“That’s it?” I ask.
She rises from her stool and drops a kiss on the top of my head. “That’s it.”
“You’re not going to warn me about getting hurt or being stupid or something?”
“Julian won’t hurt you.”
I rear back. “How do you know?”
“The answer is obvious every time I catch him staring at you.”
My heart misses a beat. “What do you mean?”
“That man would rather hurt himself before putting you in true harm’s way.”
I lock my knees together to stop myself from toppling over. “Mami.”
“It’s been that way since you were kids.”
“Do you…” My voice trails off.
“Do I what?”
Think he could be the one?
Are you serious, Dahlia? You got out of a serious relationship less than five months ago.
I shake my head. “Nothing.”
Lily replays the video of me screaming for the fifth time this afternoon. She has spent our entire lunch together showing everyone who will spare a minute of their day.
At this rate, by five p.m., everyone in town will have seen me losing my shit over a ghost that doesn’t exist and a Halloween lawn decoration Rafa found in Josefina’s garage.
I rise from my seat to the sounds of the waitress and Lily laughing together.
“Hey! Wait up!” Lily calls after me.
“No.” I walk out of the diner.
Lily chases after me. “Stop!” My sister huffs and puffs as she grabs my arm and yanks me away from my car. “What was that about?”
I throw my hands in the air. “I’m sick of seeing that video.”
“Come on. You have to admit it’s kind of funny.”
“It’s embarrassing.”
“I beg to differ. It’s so cute how you cry out for Julian.” She repeats the part where I almost break into tears.
I bite down on my tongue until I taste blood. “I’m going to kill Rafa for sharing that video in the group chat.”
“It would have been a hate crime to keep this gem hidden from us.” Lily shows me the screenshot she saved as her phone’s lock screen.
“I won’t sleep well until I get my revenge.”
She rubs her hands together. “What are we thinking?”
“We?”
“You’re not seriously thinking of doing something fun without me.”
“The fewer the witnesses, the better.”
She winks. “Just how I like it.”
“You want to help?”
“Of course. You and I are partners in crime.”
“Speaking of crime, your friend’s brother is a deputy, right?”
Her smile alone could land her on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. “Yes.”
“Do you think he is the type to willingly arrest someone who isn’t actually guilty of a crime?”
“I’m sure he can be enticed into the idea with a gift card to the town’s bookstore or something like that. Why? What’s the plan?”
“You can’t tell anyone.”
She holds out her pinkie like we did as kids. “Pinkie promise.”
I lock mine with hers. “I’m thinking of waiting until after Thanksgiving so he doesn’t suspect a thing…”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Dahlia
Julian and I have fallen into a comfortable pattern over the last few weeks. Somehow, he finds the energy to balance his busy work schedule and me, making time every evening for us to hang out together.
I’m not sure what the standard is regarding casual relationships, but I have a strange suspicion that Julian’s insistence on having dinner together and cuddling for an hour after sex isn’t it.
Neither are your growing feelings toward him.
The timer rings, banishing my thoughts. I open the oven and check on the turkey.
“Hey.” The door to the kitchen swings shut behind Julian.
I wipe my sweaty forehead with the back of my hand. “I thought you weren’t coming until later.”
“Based on the last photo Lily sent in the family chat, you seemed like you could use some help.”
“Remind me to never volunteer to prepare Thanksgiving dinner again.”
“It was a thoughtful gesture.”
After spending the last ten Thanksgivings with Oliver and his family, I thought it would be nice to prepare the meal for once.
I wipe my hands down the front of my apron. “I’m severely underqualified.”
“What do you need me to do?” He starts rolling up his sleeves before I even answer his question.
“For the record, you’re going to regret asking me that.”
“Noted. Now put me to work before I rescind my offer.”
I rattle off instructions. Julian follows my mom’s recipes down to the last letter, all while making the process ten times more enjoyable for me.
And ten times harder to stay away from him.
Julian goes out of his way to turn cooking together into some kind of romantic date. Him spoon-feeding me under the guise of wanting my approval. The way he pulls me into a quick dance whenever my favorite song pops up on the playlist. How he steals kisses between random visits from Lily, who spends more time taste-testing food than actually helping.
After all the food has been prepped, he traps me against the counter and steals another heated kiss. It’s incredible how quickly I’ve become addicted to Julian in such a short amount of time. He makes it impossible not to crave him, making my head reel with a single kiss and my body buzz with the need for more.
He readjusts my headband so my hair is no longer a puffy mess from his fingers. “Did I tell you that you look beautiful today?”
The fluttering sensation in my chest intensifies. “Only once or twice.”
He fights a smile and fails. “Keeping count?”
“Words of affirmation are my love language.”
He wraps his hand around the back of my neck. “Explains why you love being called a good girl while riding my cock.”
Someone chokes on a cough behind me. I turn to find my sister slamming her fist against her chest.
“Lily.” My eyes stretch to their maximum width.
Julian trips over his own feet in his rush to get away, which only makes Lily burst out into laughter.
“I knew something weird was going on when Mom said Julian was coming over to help. I’ve been trying to catch you in the act all afternoon.”
“Now I understand your hourly need to taste-test everything.”
She grins while Julian remains silent and brooding.
She gestures to us. “How long have you two been together?”
“We’re not,” I rush to answer.
The veins in Julian’s arms strain from how hard he crosses them.
Lily raises a brow.
“At least not like that,” I finish.
“Hm.” She glances over at Julian. “Interesting.”
“I’ll let you two talk this one out…” He speaks to my sister rather than me.
“Take me with you?” I reach out for him, but he sidesteps me.
Julian disappears behind the swinging door leading into our living room.
“Tell me everything,” Lily says before I have a chance to consider the weird look on his face.
“Not here.” I grab her hand, tug her outside, and shut the door behind us. Fresh snow covers every inch of the porch like a white blanket.
“It’s freezing out here!” she whines as she rubs her arms.
“Then we better make this fast.”
“Why are we talking out here anyway?”
“I don’t want Mom to walk in on us or something.”
“Does she know?”