48 | This is Christmas - Part II

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Let anger and fear and hate disappear

Let there be love that lasts through the year

Let it be Christmas

Christmas everywhere.

-Alan Jackson, "Let it Be Christmas"

Brooke

I leaned in toward the mirror, putting the finishing touches on my makeup.

"Brooke!" Luke called from the living room. "Are you almost ready? We're supposed to be at Rachel's in twenty minutes!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be right out!" I called. "I need you to zip me up!"

He appeared in the doorway within seconds. "Gladly," he said, smirking at me.

I grinned and gestured at the halfway zipped back of my green form-fitting maxi dress.

He appeared behind me in the mirror and hissed through his teeth as his fingers brushed the bare skin of my back. "Damn, I've missed this," he whispered, and instead of feeling the zipper slide up, his finger brushed down to the waistband of my lace underwear.

I smiled at him in the mirror. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be putting the dress on, not taking it off," I teased.

He put his hands on my shoulders and slid the fabric off and down my arms. I stepped out of the dress instinctively and lay it on the top of the laundry hamper.

I watched him in the mirror as he planted little kisses on the corner of my shoulder, all the way across my upper back to my other shoulder. I felt a shiver run through my body.

"I thought we only had twenty minutes," I murmured as he ran his hands down my sides until they rested on my hips.

He turned me around to face him and gazed at me. "They can wait," he breathed as his lips closed over mine.

***

Forty minutes later, we pulled up in front of Rachel's house, still on a high from our little liaison in the bathroom. We were definitely the last ones there.

"Oops," I giggled as Luke opened the door for me and we made our way to the front door.

"It's fine. We weren't eating first anyway; they were going to serve cocktails first," Luke said.

"Oh, okay, good. I didn't want to hold up dinner," I said, relieved.

Luke shook his head and laughed. "Please. Everyone knows you're always late."

I bumped him with my hip as he rang the doorbell.

Rachel flung open the door and opened her arms. "Hi y'all! Merry Christmas!" she said, her voice cheery, her dress and makeup immaculate. But I knew her well enough to know she had been crying. The tip of her nose was slightly pink, a dead giveaway.

I pulled her to me after Luke gave her a quick hug and moved to find Miles.

"You okay, sweetheart?" I whispered in her ear.

"Yeah. Please Come Home for Christmas– " she started, and I nodded.

"Say no more." I kissed her cheek. "He's still here with you, you know?" I said, wiping my lipstick off her skin with my thumb.

She smiled, her eyes glassy. "I know. Love you, B," she said.

"I love you too, Rach. Now let's enjoy this party, yeah?"

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