Page 41 of Mistletoe Kisses

“Yes.”

“This is their holiday spin on the Screaming Orgasm shot. The glitter is edible.”

Whipped cream and a cherry topped the four-layered drink with shades of brown. It looked intense, but I was the one who’d asked for it.

“Bottoms up,” he said after saluting me with his glass.

The last time I’d done shots, I’d landed in Dahlia Springs. That hadn’t gone so bad. It might not have turned out as I or Keaton had intended, but I was still grateful for every moment, except for the hours spent in the B&B. That place creeped me the hell out.

I winced as the alcohol-tinged, sweetened bitterness raced down my throat.

“Thoughts?”

“I didn’t expect it to be so sweet.”

Lucas laughed. “Right. Shots consumed. Time for the dinner postmortem. How are you feeling about it all?” He leaned forward and dropped his elbows onto the table.

How was I feeling? Not, why didn’t I tell them? Why did I waste the chance? Why was I such a coward? But how wasIfeeling about it.

“They’re really great. Like even better than my wildest dreams conjured ever since I learned about them.” I watched my left thumb repeatedly scratch the nail on the right one. “I met my grandmother.”

“You did. She liked you. They all did.” His words were said with kindness, but they still made my stomach twist.

I had a perfectly pleasant family who would likely embrace me, but I was too much of a coward to do anything about it.

“I know. I know I should tell them.”

“Hey.” Lucas reached over and wrapped his hand over mine. “There’s noshouldabout any of this. There’s no one right way to tell a family you didn’t know you had, one your mom didn’t want you to know about, that you exist while also navigating the complicated fallout with the woman who raised you. This is heavy shit. Take all the time you need because the worst thing you could do is push yourself too hard and hurt yourself.”

The air left my lungs as the music’s bass thumped in my chest.

I hadn’t given myself that grace, but hearing Lucas say it gave me permission. Weight slid off my shoulders.

“Thank you, Lucas. Thank you for everything. You’ve made this week so special for me.” I stared at my hands but forced myself to look into his eyes. “I know you probably meet a lot of people coming through town, but it takes a lot for me to open up to someone. I’m grateful you created space for me to do that.” My head tilted down again.

He pressed his finger under my chin and gently tilted my head up. “I do meet a lot of people, but you are special. I’m so glad you came into my restaurant and got hot sauce on your dick.”

The rest of my shame fell away with the laughter that burst out of me, at least for the night. There was one more thing I wanted to do before I left Dahlia Springs. I might leave with one regret tomorrow, but I refused to leave with two. “Can we go back to your place?”

Chapter18

Lucas

My hands wereclumsy as I fumbled with my apartment door lock. I wasn’t nervous about taking things further with Arlo, but it was more about bringing him into my humble space.

“It’s not much, but it’s comfortable. Being a full-time server in a small town isn’t exactly lucrative.”

Arlo squeezed my bicep. “I don’t care what your place looks like or how much money you make. Anything is a step up from an army of dolls waiting to kill me in my sleep.”

I laughed as my nerves disappeared.

“Did you forget that I live with a roommate, and I’m unemployed? Not exactly swimming in dough here either.”

“We’re quite the pair.” I pushed open the door, flicked on the light, and stood back to let Arlo roam around after we kicked off our shoes and I hung our coats.

All I saw was an assortment of secondhand furniture thrifted from Facebook Marketplace, but there wasn’t an ounce of judgment on Arlo’s face. He dragged his fingertips across the neck of my guitar. I wanted to watch him drag his fingertips across my skin with the same care. He moved to the bookcase and studied my collection of novels.

“It’s cozy. I like it in here.” Arlo’s shy smile pressed all my buttons.

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