Page 5 of A Little Christmas: Star
I sighed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be so much trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all. Come on, let’s get you home.”
Home. Not to his home. But home. It had been years since we were in each other’s lives, but this was the first time in a long time that I was safe calling a place home. I was sure he was just being kind to me. Caelum had always been a generous and good person, but my quickened heartbeat and heated cheeks gave me the signs this might be more.
If only he were a daddy.
Goddess, Caelum would be the bestest daddy.
He put his coat over my shoulders and covered us with an umbrella despite the clouds being white as snow in a Christmas village. He whisked me into his car. Up ahead, I saw the paparazzi being given samples of coffee and goodies. Oscar was getting business and creating an opportunity for us, one that I was grateful for.
“Do you need anything before I bring you home? Are you hungry?”
My stomach growled at the perfect moment. “I am hungry.” I thought about it for a moment. “I haven’t eaten since this morning and it was the regular carb-free omelet and black coffee.”
While we drove away undetected, Caelum’s eyes scanned me again, this time not for injuries but with a heated gaze that made me gather his coat over my groin so he didn’t see the full impact of what I was feeling. “You don’t look like you need to lose any weight. You’re perfect just as you are. Unless it’s for health reasons?”
“I have no health issues other than the constant pressure to look a certain way for my job.”
He nodded. “I’ll order something to eat once we get home. All the carbs.”
We arrived at his home only minutes later. Caelum had done well for himself. His house was a cute cottage with the porch and door decorated for the season. His decorations veered on the natural side of things. Real pine limbs were carefully hung from the door. I could smell them before climbing the steps. Gentle white icicle lights dangled along the porch railings. A wreath on the door boasted cranberries, pine cones, and a cute owl couple wearing tiny beanies and snow boots.
“Come on in. Please, make yourself at home, Star.”
I’d hated my name for the first few months in Hollywood. Being asked over and over if the name was chosen because my parents had some kind of kismet knowledge of my fate as a celebrity. It wasn’t like I could tell them the truth, that my father was living vicariously through me.Hi, Star, you’re a big star now.
But when Caelum spoke my name, it sounded like a prayer, a hope.
Similar decorations adorned the inside of the cottage. A chunky tree hung with soft white lights occupied a corner. Driedoranges and strings of cranberries and wood beads tangled into the branches, creating a charming woodland feel.
“Did you make these?” I had to ask.
He chuckled and came to stand next to me. “I did. I love crafting with natural materials. Plus, the cinnamon makes the house smell nice.”
“You did all this yourself?” I prompted, strolling over to the fireplace decked out with stockings and more ornaments and lights.
“I did. I love it.”
“I hope Santa brings you the best presents.”
His brown eyes lit up. “He already has.”
Caelum insisted I rest while he started up a fire and showed me some menus to nearby places for dinner. My little brain eyed the kids’ menu, but I didn’t know how he would react. I kept who I was private, secret.
“Can I order whatever I want? I can pay.”
He kneeled in front of me, stroking my knees. “You are not paying for dinner in my house, Star. And, of course, order whatever you like. What are you thinking?”
He sat next to me, and I pointed to the menu, the kids’ menu. An order of tiny pizza burgers with tater tots and a Santa brownie for dessert.
“That doesn’t seem like enough for dinner. How about the chicken tenders as well?”
My chest unraveled from the tension I’d been feeling. “You don’t care about me ordering from the kids’ menu?”
“Why would I? Everyone is entitled to their preferences.”
Interesting. I wanted to blurt out right then and there that I was a little and even though I’d just crashed back into his life after ignoring him for years, I wanted nothing more than for him to be my daddy.
