Page 36 of Decked Out with Ivy

He bent toward her, capturing those lips. “Hey.”

Her eyes drifted to his sweater, and a laugh burst from her sexy lips. “This is my ugly sweater,” she said, reading the words from the green sweater lined with snowmen and Christmas trees. “Cute.”

“Not as cute as yours.” He bent down and kissed her, not caring if there was a camera in sight. He only cared about Ivy.

With a smile and a blush, she pulled back. “What have I missed?”

“According to Cooper, Old Man Simpson? Is that his name?”

Her lips quirked at the corners. “Yes.”

“He’s giving out samples of his cinnamon moonshine. Cooper told me it will burn my esophagus going down.”

“He’s not lying. The moonshine is delicious, but it’s not for the faint of heart.”

“I’ll have to try it away from cameras one day.”

She leaned up, kissing his cheek, her breath warm against his skin. “I have a bottle at home.” Her hand squeezed his, her thumb rubbing circles in his palm. “If you want to come to my place for a nightcap.”

“I was already planning on it.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, holding her close, relishing in her warmth.

She pressed up on her toes, cupping her hand over his ear. “Keep doing that, lots of cameras.”

He locked eyes with her. “I don’t care about that.”

“But I thought… Isn’t that the point?”

“Itwas,” he said. “But right now, I want to enjoy the night with you. Is that okay?”

Her teeth slid out, nibbling at her bottom lip that he wanted to nibble on himself—and he would later at her place.

“Okay.”

He felt her take a deep breath and mumble something under her breath.

“Prepare yourself,” she said just as two woman no older than mid-fifties approached them.

“I was wondering when you would get here,” the woman with the blonde shoulder length hair said as she pulled Ivy into a hug. “Almost everyone here is wearing something you made. It’s like a party to celebrate your talent.”

“That’s not what it is at all, Mom.”

Cody straightened as the realization sunk in. He tugged at the sleeves of his sweater and hoped he looked like someone Ivy’s mother would approve of. Meeting the parents wasn’t something he usually did, and he wanted to make a good impression.

“Of course it is,” the other woman said as she embraced Ivy. “Cynthia is around here somewhere, so are your father and Uncle Richard. Trey and Parker couldn’t make it tonight.”

“You must be the Hollywood actor who has been seen all over with my Ivy,” Ivy’s mother said, standing tall in front of him.

“Cody, this is my mother, Deb, and my Aunt Claire. They bite, so be careful.”

Deb laughed. “Not hard.”

“Speak for yourself,” Claire said with the raise of an eyebrow.

Cody held out his hand to Ivy’s mother. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Deb took his hand and smiled. “A pleasure to meet you, too, but I’m not the one to impress. That would be my husband and her cousins. They’re tough critics. You already got my vote when Ivy told me you helped her cut down her Christmas tree, especially considering you weren’t dressed for the occasion.”

“Someone didn’t warn me about the activity.” His eyes darted to Ivy, who covered a laugh with the back of her hand.

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