Page 45 of Decked Out with Ivy

“So, who won?”

“Cynthia won. Rome came in second and is demanding a recount. I came in third.” First place was always out of her reach. She had fun, though, so that’s all that mattered.

“That’s awesome,” he said. “Though if I had the final vote, you would have won. Your Christmas cottage was adorable.”

“Thank you, but apparently people really liked the log cabins this year.”

“Maybe next year I can place,” he said, and her attention snapped to him.

She didn’t want to hope, didn’t want to think he could want more than this fake relationship that didn’t feel fake at all anymore. It felt real to her, and that had scared her. She knew what they had shared had a deadline, and it was nearing the end. But if what he was saying…

“Next year?” she asked, her voice breathier than she meant for it to be.

He took her hand, kissed her knuckles, and those green eyes bore deep. “I’m done with faking it. I want to give this a real shot. No more pictures. No more paparazzi.”

“No more paparazzi?”

“Just me and you and this.”

“I don’t think you keep the paparazzi away if you tried.”

“Whether I like it or not, they’re part of my life. But if Bex and Chase can make it work, why can’t we?”

“You live in California. My life is here. My store. My family.” They lived very different lives, and she couldn’t expect him to uproot his life for her, just as she would hope he didn’t expect her to uproot hers.

“There’s nothing holding me in California. Since coming here, I’ve realized I haven’t been living. I’ve been in this endless cycle of surviving and robotically going about my day. I came here, and suddenly, I’m stopping to look around, to take in the trees, smell the pine and feel the cold biting at my skin.”

“This town has that effect on people.”

“The town is only a small part of it.”

She swallowed, trying not to get her hopes up too high. “Then what’s the big part?” she asked, though she believed she knew. She wanted to hear him say it. Hear the confirmation from his own lips. Prove to her she wasn’t living in some Christmas delusion, and he felt exactly as she did.

He tucked her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on the curve of her lobe. “You. It’s you.”

He could have had a million more things to say, but she’d heard enough. She grabbed his face and pulled him to her, letting her kiss tell him what words could never convey.

Chapter 15

Cody pulled back from their kiss, looking into those stunning eyes that brought him calmness, joy, and warmth. It was her. Ivy.HisIvy.

She was a breath of fresh air after countless years with callous, self-important people he couldn’t seem to get away from. She was everything he wanted to be and everything he wanted to surround himself with. Being with Ivy, celebrating her adorable Christmas traditions, was as if the boulder on his chest had been lifted. The air was sweeter and easier to inhale. The days were filled with anticipation and laughter.

She was his Clarice. Clarice saw beyond the flash of Rudoph’s nose just as Ivy saw beyond the flash of his lifestyle. None of that mattered to her. She didn’t care about Cody, the actor. She cared about Cody, the man.

California was where he had lived his entire life. But now he knew it was never really home. Home was a place where he could dream about going back to whenever he wasn’t there. He never had. He didn’t even miss his bed.

The only place he dreamed about going back to was Ivy. If he left, he knew that ache people talked about would be there. Even a day on set was too much time away from her.

“Is that a yes?” he asked. “You want to do this for real?”

She bit her swollen lips, her eyelids heavy with desire. “Yes.” That single word was the lights on the Christmas tree, the sparkle in tinsel, and the rich deliciousness of hot chocolate.

He dipped his head, capturing her mouth. Electric current swirled inside of him, a desperate need to be inside of her consuming him.

The fireplace crackled, the fire casting a warm glow across the room. Grabbing a blanket off the couch, he lay it on the floor and lowered her to the green and red plaid fleece.

He could have carried her to the bedroom, but making love to her in front of the fire seemed right. Her hand caressed his cheek, holding his face as her tongue darted into his mouth, splitting his lips and finding his. She moaned, the sound vibrating between them as he slid his hand beneath her shirt.

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