Page 95 of The Christmas Fix
“Sorry. I’m sorry. I’m just… stupid and confused.”
“Look, just talk to this woman who I’m pretending is not my twin sister. Okay? Do us all a favor and lock her in a closet until she talks. And then don’t give me a status update.”
“Got it. Okay. Thanks,” Noah bobbed his head. Talk to her. He could do that. Somehow. Merry wasn’t that big. She couldn’t hide from him forever.
“Great. Awesome. Now, can we please finish this goddamn treehouse before filming?” Gannon demanded.
Noah dipped the paint brush back in the can feeling marginally more hopeful.
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That evening, covered in paint and nursing a few splinters, Noah wandered toward home. His shoulders hunched against the cold. He’d grown up here, so Merry’s icy winters were nothing new. But when he felt cold on the inside, no number of thermal layers could warm him up.
It was ridiculous. He was an adult, damn it. And so was Cat. He’d just go talk to her, clear the air.
He spun around and headed in the opposite direction. He’d just knock on Cat’s door and very calmly explain to her… something.
He was still working it out in his head when he spotted her ducking out of a production van and heading into Trailer Town. She saw him, and they eyed each other across the expanse of asphalt for a moment before she jerked her head toward an empty box truck next to the RVs.
Her face was unreadable. But Noah was committed. He climbed into the cab on the passenger side as she slid in behind the wheel on the opposite side. They closed their doors and then there was silence. The cab light slowly dimmed. It smelled like stale cigarettes and dust inside.
“You hurt my feelings,” she announced without preamble.
All his prepared explanations vanished. “I’m sorry, Cat. I swear I didn’t mean to hurt you—”
She cut him off. “Yeah. I know. I’m not really here for an apology. The point is, Iletyou hurt my feelings. I thought you were slut-shaming me by not wanting Sara to know about me.”
Noah’s open mouth closed with a snap. “Huh?” he managed.
“I realize that probably wasn’t the message you were trying to send me.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Good. Okay then.” She nodded briskly. All business.
“Is there anything else you want to say?” he prodded, seeing the indecision in her eyes.
She took a breath. “I only do casual because, well, because it fits my schedule, my life. You make me wonder if maybe that’s not all I want. With you. And I’m not really ready to consider that possibility. Because it can’t be. I’m not staying here, and I don’t know when I’m going to be ready to find a permanent home and stay put. I literally don’t know where I’ll be living next year. And it wouldn’t be fair to ask you to wait for me to figure out when I’d like to settle down.”
He nodded and then, at a loss for words, kept on nodding.
“Anyway, I get that you’re not comfortable with Sara knowing about us. I’m not a parent. You are. I get the need for secrecy. So… that’s it.”
She leaned toward him, pressed a chaste kiss on his mouth, and turned to open her door.
Noah thanked his reflexes for being faster than his wits. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her back across the bench seat. The kiss he gave her was anything but chaste, reminding them both of what was at stake. The heat, that glorious burst of flames that leapt to life when her lips moved hungrily under his, was all they needed to know.
He pulled back and searched her face, those swollen lips, her half-closed hazel eyes. “Tell me what you want now. What can we have now?”
“Fun,” she suggested. “Let’s just have fun. I like it. You need it. Everyone wins.”
“Fun?” he repeated.
She gave him a little smile. “Don’t look at me like I’m speaking Russian. Fun. Naked fun.”
“And will we be having this naked fun with anyone else?” he pressed.
Her eyes widened, sparking with annoyance. “No! Exclusive fun only for both of us.”
