Page 78 of Mistletoe Kisses

I smiled. “Keaton will pack the moving truck for me if I told him I wanted to stay here.” I had no doubt about that.

“I can’t wait to meet him.”

Those six words warmed me like a blazing fire. “Keaton will love you.”

He grinned. “You’re welcome to stay here while we figure things out. How about we get through Christmas and then do some planning?”

“I like that. Plans are good.”

Lucas stood and turned toward me, then pushed me back onto the bed before climbing up to straddle me. He pushed a bag of coffee out of the way. “How about weplanon me making you feel so good you forget your name?”

“I like that idea.” I grimaced. “But first, can I cancel my flight? If I don’t, it’ll distract me the whole time. I want to hang on to the fare to reuse when I fly back to pack up my stuff.”

“Great idea. I want all your attention, so do what you have to do.” Lucas kissed under my ear.

I giggled as I scrambled to grab my phone off the nightstand. I’d deal with all the other logistics and let folks know in a while. First? I wanted to celebrate. I felt light as a feather on the wind after having made the decision. That must mean it was the right one.

Chapter34

Arlo

“We could renta hotel room at the coast for a night or two next month. February is nice because it can get super stormy.” Lucas tightened his arm around my shoulders as his excited words washed over me. “My family used to rent a house right on the beach with two-story windows in the front that came to a point, like a sideways beak. The wind and rain would crash against it. I loved that.” Lucas kissed my head.

He’d done that every few minutes for the last hour while we lay in bed and chatted after coming down from the breath-stealing orgasms.

I was terrified about the fuzzy future ahead of me—how could I not be?—but equally as excited. There was so much to look forward to. For the first time in years, I was enthusiastic about the future instead of fearing it. I still needed to face my family—both sides of it—but now I knew I could, especially with Lucas’s support.

“That would be amazing. I can’t wait to see it.”

My phone buzzed, and my heart rate accelerated. Time to have a serious talk with Keaton. But when I picked it up, it was once again my mom instead of him.

As soon as Lucas saw the name on the screen, he climbed off the bed. “I’ll give you privacy. If you need me, throw something at the door, and I’ll come right in.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek, then gathered his clothes as he left the room and gently closed the door behind him.

I swallowed. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hello, Arlo. Is now a good time to talk?” Her voice held her usual steady tone, but I knew her well enough to catch the shaky undercurrent.

“It is. I’m so sorry—”

“Oh, honey. No. You have nothing to apologize for. This is my fault. I should’ve been more honest with you all along.” Her voice had softened significantly. There was a warmth in it I rarely heard but had craved most of my life.

I basked in the words.We’re really having this conversation.I’ve got this.“Why’d you keep his identity from me?”

She laughed dryly. “Because I was young and stubborn and made the wrong decision, and then I doubled down. After he died, I didn’t want to hurt you even more. I should have told you the truth when you were old enough to hear it. And I’ve made you sneak around and hide things from me. Like losing your job?”

I squeezed my eyes closed. I’d wanted to hear her explain her decision for so long.

“Please, ask me anything you want to know.”

“How did you meet?”

She let out a deep laugh. “I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but we met in a bar. When I told you it was a one-night stand, that was the truth. I was playing pool with a friend, and he came over and bet me a drink that he would win.”

“So, if you lost, you bought him one, and if he lost, he bought you one?”

Mom laughed again. “Smooth, right?”

I laughed too. It was shaky but genuine. “How did you start writing letters?”

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