Chapter One
Lilly
Lilly Summers. That had been my name my entire life. Now, in a little over a year, I’d be Lilly Sonnier. The plus side is I won’t have new initials. The other plus side is I’m marrying the man that introduced me to a new lifestyle, a new family, and a new sense of the word love. Cass has done everything in his power to give me a beautiful life in the time we’ve been together, and oh did he succeed. Our first Christmas together is approaching quickly, and I may be a little stressed out.
“Baby! Did you talk to your dad? Is he in town yet?” I yell across our kitchen to Cass who’s sitting on the couch in the living room with his feet propped up on our coffee table.
“Yeah,” he says, mindlessly. He’s zoned out into a football game on the television and I’m ninety-nine percent sure he’s answering out of habit and not because he actually heard the words coming out of my mouth.
I roll my eyes and laugh to myself as I finish rinsing the dishes and loading them into the dishwasher. Life has been fantastic around here. Since we got engaged, we’re worse than we were before with not being able to keep our hands off of one another.He’s still gone often with the club, but my God when he’s home it’s amazing.
“Did you tell him we’re doing Christmas dinner here at one o’clock on Christmas day?” I ask.
I’m met with silence for a few seconds before he’s yelling at the television. “Go! Go! Yes! Touchdown!”
I giggle to myself as I watch his excitement from the kitchen. The New Orleans Saints just scored a touchdown and are leading by fourteen points. Something I learned about him after we met, he’s a Saints fan. It makes Christmas shopping pretty easy, though.
The game cuts to a commercial and he walks into the kitchen. “What did you say, baby?”
“I asked if you told your dad we’re having Christmas dinner here at one o’clock on Christmas day?”
“Oh. Yeah, I told him. He said he wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
I smile at him as he takes me in his arms and spins me around the kitchen, almost knocking me into the island. He tips me backward and kisses me then sets me back upright. His smile nearly knocks the air from my lungs.
“Mom and David are coming, too. So are Mindy and Linc. Did any of the other club guys not have somewhere to go?”
“Fernando came for Thanksgiving, so I’m sure he’ll come over for Christmas, too. Everybody else has family to be with.”
“Okay. I just want to make sure we have enough for everyone to eat and I want to be sure that everyone has a gift to open.”
Cass’s bright-eyed smile makes my heart happy. “I love you,” he says, placing a gentle kiss on my lips. The room spins when his lips mesh with mine.
I open my eyes when he draws back. “I love you, too.”
The sound of the sports announcer draws Cass’s attention, and he bolts into the living room, hopping over the back of the couchin the process. His black Hounds long sleeved T-shirt fits him perfectly, showing off his arms and shoulders through the thin material.
The smell of the chocolate cake I just mixed-up wafts through the kitchen reminding me to check on it. Christmas is in two days, and I’ve been more in the spirit of Christmas this year than I ever have before. The multicolored lights from the Christmas tree reflect off the countertops as I walk through the kitchen to open the oven.
I stick a toothpick in the cake, determining that it’s done. Using a red oven mitt with a reindeer on it that I bought at a craft store last week, I pull the delicious smelling cake out of the oven. The sweet smelling chocolate scent fills the kitchen, making everything seem cozier. A lady at the bar gave me a recipe for an upside-down German Chocolate Cake, and I’ve been eager to try it out.
While I wait for the cake to cool, I make a shopping list for all of the last-minute ingredients I need for Christmas dinner and a few last-minute gifts. I hear the television in the living room go from football to Christmas music. Cass knows me so well. He walks back into the kitchen as I’m writing my list out. His nose lifts in the air, breathing in the scent of chocolate cake.
“Nope. It isn’t done yet,” I say softly.
He frowns at me. “Well, what are you waiting on?”
“It’s got to cool off.Thenit’ll be done.”
He reaches over and touches the top of the cake. “It’s cooled off.”
Before I can protest, he grabs a knife and cuts a slice. He digs in with a fork and his eyes bulge when he puts the bite in his mouth. “Oh my God. Is this the recipe Pamela gave you?”
I nod my head at him.
He sounds like he’s having an orgasm eating the rest of the small slice he cut. Looks like I’ll be making another onetomorrow. The sound of a motorcycle outside makes Cass grin and makes me curious, looking out the window. He obviously knows who it is, but I didn’t know we were going to have any visitors this evening.
I peep outside through the blinds over the sink and spot two people on the bike that pulls into the driveway. Hmm. Could be Scott and a pin cushion, could be Linc and Mindy, who knows. I look over at Cass.
