Page 114 of Lake
I shouldn’t have been surprised that he knew me that well but I was, and it showed on my face.
“Yeah, you are,” he said with a laugh. And it was good to hear that sound come from him at a time like this. “I’m happy for you, Lake.”
“Well, don’t say that too early. I don’t know if she’s going to come back with me.”
He laughed again.
“I’ll see you when you get back.” He gave me a tiny smile and I knew I was dismissed.
It was a hell of a ride. Over ten hours in holiday traffic. It didn’t help that I was pretty much dead on my feet even before I sat my ass on my bike.
And then I was there, knocking out an odd little jingle against her door with my knuckles.
As the door flew open and Bridget stood there— looking less surprised than I imagined she would have looked— I wished that I’d thought of something clever to say.
Instead, I stood there with my mouth open and no sound coming out, looking like a huge dumbass.
Her lips parted slightly and she looked at me with this little twinkle in her eyes.
“You’re waiting for it, aren’t you?” I asked feeling a little disappointed in myself.
“Yeah, come on. Give it to me.”
“I… have nothing. I’m sorry.”
Her face dropped and I laughed.
“You were supposed to have some clever line,” she said shaking her head. “Or at least show up wearing something cute. Oh, and you’re about a week too late.”
“What?! How am I late?”
“You were supposed to show up for Christmas.”
“And let me guess, in your head, I was wearing… a Santa outfit and holding a sprig of mistletoe above my head when you answered the door.”
Her eyes went wide.
“Close,” she said regaining her cool. Maybe we thought too much alike sometimes, or it could have been that I knew her that well. “Just the Santa hat with the mistletoe dangling from the front.”
“And did I say something epic?”
“What? No, you showed up onChristmaswithmistletoeon your hat, you didn’t need to say anything epic.”
“Right,” I said nodding like I totally understood it.
“And the movie would be calledI’ll Be Home For Christmas, which is cute because this isn’t your home—”
“But you are.” I finished for her.
“Eh,” she said with a one-shoulder shrug. “It sounds a little cheesy, don’t you think, Lake? I would have expected better from you.”
One minute she was giving me crap, the next she was swept up in my arms and I was holding her as close as I could without crushing her. My nose was in her neck, inhaling her amazing scent and her boobs were mashed against my chest.
And everything felt right.
“You’re here,” she whispered like she couldn’t believe it.
There was that hint of shock that I’d been expecting.
