Jackson sat on the couch and pulled her into his lap. “Oh, to be as resilient as a four-year-old. Nothing fazes that kid.” He squeezed her gently. “Go ahead and cry. I almost cried myself.”

Ridley did just that, then buried her face in his shirt and smiled like a fool.

As Jackson laid a gentle hand on her still-flat stomach, Ridley whispered, “I never knew I could be this happy.”

He tilted his head to one side, regarding Ridley silently for a moment. “You deserve to be happy. I’m going to do everything I can to keep you that way.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

Ridley shrugged. It wasn’t something she could really explain. Even though she hadn’t been that close to her own mother prior to her death, she’d felt the loss keenly every year since. There were so many holidays tied to family traditions. She and Raina had gotten used to doing things on their own. Then she’d met Jackson and everything had changed. Now they were a part of this amazing family and they would never be on their own again.

“For loving me. That’s all.”

*   *   *   *   *

AS EVERYONE CROWDED around Ridley, Eli edged closer to Kaylee. She sat on the floor near the door, obviously feeling a little left out.

She smiled slightly when Eli sat next to her. “Aren’t you supposed to be right in the thick of things? You know, peeking into your stocking?”

He wasn’t sure if she was kidding but just the mental image of him “peeking” into anything was a little too silly to be believed.

“Peeking is for little girls. If I wanted to know what was in there, I’d just dump the stuff out.” He shot her a sardonic look. “Unless my mother was looking.”

She laughed, just like he’d hoped she would. He didn’t like how lonely and lost she’d looked sitting off to the side by herself.

“Besides, I already know what’s in there. It’s always a piece of candy, a silly card that made my mom laugh in the store, and a new pair of gloves or a hat.” Even Eli could hear the affection in his voice. It was hard not to adore his mother when she so obviously adored each and every one of them.

“Sounds like you know your mom pretty well.”

“I do. She’s an amazing woman.” He fidgeted, the small box in his pocket getting heavier and heavier by the minute. Finally, he gave up on trying to think of a smooth way to give it to her and just dropped it in her lap. “This is for you.”

“You got me a gift?” Kay sat stunned, staring at the big bow on top of the box. Then she smiled, a genuine smile this time, her delight obvious in the way she attacked the wrapping paper.

He knew she hadn’t expected anything. It had become clear to him in the time he’d spent watching over her that she didn’t expect much from anyone. Far less than she deserved. It was foolish and a dangerous thing, but he just wanted her to know how much she deserved.

How valuable she was.

“It’s not much.” He was suddenly embarrassed that he’d purchased her something so personal. He’d been in the store trying to decide if he should get her a scarf or a sweater. He’d called Nick to ask for advice. Of course his brother the playboy had assumed the gift was for a girlfriend and had suggested jewelry.

Now when Kay was looking at him with her big, innocent brown eyes, it seemed inappropriate and a little pervy that he’d gotten her a necklace. What if her boyfriend had gotten her something similar?

That’s what he got for taking advice from Nick. He should have gotten her the stupid scarf.

“It’s beautiful, Eli.” She lifted it out of the box and held it up to the light.

“It’s a mother’s pendant. That’s Hope’s birthstone, isn’t it? I hope I got it right.”

“It’s a garnet, right? You got it right.” She looked so happy with the gift that Eli relaxed a little.

“I hope I’m not stepping on any toes.” When her brow furrowed quizzically, he added, “I’m hoping your boyfriend didn’t already get you one.”

“Boyfriend? If you’re talking about Craig, we broke up at the end of the summer.” She fumbled with the clasp of the necklace. “I hope I can get it on without breaking the clasp. Can you hook it?”

Eli just stared stupidly for a moment. His brain was still stuck on processing her words. He hadn’t liked the slimy, girly-voiced singer she’d been dating over the summer, but he would never wish for her to be hurt.

“Sorry to hear that,” he lied. She was still waiting for him to hook the clasp, so he moved closer and tried to focus on threading the minuscule loop onto the hook. Instead, he was so entranced with the curve of her neck and the fact that when she posed like that, holding her hair out of the way, it pushed her bottom and her chest out. It took him five tries before he managed to get the necklace fastened correctly.

Kay snorted. “I’m not sorry about it. Craig was too in love with himself to have much room for me to like him.”

Her description was so perfect that Eli smiled. She stared at him. “You’re smiling.”

“I am,” he replied.

“You have a really nice smile. You should do it more often.”

Chris ran up and shoved his latest superhero toy in front of Eli’s face. “Look what I got, Uncle Eli!”

He turned to his nephew and tried to show the appropriate amount of interest in the toy, but his attention was on the enigmatic woman sitting next to him. She wasn’t intimidated by him and definitely got under his skin in a way that no one had in years.