My December Darling

1. Catalina

1

CATALINA

“ L ook! There’s Aiden now!” My sister, Gabriela, waves her hand in the direction of the hostess stand.

It's impressive how quickly she ruins my mood in less than five words, and no amount of Christmas music blasting from the speakers throughout the restaurant will save me.

“He’s joining us?” I grip the back of my chair tightly instead of taking my seat at the table like we were about to.

Gabriela’s brows scrunch together. “Yeah. I texted you about it yesterday.”

Shoot. I turned on the Do Not Disturb setting because Mom kept hounding me with questions about my maid of honor speech. While I haven’t managed to write a sentence yet, Aiden’s best man, Luke Darling, already sent my mom a copy for her to approve.

“Is Aiden joining us going to be a problem?” My sister asks in a somewhat strained tone. Mom’s gaze bounces between the two of us, accusatory as ever when it lands on me, silently demanding that I don’t cause a scene and ruin my sister’s day.

“No,” I fight to transform my frown into a smile. “No issue at all.”

It’s a lie but thankfully, no one calls me out on it. To say things have been slightly awkward between my sister and I since she started dating my ex is an understatement, but then again, I haven’t helped matters either.

Which is why you’re here, making an effort to be present and helpful before Gabriela’s wedding instead of avoiding everyone until right before the events.

My expression must ease my sister’s concerns because she quickly turns toward the restaurant’s front door.

Her smile returns. “Oh good! Luke decided to come after all.”

I was so distracted by my thoughts, I didn’t notice Luke strolling into the restaurant behind Aiden.

Shit .

My heart falters. “He’s coming too?”

Gabriela glances over at me. “He and Aiden had plans, so I invited him too.”

“Why?” The question accidentally slips out.

I may have only spoken to Luke on four separate occasions, but it was enough. I’ve dated guys like him in the past, and it never ended well for me, so I prefer to stay away from Luke and his chronic cheerfulness.

Well, I should steer clear because of that and the fact that he is Aiden’s attractive, intelligent, sweet best friend from medical school who I never met until after Aiden broke up with me because Doctor Darling was busy volunteering with the Red Cross.

The man really is perfect on paper, and the exact kind of person my mother would want me to date… if I was even open to dating someone from Lake Wisteria.

Technically, Luke isn’t from our small town, but he moved here a year ago because of Aiden and a job opening at the hospital, so I’m lumping him in with all the other men here.

“Cata,” Mom says my nickname like a curse.

“Yes?” I snap while glaring at her.

She turns her nose up in clear displeasure. “Can you manage to not cause a scene for an hour?”

I ignore the slice of pain in my chest and plaster a bored expression on my face. “I don’t know. It’s a difficult request…”

Gabriela releases an exasperated sigh.

Mom huffs. “I don’t understand your reasons for disliking Luke, but he’s practically Aiden’s family, so would it kill you to be nice?”

The jab lands, although I’m careful not to show it. I’m not even sure Mom is aware of how much those kinds of statements hurt me because I’ve never opened up to her about it.

“Princess,” Aiden announces as soon as he reaches our table. His blond hair has been recently cut, and he is dressed in his usual polo and pressed khakis, looking like he strolled out of a country club. Aiden’s hair color and his choice of attire should have been the first sign of us not being a good match, but I thought his style was exactly what my mother likes.

It didn’t take me long to realize I was dating Aiden for all the wrong reasons, especially in the hope of appeasing my mother, and he seemed to feel similarly about us, although he had the courage to break things off with me first.

My future brother-in-law wraps his arms around Gaby and pulls her against his chest. She sinks into him when he drops a kiss on the top of her head, earning a little sound of appreciation from my mother, and the smallest smile from me.

I’ll be the first to admit they’re pretty damn cute together, even if Aiden’s little pet name for Gaby makes my eyes roll from time to time.

I’m so distracted by the two lovebirds that I miss Luke coming up to my side until his arm brushes against mine. A light, airy sensation builds inside of my chest from a single touch, right before I crush it with the weight of our reality.

I might like Luke’s touch. I might even like the way he smells like sandalwood and leather from the jacket he is currently wearing over a plain black Henley and jeans. But I dislike Luke the person. He’s annoyingly friendly, frustratingly thoughtful, and the kind of guy who could inspire a future comic book superhero, both because of his muscles and his commitment to helping others.

“Catalina,” Luke says my name with a smile. I’m not surprised, seeing as he gives everybody the same one.

Something about the way his smile makes me feel sets off alarms in my head, and I add some space between us.

“Lucas.”

His grin expands as he turns to face me. “It’s Luke .”

“Huh. And here I thought we were calling each other by our full names.”

He chuckles to himself, making my stomach flutter. “My name isn’t Lucas.”

“Shame. I like it better than Luke .”

His brown eyes sparkle like they always do whenever he is amused, and damn, they really are pretty and framed by the darkest, thickest lashes that put mine to shame.

I have to break eye contact first, solely because I can’t handle his attention.

Luke Darling might live up to his last name with everyone, but I’m not entirely convinced. I mean, there has to be something wrong with him, right? No one can be that happy all the time, or that willing to go out of his way to assist others, even if he is held to an oath to protect every life at all costs.

Regardless of my concerns, I’ll have to put up with Luke for the foreseeable future since the two people we love are getting married, whether I like him or not.