Page 24 of Over and Above (Mount Hope #4)
Chapter Twenty-Four
Magnus
“Not bad for our first Christmas with all of us.” Eric stretched as he surveyed the sparkling kitchen we’d just finished cleaning.
“Not at all.” I offered an easy smile, far more bolstered than I should have been by that word first. The vibe between us had been awkward for a bit after the identical presents fiasco, but then we’d settled into Christmas dinner prep, and normalcy had returned. And now that Eric was tossing around words like first and our , I didn’t want to push my luck. “I should probably collect my dogs and get back.”
“Oh, okay.” Frowning, Eric glanced over to where the dogs were snoozing in their version of a post-holiday food coma. “I was about to say it’s surprisingly quiet, and there’s a new holiday comedy streaming?—”
“I’m in.” If he wanted more time together, I was only too happy to stay. “I think I saw a trailer for that one the other day.”
We ended up on the couch, not cuddling per se, but sitting closer than a friendly distance apart, my arm across the back of the couch. As the movie progressed on its predictable but fun finding-Santa plot, we relaxed further, legs touching and my arm dropping to Eric’s shoulders.
Indeed, we were so cozy that I missed the sound of feet on the stairs until Eric pulled away, retreating to the other side of the couch like he was on a string.
“Someone’s coming,” he hissed seconds before Wren arrived in the living room.
“I have a theory.”
“Oh?” I kept my tone neutral and hoped my expression was more schooled than Eric’s.
“I’ve been studying the moon cycles, and our next full moon falls around Maren’s due date.” Wren plopped down between Eric and me. “More babies are born on full moons, even though science can’t fully explain why. I think we can use the moon to predict the baby’s actual arrival date.”
“Excellent.” I nodded encouragingly. “You should share your theory with Marissa.”
“I already texted her.” Wren swiped a piece of candy from the nearby coffee table, apparently settling in for a longer conversation. “This movie is inaccurate, by the way. Santa could never survive a fall like that, even into water, assuming the water wouldn’t be frozen.”
“It’s a comedy.” Eric finally found his voice again.
“Doesn’t mean they can’t consult science.” Wren popped the candy into their mouth before grabbing another two as they abruptly stood back up. “I’m going to see if Maren’s still awake. Carry on.”
“Don’t wake your sister,” Eric warned. Once Wren was out of the room, he exhaled hard and rubbed his temples. “That was a close call. Way too close. You think they guessed?”
“Would it matter if they did?” I kept my tone as conversational and indifferent as I had with Wren, even though I was highly invested in Eric’s answer.
“Of course it would matter.” Leaning forward, he gave a frustrated gesture. “Wren is more than a bit of a gossip. It would only be a matter of time before Maren and Diesel found out, and then all hell would break loose.”
“You really think they’d be mad?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” Eric scrubbed at his short hair as his voice turned pained. “It would be awkward. I know that much. And create unrealistic expectations.”
“For who?” By some miracle, I kept my tone curious, not pointed. Inside, however, I was increasingly certain the only one with unrealistic expectations was me.
“Everyone.” Eric huffed as he dug the remote out of the couch cushions. “Can we get back to the movie? I want to rewind a bit.”
“Me too.” I tried to meet his gaze, but he was too busy fiddling with the remote and trying to hightail it out of this conversation.
“Today was a wonderful day.” He gave me a lightning-fast pat on the knee. “We’ve got a great thing going. Let’s not ruin it.”
“Good idea,” I said. Too bad the ruining was starting to feel inevitable. What I wanted, Eric might not be capable of offering.