Luke thought his heart might be melting. “I know you do, Tess. That makes you an awesome sister.”
She knit her brows together. “It does?”
“One hundred percent. You’re protecting her the way she’s always cared for you. I think that’s pretty amazing.”
Tess began sniffing the air. “Luke, I smell something burning.”
Luke let out a groan and jumped to his feet. “My cookies.” He grabbed an oven mitt, then wrenched open the oven, yanking the tray out. Not a single cookie had been spared. “Looks like they’re burnt city,” he said to Tess. “And here I thought you couldn’t mess up chocolate chip cookies.”
“I’m sorry for distracting you, Luke,” Tess apologized. “It’s all my fault.”
“No worries, Tess. I’ll just make another batch. Trust me, this isn’t the first time this has happened.” Luke had a history of burning dinner, appetizers, desserts, and more. One of these days he was going to get it right.
She grinned at him, bearing an uncanny resemblance to Stella. “Well, I can’t wait to taste them later on. I need to get going before my family sends out a search party.”
Luke walked Tess to the door. He patted her on the shoulder as she stood on the threshold. “Thanks for stopping by, Tess. It was a pleasure to chat with you.” And he meant it. How often did adults get the chance to have a heart-to-heart with a ten-year-old girl? It was obvious Tess loved Stella to the moon and back.
Luke stood in the doorway and watched as Tess skipped down the walkway. A part of him had wanted to make a promise to Tess about not hurting Stella, but the rational side of him couldn’t do it. There were no guarantees in relationships. More than anything else in this world, he didn’t want Stella to be hurt. Especially by him. Stella was burrowing herself deeper and deeper into his life and the innermost regions of his heart. He could barely go an hour without thinking about her. It was both nerve-racking and exciting.
He’d never been the type of guy to believe in the idea of soul mates. Or finding your forever in another person. He’d believed in it for others like Nick and Kara, but never for himself. Perhaps on some level he’d never felt worthy of that type of love. But lately, because of Stella, he was opening up to the possibility of something much bigger than he’d ever dared to dream. Perhaps this time the stars would be aligned in their favor.
Maybe, just maybe, Stella really was the one.
***
Stella buzzed around her kitchen, balancing a tray on her right hip while clutching a pitcher of lemonade in her left hand. Lucy and Dante were sitting out on the patio debating wedding cake designs and flavors. Stella liked watching them interact with each other. Even when they disagreed on something they still treated each other with love and respect. It hadn’t been that way with her and Rafe. He’d been domineering about all aspects of wedding planning. Several times he’d reduced Stella to tears with his unrealistic demands.And for what?In the end he’d walked away from her and their wedding.
The patio door slid open, and Lucy stepped back into the house with a pleased expression on her face. “You look like someone who got her way,” Stella teased. Lucy hadn’t changed since they were kids. She’d worn that same look of satisfaction throughout their lives. “So did you pick the chocolate crème cake?”
“Not exactly,” Lucy said, reaching into the fridge for a cold soda. “We compromised. Half is the chocolate crème and the other half is caramel de leche.”
“Now that’s a sweet concession,” Stella said. Lucy groaned at her corny joke. “It’s going to be wonderful just like everything else about your wedding. You must be counting the days.”
“I am,” Lucy admitted. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m still pinching myself that I get to marry my first and only love.”
“You deserve every bit of happiness that comes your way. I want to be you when I grow up.” Stella meant it. Lucy had really stepped out on a leap of faith to rebuild her relationship with Dante after he’d shattered her heart and left Mistletoe, only to return eight and a half years later as a megastar. She was way braver than Stella ever could be. And now she was reaping the rewards.
“I admit that I was a little salty when he came back to town,” Lucy said.
Stella snorted. “A little? You were acting like a one-woman wrecking crew for a while there. And then the two of you fell in love all over again.” She sighed.
Lucy sniffled. “If we don’t change the subject, I’m going to get weepy. How can I help set up?” Lucy asked. “Are we eating outside?”
“I thought it would be nice to set up the food inside then everyone can head to the patio to eat after they make their plates.” Stella gestured to her refrigerator. “I’m keeping everything chilled for now. Luke agreed to man the grill.” Just saying it out loud made her happy. It was the little things that some women took for granted when they were coupled up. Even when Stella was with Rafe, he hadn’t ever lifted a finger to help out. Having Luke serve as the grill master meant something to Stella.
“So you’re actually dating Luke for real now?” Lucy’s eyes were practically bugging out of her head. “You’re a genuine couple?”
She’d explained it to Lucy several times over the past few days, but her sister didn’t seem to fully grasp the notion that she and Luke were now in an authentic romantic relationship. Maybe she thought Stella was punking her since they’d been fake dating for weeks. She tried her best to tamp down her slight irritation. “Yes, Lucy. Like I told you, spending so much time together allowed us to develop real feelings for each other. It’s all very fresh and shiny, but we’re both enjoying this new phase.” Stella felt a huge smile sweeping across her face. She couldn’t even put into words how blissful she felt at the moment. There was no telling where things were headed, but she felt optimistic.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Lucy said, “I definitely saw sparks between you, but I thought both of you didn’t want a relationship.”
“I didn’t want to be pressured into one. There’s a difference. And I think Luke felt the same way,” Stella explained. “No one forced us together. We just gravitated toward one another after spending so much time pretending to be a couple.”
Lucy narrowed her gaze as she regarded Stella. She could see the wheels turning in her sister’s head.
“What’s wrong?” Stella asked. She could tell Lucy wanted to get something off her chest. She knew her sister like the back of her hand.
Lucy put a finger to her lips. “I didn’t say a word.”
