My Lucky Days: A Novel

by S. D. Hendrickson

  My eyes widened. “Like stay in the pool house with you?”

  “Yes. It will be my last few weeks here before I go on the road. I want us to spend those days together.”

  “Wouldn’t that bother Colt and Callie? I mean, having me there. Every day.” And every night.

  He grinned. “Not if I keep the door locked.”

  As I thought about his proposal, my mind spun in different directions. It would make things harder when he left if we spent that much time together.

  His finger trailed over my cheek. “Don’t close up on me. Talk to me about what you are feeling. Just say it. This isn’t any different than when we are on the phone, except I can see your pretty green eyes.”

  “Okay. Fine. You’re spontaneous, and I’m not. And I—I don’t know. That’s a lot of time together too.”

  “Yes. And I know you like things planned. So I’m asking you in advance.” He leaned in and whispered, “Spend Christmas with me.”

  Our eyes met. I knew what he was really asking. His eyes didn’t leave mine, but his finger trailed softly over my neck. His hand moved over the top of my shirt, touching my breast, teasing me through the fabric. I sucked in a little breath and he smiled before opening the final button.

  The lights were on and he could see me and I could see him. Closing my eyes, I listened to the sound of my breath. His breath. Just like the weeks we had spent on the phone. I listened as I felt him touching me with his lips. I felt his soft kisses on my breasts, brushing my nipples.

  His mouth moved slowly down to my stomach. I sucked in a little gasp as his tongue grazed the inside of my belly button. He did it again, causing little sparks to shoot under my skin.

  “Look at me, Katie.”

  I heard his voice, so sweet and calm. As our eyes found each other, he pressed his lips to my skin. I watched his tongue flicker across my stomach. He did it again, kissing down to the ribbon tie on the top of my cotton pajama pants. He pulled the bow loose with his teeth, which made me laugh.

  Lucky grinned, sticking a finger under the waistband. He waited for me to tell him to keep going. If my pants came off, there wouldn’t be much else between us. I hadn’t planned on this happening tonight. Something this big . . . it had to be planned.

  “Maybe . . . not yet,” I whispered.

  His lips pressed another kiss on my stomach. “Okay, I’ll freeze us here.”

  Stretching out next to me on the bed, he rolled over onto his side with his head on my pillow. I turned to face him. My cheeks were flushed and his eyes were dark. My shirt stayed open as Lucky absently fiddled with the top button, letting his knuckles graze my breast.

  Lucky smiled. “Spend Christmas with me.”

  I couldn’t say no when he used that look on me. It latched on to something deep inside my chest. My heart wanted Christmas as much as my body did right now.

  “Okay,” I whispered.

  “See? You said yes and nothing terrible happened. I’m still here. And you’re still here. And I’m pretty sure the roof is still on the house.” He glanced up toward the ceiling. “Nope, the roof is gone. You completely blew the shit out of it. Better just cancel Christmas.”

  I laughed at his teasing even though the nervous energy flowed through me. “Thank you . . . for always making me laugh.”

  His nose brushed down mine again. “It will be okay. I promise.”

  Lucky’s lips pressed silently against mine and didn’t move. We stayed like that a little longer. But his mouth eventually moved and so did mine. His little kisses turned into heavier ones and his hands found their way back under my shirt as we inched closer together.

  Lips and hot breaths, fingers moving over my skin, touching me, caressing my body. His knee slipped between my thighs. The pressure felt good, slightly easing the ache he was causing inside of me. I buried my face in his shoulder to keep the whimper from escaping my lips.

  I should make this stop because everything was getting wild again. But there was just something about kissing him. Something that made my insides light on fire. Something about this crazy and sweet guy who made me feel like I was the only girl in the world.

  His lips left mine, leaving just our foreheads resting against each other. “Katie, I want to be inside of you right now. I want it so damn bad. And it’s not because I can’t have you yet. It’s more than that. I feel . . . I don’t know. I just feel things. And I want to feel those things with you. I hope you believe me.”

  “I believe you,” I whispered. There was no doubt that he wanted me physically. Those boxers were very thin. But I knew the thoughts in his head were real too.

  Maybe he didn’t even understand those feelings, the ones starting to build in his heart. I was okay with it. Because I sure didn’t understand the ones starting to take root in mine. I just knew that I wanted those feelings to continue. I wanted all of this to continue with Lucky. I wanted Christmas.

  Lucky kissed me softly and then pulled away, rolling onto his back. “Okay, so I’m going to need those throw pillows to come back out. Because I’m not sure I can just sleep right now. Actually, if I get up and leave, don’t think anything bad. I just need to stay about ten feet away from you.”

  I blushed. “Okay.”

  I got up from the bed and pulled my decorative pillows back out, placing them as a divider down the middle of the bed. Lucky turned off the lamp and the room went back into darkness. I climbed under the covers on the right side, letting him have the other.

  I lay on my back, staring up at the ceiling. There was no way in hell that I was falling asleep right now. Or maybe ever.

  “Sing me something,” I whispered. We did this almost every night on the phone and tonight, I wanted to hear his voice in person.

  “Any requests?”

  “No, I just want to hear you.”

  I felt his grin even though I couldn’t see it. “Okay.”

  His deep velvet voice filled the darkness of my room. Lucky had a way about him that consumed every bit of space and air. I felt his words as I breathed. I felt his words as I fell asleep.

  Peyton ran down the hallway with a second suitcase just as Lucky returned from carrying my bags out to his truck. I knew the crash was coming before she ever yelled, “Shit.”

  “Sorry.” He laughed. “Let me get that.”

  “Thanks, Luck.”

  I glanced out the window. The snow was still coming down in giant white flakes. My last final ended one hour ago and somewhere between the building and our house, a sudden winter stormed had stalled out over the town. The weather station had predicted rain, but forecasting the weather around here was like playing the lottery. No one had believed Snowpocalypse would come this early in December.

  Thank goodness Skylar had finished her finals yesterday. She had left with Dylan early this morning before things got bad. They were doing joint holidays this year.

  “I’m leaving.” Peyton came rushing into my bedroom. She grabbed me in a bone-breaking hug.

  “Be careful. And text me every thirty minutes.”

  “Would you like me to do that and drive one-handed?”

  I frowned as I looked hopelessly at my roommate. “Maybe you should stay and not go.”

  “And get stranded here? No. I’ll make it. I’m driving south so I should clear the worst of it in an hour. Two if I have to drive slow.”

  I nodded, giving her one last hug. “Text me. Just pull over and do it.”

  “Okay. Fine.”

  “And tell Nana I said hi.”

  “I will. And you have fun.” She gave me a knowing wink as she glanced over to Lucky and back to me.

  “Thanks.” I blushed.

  As she left the room, I went back to my closet for another set of gloves, still watching Lucky out of the corner of my eye. I smiled as he caught me.

  The last few days had been really good with him. We had hours and days of fun together. He made me laugh and smile. He made my heart race when I daydreamed about him in class.


  But sometimes I contemplated things. I wondered how long Lucky had been with a girl without having sex. I came very close to asking that question, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer. My internal gut said I was the longest. I just didn’t want to hear the closest time frame before me was twenty-four hours.

  I told myself to let it go. The past didn’t matter. Only the now.

  The semester was coming to an end. My last real semester, considering I would be student teaching in the spring. I had studied for finals one night at the pool house while he worked on a new song. His creative process was beyond fascinating, which kept me perpetually distracted.

  And we really did have fun together. On Sunday afternoon, he had talked me into bowling. Every time I made a strike, Lucky kissed me. I kept getting better and better, and the kisses kept deeper and deeper, until he finally pulled me into the bathroom. The forbidden vibe of a public place was too strong to resist.

  We made out against the counter for a good thirty minutes. It was wild and crazy. I didn’t even care if the sink was clean or dirty. As the jukebox in the lobby played Pour Some Sugar on Me, Claire walked in on us and I was mortified. I had never done something like that outside the bedroom. As we left the bowling alley, I couldn’t even look his mama’s friend in the eye.

  And then on a cold night, we went to the community center Christmas program with Dylan, Skylar, and Peyton. Her costumes had turned out spectacular. It was a beautiful night. I wore a pretty dress and Lucky wore a suit. He kissed me softly under the mistletoe in the lobby as Peyton took a picture of us. I printed two of them out—one of us smiling and the other with his lips pressed to mine. They were both taped to my mirror.

  “You got everything?” Lucky stood in the doorway with a sock hat covering most of his head. “We better get going.”

  I smiled, feeling the glow of anticipation mixed with butterflies. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

  We parked in front of his brother’s house, making a fresh set of tracks in the snow. His truck might be old, but it was four-wheel drive, which had kept us from sliding all over the road. Peyton kept her word and had already texted twice. She said the worst was over for her.

  Looking up at their house, I got a warm rush of happiness. The snow made the round princess room glisten like something from a fairytale. We got out of the truck, and my boots immediately sunk in the snow—it was still coming down in wet flakes from the sky. Hearing noises, I searched for the kids. They were in the front yard with Colt and Callie.

  “What are they doing?” I asked Lucky as he came over to my side of the truck.

  “Snow Frisbee.”

  “What?”

  He grabbed my gloved hand, pulling me closer to his chest as he smiled down at me. “How do you feel about getting wet and cold?”

  “Sounds fun.” I laughed. “Let me get my hat out of the truck.”

  I opened the door and pulled my white stocking cap out of my bag. Zipping up the front of my coat, I turned to face Lucky. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  He grinned, touching the large white ball on top. “I like that hat. Makes your eyes even prettier. And your ass even hotter.”

  “What does my ass have to do with my hat?”

  He play-swatted me on the butt. “It does now.”

  “Always the joker.”

  “Because you won’t let me be Batman, which is crap since you were Catwoman when I met you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I was not Catwoman.”

  Lucky put an arm around my waist, pulling me close to his side as he whispered against my ear. “Catwoman.”

  “If I remember correctly, you were dressed as the Asshole Cowboy.” I grinned, doing air quotes.

  “Katie. Control yourself. There’s kids here.”

  “You’re impossible.”

  He winked, which distracted me. I didn’t realize what was happening until Lucky was already running through the snow with me slung over his shoulder. Coming in view of Zach and Colt, I felt my body spinning in circles. The trees flew past me. I saw a flash of a little pink hat.

  I was flying. I was laughing. He was laughing. Even as the nausea rolled through my stomach, I didn’t want him to stop. The feeling of happiness outweighed the cold and motion sickness.

  Lucky eventually slowed down and bent over, putting my feet back down in the snow. My hands held onto his shoulders until the spinning in my head came into focus.

  “I want to go next.” Mia’s little voice came from next to us.

  I let go of Lucky, stepping to the side. He gave her a little pat on the head. “All right.”

  He slipped his hands under her armpits and went in a slow circle as her feet flew in the air.

  “Faster. Faster.” She giggled as he picked up speed.

  Callie smiled as she stepped through the snow over to me. “So you survived finals week?”

  “Yes. Glad it’s over. I’m ready for a break.”

  “You may not think it’s much of a break here. Kids everywhere.”

  “It will be fun spending it here,” I said, watching Lucky as he spun in wild circles, making Mia scream in excitement.

  “Hey, not so fast,” Callie yelled in his direction. “No ER visits tonight.”

  “Fun police,” he yelled back.

  I smiled, shaking my head. “He’s like a giant kid.”

  “I know.” She rolled her eyes. “And we have to ground him sometimes too.”

  “Ground him?”

  “No dinner. No guitars.”

  I laughed. “You took away his guitars?”

  “Threatened. Sometimes that’s all it takes.”

  “Are we not playing anymore?” Zach came over to his mom. He had a Spider-Man stocking hat pulled low on his forehead.

  “We can still play,” Lucky yelled as he set Mia back down on the ground.

  “Whoa.” She stumbled over to us. Looking up at me with her big blue eyes, she leaned her head against my leg. “You’re on our team.”

  “You don’t have to play,” Callie replied. “Don’t let them con you into this too.”

  “No, I want to play. But you might have to explain the rules.”

  “Throw Frisbee. Run. Get cold.” She laughed. “That’s about it.”

  I nodded, watching the red disk fly in the air. Lucky dove for it, rolling across the wet snow. Mia laughed and went to tackle him. She stole the Frisbee and tossed it back to Callie. But Colt jumped in the way and stole it.

  He tossed it to Zach again, but Mia jumped in the way this time. She tossed it to me. I panicked, trying to jump in the air. And out of nowhere, Lucky dove in front of me. He grabbed the Frisbee, but his foot accidentally clipped my boot. We both went rolling across the yard, but the snow was soft and cushioned my fall.

  Lucky kneeled down and dusted the snow off my face. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. I see why this is a winter game.”

  “I should have warned you. They get a little competitive.”

  “They. I think you do.”

  He bent down, laughing until his lips touched mine. They were frozen, but yet still managed to make my body tingle.

  “You can’t kiss the enemy.” Mia’s voice came from behind him.

  He smiled at me and offered a hand. I batted him away and got up on my own. “I agree with Mia. You are in enemy territory.”

  “Wow. They’ve already turned you against me.”

  “Yes.”

  He studied me for a second. “You want to make a bet?”

  “What kind of bet?”

  “Hmm.” He leaned in so only I could hear. “You win, I will shovel the driveway in only my boxers. I win, you will shovel the driveway in only my boxers. At midnight. While everyone is asleep. And I watch you. Topless.”

  It was too cold for my cheeks to get a deeper shade of crimson. I narrowed my eyes, feeling like I just got conned after all. “Fine. I will take your bet.”

  “Seriously?” He laughed.

  “Yes. Because I’m not losing.”
>
  Turning on my heels, I made my way back over to Callie. “All right. We have to beat them. Or I will have to shovel your driveway.”

  “Okay, that’s a weird bet.”

  “Yeah, well, you don’t want to know what I have to wear while doing it.”

  Callie looked back over at Lucky and then to me. “Will I have to ground him again over this?”

  “You might. But for now, let’s just try to win.”

  “Did Uncle Wucky bet hot chocolate?” Mia asked as she wrapped an arm around me and one around her mom.

  “Yeah, it’s hot chocolate.” I grinned at her. “Lots and lots of hot chocolate.”

  Then I glanced up at Callie and mouthed, “You have hot chocolate, right?”

  She laughed, nodding her head.

  “Yes!” Mia was jumping up and down. “We get hot chocolate and cookies.”

  I smiled, knowing I had just gotten conned by another member of this family.

  We played until I couldn’t feel my nose and my fingers were stiff. I eventually collapsed on my back, looking up into the sky as the snow fell down, sticking to my eyelashes. I gazed at the whimsical flakes—so fresh and clean, like sparkly sponges cleaning the sky.

  I embraced the amazing moment that was taking place around me. Even though I was cold to the bone, the happiness glowed inside me from playing with this wonderful family. This highly competitive, knock-you-down-in-the-snow, sweet family.

  I was falling for them as much as I was Lucky.

  “You can’t fake dead to get out of the bet.” Lucky towered over me with a mischievous grin.

  Zach was bouncing around in the background, celebrating the butt-kicking the girls received from the guys’ team. I heard Mia asking her mom if they still got cookies.

  Lucky extended a hand down to me. I clasped his gloved fingers as he pulled me up. “I’m not doing that.”

  “But you agreed.”

  “You’re funny.” I laughed in his face.

  “Not as funny as you’ll look tonight.” His eyebrows went up. “Naked. In the snow.”

  Before I could say anything else, a snowball came flying through the air. It hit Lucky in the back. I looked around, expecting it to be Zach, but I saw Colt laughing at us. He tossed another one, hitting Lucky right in the chest. He threw one back, but it hit Callie.