“No. It’s perfect.” Taking off her right glove, she held out her hand. Taking off his left glove, he laced his fingers through hers and looked into her eyes as the sun crested the ridge, bathing them in golden light.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Mila had insisted that she wasn’t moving in, but it felt like it and Cole had no objection whatsoever. He’d never lived with a girlfriend, never cared to. But Mila brought energy into his space that he hadn’t even known was missing.
Sharing an apartment with Jordie had told him a lot about co-existing with a woman. She’d taught him to value a scrubbed bathroom and a neat kitchen. He was used to putting down the toilet seat and picking up his clothes.
But living with Jordie hadn’t prepared him for the thrill of having Mila in residence. He’d imagined her living with him — likely why he’d created a shower big enough for two. She’d been his inspiration for hauling a king-sized bedframe up to the loft and hanging a dramatic electric fireplace within view of that bed.
After the ride they’d made love again and showered together. If they hadn’t been starving, they would have ended up back in bed. Instead they’d dressed and made breakfast in a kitchen with enough counter space to work side-by-side. His choices during the renovation made sense at last.
Only one silly little thing sat like a very small burr under his saddle of happiness. While they’d dressed after their shower, she’d balked at his suggestion to unpack her duffle and put her clothes in his dresser and/or his closet.
As they sat eating breakfast, her duffle was visible beside the armchair near the open barn doors. She’d moved her toothbrush, lotions and makeup into the bathroom, so why not unpack her clothes? It bugged him.
He should let it go. It wasn’t important.
“I’ll bet I know what you’re thinking.”
“Is that so?” He glanced at her.
“You keep looking at my duffle and wondering why I didn’t unpack it.”
“Good guess.”
“I’d thought I might, but while we were getting dressed, I read a text Claudie had sent earlier. That reminded me that I can only stay here tonight and tomorrow night. That should give me plenty of time to make the Santa hats. Then I’ll need to go home.”
“Because of Claudie?”
She gazed at him as if considering how to answer.
“I know you like it here.”
“I do, and I’m not saying I won’t come back after Christmas. That’s if you want me to.”
That sounded a long time away. “You know I do. Are you worried that we’re moving too fast? Do you need a break from me?”
“That’s not it.” She sighed. “Look, it’s obvious Christmas isn’t important to you, and I would never want you to fake it for my sake. It’s fine that you don’t care about decorations and trees and listening to Mannheim Steamroller, but I do.”
“Who’s Mannheim Steamroller?”
“You just made my point. Their Christmas albums are really popular. They go on tour every year and I got to see them once in Missoula. That concert was the highlight of my Christmas.”
“Now that you mention the tour, I might have heard of them, after all.” Chances were good his parents hadn’t played their music so he’d probably be okay with it. “If you want to put it on while you’re here, that’s okay with me.”
“That’s sweet of you but being okay with it isn’t the same as loving it. Claudie and I love it. We blast it through the house when we make our Christmas fudge.”
“Fudge? Really?”
“Yeah, I know. It’s your special word, but it’s also our thing we do. We make up tins of it to give to everybody. You’ll get one, unless you don’t like fudge, which would be ironic.”
“I’d love to have some of your homemade fudge.” He was beginning to get the picture. He could ask if she’d consider spending the night with him after she’d made fudge with Claudie while blasting Mannheim Steamroller.
But that would reveal his neediness, and he wasn’t prepared to do that. She also might turn down his offer.
It wasn’t just the fudge project. She didn’t want to spend the two days before Christmas with the Grinch in his cave, which had only a small tree that he’d yet to plug in, let alone find a place for.
“Cole.” She reached over and took his hand. “It’s only a couple of days.”
