Lipstick Kisses : A Sexy, Standalone Contemporary Romance by C.C. Cartwright

she asks.
    Mom and I head out to the living room with food in hand.
    My brother, Rocco, who lives at home, comes wandering into the living room. I see him eye Chandler and me.
    “Hey, Rocco, this is my boyfriend, Chandler. Chandler, this is my older brother, Rocco.”
    Chandler stands and shakes Rocco’s hand.
    My brother then sits down and just stares at Chandler. What’s his problem?
    After we visit in the living room, Mom gets dinner ready and on the table. She’s prepared an Italian feast in honor of my dad’s birthday. All of his favorite dishes are laid out on the table.
    “Everything smells delicious and looks great, Mrs. Russo,” Chandler compliments.
    “Thank you. Please help yourself,” she replies.
    The Osso Buco is passed along with the Eggplant Parmesan. I love coming home to my mom’s home cooking. It warms me from the inside out.
    “So, Nikki tells me you just returned from New York,” my mom says.
    “Yes, I had a photo shoot for a menswear ad,” Chandler replies.
    “Do you have to travel very often?”
    “Sometimes, but I’d rather not if I can help it.”
    “But why? It sounds so glamorous,” she asks.
    “I don’t like being away from Nikki,” Chandler says, and my heart melts.
    I look over at my gorgeous boyfriend. He’s a beautiful man on the inside and out.
    My mom and dad exchange looks across the table. I haven’t brought a guy home since my ex-fiancée, and that was over two years ago. I think my mom was secretly afraid I’d be a workaholic, married to my job, AKA an old maid. You know how mothers can be.
    Rocco doesn’t say much over dinner. If you ask me, I think he’s thrown off by how handsome my boyfriend is. I’m sure he’s wondering how I landed such a catch.
    “Where are you from, Chandler?”
    “Big Sky, Montana,” Chandler replies with a broad smile. I know he misses home sometimes.
    “You’re a long way from home. What brought you out to the big city of Los Angeles?”
    “I wanted a change of scenery, came out here, and fell in love with the beaches, so I stayed.”
    “Were you also a model in Montana?”
    “God, no. Once I came out here, I just kind of fell into it,” Chandler replies.
    “I see,” my mom says. I hope she’s done giving him the third degree.
    “Chandler is really in high demand. He has jobs lined up for the next six months,” I reply, bragging about my man.
    “Good for you,” my dad says to Chandler.
    Toward the end of dinner, the doorbell rings. I jump up in haste.
    “I’ll go see who it is.” I know my dad’s birthday present has arrived.
    “Who was it?” my dad asks.
    “Your birthday present.”
    “Well, where is it?” my dad asks in a jovial mood.
    “Come out front and see,” I reply.
    Everyone gets up from their dining chair, and I grab my phone. I want to capture the look on my dad’s face.
    “Close your eyes, Dad,” I say, taking his hand.
    “What on earth are you up to, Sweet Pea?”
    “Just play along with me, come on.”
    “All right,” he says, closing his eyes.
    I open the front door and lead him by the hand to his large present sitting in the driveway.
    “You can open your eyes now,” I say.
    “A brand new Cadillac? Nikki, you’ve got to be kidding me. Is this really for me?” he asks in disbelief and wonder.
    “Happy Birthday, Dad!” I exclaim, throwing my arms around him.
    “Oh my goodness!” he says excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. “Nikki, this is too much, really,” he says, walking around the car in awe.
    “Get in. I know how long you’ve wanted one, and fifty is a big birthday. So I wanted to get you a big present.”
    My dad comes and wraps me in a tight bear hug, “Thank you, Nikki. But you shouldn’t have.”
    My dad sits in the car, checking out all of the gadgets. My brother, Rocco, slides into the passenger seat.
    “Honey, look how happy you’ve made your dad,” my mom says.
    Chandler comes and puts his arm around me.
    “You sure made your dad happy. Did you see how