“I know.” And she did. Mostly.
But what if her parents didn’t see this as a good thing? What if they thought she was moving too fast? She didn’t think she was, but maybe Tate was right. Maybe it was fast, and they needed to slow down.
Brady cupped her face as he leaned closer. She did the same, kissing him softly. As soon as her lips touched his, all her concerns fell away. It felt right to be with him. She wasn’t sure why that was, but it did. It was just that she’d loved him for so long, it was going to take some getting used to. All the hot chocolate wishes in the world would’ve never prepared her for the actual thrill of knowing this man reciprocated her feelings.
“When we’re done here, whenever that is, I’d like you to go back to my house. Or I’ll stay at yours. Either way. As long as I get to spend more time with you.”
“I’m movin’ in,” she told him.
His eyebrows rose slowly.
“I mean, if that’s still what you want.”
“More than anything.”
“Good because it’s not too fast.”
“Huh?”
Reilly shook her head. “Nothin’. Sorry. I’m just ramblin’. But I do want to. Move in with you, I mean. Now. Today, even. I don’t care. As long as I get to sleep in the same bed and wake up in the same bed and have breakfast in the same house.”
“You’re adorable,” he whispered.
More like neurotic, but Reilly wasn’t going to argue.
Brady took a breath and sat back in his seat. “What do you say we go inside? I’m sure your mom and dad are watchin’ from the window.”
She figured they were, too. That was how it worked on holidays. Her parents waited patiently for everyone to arrive, but their patience had limits. They usually paced back and forth in front of the windows, watching for their kids to come home.
Sure enough, as soon as she was out of the truck, her dad appeared on the front porch, a mug in his hand and a smile on his face.
“I was startin’ to think we were gonna have dinner in your car,” Owen said as they approached, Brady moving closer to her as they walked.
“Hi, Daddy,” she greeted, hugging him.
“Hi, sugar.” Owen released her. “Where’s Tate?”
“With Donovan,” she said without thinking about it.
Her father grinned, then opened the screen door to allow her to go inside.
Reilly stopped as soon as she was in the house, eyes wide as she stared at the ceiling.
“What did you do?” she asked, huffing a laugh as she noticed all the mistletoe dangling from the ceiling. They’d taken down hers because it would’ve been dead at this point, but every sprig had been replaced with new ones, only there was twice—no, make that three times as much.
Her dad stood beside her, admiring his handiwork. “Your mom and I thought we’d pitch in and help you kids out.” He glanced at Brady. “I didn’t realize you boys had gotten with the program.”
Reilly looked at Brady, noticed there was color in his cheeks. He was blushing.
“Yes, sir.” Brady glanced at her and then back to her father. “With that said, if you’ve got a minute, I’d like to talk to you about somethin’.”
Unable to move, Reilly watched them until her dad looked at her and smiled. “Go on in the kitchen. Your mama’s waitin’ for you.”
She was torn between helping her mom and lingering so she could hear what Brady wanted to talk to him about.
Brady made her decision for her when he leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Go on. We’ll be there in a minute.”
She met his gaze, held it as she tried to read his intentions. Her stomach was churning, and this time, it was excitement. “Okay.”
