Page 100 of Moonlight & Matrimony
Ivy
? Shake the Frost - Tyler Childers
With the holidays looming and Christmas eve just two days away, Luca agreed to hold off on our date, and I’m beginning to regret that decision. We have yet to define our relationship since I returned, and uncertainty is creeping in. Are we supposed to just act like a happy family? Are we starting over?
Every unanswered question swirls in my mind as I browse the new releases at Chapters and Brews, searching for the perfect pick for the book box I’m throwing together for Paige’s Christmas gift. My decision is made for me as I come across the perfect Grumpy/Sunshine Cowboy romance. I pull out my phone to text Cade, hoping Paige doesn’t already have this particular book, when I notice I have an unopened text from Luca.
Luca: Do you have anything planned tonight?
Just the sight of his name on my phone has my chest tightening and butterflies taking flight in my belly. I tap out a response, unable to contain the smile on my face for all of Oak Ridge to see.
Ivy: Not unless a hot bath and smutty romance book counts.
Luca: I’d hate to intrude on your grand plans, but I was hoping I could take you and Ry out for a special mission.
Ivy: I think I could push my plans back until after bedtime. What did you have in mind?
Luca: Don’t you worry your pretty little head. I’ll see you at home in an hour.
Ivy: Bossy.
Luca: Brat.
My core clenches at the familiar exchange. It’s getting harder to resist the urge to crawl into Luca’s bed each night and take everything I know we both want. But the timing isn’t right. We might never be fully healed from the trauma, but we’re getting better and that’s more than I could’ve even hoped for just a few short weeks ago.
An hour later, I find lumbersnack Luca standing at the bottom of the porch steps in his red flannel jacket. Rylin is standing beside him, bundled up in her winter coat with a brand new hat and mitts, her small hand clasped in his. The sight sends a sharp pang straight through my heart.
“Ready to go?” Luca asks.
I search his face for the answer to my unspoken question, but his expression gives nothing away. “Where to?” I ask.
It’s Rylin who answers first, her body practically vibrating with excitement as she tugs on Luca’s hand. “Christmas tree!”
“We’re going to pick out a Christmas tree?”
“I was coerced,” Luca says with a chuckle. “You didn’t think this one would let us get away with not having a tree, did you?”
“By coerced, do you mean she looked at you with her big blue eyes and asked you to get a tree and you immediately bent to her every whim?”
He shrugs. “That about sums it up.”
“Sucker.”
He quirks an eyebrow with an unspoken insinuation and I have to clench my thighs at the thought of Luca on his knees for me.Down, girl.
I clear my throat. “Oook. Let’s go!”
Luca guides Rylin to his truck, carefully securing her into her car seat. I catch his gaze from the passenger seat. He winks, then taps the hood and strides over to the driver’s side. A chill fills the cab when his door swings open, so I scrub my palms over my jeans, then bring my fists up to my mouth and blow hot air on my cold fingers. Luca reaches into the glove box and pulls out a pair of purple knit mittens, laying them on my lap.
My brows draw together in confusion. “Where did you get these?”
“Easy, Trouble. Nana made them for you. I haven’t been with anyone else.”
I stare into his amused eyes, “I wasn’t…”
“You were,” he says, a smirk tugging at his lips. “And it’s cute.”
Rolling my eyes, I shove my hands into the soft wool. Was I a little jealous at the thought of Luca with someone else? Maybe. But I’m not going to give him the satisfaction.
