Chapter 19
RILEY
I’m not sure if I’ll ever be hungry again after Thanksgiving dinner yesterday.
The entire day was a whirlwind, just like always.
The house was packed full of family and friends alike, and more food than we could ever eat, even with so many people.
My mom always goes all out for this holiday, and the phrase “the more the merrier” has never been more applicable to anyone than my mom.
She loves the idea of an entire day devoted to gathering together and showing appreciation for one another, and half of the fun of the holiday is seeing how much joy it brings her.
Other than myself, Luke, Amanda, and my parents, my mom’s brother and sister both came with their spouses, as well as my cousin from my dad’s side, and two couples that live in the same cul-de-sac as my parents.
The wine was flowing, and the laughter was abundant.
Once his initial nerves wore off and he was introduced to everyone, Luke seemed to be having a great time.
He and Mandy and my cousin Sara hit it off instantly, forming a chatty little trio in the corner for most of the afternoon.
Sara is a professional dog trainer and had a million questions about Aggie, and Luke was only too happy to brag about his girl.
We successfully sidestepped any questions about our jobs or the nature of our relationship, although a sweet, sleepy side of Luke started to come out after a few glasses of wine.
The way he rested his head on my shoulder and closed his eyes at the end of the night didn’t exactly scream “just friends.” If Mandy’s smirk was any indicator, I don’t think we were fooling anyone by that point.
After an entire day of food, card games (where a competitive side of Luke I haven’t seen yet came out in full force), and nonstop conversation, my social battery was depleted by the time we got back to our hotel.
Luke had sobered up hours before, but the soft, sleepy look he gave me from the bed (where he immediately made himself comfortable before even changing his clothes) had my heart doing something funny in my chest.
He really is an incredibly beautiful man.
He forgot to pack his razor, so the stubble along his jaw from the previous day has grown into a short beard.
It’s a good look on him; although, honestly, I think anything would be a good look on him.
His eyes, normally a dark mahogany, were a light amber in the low hotel light, and he was so relaxed that the small wrinkles around his eyes that I adore had all but disappeared.
He watched me as I moved around the room carrying out my usual bedtime ritual, a tired little grin fixed upon his lips.
I managed to convince him to get up and change into his sweats to sleep, and was just making myself comfortable when he returned to bed and slipped in beside me.
I could sense his hesitation even in the dark, as if he wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure how.
“Did you have a good time today?” I asked instead, breaking the silence.
“Yeah, I did.” My eyes weren’t adjusted to the darkness, but I could tell he was facing me from the direction of his voice.
“Good.” I couldn’t help but smile to myself. “You looked like it.”
“Thanks for inviting me.” His voice was barely above a whisper, but the emotion in it was palpable. This was probably the first time he ever spent a holiday with a family where he actually felt included, and the fact that I was the one who could make that happen for him was monumental.
Without saying another word, I scooted closer to him and reached out to rest my hand on his hip. He responded immediately, curling into my side and tucking his face into my shoulder, all tension draining from his body with a contented sigh.
Within minutes, we were both asleep.
Today we managed to actually sleep in, and I woke first to find Luke curled in front of me, my arms around his waist, and my morning wood nestled in the crease of his ass.
We spent the morning in the hot tub at the hotel just relaxing, and we’ll head to my parents’ house to say goodbye today.
We fly out early tomorrow morning, and he doesn’t know it yet, but I managed to set up the perfect surprise date night for us tonight.
I pack up our bags while Luke is in the shower.
He falters and does a double take when he notices my bag is ready to go, and his is open on the bed, packed up except for his grooming kit.
“Did I miss something?” he asks, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head as he towel dries his hair.
He’s still shirtless with a perfectly tailored pair of jeans slung low on his hips, showing off that delicious Adonis belt, feet bare.
I can’t help but bite my lip at the sight of him.
The combination of his confusion and his perfectly sculpted torso is, frankly, lethal.
I scowl at him in mock annoyance. “How are you the cutest AND the hottest? You have to pick one. Stop being so selfish.”
He huffs a little and rolls his eyes at that. “No, seriously, where are we going?”
“Don’t ruin the surprise,” I chide. “I’ll tell you after we leave my parents’ house. But we’re staying the night somewhere else, and I promise you’ll love it.”
“Are you sure? I’m the one driving, you know, how long am I gonna have to be in the car later?
” He crosses his arms and does his best to glower at me, but I bat my eyelashes innocently, and his surly act is up.
He breaks into a laugh and lifts his arms, and I take the invitation and step into them, reveling in the feel of his bare skin and the added warmth from his hot shower.
He dips his head and places a kiss in my hair.
“Thanks for this trip…I didn’t know I needed this. ”
I tilt my chin back to look at him. “I did,” I whisper. “I’m glad you agreed to come. It was better with you here.” He smiles wide at that, and I force myself to pull away. “Now hurry up, the quicker we get to my parents’ house, the quicker we can leave, and you can find out what your surprise is.”
That gets him moving. He pulls on a gray T-shirt and shoes, then checks and double-checks the entire hotel room to make sure we aren’t leaving anything behind.
We make quick work of checking out and loading up the car, and he pesters me on the whole drive to my parents’ place for hints about the surprise: “Is it something I’ve done before?
Is it something that’s in LA, too, or just here?
Is it an activity or a place?” He’s like an excited kid, and I love when this side of him comes out, but I manage to stand my ground.
I’m saved when we arrive at my parents’ house, and he grudgingly lets it go. For now.
Mom greets us both with a giant hug. You’d think she’d be tired after cooking and entertaining all day yesterday, but I swear she’s like a character from a video game who gains energy points from being around people. I love going out and socializing, but it’s another level with this woman.
“Mandy had to work today, of course,” Nancy says with a roll of her eyes as we make our way inside. “She says she’s sorry she can’t be here to say goodbye, but she wants to come visit soon. She said she and her rummy rival need to have another match to determine the true champion soon.”
Luke just shrugs, a smug grin playing across his lips. “She’s just mad she lost. We all know who the true winner was.”
Nancy laughs at that. “Oh, Luke, dear, Whit is out back and asked me to send you out. He was going to show you the solar lights he got for the patio and show you how he hung them. He mentioned you wanted something like that for your place?”
“Yeah, we were talking about that last night.” Luke nods, heading toward the back door like he’s the one who grew up here, and I’m hit with a wave of emotion at seeing him so comfortable after just a couple of days.
My family tends to have that effect on people, but if you’re not used to it, they can be a lot, and I wasn’t sure how he would take it.
He disappears out back, and my mom turns to me with a knowing smile. “That boy is something special, Ry. I know you said you’re just friends, and I’m not gonna pry if you don’t want to share, but I think it’s more than just friends for him.”
My cheeks heat, and I give up trying to play it cool. “I think it is for me, too,” I admit. “I like him a lot, Mom.”
She pulls me in for a hug. “Well, maybe that’s why you were supposed to move to LA—to meet Luke. God always has a plan, you know.”
I smile and squeeze her a little tighter. “I know, Mom. Thanks.”
The back door opens, and Dad and Luke emerge from the backyard deep in conversation about lighting.
I shake my head and smile. I’m just happy they’ve found some common ground.
They can’t exactly talk shop, although Dad did give Luke some advice about his retirement plan and insisted he could call anytime with questions.
We pick at the leftovers Mom puts out and make comfortable small talk for a while, but I’m checking the time and getting antsy to get going. We still have a few hours before we need to be at our destination, but I want to get there plenty early so we have time to eat and get settled in.
Goodbyes are always an event with this family, especially when we won’t be seeing each other for a while, so I start doing the pre-goodbye ritual well before we actually need to be out the door.
I have to explain to my mom twice why we can’t take leftovers with us, but she manages to send us off with a slice of pie anyway.
My dad gets into another conversation with Luke about upgrades Luke wants to make to the patio, and Dad offers to help with any projects when they inevitably come visit.