The Plight Before Christmas(109)

It feels as if our hearts agreed on the other all those years ago. My errant path and struggle with anxiety and depression were the only thing to keep us from living the decision. We grew up apart instead. We became who we became and found each other after the fact, or rather, I found her, much like she found me the first time—by fortunate accident. There’s a lot to be said for that.

Pushing away her hair selfishly for a view, I find a peaceful expression and do nothing to stifle the words that so easily spill from my lips. Pacing be damned.

“I love you,” I whisper. “I’m going to give you everything. So much more than you’re expecting,” I murmur to her temple as I slide my palm down her back. “I’m going to make sure you know exactly who your soulmate is.” She doesn’t so much as stir at my spoken dreams, no doubt due to exhaustion.

I spent the bulk of the night making love to her before things got a little filthy. We’ve wasted no time making up for our separation, our bodies easily molding together as if remembering the other.

Glancing behind Whitney, I chuckle at Raggedy Ann and Andy, who are huddled together in the corner, facing the wall. Something Whitney insisted on doing before she sank to her knees last night and looked up at me with eyes filled with desire while pulling my pajama pants and boxers down.

After a solid minute of teasing while fisting me in her hand, she finally took me in her mouth, moaning as if she was the one deriving pleasure from the act.

The woman has upped her game.

After several minutes of torturous foreplay, I finally gripped the back of her head, forcing her to take me down her throat. Her reaction? Another order disguised in a moan. “Fuck my mouth.”

It took mere seconds of witnessing her stretched lips to lose myself as she beckoned my orgasm before sucking down every last drop. I rewarded her with a nasty dose of rugburn. From then on, things went very unholy, and I found myself muffling her moans as I fought to hold back, so we didn’t wake the house. Tonight, she’ll be in my bed. God help her. I’m already making plans.

Until then…I look forward to our drive to Charlotte together, to her endless chatter, to begging her to sing for me, and making New Year’s plans.

Ignoring my raging hard-on, I gaze on at her, my heart starting to pump faster as I soak in her gorgeous face. Feeling rejuvenated despite my lack of sleep, I ease away from her, knowing I still have an hour or so until Peyton wakes. Out of respect, I still want to maintain a courting type of atmosphere, so Allen and Ruby don’t suspect I’ve had my wicked way with her under their roof.

After dressing, I softly close the attic door and hit the stairs, pausing when I hear commotion on the other side of a guestroom door.

“Jesus, baby,” Thatch groans.

“Watch me, King,” Serena orders heatedly as I haul ass down the stairs doing everything I can to stifle my laugh while knowing I’ll never unhear that.

Once out the front door, I stretch in the driveway, looking up at the darkened sky, my eyes finding the fading moon. Briefly, my mind drifts back to a time when I spoke to it like a confidant while lying in a hospital bed, my hand freezing from the unforgiving liquid pumping through the IV.

“I got her back,” I whisper softly as the freezing wind rustles through the trees. “If you in any way had a hand in that, thank you.” The garage door startles me and whines as it starts to open. Alarmed, I turn to see Ruby appear, clouds of smoke billowing out around her like she’s leaving a lit fire inside. Ruby scours her surroundings, her eyes finding mine quickly before a devilish smile lights up her face.

“Nothing like a good wake and bake, kid,” she says shamelessly before making her way toward me. As she nears, she laughs at whatever expression I’m wearing and shakes her head. “That Wayne from the deli is something else. It kills me Serena thinks I’m clueless to the fact that while I’m ordering a half-pound of turkey meat, she’s discretely ordering a quarter of his finest herb. I’ve been mooching from those two for years. Call me crazy, but it was well deserved after the week I’ve had. Don’t knock it until you try it. It may help with your anxiety.”

“You didn’t miss anything, did you?”

“Of course not. I created those humans. Between worrying about my clueless son screwing up his marriage due to ambition. Thatch and Serena reaching a scary crossroads in their marriage and my Sweet Pea denying herself the affection she so richly deserves from a worthy man—my nerves were fraying pretty badly.” She looks at me with clear affection. “I was struggling with what to do until my new ally came along, and I saw what he was capable of. Nice touch getting season tickets to Tennessee games for Brenden to gift Erin. A great way to tell her they’re moving back home. Surprisingly, the only thing that girl loves more than my son and her children—is football.”

“How did you know that was me?”

“He’s not that kind of magician.” She nudges me. “But you are, aren’t you?”

“I figured it out, you know,” I grin, “the cotton shirts. Eli Whitney, the inventor of the Cotton Gin, you were giving me your blessing.”

She smiles broadly. “I knew you would get it. I’ve been waiting for another intuitive to grace this family for quite some time. My father was, and I am. Somehow it skipped a generation, but that’s where you come in.” She puts a hand on my shoulder. “We’re going to have so much fun together, handsome.”