“It’s a tradition. We always decorate a tree after Thanksgiving dinner. So...i.e.…you need a tree.”
“Then drop me off, go home, and decorate your own damn tree.” Irritation hung heavy in her voice.
“Anything you want to talk about?”
“I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
Lucas pulled into the tented tree lot. Workers were still pulling trees from the back of a truck. He put the car in park and turned in his seat. He ran his fingers along the back of her hand where she’d placed it on the console.
“Look, I’m sorry about my grandmother.”
“I’m not concerned about Giselle. She’s an old woman with your best interests at heart.” Hope arched a brow.
“Okay, I’m lost. Why are you upset?”
“I’m not upset.” She sniffed.
“Uh-huh. Then what is on your mind?”
“The brunette, the one that kept fawning over you…”
“Yes?”
The tap on the driver’s side window made them both jump. Lucas gritted his teeth. Just when he was making headway with Hope. He grunted while rolling down the window and peered into the rheumy blue eyes of an elderly man.
“Yes, sir?” Lucas spoke through clenched teeth and pasted a smile on his face.
“Do you need help, son?”
“We’re here to pick out a pine tree.”
Hope snorted in the background.
Lucas ignored her. “Are you open?”
“Not officially open for business yet but you’re in luck. It’s my lot.” The old man straightened and stepped back.
Lucas pulled the lever releasing his door and stepped out. He walked round the back of his car to open Hope’s door. He helped her out of the automobile and turned to face the man while she stretched. He took in the lot attendant’s appearance. Lucas was reminded of a greeting card he’d seen once of Santa Clause on vacation. The guy wasn’t a large man and he had a pot belly. The word jovial came to mind, and the shockingly white hair that covered his head and face only enhanced the image of the big man on vacation. That coupled with the red tank he wore over black jeans and work boots, made Lucas chuckle while debating if the attendant was an old hippie or a Santa Claus impersonator or maybe both.
“What’s so funny?” Hope stepped in line next to him.
“I was just thinking that the old man there was Santa on retreat.”
He watched as Hope stared at the man and chewed her bottom lip. A habit he was learning she did when she was deep in thought. Absently she rolled her hand around her belly. “I could see how you would get that impression.”
The owner pulled a red baseball cap from his pocket and slipped it on his head. When he glanced over his shoulder at them, a wide smile split his lips. “Oh, you’re expecting.” He lifted his head to meet Lucas’s gaze. “So when’s the baby due?”
“January fifteenth.” Lucas answered as he took Hope’s hand to tug her along, following the elderly man.
Hanging behind a few feet they trailed after the pseudo-Santa through the growing maze of trees. The smell of pine was ripe in the air. Hope would pause for a few moments to study a particular tree. He watched as she took the tree’s limbs in hand and caressed the needles. The thought of those soft palms on his shaft made his dick harden. Lucas grazed a hand over his jeans to discreetly adjust himself.
She glanced back and her smile shone through her eyes. The evergreens surrounded her and his heartbeat slowed, then stopped before resuming with such a hard thud he knew she had to have heard it. There was no denying the fact that he wanted her with a ferocity that he had nothing to actually compare too. Lucas wiped a palm down his face at the unusualness of the situation.
“Do you like that one?” His voice was soft; he had to clear his throat.
“I do.” She shifted trying to see around it.
“Are you still angry with me?” Lucas stepped forward and pulled the tree upright.
“I think it’s wiser to forget the entire episode.”
“Will you answer one question then?”
“Do you really want to continue our conversation on this particular subject?” She lifted her chin and cocked a brow.
Lucas winked.
“Fine.” She sighed.
“Were you jealous?” He folded his lips in to keep his mirth contained.
“Of all the questions…”
Lucas watched as a hint of red crawled up her neck and a giddy feeling rushed through him. Her mouth opened and closed, yet she didn’t say another word. He tightened his grip on the tree branch to prevent himself from taking her into his arms. She narrowed her eyes and he could no longer stop the silly smile he was sure had erupted on his face.
“Ahh, there you are. I thought I’d lost you two. I see you found a tree?” The southern Santa-look-alike stepped out of the shadows.
“Yeah, she likes this one.” Lucas pounded it on the pavement to make sure the needles didn’t all fall off. “It’s a little thin but if Hope likes it…how much?”
The old man scratched his beard and pursed his lips, rocking on his toes. He folded his arms across the top of his belly before bursting out in laugher that seemed to shake his whole body. “Son, since you’re my first customers of the season, consider it a gift.”
“Oh, thank you.” Hope beamed brightly at the elderly gentleman and Lucas.
“Sir, I have the money.” Lucas dug into his back pocket.
“Call me Nick and it’s my pleasure.” He waved his hand, staring at Hope as he did so. Nick took the tree and started to walk away, stopping long enough to look over his shoulder. “You kids coming?”
Without thinking Lucas grabbed Hope’s hand and tugged her next to him so they could trail behind Nick. Once out of the maze of pines, he escorted her to the car and helped her into it. He headed back to the men and Nick pushing the tree through netting to wrap it tight. The old guy handed some twine to one of his workers and they took the tree from him, taking it to the car. As Lucas walked away from Nick, he placed a weathered hand on Lucas’s arm.
Lucas turned and looked down at the restraining limb before raising his eyes to meet the twinkling blue gaze of Nick. “Did I forget something?”
“This is just an observation but any woman who can put a smile on your face the way she does from just being around her is a keeper.” Nick handed him a red and green base to water the tree and keep it upright.
Lucas wrapped his hand around the metal contraption and turned to stare at the car. “She is amazing, isn’t she?”
“Anyone you feel that strongly about is worth fighting for. But again this is just the mutterings of an old man.”
Lucas turned back to question the wizened man to find he’d disappeared. He twirled in a circle and realized except for him and Hope everyone had vanished. The small tree was strapped to the car. Rolling his shoulders, he dismissed the odd experience. It was time to get his girls home. His step faltered and he stood rooted in place at the realization that he considered both mother and baby his. Lucas wiped a hand across his chin and chuckled.
Ever since he helped with those forms scattered across the floor of her workstation he’d been drawn to her. She brought out a protectiveness in him he thought he’d lost with his calf. The more time he spent with her the less he focused on his shortcomings. She didn’t allow him to feel like less than a man and wouldn’t let him wallow in his own self-pity. Hope made him feel like he could take on the world and win. He didn’t want to lose that, he didn’t want to make a mistake and lose her. Now he just had to convince Hope that she was stuck with him.
§ § §
Hope slept through the remainder of the ride, only to wake up to the sound of scratching on the automobile’s roof. She shouldered the door open and swiveled in the seat, setting her feet on the pavement. Covering her mouth with her hands, she yawned, stretched, and stifled a second yawn looking around for Lucas. She found him walking down the stairs of her apartment building. His face lit up when he caught sight of her watching him and a sliver of excitement rolled down her spine. She rocked in her seat and he quickened his steps. Within a few moments Lucas was by her side offering his hand. She placed her palm in his and warmth infused her.
“Do you need to use the bathroom again?” He helped her out of the seat.
“No, I heard scratching.”
“Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you yet. I was taking care of the tree.”
“Oh.”
“Again with the
oh
’s.” He chuckled as they walked along.
They moved along in silence, Hope snuck a glance at his profile and stroked her belly as her baby shifted. As they approached her door, she noticed how the pine was slightly taller than the entrance.
“That tree may be too big for my apartment.” She stopped to stand in front of it.
“Let’s get it in first and then we can figure out the logistics.”
“I don’t know…” Hope hesitated. It had been so long since
anyone
, let alone a man, had been in her space.
“Are we going to stand out here all evening?” He leaned against the doorjamb and stared down at her.
Hope dug through her bag and pulled out her keys. They jingled as she turned the key in the deadbolt. Anticipation made her heart speed up, thumping hard in her chest. She swallowed as she turned the knob and edged the door open. Lucas hefted up the tree as she reached inside and flipped on the light switch. Hope stepped out of the way to allow him into her home and looked around. She tried to see her home through a stranger’s eye.
Her living room was bare with the exception of a beat up loveseat and a desk that held her laptop. In the corner between the furniture pieces were various baby items tucked into a playpen. Every payday she went to the big box discount store and bought some necessity for Kira. She snorted, imagining she looked pathetic since she didn’t even own a television. Her ex-boyfriend had pawned anything of value before he left. That hadn’t left her with much. The bastard had even taken the lace curtains her aunt had sent her when he left. A sharp pain was developing behind her eye and she raised her hand to rub her temple.
“I bet the tree would be beautiful in front of the window,” Lucas commented as he looked around.
“I guess.”
He leaned it in the corner. “What’s wrong? I never asked. Do you celebrate Christmas?”
“Yes, I celebrate the holiday. I just haven’t had reason to for the last couple of years.” She crossed her arms, restless in her own home.
Lucas’s stride ate up the distance in a few steps. He slid his fingers beneath her chin and lifted her face. “Talk to me, all I want to do is get to know you better.”
She moved her head while holding his gaze. “I am a pregnant, single, thirty-year-old woman who is working up to her due date because I need the money. I live in a rundown building, in a partially furnished apartment, with an associate’s degree instead of a bachelor’s because I needed to work more than I wanted to attend college.” She tossed her hands up. “I am not an easy lay. I have more respect for myself than that, so if that’s what you’re after there’s the door.” Her sigh sounded tired even to her.
Lucas palmed her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb. “If I wanted a piece of ass I could easily get some, whether I paid for it or if a woman felt some sympathy for me. I see you. I lost a leg not my sight. I’ve watched a beautiful, vibrant woman struggle with hard-headed patients while standing all day and still maintain a smile on her face. Even when I know her feet have got to be killing her. I know I’m no great catch, that I’m damaged goods, but I have actively been pursuing you for the better part of a month and it’s time you got it through your head that I want so much more from you. So if you can’t handle that tell me now. I’ll walk away and never bother you again.”
She heard the truth of his words, the utter sincerity of his voice. Hope saw her namesake in his eyes. She closed her eyes, desperation flowing through her. If only she could believe him. So many times she’d been wrong. Doubt niggled at the back of her mind. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth.
“I have to say I hate it when you abuse your bottom lip.” His breath brushed her skin.