Page 76 of Bright Lights, Big Christmas
Kerry chortled. “A hottie like you? I find that hard to believe.”
“I’m not saying I haven’t gone out. I tried the dating apps. Lots of first and second dates. But nothing clicked. Until now.”
He held her face between the palms of his hands. “I can’t believe you really intend to leave tomorrow. Just when I’ve found you.”
“Don’t talk about it,” Kerry begged. “It’s too depressing.”
“I won’t.” He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her, running his hands beneath her sweater, her T-shirt, and her thermal underwear top, finally finding and unfastening her bra. “No more talking.”
She looked uneasily toward the hallway. “Um, is this a good idea?”
He was busy pulling her sweater over her head. “Best idea I’ve had all year.”
Kerry chuckled but captured his hands in hers. “Are you forgetting something? Your six-year-old was standing right here ten minutes ago.”
“I’m sure Austin is exhausted from faking his parents out. Fast asleep with visions of sugarplums and all that.” He pushed her hands away and resumed his quest to undress her.
She giggled but eased herself off his lap, pulled her sweater back into place, and gave him a chaste kiss. “Hope this doesn’t make mesound too slutty, but I want this as badly as you do, Patrick. What Idon’twant is to scar your kid for life by having him catch the nice Christmas tree lady naked with his daddy.”
“Noooo,” Patrick groaned. “Our last night together and you expect me to spend it, doing what? Toasting marshmallows on an open fire?”
“That’sroasting chestnutson an open fire,” she corrected him. “Let’s just make the most of the time we do have together, okay? Enjoy the fire, cuddle, listen to some Christmas music? Or watch a movie?”
“Let’s compromise,” he suggested. “I say we watch a movie in front of the fireandcuddle, only naked? I’ll even let you pick the movie. I’m assuming your idea of a heartwarming Christmas flick isDie Hard?”
She raised an eyebrow and held out her empty glass. “Okay, you get to choose the movie, but I’m keeping my clothes on. More wine, please.”
They stretched out the length of the sofa and settled in to watch Bruce Willis battle Hans Gruber and his band of terrorists. Kerry had never felt so content, so absolutely at home, as she did, enfolded in his arms. Of course, Patrick didn’t keep his hands, or his lips, entirely to himself, but with a plaid wool blanket thrown over them, she wasn’t overly worried about traumatizing Austin should he wander into the room.
As soon as Hans Gruber was history and Nakatomi Plaza was little more than a smoldering ruin, Kerry stretched and yawned. Patrick stood up. “Think I’ll go check on Austin,” he said, a little too casually.
Kerry stood too. “Can I ask for a favor?”
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck. “Depends on what it is.”
“I’d give anything for a long, hot shower before I have to leave. It’s been two days and I’ve got a long drive ahead of me tomorrow.”
“Deal. But only if I get to join you.”
“Patrick…”
“We’ll lock the bathroom door,” he promised. He pulled down the waistband of his jeans, showing off the pattern of red and green reindeer. “See? Just for you.”
When the hot water finally gave out and they were both pink and afterglowing, Patrick went to check on his son while Kerry got dressed. She tiptoed out of the bathroom and found him in the hallway, standing outside Austin’s closed bedroom door.
“And to all a good night,” he said. “This time, there’s no faking it. He’s fast asleep.” Patrick caught her hand in his and led her to the darkened living room and the bank of windows. “Look at it out there.”
What Kerry saw was a curtain of white. The outsides of the windowpanes were rimmed with ice, and below, in the park, the trees, cars, and even Spammy were covered in a thick blanket of snow. The multicolored lights shone through the snow shower. She shivered despite the layers of clothing she was wearing.
“I think you need to stay,” he said. “It’ll be totally innocent. I’ll sleep on the sofa, you can have the bed, and in the morning, we’ll explain to Austin that the weather was too nasty for you to leave.”
“You sound like that pervvy old Christmas song, ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside,’” Kerry said. “I wish I could stay, but I can’t. Queenie will need a walk, and Murphy has been very clear that we need to break down the stand and hit the road first thing in the morning.”
“I’m not just talking about tomorrow,” Patrick said. “Can we sit by the fire and talk before you rush off into a blizzard?”
“Just for a minute,” Kerry conceded. She’d checked her phone. It was after one. She followed him to the fireplace and sat down on the sofa.
“We never finished discussing your long-term plans,” Patrick said.“I know you’re not looking forward to going back to North Carolina, to moving in with your mom again. I’m not trying to put words in your mouth—or maybe I am, but it sounds to me like you were feeling stuck back there. And being here, in New York, could be a way to get unstuck. Creatively, and personally. And yeah, if you were here, I’d like to think we could be together.”
