On the drive home from work, all I want to do is crash after an endless night of calls that never stopped. As I turn down my street to head down the alley, I realize that sleep is going to be postponed for a little bit.

Lauren is on a ladder half up to the second story with a long line of lights wrapped around the rungs of the ladder.

Jesus, if she’s not careful, I’ll be in an ambulance with her on the stretcher.

I park the truck and head to the front of the house where I admire her in her snug yoga pants with her short puffy jacket, which lucky for me does nothing to conceal her luscious ass. My mouth waters, wanting to bite down and accost her right here.

Now it’s not just sleep on my mind. Being buried in Lauren for a few glorious hours and then sleep sounds like a much better plan.

“Whatcha doing?” I ask, calling up to her.

“What does it look like?”

There’s no hello or my bed felt cold without you last night. Lauren’s not really one for mushy conveyances of love, so I’ve purposely kept the red heart emojis out of our text exchanges.

She loves my dick though, because she can’t stay off it. Her hands find a way to grab my ass or slide up my t-shirt. Her head finds a way onto my chest and her leg slides between mine in the middle of the night. I’m looking for assurances of her feelings for me through her actions, because I’m probably not going to get the words from her.

Like Mama says, action speaks louder than words, and I feel like a pussy for wanting her to tell me once how much…fuck, stop acting like a damn chick. Head in the game.

“Looks like you’re about to go to the emergency room,” I say.

I stuff my hands into my pockets and watch her. I have no doubt Lauren can accomplish getting the lights up herself. She prides herself on her independence, and I love dating a woman who knows who she is and what she wants. But sometimes a small stature is a limitation and that’s exactly what’s happening here because I’m not about to let her stand on the top rung.

“Do you doubt my ability?” She glances over her shoulder.

“Not at all, but I’d really like a good morning kiss.” The string drops from her hand, hanging down the house from a plastic holder while she climbs down the ladder.

“Only a kiss?” She grins.

“Well, I was hoping I’d find you in bed.”

She snuggles into my chest. “Welcome home.” She presses her lips to mine and my body is so relaxed I could fall asleep anywhere as long as she was in my arms.

“Rough shift.” I kiss her back, not getting too carried away because we’re outside.

“I’m sorry.” She tightens her arms around my torso.

I drop my bag by our stairs and circle her around. “Let’s get this done so I can take you to bed.” I kiss her forehead and then climb up the ladder before she has a chance to beat me.

She’d probably try to race me and we’d both end up on the ladder and then on stretchers.

“Luca!” she yells as I continue to climb.

“What? This is a man’s job.”

Sometimes it’s fun to get a rise out of your girlfriend.

“I think I heard that wrong.”

“You didn’t.” I take the string and her organized bucket of plastic holders, positioning and hanging as far as I can go.

The problem comes in when I have to climb down the ladder to get back on. She’ll fight me for it. I know.

“I’d cover your balls when you come down.”

God, she really is the best.

“Oh babe, there’s kids in the neighborhood, you should really wait to teabag me until we get inside.”

Unfortunately, I make this joke as I’m coming down the ladder, so I fully prepare myself for the smack on the back of the head.

“Oh, Luca, you don’t know me at all.”

I jump down once I’m four rungs from the bottom to escape Lauren’s wrath, but she jumps on me.

“Teabag, huh?” she whispers. “You do realize I have other powers to punish you with, right? Like withholding sex.”

“You’re not a masochist.” I pick up the ladder and slide it over. Yes, with Lauren on my back.

“Oh, believe me, you’ll crack first.”

She jumps off my back, but her hands slide up the hem of my jacket, under my t-shirt. I can easily ward off the hands on my stomach, but she ups the ante by sliding her hand down the front of my jeans.

“Kids, babe,” I whisper without moving. What can I say, if she can discreetly give me a hand job in the middle of the day I’ll welcome her kinky side. I’m about to say screw the lights.

“Putty in my hands.” She removes her hand and my dick is saluting instead of shrinking like he’s waving his hand with a ‘what about me?’

“Whoa!” I circle around.

She’s laughing. “Still think you’d hold out?”

I climb the ladder. “Who brought up this whole juvenile challenge anyway?” Keeping my mind off my dick that is desperate for some love after twenty-four hours at a station without its drug of choice, Lauren Hunt, I string the rest of the lights. The sooner we finish, the sooner I’m in bed with Lauren.

“You did and you know I love challenges. Is this is your way of wooing.”

“Wooing?”

“Instead of sending me flowers, you challenge me,” she says.

I climb down the ladder, grabbing her with one arm around the waist and swing her around. “Is that what turns you on? Beating me?”

She laughs in my arms, the fallen leaves from the old oak in front of the house next door crumbling beneath my feet.

“I’m not incriminating myself.”

“Hey guys.” Victoria comes out with Jade and Snowball.

“Hey neighbor,” I say.

I stop swinging her around and see Jade run down to hop on her bike to ride up and down the street.

Victoria zips up her coat and puts on her mittens.

“Finally putting on lights huh?” she asks. “Glad you got home, Luca because I tried to tell Lauren it wasn’t safe but…” She rolls her eyes and shoots me a look to say, ‘you know how she is.’

I put my arm around her waist because I know exactly how she is, and I wouldn’t change one damn thing.

“Reed begged me to stop until he returned with Henry.” Lauren clearly finds the fact that she could have killed herself hilarious and she squats down to pet Snowball. “Aren’t you the cutest thing in your little argyle scarf.”

“He was at the groomer.” Victoria shakes her head. “I figure I’ll never dress him up so, might as well leave it until it falls off.”

“It suits him, being the dog of a lawyer and all.” Lauren ruffles his white hair and Snowball pounces away to jump around the front lawn.

Speaking of lawyers, a minute later, Reed parks along the curb, an eager Henry running out with a football in his hands.

“Luca!” he yells and throws the ball at me. I run back and catch it.

I’ve met this little guy a few times when he’s been next door. He’s a great kid and I think I’ve gained a fan, humbly speaking of course.

“I think I need to change your name to Tom Brady.” I throw it back.

Next thing I hear is a crash of metal on concrete and Jade’s hands are out telling Henry to throw it to her.

Lauren stares over at them, half listening to Reed telling us how crazy traffic is already becoming with Christmas’ approach. Complaining about all the people from the burbs clogging up the side streets to go look at the tree and shop downtown.

“It’s my favorite part of Christmas,” Lauren joins in, confirming women are paying attention at all times even when you think they aren’t.

Reed gives me a handshake when I make my way over. “Hey, Luca.”

“Thanks for trying to tell Lauren not to put up the lights.”

Lauren narrows her eyes in my direction but keeps the conversation going in its previous direction. “I love the shopping at night with the lights and the tree up. Watching the ice skaters. All the red bows and green trees around. Christkindlmarket. It just puts that holiday spirit in you.”

“I do love the window display at Macy’s,” Victoria adds.

Reed and I stare at one another and I’m sure we’re thinking the same thing—football and turkey and cookies are probably the best things about Christmas.

“For Jade’s first Christmas, I was a crazy mom. Thought I had to do it all. Decorate a tree with everything Mickey Mouse. I made cookies, bread, eggnog. Decorated the entire house. I crashed so early on Christmas I told myself never again.”

“I think I’d be the same way,” Lauren says. “You always feel like the firsts should be special.”

Victoria looks at Reed and he looks at her, a knowing smile aimed at one another. “Seconds are good, too,” Victoria says and Reed hugs her, kissing her on the lips.

“EW!” Jade and Henry say at the same time.

“It was the first time Reed had proposed,” Lauren clarifies for me since I forgot Jade isn’t his. Victoria was married before.

“True.” Victoria and Reed don’t stop touching each other.

“And I’m the best, so it nulls the first,” Reed says.

All this talk about firsts makes me think about how I’ve already asked Lauren to marry me. What will happen the second time around when I actually mean it? She’ll always remember the first time. The one that came with bargaining and stipulations. Why am I so stupid? How did I ever think asking my high school crush to pretend to be my fiancée would turn out anything other than disastrous.

“Hey.” Lauren’s arms wrap around my stomach. “You okay?”

I gaze down at her, the woman who’s never out of my mind. “Just tired. Long night.”

“Let us help. It will get done faster for you.” Reed doesn’t ask permission, but grabs a string of lights, starting around the two bushes next to the staircase.

“Next you guys need a tree!” Victoria grabs garland and some white hooks making our entryway look like Martha Stewart was here. “Aw, your first tree.”

Lauren looks at me and I smile before climbing the ladder.

With Reed and Victoria’s help, we finish the house decorations and after I crash in Lauren’s bed because it’s kind of ours lately. Lauren has some errands to do, so she heads out to let me catch some zzz’s. Not exactly how I was hoping to spend my time in this bed but at least I get to smell her perfume on the sheets as I drift into dreamland.

Yep, I’m a total goner.