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I smack his shoulder, faking being insulted as I cover the laugh that bursts out of me.
“No! No Christmas puns.” Before I can say anything more, he covers my mouth with his, drawing me into a long, sweet kiss.
It’s a life-changing kiss. A toe-curling, full-body-shiver kind of kiss. And at that moment, I know I love Carter with every fiber of my being.
Chapter Nine
Carter
The night passes too quickly. As my eyes adjust to the morning sunlight, I pull Penny deeper into my arms.
This is what pure contentment feels like. The love of your life tight in your arms, dogs cuddled at your feet, and beautiful sunlight filtering in. The night had been incredible too.
Multiple times, Penny and I reached for one another. Needing the feel of skin on skin, the delight of lips touching. She was everything I’ve dreamt of and more.
I just wish we could stay like this forever.
We talked about what being together would mean. I was honest with her about my busy hockey schedule and all the travel. At first, she was concerned, but once she understood how committed I was to her and making this work, she agreed that we’d both put in the effort to see this through. It was too good to miss out on taking a chance.
Penny stirs in my arms, sighing as she slowly comes awake.
“Good morning.” She turns her head and squints at me. Burrowing back into my arms, she groans.
“It feels too early.”
Laughing at how grumpy she is in the morning, a fact I find charming, I hug her closer. “Sadly, it’s almost noon.”
“What? No. Really?” She twists out of my arms and reaches for her phone on the nightstand. “Shit. Well, Merry Christmas Eve,” she tells me with a small laugh.
Opening my arms for Figgy to crawl into, I smile at Penny. “Merry Christmas Eve.”
I watch as Penny’s smile falls, and she turns to look out the window. The skies are clear today, and the snow seems to have finally stopped.
“How do you feel today?” I ask her as she gingerly slides off the bed and grabs my sweater from the floor. Pulling it over her head, she walks to the window.
“Good. Really good.” She gives me a teasing smirk over her shoulder before turning her attention back to the window. “Looks like the plow made it through.” There’s a sadness to her voice that I don’t like.
“You don’t have to leave, Penny. I like having you here.”
“I know,” she begins, turning back to the bed and grabbing her clothes from the day before. “I just don’t want to wear out my welcome. Plus, I still have gifts to wrap, and I need to bake something to bring over to Noah’s. Are you going to your parents’ place tomorrow?”
She’s rambling. It would be adorable if I knew it wasn’t a distraction tactic.
“Yeah,” I say slowly, pushing up against the headboard. “But I won’t head over there until mid-morning. Everyone kind of does their own thing in the morning.”
“Oh, right. Well, that’s good,” she continues, not absorbing my words. “I should get a move on.”
“Penny,” I start but don’t get to finish as she walks out of the bedroom. I spring from the bed, grabbing whatever clothing I can from the floor on my way. “Penny! Wait. Why are you rushing out? Stay.”
I catch her at the bottom of the stairs. She’s biting her lip, indecision on her face.
“No, I should really head out. I appreciate you taking care of me. I know I’ve ruined your relaxing time off a bit with my accident, but I had a lot of fun.”
Had a lot of fun? What the hell is she talking about?
“Penny, what the fuck are you talking about? Why are you dashing out of here like last night was a mistake?”
“Wasn’t it?” Her words hit me like a sledgehammer, and it’s a wonder I’m still standing. “I know we talked about it, Carter, but it seems impossible in the light of day. I don’t know if I can deal with the distance.”
