Page 40 of The Hockey Grump Saves Christmas

“What about your parents?” He sounds baffled that anyone might not be as close to their mom and dad as he is.

“Aunt Lou says it’s because of them that I’m desperate to please everyone. That when I was a kid I thought if I could make them happy, they wouldn’t have left me so often.”

“Theyleftyou?”

“Only for work reasons.” His surprise puts me on the defensive. “Mom is a flight attendant. Dad is a drug rep for a chemotherapy company. They travel a lot. And when they were away at the same time, I’d go to stay with Aunt Lou.”

“Couldn’t they take you with them? Like during school holidays or something?”

“Mom always said she would. But there was never enough time or money or some other reason.”

Gabe scowls.

“Mom would bring me lots of things back from where she’d visit though,” I say. “There was a toy kangaroo from Australia, a mini red phone box from London, stuff like that. And she would always tell me about this amazing strawberry ice cream she had in Italy.”

My lips instinctively curl into a smile at the memory. “I was only a kid, but the way she described it, saying it was the creamiest, most delicious, melt-on-your-tongue thing that anyone could ever hope to taste, really stuck with me. And I’ve always remembered the shop was in Florence and called Amoroso Gelati. That stuck with me too, because I was fascinated when Mom explained that gelato is Italian for ice cream. And I felt smart for knowing a word from another language.” I shake my head a little at my childish naivety. “I still look at the shop online sometimes.”

A darkness behind Gabe’s eyes says that if he ever met my mother, he might have some stern words for her.

“Anyway,” I say, “I’ll go there one day and taste it. I just haven’t had a chance to yet.” Like I haven’t had the chance to go anywhere else either. “But, yes, Aunt Lou’s theory is that it’s because of all that that I’m such a people pleaser.”

“Jesus, Natalie.” His voice is quieter now, more rasping.

I shiver under the unexpected touch of his fingers grazing up the side of my neck, sending goose bumps skittering across my chest, directly to my nipples.

He strokes higher and lightly scoops up a piece of hair that’s fallen from my ponytail and tucks it behind my ear.

Is he going to kiss me?

Christ, I want him to kiss me. I can’t let myself jump on him again. It has to come from him this time.

“You don’t have to earn anyone’s affection.” He leans in closer, his thumb on my cheek, fingers sliding under my chin, cupping it, easing my face toward his as he moves closer, so close that I can smell that spiced orangescent again.

His gaze slides to my mouth along with his thumb and he traces the outline of my lower lip.

It’s all I can do not to suck his thumb into my mouth.

But I’m waiting for him, waiting for him to put his mouth on mine. Not the other way around.

There’s only about two inches between us, the varying shades in his beard visible. His body heat wraps around me, draws me in.

Why are his eyes so gorgeous? They aren’t just green. They’re that hazel green with brown bits in the middle and lighter flecks around them.

“I hate that anyone would ever make you feel you had to earn their affection.” The breath from those kind words tickles my face, filling me with desire for the man who’s obviously a lot more thoughtful than he first seemed.

His beard brushes my chin, his lips are about to be on mine again, and every part of my body is excited about that.

I jump at the buzz of my phone in my back pocket, my ass virtually leaving the seat.

Gabe jumps because me being startled has startled him.

“Sorry.” I pull out my phone.

AUNT LOU

Could you pick up more nachos on your way back? Elsie’s grandson brought his dog in, and…long story…there’s none left for movie night.

“Shit. Movie night.” I leap to my feet.

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