave his answer. The surprise aspect of it was important. If the kids hadn’t gone to sleep, he would’ve dragged them all out, but it was better that it was just the two of them.

“And it’s really imperative to you that we go?”

The question seemed rhetorical, but Jake went ahead and nodded.

“Fine. I’ll go change.”

“No, you’re fine in that. Just grab a coat, a hat and some gloves. There’s no reason to dress up.”

Before she could respond, Jake unmuted the phone.

“Get your butts over here. You’re sure it will be open?”

Jake caught himself from revealing too much in front of Kelly. Curtis had given him the idea when they were in Los Angeles. His kids were still small, but they were starting traditions. Jake wasn’t sure anything would become a tradition in his life, but he figured traditions couldn’t start without doing them at least once.

“I verified that they’re open until ten. It’ll take us about a half an hour to get over there, so you should have plenty of time. Hopefully, Kelly isn’t as picky as my wife.”

The guys hung up, and Jake let out a breath. He smiled as he looked up at Kelly, who was a little on the disgruntled side. Her hands were on her hips, not quite in combat mode, but close.

“I promise you’re going to be happy you said yes. You can get whatever the lawyer said off your chest outside the house, with no chance the kids will hear, and you’ll make their Christmas perfect.”

The glare turned skeptical for a second before clearing. He promised a lot, but he knew he could make good on the promises.

“Why are you here, Jake?”

Jake’s smile faded a little at the question. After everything they’d dealt with, he thought the answer was self-explanatory.

“Where else would I be? I have three days off work, so I’m planning on hanging out here until you kick me out.”

Kelly collapsed down on the couch with a sigh. Her hands covered her eyes and forehead for a few seconds before she lowered them and leaned back.

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. You have three days off because it’s Christmas. Why didn’t you fly down to see your parents?”

The answer to the question still seemed clear. Since she was three feet shorter than him sitting on the couch, he crouched down in front of it, so he could look in her eyes. He reached out and put the palm of his hand against her left cheek.

“Because there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Isn’t that obvious?”

To help explain his reasoning, he kept his eyes glued to hers as he leaned in and pressed his lips softly against hers. He felt and heard her sharp intake of breath when she realized what was going on. She didn’t push him away, so he deepened the kiss, adjusting his body to move in front of her instead of off to the side.

Her lips tasted slightly of cinnamon, causing him to lick her lips, asking for entrance. She hesitated at first but opened the fraction he needed to snake his tongue inside her warm mouth. It was a place he’d have happily spent all night, but they had other things they needed to do.

He smiled against her lips as he pulled back and heard the disappointed groan. Eventually, they’d see where a kiss could lead, but it wasn’t on the cards for the night. With the kids going to bed so early, they were bound to be up before dawn, hoping for Santa to have worked his magic. Jake had never taken on the role of Santa, but he started to think he’d like the gig.

“Hat, coat and gloves of some sort. I know you’ve got them somewhere. Point me in the right direction, and I’ll get them for you.”

“They’re in the closet. I can get them.”

Kelly moved forward to stand, but Jake pushed her back. Her brow scrunched in confusion, so Jake quickly explained.

“For the rest of the night, I don’t want you to worry about anything. In fact, I forbid you to let any of your troubles bother you until the twenty-sixth. There’s nothing we can do about it until then, so don’t worry.”

“But you said you wanted me to tell you what the lawyer said. I can’t very well do that without worrying.”

“I know, so for now, we’ll put that conversation on hold. I want to enjoy what I’ve got planned tonight.”

It was going to be hard not to know exactly what was going on for over a day, but it was something that would wait. Until then, Jake was going to do everything he could think of to take Kelly’s mind off her problems.