Page 16 of Five Mistletoe Moments
“And you’re going to tell her ‘I told you so’, right?”
“Nah, I’m going to be the director of the ‘I told you so’ choir.” She imitated being a conductor.
Laughter burst from him before he could stop it, drawing stares from nearby passengers. He’d smiled and laughed more with her in the short time they’d been together than he had in... He couldn’t remember. She’d brought back the joy to his world. “Girl, you ain’t nothing nice.”
She batted her eyelashes and said sweetly, “That’s not what you said yesterday when we were in those trees.”
“Behave.” No, he hadn’t said that at all. His groin stirred as if in agreement. Never had he made love to a woman without a condom, and being skin-to-skin with her had shot his desire through the roof.
She blew him a kiss, leaned back with a satisfied smile and started reading.
His smile still in place, Dwight did the same.
“You know, I just thought about something. The weather in your neck of the woods is a good fifteen or twenty degrees cooler and I don’t have anything warm to wear,” Mia said as they deplaned in Sacramento.
He’d given her his jacket, but still saw her shiver. “I took care of it. And it’s early enough to go pick up a couple of things if you want.” Neither of them had to wait for luggage, so he started for the exit as he read the message from his brother saying he’d be there in five minutes.
“How did you take care of it?”
“I asked my brother and sister-in-law to pick you up a couple of things until we can go shopping. Don’t worry, she has good taste. I figured jeans and couple of sweaters would be okay.”
Mia stared up at him. “Wow. Um…okay. Yeah, that’s fine. Are they going to meet us at your place?”
“Nope. They’re picking us up. Of course, my mother is going to be upset that she didn’t meet you first.” And the fact that she didn’t know that he’d been dating anyone. Dwight held the door open so she could exit first. Less than two minutes later, Dwayne’s late-model SUV pulled to the curb. He popped the trunk and jumped out.
“Oh. My. Goodness. You’retwins?” Mia’s mouth fell open.
“Yep, and I’m the better looking one,” Dwayne said.
Dwight scowled. “Shut the hell up.” He placed their bags in the trunk.
The passenger door opened and Valencia stepped out. “Welcome back.” She hugged him and whispered, “Love looks good on you. If you looked like this when I met you, I might’ve had a hard time telling you and Dwayne apart.”
“Hey, Lyn.” She’d been able to tell them apart the first day they met, but would never say how. Now her statement made him even more curious, but the amused expression on her face said she still wasn’t giving up her secret. Dwight curved an arm around Mia. “Mia, this is my beautiful bonus sister, Valencia and my loud-mouth brother, Dwayne.”
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Mia said, smiling.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mia,” Dwayne replied.
Valencia grasped Mia’s hand. “I’m really happy to meet you, Mia.” She handed her a coat. “This should warm you up.”
“Oh, thank you.” Mia handed Dwight his jacket and replaced it with the new one.
Dwight helped Mia into the car, then slid in behind her.
Once they were on the road, Valencia twisted in her seat. “There’s another bag in the trunk with a couple pairs of jeans and three sweaters.”
“I appreciate that. Let me know how much I owe you.”
“You don’t owe anything, baby,” Dwight said, dropping a kiss on her lips. “I already got it.”
Valencia divided an amused glance between Dwight and Mia, then turned back around, but not before Dwight saw her smile.
Forty-five minutes later, Dwayne parked in the driveway. They grabbed the bags and Dwight let them inside. “Welcome to my home,” he told Mia. Dwayne and Valencia went toward the kitchen, perceptively making themselves scarce. “Would you like a tour?”
“Yes, please. This is beautiful. How long have you lived here?”
“Thanks. Almost five years.” He led her through the one-story ranch-style four-bedroom, four-bath home. He’d let his sister decorate and she’d done a good job making his house look like a home.
