behind us —”
“No,” he said. “I want to go in… I just… first… thank you .”
I smiled and nodded. “You don’t have to thank me, Luke. I didn’t do anything.”
“You’re giving me my life back,” he said. “And not just my old life, but a better one. One with my dad… one with you. And I don’t deserve —”
“Stop,” I said. “You do. You deserve it more than anyone I know.”
Once again, he reached for the bell.
“Luke,” I said, before he rang it. He turned back to me with a questionable glance. “Before we go in there… I just want to say something.”
“Okay?”
“I love you,” I said. “You need to know that —”
“I do —”
“But really,” I said. “I haven’t had a chance to just say that to you. Either you’re fighting to stay alive, or brooding, or running… every time I’ve been able to tel l you that… I can’t just say it without looking for some kind of response or end result. There’s always something attached to it. Like, Luke, I love you, don’t die . Or Luke, I love you, please don’t kill Lonnie . Or Luke, I love you, please forgive your dad — ”
“Julie,” he said, lifting his hand to brush a snowflake off my cheek. “I love you too.”
He lowered his lips to mine, finally filling my mouth with the taste and warmth I’d so long hoped for. An internal combustion of fireworks exploded in my body, heating every surface, every vein, and exploding every nerve.
I was so hopelessly, irrevocably in love with him. And for the first time since we’d met, I didn’t have to question how he felt.
He was here , right in front of me. I was wrapped in his arms, a willing recipient of his tender embrace, and enjoying every second of our rhythmic kiss.
When he pulled away, he brushed my face yet again, this time just to feel the warmth of my cheeks beneath his fingers.
“Promise me something,” I whispered.
“Anything.”
“That you’ll never stop.”
A small smi rk lifted the corner of his lip . “Never stop what?”
“Kissing me the way you do,” I said, trying to restrain a smile.
A low groan escaped from his throat, and I couldn’t help but flash him a daring smile.
“Julie Little ,” he said, shaking his head. “I will hold you, love you, kiss you, and protect you… forever. I promise.”
And with that, our lips fell together again. Luke held me close against his tight body. Even through the layers, I could feel the heat radiating from his body. We were lost in a kiss that felt far too right, and completely unbreakable … until the front door swung open and Lonnie stood at the threshold.
Luke and I pulled away, both staring forward at Lonnie.
“Lonnie,” I said, trying to keep my tone formal despite his overly eccentric Christmas sweater. I wanted to laugh, God I wanted to. But Luke nudged me with his elbow and I straightened up. “I hope it’s okay that I brought a date?”
Luke’s father eyed him , and the two men stared at each other for a few long seconds, both expressionless.
When Luke raised his hand to invite a handshake from his father, Lonnie shook his head.
“No,” he said, taking a step onto the porch .
They stood a foot away from each other, both of them staring. Luke gnawed on his bottom lip; Lonnie breathed heavily. And without a moment’s notice, they fell into each other’s arms. Lonnie wrapped his son in a hug big enough, warm enough, and assuring enough to last until the end of time. The two men held on to each other for so long I couldn’t keep track of the minutes.
“Welcome home, Lucas,” Lonnie finally said through heavy sobs as he wiped his face with the sleeve of his flashy sweater .
Arm-in- arm, the two men walked into the house to join Grace, Bruno, Charlie, Matt, Kara, and the rest of the party.
I turned and looked out at the snow, watching as it picked up. I reached up and held the key around my neck—which I’d made into a necklace—and closed my eyes. I wished Derek a
“No,” he said. “I want to go in… I just… first… thank you .”
I smiled and nodded. “You don’t have to thank me, Luke. I didn’t do anything.”
“You’re giving me my life back,” he said. “And not just my old life, but a better one. One with my dad… one with you. And I don’t deserve —”
“Stop,” I said. “You do. You deserve it more than anyone I know.”
Once again, he reached for the bell.
“Luke,” I said, before he rang it. He turned back to me with a questionable glance. “Before we go in there… I just want to say something.”
“Okay?”
“I love you,” I said. “You need to know that —”
“I do —”
“But really,” I said. “I haven’t had a chance to just say that to you. Either you’re fighting to stay alive, or brooding, or running… every time I’ve been able to tel l you that… I can’t just say it without looking for some kind of response or end result. There’s always something attached to it. Like, Luke, I love you, don’t die . Or Luke, I love you, please don’t kill Lonnie . Or Luke, I love you, please forgive your dad — ”
“Julie,” he said, lifting his hand to brush a snowflake off my cheek. “I love you too.”
He lowered his lips to mine, finally filling my mouth with the taste and warmth I’d so long hoped for. An internal combustion of fireworks exploded in my body, heating every surface, every vein, and exploding every nerve.
I was so hopelessly, irrevocably in love with him. And for the first time since we’d met, I didn’t have to question how he felt.
He was here , right in front of me. I was wrapped in his arms, a willing recipient of his tender embrace, and enjoying every second of our rhythmic kiss.
When he pulled away, he brushed my face yet again, this time just to feel the warmth of my cheeks beneath his fingers.
“Promise me something,” I whispered.
“Anything.”
“That you’ll never stop.”
A small smi rk lifted the corner of his lip . “Never stop what?”
“Kissing me the way you do,” I said, trying to restrain a smile.
A low groan escaped from his throat, and I couldn’t help but flash him a daring smile.
“Julie Little ,” he said, shaking his head. “I will hold you, love you, kiss you, and protect you… forever. I promise.”
And with that, our lips fell together again. Luke held me close against his tight body. Even through the layers, I could feel the heat radiating from his body. We were lost in a kiss that felt far too right, and completely unbreakable … until the front door swung open and Lonnie stood at the threshold.
Luke and I pulled away, both staring forward at Lonnie.
“Lonnie,” I said, trying to keep my tone formal despite his overly eccentric Christmas sweater. I wanted to laugh, God I wanted to. But Luke nudged me with his elbow and I straightened up. “I hope it’s okay that I brought a date?”
Luke’s father eyed him , and the two men stared at each other for a few long seconds, both expressionless.
When Luke raised his hand to invite a handshake from his father, Lonnie shook his head.
“No,” he said, taking a step onto the porch .
They stood a foot away from each other, both of them staring. Luke gnawed on his bottom lip; Lonnie breathed heavily. And without a moment’s notice, they fell into each other’s arms. Lonnie wrapped his son in a hug big enough, warm enough, and assuring enough to last until the end of time. The two men held on to each other for so long I couldn’t keep track of the minutes.
“Welcome home, Lucas,” Lonnie finally said through heavy sobs as he wiped his face with the sleeve of his flashy sweater .
Arm-in- arm, the two men walked into the house to join Grace, Bruno, Charlie, Matt, Kara, and the rest of the party.
I turned and looked out at the snow, watching as it picked up. I reached up and held the key around my neck—which I’d made into a necklace—and closed my eyes. I wished Derek a
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