Page 2 of My December Darling

It didn’t take me long to realize I was dating Aiden for all the wrong reasons, especially in the hope of appeasing my mother, and he seemed to feel similarly about us, although he had the courage to break things off with me first.

My future brother-in-law wraps his arms around Gaby and pulls her against his chest. She sinks into him when he drops a kiss on the top of her head, earning a little sound of appreciation from my mother, and the smallest smile from me.

I’ll be the first to admit they’re pretty damn cute together, even if Aiden’s little pet name for Gaby makes my eyes roll from time to time.

I’m so distracted by the two lovebirds that I miss Luke coming up to my side until his arm brushes against mine. A light, airy sensation builds inside of my chest from a single touch, right before I crush it with the weight of our reality.

I mightlikeLuke’s touch. I might evenlikethe way he smells like sandalwood and leather from the jacket he is currently wearing over a plain black Henley and jeans. But IdislikeLuke the person. He’s annoyingly friendly, frustratingly thoughtful, and the kind of guy who could inspire a future comic book superhero, both because of his muscles and his commitment to helping others.

“Catalina,” Luke says my name with a smile. I’m not surprised, seeing as he gives everybody the same one.

Something about the way his smile makes mefeelsets off alarms in my head, and I add some space between us.

“Lucas.”

His grin expands as he turns to face me. “It’sLuke.”

“Huh. And here I thought we were calling each other by our full names.”

He chuckles to himself, making my stomach flutter. “My name isn’t Lucas.”

“Shame. I like it better thanLuke.”

His brown eyes sparkle like they always do whenever he is amused, and damn, they really are pretty and framed by the darkest, thickest lashes that put mine to shame.

I have to break eye contact first, solely because I can’t handle his attention.

Luke Darling might live up to his last name with everyone, but I’m not entirely convinced. I mean, there has to be something wrong with him, right? No one can bethathappy all the time, or that willing to go out of his way to assist others, even if he is held to an oath to protect every life at all costs.

Regardless of my concerns, I’ll have to put up with Luke for the foreseeable future since the two people we love are getting married, whether I like him or not.

2

LUKE

Despite the pep talk I gave myself during the walk over to the restaurant about being on my best behavior and acting like a mature man in my early thirties, the moment I saw Catalina, all bets were off.

We have only seen each other a handful of times since Aiden and Gaby have gotten together, and every single interaction has ended with me wondering why I bothered trying to talk to her in the first place. If Aiden hadn’t insisted that I join them, I would’ve passed on lunch altogether.

Despite being roommates, it’s rare for us to spend quality time together since we are both emergency room doctors at the new, state-of-the-art Lake Aurora hospital. Usually, we only see each other in passing since we both work graveyard shifts on different days, but today we both had the night off.

I thought I could get through today without an incident, but clearly, I slipped up when I called Catalina by her full name. She probably thought I did it strictly because I like to annoy her, but I just think her name is beautiful.

The waitress interrupts the table’s conversation by asking for our orders. Everyone but me, the guy who didn’t look at the menu because he was too focused on the beautiful, irritated brunette sitting across from him, knows what they want to eat, so I pick the first thing I see.

Catalinasnorts, and hell, it sounds a lot cuter than it should.

Cuter? More like rude.

Yes. So damn rude, I find myself fighting both a smile and a request for her to repeat the sound again. Most people in town call Catalina an ice queen, but everyone has a melting point.

I just haven’t found hers yet.

“Have something to share?” I lean forward on my elbows, giving her my full attention.

“Nope,” she says with a pop of her lips. Her pink, pillowy,always pulled into a frown whenever I’m aroundlips.

“You sure about that?”

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