Chapter 11 #2
Beside him, Holly was telling him a story about the year her brother convinced everyone to let him deep fry the turkey and then nearly burned their parents’ back porch and the whole backyard down.
She was laughing, and she looked so beautiful—almost angelic—sitting out here with her breath dancing out in front of her.
But Lucas quietly watched and listened to every word she said. He loved her stories, loved the way she told them. There was laughter and hand gestures and every word and every move just pulled him in.
Turning her head, she smiled. “What are you thinking right now? Regretting coming to my family’s chaos instead of one of your high-society, luxury catered events?”
He knew she was teasing, so he didn’t take offense.
So he smiled easily. “Not even a little.” He turned fully toward her, adjusting his bulky coat so he could be comfortable.
His voice turned softer, more serious. “You know, I’ve spent Thanksgivings in places with five-star menus, imported desserts, and champagne towers…
but tonight, eating that burned apple pie and watching your niece put stickers on the dog?
That felt more like Thanksgiving than anything I’ve ever known. ”
Holly ducked her head with a small laugh, and even in the moonlight, he caught her blush. “You mean my family didn’t scare you off?”
“They made room for me at the table. Without conditions. Without calculation. Just… room.” He looked down, almost sheepishly.
It was rare for him to be unsure of his words.
“When I was a kid, holidays were about appearances. Perfect pictures. Polished manners. But never warmth. Never real. And now, I walked into your parents’ house—your dad in those ridiculous reindeer slippers, your mom hugging me like I’ve always been there—and I realized… ”
He paused, meeting her expectant gaze.
“You’re the rich one, Holly.”
She blinked, clearly surprised. “What?”
“You have something I spent most of my life thinking money could buy. Love. Connection. A family who argues over football stats and the right way to bake a pie, but always shows up. You don’t just have wealth—you are wealth.
” He shrugged slightly, his voice barely above a whisper.
“And I feel richer just being near it. Near you.”
Holly’s breath caught, her eyes soft and shining. She reached for his hand, threading her fingers through his. “Then maybe we’re both wealthy now.”
He smiled—small, sincere. And in that quiet moment, he knew she was right.
And for the first time ever, he truly felt like he had everything.
The moment was ruined when Shmoop came running over with muddy paws and jumped up on the outdoor sofa between them.
“Dammit, Shmoop! You’re a mess!” Holly cried, even though she was laughing. “Come on. Let’s go inside and get you cleaned up.”
Lucas followed them and watched as the dog dutifully sat next to the kitchen sink and let Holly wipe him down. Then she gave him a treat, and he happily trotted out of the room.
“Clearly the two of you have the routine down pat,” he teased.
“Oh, yeah. There’s a spot in the back corner of the yard that I can’t get anything to grow—not even grass—so it’s usually muddy. And for some reason, that’s where Shmoop insists on going when it’s dark.”
“Sure, because you can’t see him or tell him not to go there.”
“Exactly. The brat.”
He took her by the hand and led her out to the living room. “I hope you don’t think I was being too presumptuous, but…I have an overnight bag out in my car.”
With her head on his shoulder, she sighed happily. “Good. I was hoping you were going to do that. I know it’s been a long day and we ate so much, but I’m not ready for it to end.”
“You’re hungry?”
She elbowed him in the ribs. “I’m ready for the eating to be over, but not our time together, silly. Sheesh. Way to ruin the moment.”
“Sorry. But um…didn’t your mom send us home with some of those peanut butter cookies?”
Now she lifted her head and smirked. “You’re hungry? Seriously? All we did was eat today!”
“I know, but those were so good and we finished eating hours ago,” he reasoned. “I mean, you don’t have to eat anything, but…I wouldn’t mind a few cookies. And maybe something to drink.”
She studied him for a moment before her smile grew. “You can have the peanut butter ones. I’m going to have the chocolate chip!” Jumping up from the couch, she ran to the kitchen and Lucas chased after her.
“Wow, and you were trying to shame me?” he teased.
Handing him the cookie tin, she shrugged. “In my head, I kept telling myself that I didn’t need to eat the cookies, but once you mentioned them, there was no way I could miss out.”
He tugged her in close, stretching to put the cookies on the counter so both his arms could go around her. “How about we take them inside and enjoy them after we get naked and enjoy each other?”
“Mmm…I like the sound of that.” Leaning up, she kissed him. “You grab the cookies, I’ll grab us a few drinks, and we’ll have to carefully make our way past Shmoop so he doesn’t come into the bedroom with us.
Because…yeah, the dog slept with her most nights. It was something Lucas was getting used to when he slept over, but it was still a little awkward for him.
They each silently peered into the living room and spotted the dog sound asleep in the dog bed next to the coffee table. Holly pressed her finger to her lips and whispered, “Shh…” before they tiptoed across the house. Neither made a sound until they were safely in her bedroom and closed the door.
Then they made all the noise they wanted.
And ended the night with cookies.