“You’re pretty eye-catching yourself, Keegan,” Stella said. What did she have to lose by being honest? She might never get this chance again with Mistletoe’s finest. He took a step closer so that their arms were touching. She sensed he was going to kiss her just before he dipped his head.
Stella met him halfway, eagerly placing her lips on his. She hadn’t expected this at all, and she felt a thrill knowing it wasn’t for anyone’s benefit. The kiss was spontaneous…and only for the two of them. Not a single soul could see or hear them. Luke’s lips tasted sweet, and he was kissing her with aching tenderness. She let out a sigh as she parted her lips, intensifying the kiss.
When Luke stepped away, Stella immediately felt the loss of his nearness. The kiss had been so unexpected and scorching hot. But still a bit confusing. They’d both agreed to pretend date to make their lives less complicated. Now, thanks to this smooch, their fake situation had become muddled.
“This doesn’t feel fake anymore,” Stella whispered. It was a huge risk to be so honest and vulnerable with Luke. Maybe kissing didn’t mean anything to him. What if he didn’t feel the same way as she did? The thought of being hurt again made her want to crawl back inside of her shell, where it was safe.
“I know,” Luke said, his thumb grazing her cheek tenderly. “I’ve been feeling the same way since Chowder Fest. It was hard to remember that we were faking it. It’s why I wanted to meet up today. To talk about how to proceed going forward.”
Her mouth went dry. “What should we do?” Stella asked. “This is definitely a curveball.”
“There’s only one thing we can do,” Luke said. “When life throws you a curveball, you knock it out of the park.” Luke reached out for Stella’s chin, tilting it upward. Before she knew what was happening, he was kissing her again. His hands at the base of her spine pulled her closer until their bodies were pressed together and the kiss turned into pure molten lava. Stella felt as if every bone in her body was melting. She clutched Luke’s shirt collar so she didn’t lose her balance. She was literally being swept off her feet.
When he stopped kissing her, Stella wanted to cry out in protest.
“I’m officially calling off our agreement,” Luke said, his voice husky. “From now on, you’re my girl. And I’m your guy. How does that sound?”
Joy unfurled inside of her. She felt as if hummingbirds were flying around inside her chest. Luke wanted to be with her as much as she wanted to be with him. With just a few words he’d validated her feelings and given her a heaping dose of happiness.
She could feel a gigantic smile stretching from ear to ear. Stella hoped she didn’t look like an idiot. “That sounds wonderful.” Who was she kidding? She couldn’t play it cool even if she tried. If she were on solid ground, she might even do a cartwheel.
“It is, isn’t it?” Luke asked. “It’ll be nice to not have to pretend to be a couple. I kept feeling that I was messing up.”
“It was kind of fun though,” Stella admitted. “I was really in my head about it. When you texted me, I thought you wanted to call off our showmance. It made me realize how much I like spending time with you.”
“The feeling is very mutual, Miss Marshall,” Luke said, placing his arm around her waist and drawing her close. “I don’t know where this thing is going with us, but I’m really happy with where we are right now. My life is far from being sorted out, but you make me feel as if I can figure everything out.” He held out his hand and Stella intertwined hers with his. It felt solid and steady.
“I’m happy too, Luke.” And she was. Soul stirringly, unbelievably, ecstatically happy. Luke made her feel as if she could still hope for things she’d buried in the past. She’d given up on the idea of having a romantic partner, but thanks to Luke, she was now seeing things differently.
Luke held her hand tightly as they made their way back down the winding steps to the ground floor. Stella appreciated Luke’s firm grip since she still felt a little shaky about the turn things had taken between them. Stella had honestly never dreamed that Luke’s feelings would mirror her own. Back when she’d first seen him walking into the school gymnasium to surprise Miles, she’d never imagined that he would be a romantic partner for her. At the time she’d been adamantly opposed to being in a relationship. The thought of falling for someone had been about as appealing as having her teeth pulled with no Novocaine.
But now, a few short weeks later, everything had changed. Luke had come into her life with the force of a tropical storm, infusing her with a whole new outlook on life and love. She didn’t want to get ahead of herself, but for the first time in a very long time she felt hopeful.
***
On the drive back to Nick’s house, Miles talked a mile a minute about the lighthouse and how he wanted to write his summer report about Captain Jarvis and his life in Mistletoe in the 1800s. Luke tried his best to pay attention to his nephew, but his mind kept wandering back to Stella. The last kiss they’d shared before going their separate ways had been just as toe curling as the others.
If someone had asked Luke how he’d come back to Mistletoe as a retired Navy SEAL and ended up getting a girlfriend when it was the very last thing he’d wanted, he wouldn’t even know how to start to explain it. Being around Miles and Nick had convinced him that they were in a good place. His nephew was resilient. Luke was committed to supporting them, but he knew Nick was navigating the situation with grace and finesse.
All he knew for certain was that he wanted to be with Stella.
Stella had burrowed herself inside of him, reaching a place that was normally off-limits. He’d opened up to her in a way he had never done before. In return, he wanted to know everything about her—her favorite color, what she ate for breakfast, if she liked knock-knock jokes and Double Stuf Oreos. It hurt to imagine she was still in love with Rafe, because it was obvious to Luke that he had never been worthy of a woman like Stella. Most of all, Luke wanted to know the secret to winning her heart. Planting roots in Mistletoe was looking more appealing by the moment. Relationships weren’t his strong suit, but Luke wanted to try and build something solid with Stella.
He felt relieved that they were on the same wavelength. He planned to take things slow and steady with her. The fastest way to ruin a budding romance would be to rush things, and he still had so much to learn about Stella. Did Rafe still own a piece of her heart? He hoped not. Maybe now that he and Stella were together, any feelings for her ex would be extinguished.
He shrugged off his concerns about Rafe, choosing instead to focus on where things were going between him and Stella. Luke hadn’t been imagining the romantic tension hovering in the air between them. It was electric. He’d never felt anything so powerful before. Their chemistry was off the charts.
“Uncle Luke. Are you listening to me?” Luke cast a quick sideways glance at Miles. The look on his face was priceless—a mixture between confusion and humor. It was in moments like this that Luke felt grateful to be back in Mistletoe spending precious time with his nephew. As he’d learned time and again over the past few years, tomorrow wasn’t promised.
“Yeah, buddy. Of course I am. Your project will be amazing. And if you need any help, I’m your guy.” Back in the day Luke had done a few projects on Holly Hill Lighthouse and Captain Jarvis. As a kid he’d been fascinated by sea captains, lighthouses, and pirates. From the looks of it, so was Miles.
Miles giggled. “You have a goofy look on your face. It’s the same look you have when you’re with Miss Marshall.”
Luke shook his head. Miles was way more observant than he’d been as an eight-year-old. Nothing much escaped his notice. “I guess I’m just a huge goofball,” he said, sticking out his tongue and making a funny face. Miles’s laughter filled the truck and lifted Luke’s spirits to the stratosphere. Today had been one fine day. It had shown him that good things were right around the corner. He just had to be willing to embrace them.
It scared him senseless to feel this way. After so many years of avoiding relationships, Luke was finally stepping into one. It was nerve-racking. His stomach had been all tied up in knots during his conversation with Stella. He would have been gutted if she’d wanted to keep him in the friend zone. For the first time in his life Luke was imagining what life might be like with a woman by his side. Not just any woman, he realized.Only Stella.And he knew that he was getting way ahead of himself. He wasn’t even fully settled here in Mistletoe, and he was still jobless. He hadn’t spoken to the Smiths face-to-face yet, and it was high time he corrected that situation. A phone call just wouldn’t do.
Luke needed to sit down with Kenny’s family and tell them about the day their beloved son died. Only then could he truly move on with his life.
