Page 89 of Mistletoe Misses
There even being anusagain fills me with a pride I haven’t experienced since I was a teenager. “I feel like keeping it going—no more holding back, no hesitations, no fears. How does that sound?”
“Like my next love song.”
“I could go for a song right about now.” Her soft, sensual tones have a way of soothing me no matter the situation, and I love the way her eyes make love with my soul when she delivers the lyrics. “Sing for me, Carmen.”
With a kiss, she stands and removes her coat, the moonlight casting a soft glow on her through the curtainless window. She takes my breath away in any situation, but in the intimate darkness with her singing softly to me with no overpowering music or rowdy bar patrons, I’m more than speechless. I’m in love.
You will be the song I won’t stop singing
The future I believe in
The best part of my day
You will be my comfort and my laughter
My happy ever after
My favorite choice I’ve made
It’s nice to know the best is yet to come
It’s nice to know our lives have just begun
Through every line of the new lyrics, I hear our story and find myself again. Only I’m better than I was before because this stunning woman makes me better, whole, stronger.
She finishes, blushing under my dumbfounded gaze until the words I should have said the second I saw her again flow from my lips. “I love you.”
She sucks in a breath, her lashes blinking faster than I would be comfortable with if I didn’t know she’s fighting back happy emotions.
“Maddox, I love you, too, and always will.” Lowering to her knees before me, she runs her hands up my outer thighs.
Her touch sends my system swirling with a sudden surge of need. “I thought that was my move.”
“What?”
“Getting on my knees.”
A playful grin rolls across her lips. “The way I remember it, you chickened out.”
“I did no such thing. I saved it.”
“For what?”
“Later.” In rising, I pull her to her feet and into my arms. “First, we have to make up for lost time.”
???
Five hours. That’s how long I proved to my girl how much I love her. Taking in the view of her in my bed, I can’t believe I’m not continuing what we started earlier. My teenage self would be grossly disappointed, but I have bigger plans that need to get underway. Once everything is set into motion, we can experience more of those lazy, lingering mornings for the rest of our lives.
I leave her a note and the spare key and make my way to the hospital. Stepping outside, the weather matches my mood again. Last night had been unkind and dreary. After a life-changing fewhours with Carmen, the sun shines cheerfully down on me from clear skies.
On the way to my truck, I stop by the bagel stand and order my usual. No one asks about my day or when I’ll be back just to visit, and that’s fine. I’ll soon be free of this place, left to endure it only when I attend a Red Sox game or visit during Sadie’s rehearsals.
Traffic is hell at this commuter time of day, and I get to Adrian’s room twenty minutes after visitation starts.
“You’re back.” His voice sounds like he swallowed razor blades for his last meal. Despite enduring emergency surgery yesterday, he’s sitting up in bed like it’s any normal day, white bandages covering the top of his hand, forehead, and thigh. He turns off the TV and flings the remote onto the nearby tray with aclank.
“Where else would I be?” I reclaim the stiff chair my ass put a permanent dent in yesterday and roll it up to the bed.
