Page 45 of Puck the Halls
“There’s room to add stones,” Nathan says.
“Later,” I quickly add. “Two babies in less than two years is a lot on your body.”
She holds her wrist out for me to fasten the bracelet. “Much later,” she says, wryly. “I would like some time to just enjoy what we have.”
“I would say whenever you’re ready so am I, but we both know that's on Michael and Crew,” Nathan says with a grin. “Though I’m happy to buy us a bigger house when the time comes.”
We all chuckle together and Dani admires her bracelet, turning her wrist to the right and left. “Right now I think youshould take me to the bedroom. It would be a shame to waste that lingerie I bought for this trip.”
Crew immediately is off the couch, tearing his sweatshirt off over his head. “Lingerie should never be wasted.”
Nathan reaches out his hand for Dani and she lets him tug her to her feet. I run my hand down over the curve of her ass while Nathan kisses her.
“I think we have a new holiday tradition.”
Then I stand up and follow my wife and her husbands to the bedroom.
CHAPTER 12
Wade
(FORMERLY SAMMY THE MALAMUTE)
“Erika! What are you doing here?”I’m stunned but not so stunned that I don’t recover enough to say, “Get in here, girl. It’s freezing outside.”
I reach out and take Erika by the hand, not even considering whether she wants me to touch her or not. I mean, she’s here, right?
Once I have her inside and out of the biting wind, door closed and locked behind her, she stomps her cowboy boots on the mat.
Erika smiles. “Why do you look like Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation?”
I glance down at my robe and bare feet. “I was in the hot tub.”
If I was still smoking I would assume this was a cannabis mirage. That I had conjured Erika up during a dehydrating hot tub session. But I don’t smoke anymore.
Maybe Mr. Armstrong’s hot tub is a time machine?
Maybe this is future Erika?
Though she’s still holding my hand and seems pretty happy to see me so maybe this is past Erika.
“Ah,” she says. Her brow furrows and her shoulders tense. “Are you alone?” She glances behind me like she expects a hot girl in a bikini to appear.
As if. Fuck hot girls in bikinis. Well, not literally. The only hot girl I want to fuck is standing right in front of me wearing jeans and a red sweater.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m alone. Yes. Totally alone. Well, aside from the guy who lives next door who was talking to me.” My palms are damp. I sound like I’m protesting too much, which I’m not.
I’m just nervous.
Erika looks like…an angel. There’s pink in her cheeks, snow flakes in her hair, and she’s standing next to Nathan’s family of Christmas trees, which is casting a warm glow over her already radiant presence. It makes my mouth dry and my heart ache. “Do you want to take your coat off?” I ask. “Do you want a drink or anything?”
Do you want to move to St. Louis with me and live happily-ever-after?
“I could use a drink.” Then she shakes her head. “Not alcohol or anything. Water is good.” As she shrugs out of her denim jacket she looks around the house. “Wow. Fancy. I bet they have sparkling water. I’ll take that.”
“Great. Awesome. Coming right up.”
God, that sounded stupid. I resist the urge to smack myself on the forehead. Taking Erika’s jacket, I hang it up in the closet.
