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“I’m going to be with you until we fix this. And I want to be with you after that.” His shoulders raised and lowered. “All I need to know is what you want, and you don’t have to tell me now, okay?”
“I already know,” I said, crossing the room to him. “It’s you.”
Dune
Decorative pillows littered Hallie’s bedroom floor the way confetti littered the city at Mardi Gras. At least the Mardi Gras I’d seen.
“How long do you think we can hold Mom off once she gets out of the rip?” Hallie tucked her head in the crook of my shoulder.
Her hair was a mess again, and I realized how much I loved her like that. Breathless and ravished. Thanks to me.
“Since I’m assuming that at least half your determination comes from your mom, I don’t expect her to take too long.” I kissed her soundly and started picking up the cushions, tossing them to her one by one. “Hopefully, she thinks it’s just you and me without backup. We need an advantage.”
“I’m not sure she’s anticipating a team of X-Men, but who knows?” She caught a pillow right in front of her face, and then peeked out from behind it, grinning. “Is Liam Ballard bald?”
“No, actually, but he’s still more Professor X than Magneto.”
“Speaking of hair,” she said, “yours is a mess.”
I looked in the mirror. I had enough hair for it to be a mess. “What day is it?”
“December tenth.”
Christmas was a couple of weeks away. I felt like I’d known Hallie for years, but it wasn’t enough. She stepped up beside me, and we looked at our side-by-side reflection. My skin was tan, hers was pale. We both had light eyes and dark hair, but her features were delicate. Mine were big and broad.
“I like the way we look,” she said, meeting my eyes.
“I concur.”
“I’ve been waiting to give you my Christmas wish list, and I think this is the perfect time.”
“Because we have the opportunity to shop right now?” I faced her, smoothed her messy hair. “Kidding. Spring it on me.”
“Spend Christmas here. With me. That’s all. That’s the only thing I want.”
The statement was reminiscent of what she’d said to me on the stairs the day she’d threatened to get me fired. Forever ago. “I thought the only thing you wanted was to know my name.”
The kiss she gave me was sweet. “I knew you’d catch that.”
A knock interrupted the moment. Hallie opened the door to Michael and Em. They both looked serious.
“Any word on Teague?” Michael asked. His eyes widened, like he was trying to communicate something silently.
“Not yet,” Hallie said, looking back and forth between us, pulling her hair into a knot on top of her head.
“Hallie, can I borrow you for a second?” Emerson asked. “I wanted … I needed you to …”
“Talk to me alone so that Michael will stop doing the eyebrow-raise thing, and he and Dune can have a private conversation?” Hallie asked.
Em let out a sigh. “Thank you.”
Grinning, Hallie stood on her tiptoes to kiss me. I gave her one last squeeze. Michael followed me downstairs to the living room.
“Sit.” I gestured toward the couch.
He rubbed his hand over his face. “I’ve been reading through the Infinityglass research, the part you told me to focus on. I talked to Liam, too. This isn’t a sit-down conversation.”
I disagreed. Michael was pacing, and it made my stomach threaten an out-of-body experience. I sat.
