20. Booth
CHAPTER TWENTY
booth
When I return, my family has relocated into the living room, where no one bats an eyelash.
I left Aly five minutes ago, but before I joined in with the wholesome festivities, I tucked my painful erection into the waistband of my briefs, fighting the need to fist myself as I replayed her breathy sounds in my head.
Had I gone too far? At first, I presumed yes.
Until she pushed as much as I pulled.
Back and forth.
She was asking me to take, and fuck, if I didn’t want to right there and then in the snow.
To melt it and have the steam rise above us as we scorched the ground.
She wanted me.
Or I thought she did until I sensed a hint of hesitation.
Forty-eight hours earlier, she told me she didn’t.
Or couldn’t. Either way, I needed her to be sure about what she wanted.
If it’s one night or ten, fine.
But I wouldn’t have her pretend it didn’t happen.
It was torture to feel the thump of her pulse against my lips.
Even now, as I smile at my family crowded around the fire, her scent lingers on my skin and clothes .
“Hey, where did you go?” Harriet squishes in next to me on the sofa.
“Had to take a call.”
“On Christmas Day ?” Her face says I’m full of shit.
Collapsing into the cushions, I keep my voice low.
“ I was checking on Aly .”
“Ah, yes. I also go and check on the welfare of my sworn enemy.” She smirks.
“I never said that.” I shove her shoulder.
“Um, you absolutely did, and I quote”—she whips out her phone and scans through our texts—“‘ This woman’s second job is being the bane of my existence.’”
“Doesn’t sound like me,” I brush her off.
“ Anyway , what does it matter? Can’t I be nice to a guest?”
She looks at me pointedly.
“ Do you want to get into the panties of all your mom’s dinner guests?”
We glance at Martin Willis , sitting silently in the corner.
“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” Wiggling her shoulders, she settles back.
“ She wasn’t what I was expecting.”
“How so?”
“Well, she wasn’t a dragon-witch, like you described. She seemed nice, in an intimidating, big sister way. I was ready to give her an earful, until she acted like she enjoyed it.” She leans in, whispering, “ She scared me, and yet I wanted to make friendship bracelets with her. She’s full of surprises.”
Snorting, I snatch Harry’s glass of eggnog out of her hand and take a large swig.
“That’s one way to describe her,” I mumble.
I’m still aching from the last round of whiplash Aly inflicted.
Whenever we’re together, she surprises me.
Is she going to be sweet, where she laughs freely and smiles openly?
Or will she be sharp and commandeering with her explosive confidence ?
The guessing game is rousing.
What I know is that she’s probably halfway home by now after that display in the yard.
Bringing the rim of the glass to my lips, I slowly sip the smooth nutmeg beverage, muscles relaxing.
Then Aly materializes, and every nerve ending goes on high alert.
When she spots me, she winks.
Winking is my thing.
Good lord, she’s Uno reversed me.
With swaying hips, bouncing curls, and a killer smile, she saunters into the room.
“Do you want me to say something at your funeral?” Harry snickers.
“ Because you are toast, my friend.”
Gulping, I watch Aly’s face soften.
She gracefully lowers to her knees next to Lottie playing with her dolls, and offers out a hand.
My niece pauses, eyeing the manicured hand before slipping her smaller one into it.
Everyone grows quiet.
“Lottie, right?” Aly’s voice is gentle and kind.
“Uh-huh.” Lottie nods.
“ And you’re the Scary Boss Lady . That’s what JoJo calls you.”
“Oh, kill me now,” Jo hisses and buries her face in Patrick’s shoulder.
Aly smirks in amusement, then pulls out a neatly wrapped gift from the bag in her other hand.
“According to everyone around Our Place , you’re the Boss Lady .” Sliding the gift across the rug, she smiles.
“ Merry Christmas , Lottie .”
Lottie gasps, then ravages at the paper with the force of ten hungry hyenas.
She squeals and runs over to Patrick and Jo .
“ Look ! Look ! I can boss Uncle Boo around in the kitchen.”
My head swivels.
“ Come again? ”
Grinning proudly, Lottie skips my way and shoves her gift in my face.
Black and white checked pants, crisp white jacket, and a matching hat.
Not forgetting the plastic spatula and knife set.
I’m silent before hooting with laughter.
“ A chef’s outfit?”
Lottie’s face turns serious and she whips a finger into the air.
“ Gimme twelve lobster rolls. Stat .” Giggling , she hugs the costume tightly.
“ I love it. Now we can be chefs together.”
Well, shit, my heart is gonna burst at the seams—a normal occurrence when Lottie acts adorable.
Only this time, there’s a new ache to the organ, tingling deep inside.
I almost don’t want to look at the culprit.
When I do, her eyes are trained on her hands tucked between her knees, a shy, contented smile on her lips.
She certainly is full of surprises.
“Spud, what do you say to Alessandra ?” Patrick stands behind Lottie and turns her to face Aly .
“Thank you soooo much. I’m never taking it off. When I’m older, I’m gonna be just like Uncle Chef Booth .” My niece spins to beam at me, but at her declaration, my heart drops.
Why would she want to be me?
A twenty-seven-year-old coward, clueless of where his career is headed.
I don’t voice my thoughts.
With a forced smile, I grab the chef hat and tug it over her head.
“ No toads in the kitchen.”
Lottie does a quick wardrobe change, and everyone fusses over her as she struts around the room, shouting out, “ Eighty -six” and “ Drop the fries!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Aly .
She sits next to my mom, their chatter barely audible.
“…believe me, he’s always been like this.” My mom laughs under her breath, and my ears perk up.
Are they talking about me?
“It’s fine. We’ve come to an…agreement. Things are a lot more professional now. ”
If professional means me watching her fuck herself on a black vibrator, then yeah, professional.
Patting Aly’s hand, my mom gestures to Lottie , playing.
“ You really didn’t have to bring anything. I’m glad you joined us, though. I bet you can’t wait to have a family of your own one day.”
Aly is never one to slump, her posture always poised and proper, but I watch a ripple of discomfort run through her body.
“ Oh , no kids for me. By choice,” she quickly adds.
Mom does a poor job at hiding her surprise.
“ You’re young. Plenty of time to change your mind.”
I sit straighter, wishing someone would distract my mother so she’d stop jabbering.
There’s a stiffness to Aly’s smile, but she’s still polite.
“ Nope . Not for me. It’s not something I see in my future.”
“But having children is so?—”
“Hey, Ma ?” I interrupt loudly, feet already carrying me across the room.
“ George was asking for your hot toddy recipe.”
The woman loves to share her recipes.
I make sure she’s steady on her feet, escort her over to an unknowing George , then slide in next to Aly .
She narrows her eyes, but the playful bite of her bottom lip gives way to her amusement.
“You heard that?” she asks.
Nodding, I run my fingers through my hair.
“ Yeah , sorry. My mom has a knack for poking her nose in people’s business.”
Swatting the air, she relaxes back into the chair.
“ Nothing I haven’t heard a million times over. I’ve learned to live with it, but I won’t change my mind. About kids, that is…” Her tone suggests she’s waiting for me to persuade her otherwise.
“I’m well versed with the ‘but when you find the right person, you’ll want your own’ argument.”
Her head whips to the side.
“ You don’t want kids?”
“Nope.” She looks ready to say something, so I place a finger over her lips.
“ Don’t tell me you’re going to give me the talk.”
She huffs, pushing my hand away.
“ God , no. It’s …” With a quick glance at Lottie , she quietly says, “ You’re great with kids. I’m shocked, that’s all.”
“I love kids. Lottie is one of a kind, but having my own?” I shiver.
“ Doesn’t interest me. I like my time and freedom. And knowing I can return them.”
That makes her laugh.
“ It makes sense. With you being a man-child and all.”
She squeaks when I lightly pinch her side.
“ Smart -ass.”
The laughter of my family, crackling of the fire, and classic Christmas songs playing through the radio surround us.
We sit in silence, enjoying the evening as it unfolds, when a thought pops into my head.
“When are you flying to New York ?”
Her mouth twists to the side.
“ I probably won’t now. They’re forecasting another storm, and I don’t want to get stuck there.”
Elbows balanced on my knees, I keep my voice casual.
“ The restaurant is hosting a New Year’s Eve party. We’ve done it since the first year we opened. You should come. Everyone is. And by everyone, I mean the whole town.”
If you blink, you’d miss it, but her eyes flit toward Martin in the corner.
Then I’m reminded of her tense body language and nervous disposition as I watched her across the table earlier.
Lowering my voice, I ask, “ Has something happened between you and Martin ?”
Eyes wide, she shakes her head.
“ No . Why would you ask that?”
I’d be shocked if she said yes.
Martin is harmless, and while he’s always been a loner, he’s slowly become more present in the community .
“When you rushed outside…” My words trail off when I sense Aly closing herself off.
I’m witnessing the bricks being laid down, one by one.
Humor is replaced with a cool stoicism, her go-to defense mechanism.
I don’t want to battle tonight, but it doesn’t mean I’m not planning to smash through her walls eventually.
If she’ll let me, and god, I hope she does.
It’s insane to want someone that might not want you.
To yearn for a person you were so intent on disliking that the switch in feelings knocks you on your ass.
There’s no telling how this is going to end, and it’s likely she’ll turn me away, do what she needs to do, and leave.
The question is: Do I risk having no part of her at all, or do I try to soak up as much as she’s willing to give?
My answer is clear with my next words.
“Say yes, Silver . I promise you’ll have fun.” I lower my voice so only she can hear.
“ Maybe I’ll let you kiss me at midnight.”
The scowl she tosses my way lights me up.
“ I haven’t signed off on a party.”
She’s teasing, so I go along with it.
“ Tradition . It’ll be bad luck if you don’t come.”
Eyebrow raised, her gaze lowers to my crotch.
Her lips brush the shell of my ear and a shiver wracks through me.
“ We know you do.”
“Hey, now that’s no?—”
Aly stands abruptly, facing my mom.
“ Claire , thank you so much for having me. Everyone .” She looks around the room.
“ I really appreciate the hospitality.”
A chorus of farewells follows, and without a glance in my direction, she disappears, leaving me speechless.
Something pokes me in the ribs.
Lottie looks up at me, eyes innocent.
She places the chef’s hat in my hands.
“ Sorry , Uncle Boo . When I grow up, I wanna be Scary Boss Lady . ”
That’s when I look at my family, all eyes on me.
“Oh, Booth ,” Quinn sings cheerfully and claps her hands.
“ She’s going to eat you up and spit you back out.”
I look back at the doorway Aly disappeared through and murmur, “ That’s what I’m betting on.”