Page 97 of Can't Get Over You
Their mouths tore apart, but their bodies stayed pressed together. She tangled her fingers in his hair. “I can’t believe I get to kiss you in my kitchen on a Sunday morning.”
Cody came crashing into the room, followed by the three men. “Look what I made, Miss O’Neill. The guys said I did a good job.” He handed her a drawing. “I’m going to give it to Amy in school tomorrow. Don’t fold it ’cause it’ll get ugly.”
“I won’t fold it.” He’d drawn a picture of two stick figures standing in a grassy field, flowers growing on long, droopy stems. Next to them was a crude swing set. “Oh, she’s going to love this.” She wiped the cocoa mustache off his upper lip.
“All right, we’re out of here,” Gunnar said. “What’s the plan? You want Christmas Eve at my place or here?”
“Yours,” Jude said. “But let’s have Christmas here so Cody can open his presents.”
“You sure you want all of us to come over?” his dad asked her.
“Yes.” She answered a little too quickly, but she knew they understood what it would mean to Cody to have the whole family here.
“Sounds good,” Gunnar said. “I’ll bring the groceries and cook so you guys can just enjoy Christmas Day as a family.”
With her mom and dad, she’d be apologetic. She’d worry about imposing, causing them more work. But Gunnar wasn’t like that. He was genuine. All she could do was smile. “That sounds perfect.”
He gave her a sharp nod. “Invite your folks.”
“Oh, they won’t come.”
“Up to them whether they do or not.” The older man shrugged. “At least, they’ll know they’re welcome.”
“Gunnar, I want to be you when I grow up.” It hadn’t even occurred to her that she could emotionally detach from the people who hurt her.They can choose to be in my life or not.It’s up to them.
After the three guys left, Jude and Finlay finished cleaning the kitchen. She put the ingredients away while he wiped the counters. “Your mom can come for breakfast. Keep up that tradition with her.”
“To be honest, I think she’ll be relieved to hear I have other plans. She doesn’t reallywantto do anything. And I get it. She has a demanding job. It’s not just the crazy hours. It’s the ridiculous requests, too. A woman once called her at three in the morning because her feet were cold, and all her socks were wet from skiing. Keep in mind, all the houses and condos have washers and dryers.”
“And your dad? He’d rather party?”
“Right, but he only goes to the ones where he can make connections. People who’ll hire him to caddy or give golf lessons. Or to go on outrageous snowboarding trips.”
“Got it.” Jude smacked the faucet and snatched a dry dish towel off the counter. He pulled her in for a hug. “You deserve so much more than they gave you.”
“I think I’m just starting to see that.”
As he drove to the tree farm, Finlay exchanged text messages with her parents about Christmas plans while Cody dozed in his booster seat. Between the cloud cover, the black leather interior, and the Mustang’s low ceiling, the world was dark, cozy…intimate.
Contentment surged through him.
This is happiness.
Whatever he’d experienced before Finlay? That was not it. Being with her gave it a whole new definition.
Up until this moment, he’d never really fit into his skin. He couldn’t explain it. He’d just never belonged anywhere. Even in his family, he’d always felt like an outsider, like the black sheep. He’d just never felt truly himself. And that was why he’d been on the run.
He wasn’t chasing freedom—he was fleeing.
But with her, everything clicked into place. He was exactly where he needed to be.
When she finished, she set her phone in the cupholder. “I’m supposed to be on my honeymoon right now.”
She might as well have hit him with a shovel. He’d gotten so caught up in his own feelings that he’d lost sight of the fact she was still in the thick of a life crisis.
What had he been thinking? Of course she wasn’t ready to jump from a lifelong commitment into a new relationship in a week.
You’re playing house.
