“Thanks.”
Brooks leans back, waiting for a kiss, which I happily give. It’s not a Christmas dinner, but it might as well be.
Brooks, ever the chef, prepared beef Wellington, Brussels sprouts, green beans, and fresh cranberry sauce. Bacon-wrapped dates are sitting out as an appetizer. My contribution? I bought rolls from the local bakery on my way home.
“Now if only everyone would hurry up and get here so we can eat, they can go home and we can have dessert.”
“What’s this dessert you’re thinking of?” Brooks asks.
I slide my hands under his apron, resting just above his belt. “You.”
“Not the chocolate mousse I made everyone?”
I press a kiss into his neck. “Maybe licking it off you.”
“Charlie,” Brooks moans. “You cannot do this to me five minutes before our families come over for dinner.”
“Why not?” I nip at his ear. I know we don’t have time to fool around. But it doesn’t mean I’m not going to edge this man as much as possible.
It’s hard to believe how fast time has flown by since we started this, spending every spare minute we can together.
It’s about as perfect a holiday as I ever could have hoped for.
Brooks sidesteps me to reach for a jar of spices next to the oven. “You’re going to get us in trouble, Charlie.”
“Sue me. I can’t help it if you’re irresistible.”
Brooks winks at me. “Get the drinks out. They’ll be here any minute.”
It’s as if his words summon them. A knock echoes at the front door followed by Comet’s barks.
Comet follows me to the door, his tail wagging wildly as it swings open and he bolts for Brooks’s parents. My own parents smile down at the happy guy, waiting patiently for their turn to love on the exuberant furball.
“Charlie!” Mom wraps me in a hug, shaking snow off her coat. “I’ve missed you. I can’t believe I had to hear from Jane that you and Brooks are dating. No phone call? Nothing. It’s like I don’t even exist.”
“That’s a touch dramatic.”
Dad pats me on the shoulder as he walks in with Brooks’s parents behind him. “You know she wishes you lived closer so she could hear everything that’s going on in your life.”
“You’re the ones that moved, not me.”
“We don’t see you enough,” Mike, Brooks’s dad, tells me as he takes off his coat and bends over to pet Comet.
“I spend most of my time at the bar,” I tell him.
“Not all your time.” Brooks comes up and hugs his parents and mine. “I get plenty of his time too.”
I steal a kiss from Brooks.
My mom claps her hands together. “Jane, aren’t they just so cute? Who would have ever thought they’d be together?”
“Certainly not me,” Jane answers. “I love it.”
Brooks rolls his eyes as he heads back into the kitchen to get eggnog ready for everyone. “Okay, Mom. Come grab a drink. Dinner is ready.”
Brooks sets the Beef Wellington in the center of the table as everyone takes their seats with a glass of eggnog in hand.
“Brooks, you’ve outdone yourself,” Dad says. “You should be a chef.”
