The Christmas He Loved Her (Bad Boys of Crystal Lake 2)

What? He shot a look at his father, but the man was focused on his wife.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” he said hesitantly.

Marnie, stepped forward and reached for him. She slid her hands along either side of his face, cupping him gently as she studied him intently. For several seconds she did nothing but stare into his eyes, and then she looked away, toward Raine, and spoke softly.

“Is he sleeping through the night?”

“I’m not sure I understand, Marnie.” Raine glanced at him, obviously confused.

“His nightmares,” Marnie said. “Are they gone?”

He felt something inside him shift and held his breath as Raine answered softly, her hand squeezing his.

“He doesn’t have any nightmares. At least none that I’ve heard.” She smiled tremulously and glanced up at him. “He sleeps…he sleeps all the way through.”

“Oh, thank God,” Marnie whispered, her eyes closed. And then again, as she gazed up at him, “Thank God.”

Her arms enveloped him in a hug that damn near broke him. Raine stepped away, and he was vaguely aware that she was talking to his father. But it was his mother who had all his attention. She clung to him, her soft warmth and subtle scent so familiar it made his heart ache.

“I just wanted you back,” she murmured before slipping from his grasp. “I prayed every night that God would give you back to us, that he would heal you, and I had no clue that the answer was right in front of my eyes.” She sniffled. “How could I have not known?”

He didn’t know what to say to that, so he just hugged her tighter, and the two of them clung to each other for the longest time. Mother and son.

“It’s so good to have you back, Jake.”

Marnie pulled away from him and wiped at her eyes before turning to Raine. “You are a gift, do you know that?”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Raine said carefully.

Jake shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, exhaling as the wall of emotion and energy in him seeped out like air from a balloon. For the first time in forever, it seemed, he felt lighter.

He was…happy.

Marnie touched Raine’s cheek. “I believe that people come into our lives for a reason. I don’t believe that anything is random. And you…” She paused and wiped away another tear. “Raine, you are the glue that holds this family together. It was always you. Jesse knew that, and for a brief time you held him together. Do you remember the conversation we had a few weeks ago? You thought that maybe Jesse didn’t want to come home to you.”

Jake watched Raine carefully, his gut a mess at the play of emotion in her eyes. There was love there. Love and sadness.

“I remember,” she answered softly.

“As much as it hurts to say this, I think I’ve finally realized that Jesse wasn’t meant to come home, and it’s foolish of us to even want to know the why of it. It just is. He wasn’t meant to.”

Raine closed her eyes, and Jake’s heart damn near broke in two.

“But Raine…” Marnie’s voice strengthened and Jake glanced at his father, who was busy staring at the ceiling, trying to control his emotions the way men do.

“Raine, you kept Steven and me alive when we both wanted to crawl into a cave and never come out. You were our reason to go on.” She glanced at Jake, her eyes shiny. “When Jake was off fighting his own demons, you anchored him. I’m sure he didn’t even know it, but it’s why he came back

to us, and I believe you saved him.”

Marnie enveloped Raine into her arms.

“You saved this family. You’ve given your heart to each and every one of us, so how in the world can Steven and I not embrace what you and Jake have?” Her voice broke, but they all heard her whisper, “Because of you, he sleeps at night, and that’s good enough for me.”

Chapter 24

The Coach House was filled to capacity when Raine arrived later that evening with Jake and Lily. The three of them had made it to town in time to watch the Christmas parade of lights, and even though the only thing Raine wanted to do was escape back to the stone cottage with Jake, Mac was in town, and they’d agreed to meet him for a drink.

With Christmas Eve looming the next day, the town was full to bursting with holiday cheer, and it was hard not to get caught up in it. The parade was always a highlight of the season, and this year was no exception. Kids ran up and down the sidewalk, excitedly waiting for a glimpse of Santa Claus, while parents kept a close eye, sipping hot chocolate and catching up with friends.