He put the dishes in the sink and continued outside while Lark cleared the rest of the table. Cash could see his life with her right in front of his eyes, and such fondness filled him that he couldn’t contain it.
“You can’t tell her you love her,” he whispered to himself once he’d made it to the basket of gifts he’d brought. Cash knew they needed more time together, but he sure felt like he loved Lark.
Taking her on a couple of proper dates had only solidified his feelings for her, and spending time with her felt so easy, so natural, so comfortable. She’d been making him spam-and-eggs sandwiches, for crying out loud. Little things like that only endeared Lark to him even further, and his pulse boomed at him as he used the laundry hamper to nudge closed the door.
He went back into the house, knowing they were still playing pretend a little bit. Still, Cash didn’t mind, because the conversations with Lark felt real, and being with her felt right.
He carried the basket of presents into the living room, where Lark sat on the couch right next to the Christmas tree. A few presents sat underneath it, wrapped in shiny blue and white paper.
“You brought a whole laundry hamper?”
“This has my family’s gifts too.” He set down the hamper and flipped the lid. “But this one is for Sweetie.” He plucked out the top gift and handed it to her. “And this one’s for you. And this one.Andthis one.”
When she had all four bags, Cash closed the lid and sat down on the couch beside her. “Open them.” He grinned at her, and Lark smiled back at him with a bright light in her eyes.
She set two of the bags aside and dove into the first one, which Cash had managed to put red paper into. She pulled it out and sent him a coy look that heated his blood. “What is this and when did you find time to shop?”
“I’m a master at online endeavors,” he said.
“And you had it sent to an apartment you’ve lived in for three days?”
“It’s been four,” he said. “Today’s number five, in fact.”
Lark shook her head, her smile not diminishing by an ounce. She looked down and pulled out the little Christmas dress Cash had bought for Sweetie. “What is this?” She pulled in a breath and held it up. “It’s the cutest thing in the world.”
Happiness beamed out of her, and she called for Sweetie to come get dressed. She proudly put the dress on the little Yorkie, then turned to Cash as Sweetie curled into her side on the couch. “She’s adorable. Thank you.” She leaned toward him and kissed him, and Cash nodded to the bag.
“There’s more.”
She reached in again and took out the new hat, gloves, and scarf set he’d purchased for her. “Cash, this is so soft.”
“It’s rated for thirty below,” he said, taking the pale pink hat from her. “I noticed your other stuff was maybe for Idaho weather, and well, you’re not in Idaho anymore.”
“That I am not.” Lark smiled at him, and Cash reached out and tucked the hat onto her head, sliding one hand around to the back of her neck and bringing her closer to him. “You’re so cute in hats.”
“I thought you liked my hair,” Lark whispered.
“I like it all,” Cash whispered back. He pulled her closer and kissed her, wanting to stay there and do nothing but that. Minding his manners, he pulled away.
“Merry Christmas, Songbird,” he said, and then he sat back and nodded to the next bag, this one red with several nutcrackers and soldiers along the bottom.
Lark picked it up and pulled the white-and-gold glitter paper out of the top. “You’re better at wrapping than you think,” she said.
“They’re bags.” He shook his head. “I know what some of my strengths are, and wrapping presents is not one of them.”
“Did you just bring bags for the littles?” Lark asked.
“No,” he said. “I brought rolls of wrapping paper for that, because they like to rip it off.”
She gave him a look filled with meaning, and Cash wasn’t sure what it meant. “What?” he asked.
“I think you’re very thoughtful when it comes to your half-siblings,” Lark said, and she reached into the bag and pulled out the box he’d put there. She tilted it to get a closer look at the mug.
Cash watched for her reaction. Her face brightened, and she started to giggle. “This is great.” She opened the top of the boxand pulled the mug from its protective wrapping. “My heart belongs to a cowboy.”
Cash knew that winter gear and mugs were lame gifts, but Lark leaned over and grabbed onto a fistful of his button-down shirt and pulled him closer.
“You know, it kind of does.” She kissed him like she really would be willing to give him her heart. Such a prospect made him feel bold and strong, but he pulled away and nodded to the last bag.
