“We’ll order pizza and rent a movie—”
“And have a tea party!” she adds.
“It’s a date.”
“Yay!” Nova jumps out of my lap and grabs my mom’s hand. “Come on, Grandma. Now we can go home and unpack your bags.”
Mom smiles at Lennon and me as Nova drags her toward the front door.
“Will you do the laundry, too?” Dad asks.
“I’m too little to do laundry, Papa!”
Nova’s boisterous voice is cut off when they shut the front door softly behind them.
“Your parents are amazing,” Lennon says, staring at the door before turning toward me.
“Thank you.”
“Do they watch Nova all the time?”
“She went to daycare up until last year, but when Mom and Dad retired, they started keeping her. Saves me some money, and they get to spoil her.”
Lennon laughs. “That must be nice.”
“You know what else would be nice?” Standing up, I hold my hand out for Lennon. She slips her fingers in mine, and I pull her into my arms.
“Mmmm… What’s that?” she mumbles.
I place my lips on the curve of Lennon’s neck. She drops her head to the side, giving me more room.
“If you have dinner with us tomorrow night.” I trail my lips along the delicate slope of her neck until I reach her ear. Her entire body shivers, and I grin against her skin.
“With you and Nova?”
“No,” I say soberly. “With me and Santa Claus.” She swats my arm, and I laugh. “Of course with me and Nova.”
Lennon’s lips stretch wide across her face. Funny enough, as her smile grows, so does my heart.
Too much.
“Well, that depends,” Lennon says, threading her arms around my waist.
“On what?”
“On what you’re making.”
“Baby, I’ll make whatever you want as long as you say yes.”
“Yes.” She kisses me. “Yes.” She kisses me again, but this time I slip my tongue between her perfect lips, and she moans, her body melting against mine. But then she pulls back.
“No.” Shaking her head, she wipes a finger across her lips. “We can’t kiss like that.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because when you kiss me like that, I get all
hot and bothered—”