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“Yes.” Her attention was on the screen. Now she realized that she had watched this one last year.
“Sit down, Mia. You can’t watch it from there.” He patted the couch next to him.
Glancing over at him, she reluctantly sat down on the other end of the couch and pulled the blanket already there over her, deciding she could watch the movie and ignore him at the same time. After all, she was a good multitasker. Even when he pulled her closer to him, stating he was cold and wanted to share her blanket, she ignored him.
But the movie had captured her attention, and his arm was nice around her. Far too nice. Perfect, in fact.
CHAPTER18
Pulling out his phone,Rafferty looked at the time. It was just after six in the evening, and he was starving. He’d missed lunch. But he didn’t move. No way was he moving. Mia was sleeping in his arms. Not really expecting her to even let him into her apartment, he was surprised when she fell asleep within minutes of sitting down.
In reality, he had no reason to be here. He was bluffing when he said he had something he needed to talk to her about. He had just wanted to see her. It was a holiday, and he wanted to see his wife. Her hair was still brown, but when he was this close, he could see her real brown was showing at the roots, and it was a richer color than the brown she had now. So far, she hadn’t dyed it since they got married.
The only thing he could’ve told her was that he bought her a house, but that wasn’t final, and he was waiting to surprise her with it. Once he got the key, he was going to show her around. And he was going to tell her he bought it for her, for them. Her choice of movies indicated that she would fall in love with him in that moment.
She had slept through the entire first movie as well as the credits, and he watched her sleep. Rafferty enjoyed sleeping with this woman, even if he wasn’t sleeping. The little sounds she had in her sleep made him want to carry her to her bedroom and make her make those sounds for him. But he stayed right there, just watching her sleep.
Since their wedding, he hadn’t seen her much, mostly just talked to her a few times. Never about anything, and mostly about the weather and what he was going to eat. Waitress stuff. But she had stopped ignoring him completely during the last two weeks. One day, he saw her and her cousin Mandy walking together from the grocery store as he drove through town. If one hadn’t been blonde and the other a brunette, they could’ve been twins since they were shaped the same way. But only one made his mouth water just looking at her.
Shifting a little since his arm was asleep, she mumbled something but didn’t wake up. So he shifted again, and again, and again until she was lying between his legs with her head on his chest. His arm wasn’t tingly anymore, but other parts of him were well aware she was there.
Glancing at the TV, he realized the movie was a cartoon, not the romantic comedy he knew she preferred. Not seeing the remote, he had no way of turning to another channel. So instead of focusing on the TV, he watched her sleep.
“Did they get together?” came a groggy voice from his chest.
“Yes, at the tree lighting at the end,” he told her, hating that she was waking up.
“We should do that?” she said dreamily.
“Get together in the end?” he asked hopefully.
He felt her laugh as she said, “No, have a tree in the middle of town. Really get into the season. Make a celebration of it.”
“You can organize that,” he suggested. His hands were on her back, half holding her in place with him.
“Maybe I will.” She had started organizing things around town a few years ago. This year, she had taken on the auction in the spring and a lot of the Fourth of July parade stuff. He wouldn’t be surprised to see a tree in the empty lot down the block by morning.
“I think you should make it big. Something for the whole town. Raise money for something.”
“Oh, it’s going to be big. I don’t go small.” So far, she hadn’t lifted her head or moved her body, she just laid in his arms, her eyes on the TV.
“That’s what makes you perfect for this town. Landstad needs something big once in a while. Without you here, who would make the big stuff happen?”
He felt her laughing on his chest again. Not hearing her, but feeling her. “Did you really not get any turkey?”
“Nope. Mom’s in Fargo now and didn’t want to do anything.” He ran a hand tentatively down her back, not quite to her butt, then back up.
“What about Ruth?” she asked. She was now using her given name and not the nickname they always used for her. Just like the woman asked them to.
“She and Anderson went to his parents. I wouldn’t be invited if they had something alone anyway. We’re not holidays-close.” He remembered his conversation with her about buying the house. Not exactly warm and fuzzy family moments.
Lifting her head she met his eyes. “Do you want turkey, Raff?”
His heart stopped. She had never, ever called him a nickname. Quickly, he said, “Yes.”
Sadly, she climbed off his body, throwing off the blanket, and walked to the kitchen. Instantly missing her body on his, he got up to follow her. In the kitchen, she had dug out some containers from the fridge and grabbed two plates.
“Anything you don’t like?” she asked, then continued. “It is going to be dry. My mom hasn’t mastered turkey yet, and at this point, I don’t think it will happen. So I’m just going to enjoy eating dry turkey.”
