to touch since I saw him at the courthouse that day, and I almost expected him to pull back at the last second, but he didn’t. And when my fingertips slid into the silky strands, his eyes half shut in pleasure.
My heart rate galloped a mile a minute as I pushed myself up on my tiptoes, my free hand braced on his shoulder for balance so I wouldn’t squish Marigold. He leaned down the rest of the way and wrapped one arm around me to splay at the small of my back, and then Diesel Church kissed me.
Holy shitballs of fire. Within the first second, my hand was clutching his hair like it was the only stable thing in the universe and I’d forgotten how to breathe. His tongue licked into my mouth like it owned the place, and his teeth clacked against mine a little. There was no finesse in this kiss, simply raw power and hunger that made me want to sob with relief. I’d wanted this and hadn’t thought I could have it. I hadn’t known he wanted it too.
And it occurred to me that other guys might know how to kiss just fine, but Diesel Church knew how to kiss me.
Marigold made a soft little noise, an indication she was awake, and I forced myself to step back.
“Joyous Pickin’ Tidings,” I whispered.
Diesel ran one huge hand over my head to clasp the back of my neck and hauled me against his side. “Yeah,” he said gruffly. “Those were some damn joyous Pickin’ tidings, alright.”
I felt my cheeks flame, so I buried my nose in the soapy sandalwood smell of his T-shirt and nodded.
“Hey! Why the heck are we letting the young people have all the fun?” Amos Nutter demanded of the entire assembled crowd. “Whaddya say, Emmaline?”
“Oh!” Ms. Emmaline flushed pink. “Well… alright!”
He bent down and pecked her cheek. “Joyous Pickin’ Tidings!”
She clutched a hand to her cheek and giggled, “Joyous Pickin’ Tidings!”
Then suddenly literally everyone was doing it—Red and Cindy Ann Johnson, Latonya and Maureen from the grocery store, Miss Sara and a lady from the Thicket Beautification Corps, Ollie and Kendra Nutter, Mario from the vegetarian place and Chad from the library. Cries of “Joyous Pickin’ Tidings” and laughter filled the air.
“Ah, what the hell,” Dunn said.
He slung his arm around Tucker’s shoulder and pulled him in close. I saw Tucker’s eyes flare wide half a second before Dunn pressed a kiss to his lips.
And then another, smaller one.
And then one more.
“Dunn Johnson.” A curly-haired lady in a pink T-shirt stepped up to our little group and folded her arms over her chest. “What in tarnation are you doing?”
Dunn straightened. “Kissing Tucker. Duh.”
“But… you’re straight.”
“Well, yeah, but he’s my best friend.”
“But you can’t just…”
“It’s tradition, Jenn.” He rolled his eyes. “Go find your own best friend.”
The woman turned on her heel and stomped off.
Dunn kissed Tucker one final time, then cleared his throat. “Joyous Pickin’ Tidings, Tuck,” he said solemnly.
“Yeah. Uh. Joyous Pickin’ Tidings to you too.” Tucker’s face was nearly as pink as Ms. Emmaline’s. His eyes met mine across the little space between us. He looked up at Diesel, then back to me, and he smiled. “Joyous Pickin’ Tidings, Parrish.”
“Okay, all y’all are insane in the membrane,” Stewie pronounced, throwing his hands up. “Clearly you and your fiancé fit in perfectly here,” he told Diesel.
“Aww. You feeling left out?” Diesel asked without cracking a smile. “’Cause you’re not my close friend, but I could—”
“Do not complete that sentence.” He rolled his eyes. “Parrish, I came all the way out here ’cause I need you to sign a couple forms for me so I can file ’em first thing tomorrow. Diesel already did his.”
“Oh. Yeah, of course,” I agreed, glad I hadn’t totally fucked up my chance at helping Diesel and Marigold. “Whatever you need.”
Stewie nodded his head toward the entrance. “They’re back in my car. Just a hop, skip, and a wagon ride that way,” he said dryly.
“Sure. I’ll go with you—”
“We’ll go with you,” Diesel corrected in his grumbly voice, and I couldn’t lie, entire colonies of bright-winged butterflies swirled and swooped in my stomach. I was totally screwed where this guy was concerned, and maybe it was crazy not to run as far as I could in the other direction, but that hadn’t worked real well so far, so maybe I should just let myself enjoy it while it lasted.