The Last Good Day of the Year
She snatched the bottle from his hands and poured herself another glass of wine.
"You're going to get drunk, dear."
That earned him one of her customary glares. "What about you then?"
"It takes more than two glasses of wine to get me drunk."
"Whatever."
Yet she just stared at her wine without drinking it. It was after a couple of minutes that she finally plucked up the courage to ask a question that anybody else would have considered harmless enough.
"So… have you made any New Year's resolution, Jane?"
He paused, his fingers tapping against his own glass. They'd been skirting around the issue of Red John's death for months now; it was high time that one of them finally addressed it.
"I think I'm going to buy a real house here in Sacramento."
The surprise in her eyes was quite apparent, but she didn't say anything. He smiled softly to himself and took another sip of wine.
"Would you help me to choose one?"
That surprised her even more. "Of course I would, even if I can't really see why you should need my help at all."
His smile widened slightly. "I'd like my house to be a place where you could feel at home – on the off chance you happen to decide that you want to share it with me someday."
Lisbon put down her glass and looked him straight in the eyes. "Are you kidding me?"
"I couldn't be more serious, believe me."
A mischievous glint stirred in her eyes. "I don't remember you ever saying that you loved me, and now you're talking about buying a house together?"
He leaned closer, his breath warm on her face. "We both know I've actually said it already."
"Really?"
"Shut up, woman."
She was more than happy to comply, as his lips gently caressed hers for the first time.