Page 121 of Securing the Pucking Rebound

“Hey, don’t hide from me.”

“I’ve never met anyone who makes me blush like you do.”

“I love it,” I tell her, reaching out with my other hand and tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear so I can see her.

“And I missed you, too,” she admits.

Our eyes hold, the air crackling between us.

“My finger is numb,” I blurt, making her laugh. “And I’m hungry.”

She takes pity on me and releases my hand so I can finish dishing up dinner. After refusing to retake her seat, she helps me carry everything to the table, and we both sit down.

“I don’t think I thought this through properly,” I confess when I look up and see nothing but marigolds.

Behind them, Sienna chuckles before she gets up and moves the bouquet to the credenza beside us.

“Hey,” she says once she’s back in her seat.

“Hi,” I reply, feeling like a teenager with a crush again.

I hold my breath as she picks up her fork and cuts into my lasagna.

She glances up before parting her lips and taking her first bite.

Oh God. Please, please like it.

My eyes are glued to her lips as she slides her fork out and then chews.

“Oh my god,” she mumbles. “So good.”

I light up like a fucking Christmas tree.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It’s delicious,” she says before taking a sip of wine.

My smile is so wide, I struggle to eat my own dinner.

“You don’t have any holiday decorations up,” I blurt.

“I love the holidays, but since living alone, I haven’t really bothered. Mom and Dad’s place is already fully decorated, and I always celebrate there, so …”

“You deserve some pretty decorations. We should go shopping.”

Who the fuck are you, Calvin Keller?

Sienna frowns as if she can’t believe I just said the words either.

“Should we?”

“Yeah. That corner over there is just begging for a tree, don’t you think?”

She turns to look at the corner I’m pointing at.

“Uh, yeah. I guess. I was going to get a plant of some sort. One of those ones with the huge leaves.”

“That’ll look cute the rest of the year. But right now, it needs a Christmas tree.”