Meet Me Under The Mistletoe (O'Rourke Family 5) by Julianna Morris Page A

sing. Things Alex had thought Jeremy was too young to remember, but which had actually been carefully guarded in his heart.
    Alex looked down at the picture he’d unearthed from storage in the attic, one of the rare photos taken of him, Kim and Jeremy as a family. And beneath it was another of Kim with her swollen tummy, proud and happy, just days before giving birth to a healthy baby boy.
    He had to wonder if he’d hidden the pictures away to protect himself, when he’d believed he was doing the right thing for Jeremy. How long could you deny feelings you simply didn’t want to accept?
    “I bet it was funny when your mother dressed up like that,” Shannon said in the other room.
    Alex’s eyes widened as Jeremy giggled. “Mommy drew whiskers on her face and wiggled her nose. Just like a kitty.”
    Halloween .
    Kim had been terribly sick by then, but she’d made them laugh when she’d donned cat’s ears and painted her cheeks. She’d been determined to make it through the holidays, to spend that special time with her “men.” How could he have forgotten those moments when she’d pushed the dread away and let them be a family?
    Fighting the tightness in his throat, Alex stepped into the kitchen and looked at Jeremy, smiling and happy, the shadows chased from his eyes as he talked about the things that he’d loved about his mommy.
    Gratitude filled Alex as he turned his gaze to Shannon. He felt the inevitable throb of desire as well, but he didn’tmind it as much as usual. He’d never believed in divine intervention, yet Shannon’s fortuitous entry into their lives was enough to make him wonder about the possibility.
    “Jeremy, I thought you’d like to have some pictures of your mother,” he said, determined to continue the good his beautiful neighbor had started. “You’re in this one.” He sat at the table and showed his son the one of a very pregnant Kim.
    “That’s not me, that’s just Mommy,” Jeremy denied, but he gazed at the photo with growing delight.
    “Nope.” Alex pointed to the bulge in Kim’s tummy. “That’s you, a few days before you were born. And you’re the reason she’s smiling. You made your mommy so very happy.”
    He glanced at Shannon over his son’s head and wished he could tell her how he felt, but gratitude was mixed with other feelings, less easy to understand.
    She challenged him.
    Somehow he knew it was because of Shannon that he’d listened to his distraught student, instead of avoiding the tears in her reddened eyes, the way he always avoided emotional scenes. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about people, but it was easier to give money than get involved.
    Shannon had gotten involved with his son because she knew what it was like to lose a parent and was willing to open that old hurt to help a child she barely knew.
    “How about pizza for dinner?” he asked, his gaze still fixed on Shannon. “We’ll go over to that new Italian place that everyone says is so good.”
    “Yummy,” Jeremy exclaimed.
    “Shannon?” Alex prompted when she didn’t say anything.
    She nudged the bowl on the table. “What about the cookies?”
    “Finish them tomorrow. Unless you’re tired of us and want some time off.”
    “If I get tired of you, you’ll know it,” she said, giving him one of her exasperated looks.
    “Let’s go then.” It seemed only natural to put out his hand and she took it with a questioning smile. When she stood, he was surprised to see the top of her head only came to his shoulder. He kept thinking of Shannon as tall, but it was an illusion of her leggy beauty and vibrant nature.
    They were friends, Alex reminded himself. Her height—or lack of it—wasn’t something he should be thinking about.
    “You put on your coats. I’ll start the Jeep and get the heat going,” he said quickly.
    “All right.”
    Outside, he saw that clouds had rolled across the Puget Sound area. A misting rain drizzled through the twilight, so fine it was like fog