Page 47 of The Shift Between Us (Covewood #2)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Luke

M orning sunshine flows through the curtains, casting a ray of light onto Olivia’s face, making her skin look warm and golden.

My heart swells at the sight of her as memories from last night replay in my mind.

We spent the night wrapped in each other’s arms, looking through old photographs on Olivia’s phone, eating the cookie dough my grandmother had in the fridge.

We shared a few kisses then fell asleep watching The Grinch .

This right here is my own slice of heaven. I want to wake up like this every single morning for the rest of my life. I want Olivia’s body pressed against mine, her sleepy breath fanning against my chest, her bed head sticking up every which way.

You’d think I would be used to her by now.

Over the last fifteen years, she’s been woven into many details in my life.

She's seen me with braces, with a broken heart, with a sprained ankle from trying to prove I could skateboard in high school. We’ve shared more late-night takeout and inside jokes than I can count .

But this…this is different.

She’s curled into my side like she belongs here, as if we weren’t fake dating twenty-four hours ago, like she didn’t kiss me last night and change my entire world.

I don’t even remember falling asleep. I just remember not wanting to stop touching her.

Not in some lust-fueled way, but in the way you hold on to something when you realize you’ve been missing it your whole life.

I don’t know what will happen next. I’m unsure if this will break everything or build something new.

She stirs, accidentally smacking me in the face with the back of her hand, and my chuckle causes her to stir awake. “Did I hit you?” she mumbles, blinking away her sleepy haze.

“Yup,” I reply and wrap my arms around her.

“I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“I’m perfect. I’ll gladly be beaten up by you if it means that I get to wake up with you every day.”

She twists her body until she can get a better look at me. “Wow, you must really have it bad for me.” Her voice is full of teasing as a smirk spreads across her beautiful face.

I tip forward so I can speak directly into her ear. “You have no idea.”

I’m revealing too much to her, but honestly, I don’t care. I’m done with holding back, especially when she smiles up at me, appearing like she’s warming from the inside out. Slowly, she leans her face toward mine and kisses me.

Olivia’s mouth stretches into a grin against my lips before she pulls away and watches me, as if memorizing this moment.

Just like I am, because I fear this all might vanish when we return home.

Dread fills my chest, giving it a slight squeeze, reminding me once again that I have a secret I need to tell Olivia before we can move forward with our relationship.

I’m pretty sure that I’m only one careless comment away from her figuring out I’ve been in love with her for longer than she thinks.

I’m not ready for her to know that, though.

Not yet. We’ll save that conversation for when we get home.

Right now, I’m going to soak in this last day at my grandmother’s before we have to load up and head back to Covewood.

I’m not sure how in tune Olivia is with me, but I catch the moment that she senses a change in me.

I attempt to hide behind a smile, sliding my hands to her stomach, and begin tickling her.

The sound of her laughter fills the room, making her chest move against mine, and I want to bend my head until I can press my nose into the pulse point on her neck.

And because I can now, I do it. I stop tickling her and press my lips to the sensitive skin at her neck, and her hands smooth through my hair, giving me a teasing tug.

Christmas music begins to play, and we hear Aunt Andy singing loudly down the hallway.

The smell of bacon drifts through the crack in the door, a little reminder that we have some things to do today.

As much as I would rather stay in bed with her, I know if we don’t get up now, my nosey family will eventually break down the door.

“Do we have to get out of bed?” I ask, nuzzling my face deeper into her neck.

“Yes,” she says joyfully. “Merry early Christmas, Lukie Bear.”

She leans in and gives me another kiss. Our lips move in sync with one another, as if we’ve done this a million times. She pulls away, a wide smile spreading across her face, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

My gaze settles on the flush staining her cheeks down to her Cupid’s bow.

She arches a brow, studying me curiously, waiting to see what move I plan to make.

I look at the curve of her ear, to the spot I just brushed with my lips, and think about doing it again, but as I predicted, there is a knock on the door, sending us both jolting in surprise.

“Get up, love birds. It’s Christmas time!” Jerrica shouts through the door.

Olivia leans her face into my chest, giggling into the cotton shirt I changed into last night, before she gets out of bed. I grunt like a disappointed child before forcing myself to get ready for our last day here. At least today, we won’t be faking anymore.

Everyone is gathered around the huge Christmas tree in the main living room.

Olivia leads us to a small chair that’s next to where my dad is sitting.

As I sit down, she slides into my lap, and I wrap my arms around her.

Dad gives us a knowing smirk, appearing genuinely happy to see us together, and it means more to me than I could express to him.

“Merry early Christmas,” he says to us.

“Merry early Christmas, Davis,” Olivia replies.

I take in his pale reflection, the dark circles under his eyes, and the way they appear a bit cloudy. “Are you feeling okay?”

He waves a hand toward us. “Yeah. I just didn’t get much sleep last night. I’ll be okay.”

I peer over at his nurse, who’s sitting in a chair behind him, as she gives us a faint smile that tells me it’s more than just lack of sleep, and I go to ask more questions but am interrupted by Nonni.

“Good morning, family,” she says cheerfully, her eyes landing on Olivia and me, and then on my dad, and I see the emotions she’s trying to keep at bay.

I give her an encouraging smile and squeeze Olivia closer to me.

“Olivia, we have an odd tradition of giving gifts. We pass around boxes until everyone has one in their hands. Then we unwrap them and guess who the gift is for.”

“That sounds fun!” she exclaims, practically wiggling in my lap as she takes a box in her hands and passes it along.

While I was chatting with my dad last night, Olivia had brought in a few things she bought from our trip to Buc-ees and wrapped them for people. “See, all that shopping came in handy,” she whispers to me after she hands someone one of her presents.

“Luke, you should go first,” Jerrica says to me.

“Okay.” I rip away the green-and-red wrapping paper, cut open the cardboard box, and reveal a nice golf set. “This is for Uncle Leo.”

“Correct,” Nonni announces as I hand Leo his gift.

“Who came up with this silly tradition?” he mutters, accepting the gift, a grin twitching his mustache. He takes the bag by his feet and opens it, showing us a nice coffee set. “This could be for anyone.”

“Just guess,” Jerrica snaps before losing her restraint and ripping open her gift.

“I don’t know. Mom?” he questions, handing it to Nonni.

She scoffs. “No, it’s for Rebecca.”

“Oh, thank you, Nonni. I love it,” Rebecca replies, clapping her hands excitedly.

Jerrica holds up a creepy-looking doll. “This has to be for you, Uncle Leo.”

We all laugh, except for Uncle Leo, who's shaking his head and pressing his mouth into a thin line. Emma jumps from her mother’s lap to grab the doll, squealing, “It’s mine. Right, Nonni?”

“Yes, honey, that’s yours.”

For the next half hour, we continue to open up the gifts. Olivia opens up a set of cooking utensils, a new candle that smells like cookie dough, and a heated blanket. “How did she have gifts for me if she didn’t know I was coming?” she asked.

“Nonni has a slight shopping addiction. There’s a room full of random items she uses for gifts, and she had some perfect things in there just for you,” I reply, leaning into her and pressing a small kiss to her cheek .

“It’s like I was meant to be here all along,” she whispers back at me.

“You were, Cupcake.”

I scored some heated gloves, which are always nice to have, a new grill set, and a beanie that has a headlamp and Bluetooth speakers built in. “That looks handy,” my dad said before studying his own gifts.

“I’m going to help your grandmother prepare brunch,” Olivia says, nudging her chin toward my dad, silently telling me to spend some time with him. I give her a nod and turn in my chair to face him.

“Want to play a round of rummy with those new cards you got?”

He gives me a tired smile. “I’d like that.”

There is a knock on the front door after brunch. Nonni, Dad, his nurse, Olivia, and I are all that is left in the house. Everyone else has left for the day, so hearing a knock on the door has us all puzzled. I raise a hand for Nonni to stay seated.

“I’ll get it,” I say as I stand up from the table.

The hardwood floor creaks under my feet as I walk across the living room and open the door to see Mom, Raine, and Raine’s mother standing on the front porch. I’m shocked to see them. I had no idea they were coming.

“Mom?” I say more like a question, studying the three familiar faces before I step aside and motion for them to come inside.

“Raine!” Olivia says from behind me and rushes to Raine, wrapping her into a tight embrace. “You’re here.”

My throat feels tight as I approach Mom and give her a hug. I’m thankful for the sense of comfort and protection she carries with her everywhere she goes. I place my cheek on top of her head, feeling relieved that she’s here.