We ended up cutting thick slices of pie and sitting at the table as she looked at us with a huge smile on her face. “Your mom knows that something is up too.” Her eyes were shrewd as she looked at me. “That moment when the three of you were on the beach together was precious. It spoke volumes of the love that the three of you have, not just you two.”
“I don’t want her to get hurt again,” I whispered as Nick reached for my hand.
“I have seen her grow in the last few months. Carmen was broken when I came here before, and I knew that she missed her mom. She still does, but she loves you.” Rebecca looked into my eyes as I felt a tear slide down my cheek. “You were meant to be here with Carmen and Nick. It’s fate.”
We stayed at the table for a little long her, talking and eating before Rebecca went back to her room and Nick led me to his bedroom. “I guess the cat’s out of the bag.”
We dropped on the mattress softly, making love sweetly this time. The secret was out, though we had to find a good way to tell Carmen. I also knew that I’d have to call Mom and admit what she already suspected was true. I pushed all of that behind me as I snuggled into his chest to fall asleep, feeling complete as I reminded him that I loved him.
We got up in the morning and started breakfast, smiling when Rebecca and Carmen came downstairs. Today was the day that they decorated for Christmas since it was both the holiday as well as Carmen’s birthday in December and she loved it. We were going to get a tree and set it up in the living room and spend the evening decorating the house. Mom was even coming over for that, and I smiled as I sipped coffee and looked at Nick. There was an ease between us now even though we were waiting to figure out how to tell Carmen about us.
Nick went to the same tree lot every year, and Carmen picked out a massive Douglas Fir that a few guys secured to the top of the SUV. We took it home as Carmen sipped her hot chocolate in the back seat with her aunt. I looked steadily at Nick as he drove, grinning widely as we chatted during the drive.
Nick got the tree set up in the corner by the window before he strung lights all around it. Mom was coming over in a couple of hours, and we were going to eat leftovers before we started decorating, since we grabbed some cheeseburgers and fries for lunch. When Rebecca settled on the couch to watch a movie with Carmen, Nick tugged me into his room and closed the door before kissing me senseless. I wrapped my arms around his neck, happy to let our tongues dance together as I heard him lock the door. “They’re just out there,” I told him as he smiled against my lips.
“They’re watching Frozen. Carmen won’t come back to Earth for a couple of hours,” His lips claimed mine again before he lifted me and carried me to the bed, sliding down my jeans before he buried his face between my thighs. His tongue had lapped at me before his teeth drew my sensitive skin between his lips, making me cover my face with a pillow so I wouldn’t clue the house into what we were doing. When he was covered with my release, Nick tossed his pants to the side of the bed and drove himself into me as I held him close. He took me slow and hard, breathing my name with every movement as I closed my eyes. “You’re sleeping in here with me from now on. We need to tell Carmen so we can live like this.”
“I know,” I replied as I came around him, kissing him to keep myself quiet. He shot inside of me seconds later, holding me close as I cried in his arms. I was feeling so emotional as things progressed with us and Nick kissed me softly as he assured me that everything would be okay.
We cleaned up and made our way back to the living room, one by one as I went to the kitchen for some water first. I drifted in during what I knew was Carmen’s favorite part of the film, slipping onto the couch beside her as Rebecca gave me a knowing smile that made me blush.
Mom was knocking at the door just as the three of us were finished piling up the boxes of Christmas decorations. She had a small bag in her hand, explaining that they were some special ornaments that I made as a child that she wanted to split between the houses.
We ate some dinner first, heating up the spread from the night before and gathering around the table to enjoy it. Carmen was dancing in her seat beside me, and I grinned at her before I glanced at Nick. I think all of us rushed through the meal a bit so the little girl could tear into the boxes with gusto.
In a matter of hours, the tree looked beautiful, and the mantel was rearranged to suit the holiday. I saw Carmen looking at a picture of her mom for a moment in all the excitement and nudged Nick, who was beside me. He glanced at his daughter, stilling for a second as she touched the picture and came over to give me a hug. “I think that Mommy gave you to me for Christmas. She wanted me to have an angel.”