Page 63 of Perfectly Complicated
“Because I knew you would like it.”
“And you put up Christmas lights for me?”
He nods. “I have a few extra strands left over, if you want to help me finish the job.”
“I never turn down the opportunity to put up more lights. Just let me put Aria in her crib first.”
He stands, cradling Aria’s back before handing her over to me. When I return, Rourke is untangling a strand of lights, attempting to drape them around a large potted plant in the corner.
“Since you don’t have a Christmas tree,” he says over his shoulder, “I thought we could use this one.”
“You’re decorating aplant?” I say around a laugh.
“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. No one said ithasto be atraditional tree. I went to Cancun once at Christmas, and they decorated the palm trees with lights.” He tosses me a light strand.
“So we’re doing a Cancun Christmas now?” I tease, fighting a smile. “Aria’s first Christmas: Houseplant Edition. So HGTV of you.”
“Hey, are you mocking my brilliant idea?” He smirks. “I’d like to see you come up with something better.”
“Oh, I have ideas,” I warn. “Hold still.”
He crosses his arms. “Janie, what are you doing?”
“You’ll see.” I hand him one end of the strand and walk in a circle around him, wrapping the lights around his torso, arms and chest, trapping him in lights.
“This is not what I had in mind,” he says, but I can tell he’s amused.
“Trust the process,” I say, making another loop. “I’m an artist at work. And since we don’t have a tree, you’re the next best thing.”
When I finish, I step back to admire my work. “There. A much better Christmas decoration than that sad plant.”
He looks down at himself, wrapped from shoulders to waist in multicolored lights. “This is your solution? Turning me into a human Christmas tree?”
“You demanded creativity.” I plug his end into the wall outlet, and he lights up. “Ta-da! The most handsome Christmas decoration I’ve ever seen.”
He tries to move his arms and realizes he’s trapped. “I can’t move.”
“That’s the point. Now you can’t escape while I tell you how adorable you look.”
“Adorable?” He raises an eyebrow. “Careful, Bennett. That’s how rumors start.”
I circle him slowly, pretending to inspect my work. “Hmm, something’s missing.” I reach for the Santa hat he wore at practice and set it on his head. “There. Now you’reofficial.”
His mouth curves. “You realize I’m going to get you back for this, right?”
I tug on the loose end of the lights around him. “You’ll have to escape first.”
He raises a brow. “Who says I want to?”
“Actually…” I step a little closer to him. “I kind of like you this way.”
“Tied up?” He gives me a playful smirk. “Bennett, you really should buy me dinner first.”
I loop the lights around my hands like reins, pulling him toward me. “Good thing I have dessert, then.”
His eyes spark, and the Christmas music switches to “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” I laugh softly. “My parents used to dance to this song every Christmas Eve,” I say, the memory floating through my brain. “Dad would spin Mom around the room until she collapsed on the couch laughing. They were so happy together, and they wanted that kind of marriage for me.”
I glance away, not wanting to talk about how I broke my parents’ hearts when I told them the news about Nick’s infidelity. They never blamed me for our failed marriage, but somehow it felt like I disappointed them by marrying the wrong man—someone who didn’t love me like Dad loved Mom.
