‘You helped me as much as I helped you, Luke.’
‘I love you, Nicole,’ he blurts out. ‘I mean, I’m in love with you.’
‘Have you bumped your head again?’ I ask. A joke always serves me well in awkward situations.
He laughs. ‘I’ve told you before and I’m telling you again. I want to be with you – properly. Is there any chance you might want to be with me?’
Of course I would, he’s the big crush, the one I’ve lusted after for years. But he’s also not the kind of guy who settles down. Then again, neither was Dylan, and look at him now, married with kids – I never thought I’d see the day.
‘Don’t go silent on me.’ He laughs awkwardly. ‘Is there any chance you might want to be with me, Nicole?’
‘I’d be willing to give it a go,’ I tell him slowly. If Dylan can change, then so can Luke. He’s really been there for me these past few weeks, and he stood by me when most people didn’t even want to know me.
He leans toward me and kisses me gently. My heart flutters. It’s not the mad, passion-fuelled kisses we’ve shared before, but it’s just as wonderful.
‘Let me give you your Christmas present,’ he says excitedly, jumping over the sofa and heading towards his bedroom.
‘Oh! Is it something saucy?’ I call after him.
‘Wait and see,’ he calls back. ‘Now shut your eyes, and hold out your hands. Both hands.’
‘Is it a big one?’ I ask.
‘Yes. But you’ll need both hands for the present,’ he warns me cheekily.
I laugh and do as I am told.
‘OK, take this very carefully,’ he tells me, gently placing something in my hands. It feels so soft and warm and it’s wriggling. If I wasn’t so curious about what it might be, I’d probably make a filthy joke.
‘Open your eyes,’ he says softly.
‘Oh, Luke!’ My heart melts as I look down and see two big brown eyes gazing up at me.
‘This little chap is all that is missing from your weird celebrity checklist,’ he teases.
‘I can’t believe you remembered that!’
I bring the tiny blonde Chihuahua puppy to my chest and cuddle him gently. We always had dogs growing up, and I miss our golden retriever, Harley, just as much as I miss my parents and my brother. I know I make jokes about wanting a ‘handbag dog’, but I will raise this puppy as though I had given birth to him myself.
‘What are you going to call him?’ he asks.
‘Buddy.’ The name instantly springs to mind. ‘As in Buddy Holly. His dark little eyes remind me of Buddy’s glasses.’
‘It’s perfect for him,’ Luke laughs. He’s probably just relieved I don’t want to call him Tinkerbell or Bambi or some other Disney name he wouldn’t want to call out in the park.
‘I’m in love with him already,’ I gush. ‘Well, now I’m going to have to find a Chihuahua-friendly place to live, aren’t I?’ I say to the dog in the weird voice I use exclusively for talking to cute animals.
‘You can live with me. Both of you can.’ He tickles Buddy’s ears.
‘Seriously?’ I ask.
‘Of course. Nicole, I want to be with you. And, to be honest, I’ve got used to having you around, you can’t leave me now.’
I bite my lip and think hard. ‘Are you sure?’
‘I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t sure.’
‘In that case, we’d better get tidied up. We’ll have to celebrate here tonight, I’m not leaving little Buddy here all on his own.’ I hold my baby up to my face and kiss his nose.
‘Barking orders like a proper little wife,’ he jokes. ‘I’ll get on the phone to the guys.’
Sitting on the sofa, I cradle Buddy in my arms and tickle his tummy. I can’t believe how tiny he is. Before I might have been worried that I couldn’t take care of a dog, because I couldn’t even take care of myself, but this just feels right. I feel like a different person, the kind who lives with a member of the opposite sex and takes care of people (and dogs).
In no time at all, Buddy is fast asleep, snoring so quietly I can only just about hear it.
‘I think we’re going to be all right here,’ I whisper to him.
‘Oh, Nicole,’ I hear Luke call out from the bedroom. ‘Our guests will be here at eight, time for me to show you that big one you were asking about.’
‘Shh!’ I call back. ‘You’ll wake up the baby.’
Luke walks back into the room with a faux frown plastered across his face.
‘Oh crap,’ he laughs, plonking himself down on the sofa next to us and placing his arm around me. ‘I know that having a baby means you have sex less, I didn’t realise the rule extended to puppies too.’
‘Well it does,’ I laugh. ‘You sure you still want us?’
‘More than I’ve ever wanted anything,’ he replies sincerely. ‘Go on then, I could do with a nap.’
I rest my head on Luke’s chest, and in a matter of minutes both my boys are fast asleep. Before moving to London, the thought of one demanding bloke to take care of would have been enough to make me throw myself under a tour bus, but I feel good about looking after these two. I just wonder which one is going to be the hardest work.
CARINA™
ISBN: 978 1 472 09468 1
How Not to be Starstruck
Copyright © 2014 Portia MacIntosh
Published in Great Britain (2014)
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How Not to Be Starstruck Page 31