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He knew this was where things got prickly.
I nodded slowly as Lucas gently put his hands over mine, and I let go.
“There you are, Oscar. You’re safe now,” Lucas said, his voice overly husky. “Now, just don’t be a brat at the end here.”
I smiled, watching Lucas do the Oscar dance as he went to dump him off on the guest bed as I pulled off my gardening gloves.
Things were calm. Peaceful.
Lucas met me in the hall and swept a kiss across my nose. “There are moments when Oscar is an okay cat.”
I chuckled. “Yeah. When he thinks his life is in jeopardy.”
I walked to the kitchen to see our breakfast on the table, and my heart warmed. I didn’t realize how much I’d craved…this.
Someone to share the little things with as much as the big things.
And I’d had a lot of the big things recently.
In between working at Baubles, my poetry had been picked up by a major publisher, along with a letter of intent for the project based on my Grandma Cecilia. The story was a fictional memoir, kind of experimental with poetry and prose combined, that imagined another way for my Grandma. This story was about what happened had she followed her dreams.
Just the thought made my throat tighten.
“You okay?” Lucas asked, touching my cheek softly.
I sat down in front of my incredible breakfast and nodded. “Yeah. Just thinking about Grandma Cecilia.”
“She is so proud of you.” Lucas smiled.
“No. Cecilia, not Mimi.”
“I know, and I fully believe that your grandma is proud of you because she sees you. She’s with you.”
I smiled and nodded, feeling his words turn into a warm embrace.
He was right. She was always with me and always would be.
My eyes locked on Lucas, and I shook my head in disbelief. “How did I get so lucky?”
“I’m the lucky one.” His eyes stayed steady on mine, and all of those familiar feelings of desire and need rushed through me.
Just like always.
He sat across from me, holding my hand across the table as we enjoyed our omelets and bacon.
It was funny. Before we’d started dating, I always thought we bickered like an old married couple, poking and prodding at one another, teetering along the boundaries that we each set. But once we started dating, there wasn’t an incessant need to push those buttons. We fell into a groove.
I looked down at my plate and realized I’d almost finished my omelet. “A year ago, I never would have guessed that we’d be here…together.”
“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?”
“Hey, did you hear from James about our babysitting duties tonight?” I glanced out the kitchen window to see the snowfall heavier. “Do you think they still need us, even with the storm?”
Lucas got a funny look in his eyes and cocked his head slightly.
“What? You heard from him?”
He took a sip of his juice and stood up abruptly. “I can’t handle it any longer.”
