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“If you wanted an excuse to touch me, Daniels, you could’ve just asked,” he says, and I roll my eyes. “Sit close to me. Like you love me so much, you’re going to be sick.”
I pinch his cheek. “Like this?” I scoot across the velvet until our thighs press against each other. Until I can feel the heat from his body and smell the wine on his lips.
He stares down at me. His gaze bounces to my mouth before he looks away and reaches for the laptop on his coffee table. “Perfect,” he murmurs, and the praise notches into a spot at the base of my spine.
“What’s your mom’s name?”
“Kelly. My dad is Michael. My sisters are Katelin and Amanda.” He clicks a few keys on the keyboard and sits back. “Tap my foot if it gets overwhelming.”
“Why would it get over—”
“There they are,” a woman says. Her face pops up on the screen next to an older man with gray hair, and she waves. “Hi, sweetie.”
“Hi, Mom,” Shawn says. His arm falls around my shoulders as two other boxes appear on the computer and younger women join the call. The pair look so much like Shawn, I have to do a double take. “This is Lacey.”
“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Holmes.” I wave back. “Nice to meet you.”
“She’s beautiful. Isn’t she beautiful, Michael?” Shawn’s mom asks, and I blush. “Please, call me Kelly. I’m so glad you could join us tonight.”
“We just finished up dinner,” Shawn says. “Wanted to run through the Christmas plans with you all while we’re all here.”
“I’m so glad you’re coming up,” one of his sisters—Katelin, maybe?—says. “The girls are going to be so excited to see their uncle.”
“We’re going to drive up on the 22nd,” he says. His fingers drum against my shoulder, and I nestle a little closer into his embrace. “We’ll have to head out early on the 26th—I gave the guys Christmas off, but we’re going to get in two practices before we head back on the road.”
“Any time with you is better than no time with you,” Kelly says. She turns her attention to me and smiles. “Lacey. Tell us about yourself.”
“Oh.” I sit up straight, not prepared for this. “I’m a pediatrician. My best friend is dating Aiden. That’s how Shawn and I met.” I glance up at him, and he’s smiling down at me. His beam is encouraging, and it helps shake my nerves. “We started spending more time together, and we kind of fell for each other.”
“I read the article you did for theJournal of Pediatrics. You’re really smart, Lacey,” the other sister says, and my cheeks turn even more red.
“You did? Wow, thank you.” I fiddle with the ends of the blanket and twist my hands together. “I’m sure it was pretty boring.”
“No way. Your opinions on bacterial pneumonia were fascinating,” she says, and I want to bury my face in Shawn’s chest.
I spent weeks researching the article, and I put in long hours at the library while also working full shifts. I’ve been recognized by colleagues for my contributions, but hearing it from a stranger holds extra importance to me. Someone looked it up because theywantedto, not because theyhadto, and that consideration makes me want to burst with pride.
“She’s the smartest person I know,” Shawn says. He rests his free hand on my thigh. I’m not sure if you can see the touch through the camera, but I don’t even care. I like how his palm feels, warm and heavy on my skin.
“Thank you for letting me join you all for the holidays. It means a lot,” I say. “I know traditions can be important to families.”
“The only tradition we have is making cookies on Christmas Eve,” sister one says.
“And a snowball fight on Christmas morning,” sister two says.
“Don’t forget Mom’s famous egg frittata for breakfast,” Shawn adds, and he’s grinning from ear to ear. “Best food I’ll eat all year.”
“So come hungry and with an arm ready for throwing snowballs?” I ask. “Got it.”
“She’s going to fit right in,” sister two says, and everyone nods in agreement.
“How’s it been after the viral video?” Kelly asks. “You two are taking care of yourselves, right?”
“It’s been fine,” Shawn says, and his fingers trace up my leg. I’m not sure he realizes he’s doing it, but I don’t stop him. “The circus has died down temporarily. I have someone keeping an eye on Lacey, just in case a toolbag from the internet decides to act like an idiot.”
My head whips to my left and I stare at him. “Youwhat?” I ask, not sure I heard him correctly. “You have someone following me?”
“They aren’t following you,” he says. “They’re making sure you’re safe.”
