Page 75 of A Love Like Christmas Time
Chapter 29
Caleb
There are a number of realizations I have before I even open my eyes.
Number one: I’m too old to sleep on couches. My shoulders are completely stiff. Pain shoots through my muscles as I try to move my arm. A pillow is digging into my hip, and it’s so narrow one of my legs is dangling off the side.
Number two: there is a small creature climbing all over me. Little paws poke into my ribs, the soft brush of its fur tickling my upper arm.
And number three: somebody is brewing coffee.
With a groan, I open my eyes and come face-to-face with an orange little cat.
“I’m not a jungle gym,” I scold her, my voice rough from sleep, before picking her up and setting her down on the ground.
Right. I came over to Lauren’s house. Right after Henry scurried out of the café, where he was waiting for Nic’s message announcing their return. I wince as more memories replay in my head. I made a damn fool of myself. It's a miracle she didn’t kick me out, making me either drive through the snowstorm or walk through it to beg Kieran for asylum.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.”
My eyes dart to her kitchen. She’s leaning against her kitchen island, a giant, steaming red mug in front of her, and wiggles her fingers in a quick wave.
“Coffee?”
“Yes, please.” I close my eyes, take a deep breath, tug off the blanket and sit up. Pain shoots through my shoulders, making me groan as I push myself further upright. “Fuck.”
She shoots me an empathetic grin as she walks over with one mug in each hand.
“Here.”
“Thanks,” I mumble and accept the dark blue giant mug she holds out, then haphazardly fold the blanket together to make space for her next to me. For a moment she stares at the spot, as though she’s not sure whether she should, before she softly shakes her head and sits down.
“Good morning, gorgeous,” I mumble, snake my arm around her hip, and press a kiss to the side of her head. Instantly, the tension leaves her, and she melts against my side with a happy sigh.
“Morning,” she whispers again.
“How’s the snow?” I take a sip of the coffee, letting out a sigh. It’s excellent coffee. And it tastes even better since she made it for me. The same way she mentioned yesterday, with the tiniest splash of milk.
“It’s… piling. I mean, look.” She nods toward the floor-to-ceiling window to our right. I turn my head to follow her gaze.
“Oh, shit.” My eyes widen. It’s piled up to what must be at least two feet, and flakes are still falling from the sky.
“It appears you’ll have to stay a little longer.” I can hear the grin in her voice.
“The horror. How will I ever survive that?” I ask deadpan, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Oh, we’re going to have so much fun.” I watch her from the corner of my eye, noting the mischievous smile lighting up her face, but the happiness slowly fades into the silence. “We need to talk about yesterday, Caleb.”
I nod, an icy fist gripping my heart. Of course, we do. I was horrible to her.
People leave.
I force myself to bury that thought in the depths of my consciousness. If she had wanted to leave, she would have. I know that much. If she had wanted an out, she wouldn’t have climbed under my blanket in the middle of the night to sleep.
“We will,” I assure her and let my thumb draw circles over her hip. “Once my consciousness has arrived in the land of the living. Okay?”
“Okay,” she agrees softly and takes a sip of her own coffee.
We enjoy our morning coffee in comfortable silence, watching the snow fall outside. It’s mesmerizing to watch the flakes dance through the wind and blow against the window before they join the knee-deep white blanket that’s covering the world.
