Before the tree could tilt again, Lucas went to work screwing the tree into the old-fashioned tree stand that Tess fell in love with at the tree farm. He took one look at her face when she saw it, told the clerk to wrap it up, then bought the biggest tree they had left considering it was already the 19th.
It reached so high, the tip of the tree was barely scraping their ceiling. Tess secretly wondered how they were going to put a star on top, and then wondered if she’d remembered to bring the old decorations. So much of what she had in her old apartment with Jack was moved into storage when Lucas insisted on a fresh start. It could be anywhere.
Just in case, she stopped at the store that morning before they drove out to the tree farm, picking up a couple of basic shatterproof ornaments that they could throw up on the tree. Christmas was in a week and, despite the lights Lucas hung up and the few decorations she brought with her, Tess had to admit that it wasn’t really Christmas until the house—or the apartment—smelled like tree.
It was a scent she r
emembered vividly from her childhood, before her father’s car accident and her mother’s sickness. Good memories came with the deep breaths of pine and winter freshness. Lighting a balsam-scented candle and placing it next to the artificial tree Jack put up had never been the same as bringing a fresh tree indoors.
Once the tree was secured, Lucas climbed out from underneath. Wiping the tree sap away on his jeans before brushing the stray pine needles from his coal-black hair, he scrutinized it closely, then nodded. “Looks good. Now we just need the branches to fall a little. After they do, I’ll put the lights on and we can trim the tree with the ornaments you got.”
Standing up on her tiptoes, she pressed a sweet kiss to the corner of his mouth. “I love it, Luc. I’m glad I let you talk me into it.”
Because they were still planning on going to Hamlet, Tess had argued that there was no real need for a tree of their own. During the time she tried to convince Lucas to go back, he told her all about how worked up Maria got over Christmas. Remembering her friend’s eye for details in each themed room of the bed and breakfast, Tess could only imagine what Christmas in Ophelia would look like.
Why bother trying when nothing could compare?
Because, it seemed, Lucas was focused on giving her the best holiday he could, just like she was doing for him. And, after asking her about her traditions, making sure they put up a towering tree in the middle of their living room was at the top of his list.
Lucas just proved it when he murmured, “Anything for you, baby.” He nuzzled his chin on the top of her head before burying his nose in the loose waves of her dirty blonde hair. “Mmm. You smell good. Delicious, even.”
Tess giggled. “Thanks. I was just taking the last batch of cookies out of the oven when you called me to see if the tree was straight.”
Lucas sniffed again. “Chocolate chip?”
“Yup. And some peanut butter cookies, too.”
He ducked his head, stealing a kiss of his own that was a lot of heavier than the one she gave him. It also meant he stole a little of her breath before he was done. Tess was gasping a bit as Lucas chuckled, running the side of his sticky hand along her cheek before slipping past her.
Even though his path was obvious, she still called after him, “Luc, honey, where are you going?”
“Did you tell Maria you were bringing cookies?”
“What? No. I haven’t even told her we were coming.”
That wasn’t the only thing Tess hadn’t told Maria. After forming a fast friendship with Lucas’s sister while she stayed at Maria’s bed and breakfast—despite all of the acting Tess had to do while in Hamlet, her friendship with Maria was nothing but genuine—Tess promised she would keep in touch with the other woman when she left Hamlet.
And she had. In Hamlet, there was no internet, no cell service, no real contact with the outside world. But, from time to time, Maria would take the drive out of town, head into the county, and use the library computers. They exchanged e-mails at least once a week and, while Maria made a point to tell her the very day that Lucas left, Tess never responded that she knew because, when he left Hamlet, he ended up on her doorstep.
It was one of the reasons she wanted so badly to make sure Lucas visited Maria for the holiday. Apart from believing it would be just the gift he needed, Tess didn’t like keeping the truth from her friend. When Lucas showed up at Ophelia with her in tow, then Maria would finally stop fishing for information in her e-mails.
Wait—
After knowing this man for six years, and knowing his appetite in all things, Tess was well aware just how insatiable Lucas was.
And he was in the kitchen alone with four cooling batches of Christmas cookies.
“Lucas Antonio De Angelis! You better not eat all of those cookies!”
When all she got in response was a husky chuckle, she couldn’t help but grin. Grin, and start to make a grocery list in her head for everything she would need to bake up enough cookies to satisfy Lucas and have something to bring into Hamlet next week.
2
Traffic on the highway was crazy. Pure madness.
Lucas expected it, and was prepared for it. However, there was one thing he couldn’t account for: the ever-shifting weather forecast.
And while Tessa might get excited over the prospect of a white Christmas, the terrible weather was nothing but a goddamn nuisance.