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That made her smile. “I appreciate that.”
“Good. Just don’t tie yourself up in knots about all this surface shit. Okay?”
“Okay,” she replied with a sigh. “I’ll try not to.”
“Good. Now, let’s go eat.” I let her lead the way to the dining room, giving in to the urge to flick a glance down to her ass. Still as perfect as ever, and now completely off limits. Ouch.
* * *
Hours later, after the dishes had been cleared from the table and the dishwasher turned on, Ellen lit the candles in the middle of the dining table and dimmed the lights. It had been a loud, boisterous Christmas and I’d loved every second of it. When I was younger, Moretti family Christmases were quiet things: usually just me, my mom and Stef. If Dad bothered to visit, Mom was happy and went to a lot of effort. If he had to “work,” she would sink into a black depression, leaving Stef and I to make the best of the holidays on our own. Once I joined the air force, if I couldn’t make it back home, Christmas was on base, which was only slightly less depressing than my childhood ones.
The Cooper Christmas, though… It was something else. No one cared that there was barely any room to move in the small dining room and that we were all squished in. There were Santa hats, and ugly sweaters, and food. So much food. I loved the way everyone pitched in, so that it wasn’t down to one person to do all the work, cooking or otherwise. Bruce had made a glazed ham out on the barbecue and every time he went outside to check it, frigid air blew inside. Somehow, he always forgot to close the door behind him. By the fourth time he went to check it, Gabe took up position, ready to open and close the door for him.
Ellen made the turkey, Elissa was in charge of the gravy, Claire and Jen took care of the roast vegetables and Gabe and Jake supplied a green bean casserole. Zara had made both apple and pumpkin pies, and there were plenty of jokes about skipping straight to dessert. Lucy explained out of the corner of her mouth that Zara and her friend Ally were chefs, so everyone was always thrilled when they cooked or baked for these kinds of things.
Within minutes of Ellen laying out the last of the food and declaring it was dinner time, everyone was eating. Elissa and Tom’s baby, Xavier, wasn’t really in the mood for a big meal, and didn’t seem to like the highchair either, so Tom took him on his lap. Once Lucy had finished eating, she offered to take him so Tom could eat his meal in peace. I’m not gonna lie, seeing her holding a baby hit me square in the gut. The whole thing just seemed to come so naturally to her, and I could see why she’d felt that backing out of the pregnancy wasn’t an option. The baby chuckled adorably while she blew raspberries on his hands and cheeks, then held her hands while he stood on her lap, bouncing up and down. When that had worn him out, he tucked his head into her shoulder and passed out against her while she patted his back.
“He asleep?” she asked me softly after a few minutes.
I nodded.
“I’ll go and put him down in his cot.”
She couldn’t push her chair back, so I got up so she could get out, then realized she might need help with the cot or whatever so I followed her. “Just pull the blanket back, thanks,” she whispered when we were in the spare room at the end of the hall. Lying the baby gently down, she pulled the blanket over him, ran her hand over his hair lovingly before straightening and stepping back, glancing up at me with a soft smile on her face. The smile froze. “What is it?”
Something about watching her looking after the baby so tenderly had made my heart squeeze uncomfortably, and it must have shown on my face. “Nothing. We should get back.”
“Okay.” She didn’t seem convinced, but followed me out and back down the hall. We got to the front hall just in time to hear a knock on the door. “That must be Ally. She said she might drop in.”
Lucy opened the door and two women stepped hurriedly inside, shivering against the cold December air. The first one I didn’t know, but the second was Emma, holding a box in her hands.
“Dante! Oh my god!”
Lucy took the box hastily so Emma could throw her arms around me in a hug. “Hey, Em. It’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too!” She held me a moment longer, her arms still tight around my neck, before stepping back and looking up at me, her eyes shining. “Holy fuck, were you always this tall? Or have I shrunk?”
I chuckled. She hadn’t changed a bit. “I might have grown an inch or two.”
“Well, it suits you. You did well, Luce. Oh, sorry, this is Allegra, Ally for short.”
“Hi.” Shaking my hand, she switched to Italian, asking if I spoke it. When I said yes, we had a rapid exchange where she asked whereabouts in Italy my family were from and I asked the same about hers. Then she asked if I like cannoli.
“Si, certo.”
“Good, take these so I can bring my presents in.”
We waited for her to grab a box from just outside the door, then Lucy led us back to the dining room. The first thing I noticed was Jake and Emma and their respective body language. They kept their distance, barely looking at each other. Both looked like they’d rather be anywhere else than in a room together. It broke my heart because I remembered when the three of us were as thick as thieves. The two of them had been just so good together. I caught Lucy’s eye just as I was putting Ally’s cannoli in the middle of the table and we were sitting down. She’d been watching them too, and made a face at me, as if to say,I know, but what can we do?
With the new arrivals, space was at even more of a premium and I found myself squished even closer to Lucy. I wasn’t complaining: she smelled divine and felt so good pressed against my side when I put my arm along the back of her chair.
“Check it out,” she said in a low voice for my ears only, gesturing ever so slightly to Ally and Gabe. She’d somehow organized the seating arrangements so that they were sitting together and the frown on Ally’s face was a far cry from how she’d looked a few moments before in the front entrance. When Gabe turned away to say something to Tom on his other side, she leaned in ever so slightly and took a deep breath. What the fuck? She wassmellinghim? I looked at Lucy with one quizzical eyebrow raised. Her eyes were dancing with laughter as she leaned closer and said, “It’s like watching a tv show. I love it. I’m not afraid to be bossy, so I arrange things so they’re near each other whenever I can.”
“You’re a devil.”
She giggled softly. “I know.” Then she leaned even closer, whispering, “Who knows, maybe one day she’ll thank me.” We were close enough that if I moved half an inch, I could kiss her. I saw the moment she realized it too, in the widening of her eyes and the parting of her lips. If she licked her lips right now, when we were this close, I’d give in and kiss her. I wouldn’t be able to stop myself.
“That’s it! I’ve had enough!”
