Page 78 of My December Darling

“That they made you believe in love.”

“Oh. Right.” I look everywhere but his face. “It was a last-minute addition.” And clearly a stupid one based on the way he is looking at me.

His face remains unreadable as he nods. “I noticed.”

“Was it too sappy?” I don’t let him answer before saying, “Yeah. Definitely cheesy. Ugh.” I wrinkle my nose. “I should’ve run it by you first before embarrassing myself up there?—”

He cuts my rambling off with a fierce kiss that does the trick of shutting me up.

“Did you mean it?” he asks after pulling away.

“Mean what?” I blink up at him, too dazed to follow his line of thinking.

“Thatthere is always room for love in our lives, so long as we are open to accepting the kind we think we deserve,” he directly quotes my speech without missing a single word.

His intense gaze has me staring down at my lap. “I think so.”

I’ve had my share of boyfriends in the past, including Aiden, but after him, I stopped trying to find someone good enough to marry one day. I’ve told myself countless times that I stuck to casual flings and guys who weren’t interested in anything serious because it felt safe. I knew what I was getting myself into, so there was no risk of getting hurt or worse, hurting someone else.

Thinking back on it, maybe I picked people who were strictly casual because I didn’t think Ideservedthe kind of love my sister and her now-husband have. After all, I was the reason they couldn’t be together in the first place.

My poor life choices caused my sister to suffer and keep her feelings about Aiden to herself, so I decided that she was the one who deserved her happy ending with the guy of her dreams while I punished myself for being so damn selfish and oblivious to everyone else’s feelings. But in the process, I was ignoring my own needs, wants, and dreams.

My sister wouldn’t want me to hurt myself like this. She’d love for me to be happy too, and it’s time I consider what that looks like. What my life could be like, should I let go of my self-sabotaging habits first.

Luke seems to read my mind as he asks, “What kind of love do you think you deserve then?”

“I’m not sure,” I answer honestly, my voice small and hardly audible over the music streaming from the speakers.

He clasps my chin between his fingers and looks me in the eyes as he says, “Then it’s up to us to figure it out.Together.”

23

LUKE

I’ve been told I’m a patient man, but my ability to control myself went out the window the moment Catalina appeared today, wearing a smile solely meant for me and a silk dress that highlighted every curve I’ve spent the last few weeks dreaming of.

Throughout the wedding, I couldn’t keep my eyes off her, and I stole glances every chance I got. The groomsmen gave me shit about it, but I ignored them, knowing their teasing came from a place of envy. Because who the hell wouldn’t be envious of whatever man is on the receiving end of Catalina’s attention?

Hell, I’m envious of people who are her damn family, especially when her uncles and cousins whisk her away for a dance or two, leaving me to stew in the corner, nursing a beer, while I wait for my turn again.

Tonight has been a true test of my self-restraint, and I’ve done a wonderful job. The challenge proves even more difficult once Catalina drags me onto the dance floor to the sound of the Martinez-Rivera family getting excited over whatever popular Latin song that began streaming from the speakers.

“Just follow my steps.” She places one of my hands on her hip while she grabs the other.

I let her take the lead, and she shows me how to properly dance to the music her family loves. All of them slap me on the shoulder and say a few words of encouragement, and after several songs, I get the hang of some basic moves.

Thankfully, Catalina is patient with me, never getting frustrated despite me stepping on her toes multiple times. She shows me how to shimmy my hips and smoothly spin her around until I can do it without her instruction, and I get her to laugh multiple times when I accidentally lose my rhythm.

I swear I haven’t felt this level of contentment before, and it’s all because of the dazzling woman in front of me, who seems to glow as she shares a story about how her dad never danced at parties until her mom showed up at one and started dancing with all the men except for him.

I relate to her father in this moment because before tonight, I was always comfortable sipping a drink in a corner while everyone else was on the dance floor.

Just another thing to add to my growing list of reasons why the thing I have with Catalina is special.

We continue dancing together until the DJ announces the last dance for the bride and groom. I’m reluctant to let Catalina go and end the spell between us, so I hold her hand and don’t let it go throughout Aiden and Gaby’s final dance and sparkler send-off.

The only reason I release her is when she needs to get inside the car I ordered to drive us back to town.

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