A Christmas Collin (Bringing Home Trouble)

Chapter 3

3

DANIELLE

C ollin's too sexy, too handsome, too charming, and lives too far away for anything to actually come out of this relationship. I'm not afraid to date, but I don't want to date long-distance. But maybe we can make the four-hour drive from D.C. to Heffen's Bluff work. I'm not sure my car will make it regularly.

Wait, why am I thinking about this already? Less than an hour ago, I was blabbering about a boyfriend who didn’t exist. Then, I lied about dating Collin. Now, I’m actually considering turning it into the real thing.

The way my thoughts bounce around forces me to keep them to myself. Collin waits inside his truck while I merge back into highway traffic safely. He follows me all the way to the Heffen's Bluff exit, where we go our separate ways at a fork in the road. My heart races at the insanity that's sure to come, but hey, at least I'll have a good kisser to have some fun with for the holiday.

My God, what a good kisser Collin's turned out to be. It makes me wonder if I would have ever left Heffen's Bluff if we started kissing as teenagers. Two hormone-raging 17-year-olds under one roof. No wonder Collin and Dad never saw eye to eye.

The drive through my small hometown reminds me how much has changed and how much hasn't. It’s like stepping back in time.

A sense of nostalgia washes over me as I pass the familiar houses decked in colorful Christmas lights, some with glowing reindeer and inflatable Santas on their front lawns.

It's a sleepy little place that shows me life doesn't have to be so fast-paced, like when I'm home in D.C. The nation's capital isn't for the weak. You have to be power-hungry on most days. I guess that's one reason I enjoy doing what I do so much. Being able to see the vulnerability in some of the movers and shakers of our nation's government is a power trip on its own.

On the same note, it's no wonder why I dread coming back to Heffen's Bluff. I don't feel powerful here. I feel like a loser lost in her work so much that she's losing out on all the fun of being an adult.

The only bonus is getting to be with Mom, my brother, and my sister. We tease each other, but deep down, I'd do anything for them, and I know they'd do anything for me. It reminds me of those quiet days from long ago when Collin used to live with us. He didn't behave like my brother, but he looked after me when he could, even at school.

No one messed with me because he was never far behind. When I walked my way home, Collin was a few steps behind, acting like he didn’t care, but his gaze was always sharp, scanning the area to see if danger was near.

I touch my lips again. There's something in that kiss from Collin that has me ready to open my mind to the possibility of what could be. It was hot, no doubt about it, but there was something that shifted in me with that kiss. The possessiveness and intimacy of it despite us being out on the road. The way my body came alive under his touch.

My mind continues to think about how his lips felt against mine when I realize I've arrived at Mom's house.

It's the home where I learned how to read, write, and ride a bike. It is full of firsts, with the firsts continuing to come as I park curbside. A first like bringing a boyfriend home when I'm perpetually single with a nonexistent dating life, according to what I tell my family. Add to that is the fact that the first boyfriend I’m bringing is someone they all know too well. Maybe not too well, but still.

Does it matter that he used to be my foster brother? Of course not. It's all fake. At least that's what I'm telling myself, no matter how much I want to take a chance for it to be real. There are just too many things that can go wrong—the long distance, the taboo aspect of it since Mom still refers to him as my brother, and us accidentally meeting after a decade of no contact.

I'm barely out of the car when Josh comes running out of the house. "Don't park on the street. I want to take a look at your car. Pull it into the driveway."

I look at the driveway, with three cars already taking up every bit of free space.

"I don't want to park on the slope. What if my car rolls into the street? Besides, my car is fine. My, um…" I hesitate to say the word but force it out of my mouth. "My boyfriend happened to be around, and he took a look. I'm fine and will bring it to his shop tomorrow."

Josh has hazel eyes like mine, but where my blonde hair is long, his is short and spiky. He rolls his eyes and extends his hand. "Just give me the keys, Dani. I'll move it and check the oil your imaginary boyfriend changed."

"No," I tell him, stuffing my keys into my pocket. Collin's words ring loud and clear in my head, too. I don't want to break his rules since he's willing to do this for me. I open the back door for Josh to see my luggage. "But you can bring my bags into the house, like a gentleman. And my boyfriend's not imaginary. I just thought Collin was going to be spending time doing charity work this week. Everything is still new. We've only been dating a few weeks."

"Right," Josh says, dragging the word out.

"Exactly, Wright. Collin Wright."

"No way," he scoffs. "The tattooed kid with all the piercings from when we were younger? You're definitely imagining things if you think someone like that is going to be into someone as clean-cut as you."

"You're not listening. He's already into me. WE ARE DATING. I would have called him when my car conked out, but I thought he was in D.C. working. Speaking of dates, what are you doing here? I thought you had to get Hilary from the train station."

He folds his beefy arms across his chest. Josh would be the athletic type, but his beer belly overshadows how young he truly is. With another roll of his eyes to hide his disappointment, he shrugs. "She missed her connection and is going to come tomorrow."

I inhale deeply through clenched teeth. "Traveling the day before Christmas is horrifying. Almost as bad as traveling on New Year’s Eve. It's a holiday disaster waiting to happen."

"Don't remind me. She's already bitching about being stuck in Chicago."

"Why—" I begin to ask a question but decide against it. The last thing my brother needs is me inserting doubts into why his girlfriend, who lives in D.C. like we do, got detoured in Chicago via train. The fact that she's taking the train and not driving with either of us has doubts circling my mind as it is. I don't want to bring Josh down, so I shift the conversation. "Just help me bring my stuff inside. Collin will be here soon. Be nice to him."

"You're really digging into this boyfriend bit. All right, I'll be on my best imaginary behavior."

"My car is here, doofus. Don't you think it would be slightly impossible for me to drive here after you heard my car stutter and stop on the highway? Collin's home in Heffen's Bluff for the week and came out to help me instead of me having to wait for roadside assistance to send someone out."

Josh shakes his head in defeat. "All right. Collin's your guy."

He grabs the bulk of my bags that look like I'm staying for three weeks instead of a few days. He announces my arrival as soon as we step through the door.

"Mom! Ev! Dani's here." His voice booms through the house, and Mom scurries out of the kitchen with an apron tied around her waist. There's something dough-like and sticky on her fingers as she leans forward.

Of course, I wrap her in the biggest hug while she keeps her sticky fingers away from me.

Mom's smile is wide, her eyes glossy. "Oh honey, where's your beau? My mind is all over the place trying to get the food ready. I'm making my cinnamon rolls. You should come help me and Evelyn in the kitchen with the rest of the desserts."

I laugh because Collin's right, the conversation goes in every direction but a straight line. After tossing my stuff into my childhood bedroom, I take a lingering look around the room. It's clean but still has that faint scent of warm vanilla and cinnamon.

It smells like home.

A full-sized bed takes up most of the space, with a tall oak dresser in the corner. There's a TV mounted to the wall that I'm not sure still works, but the fading lavender-pink walls flood my mind with memories from my teenage years. I can still replay the conversations and debates with my friends from all those years ago. I close the door, not wanting to waste time reminiscing when it's clear my mother wants me in the kitchen with her and Evelyn.

Evelyn is kneading dough furiously on the floured countertop of the kitchen island.

"Evil Lynne, what's wrong with the dough?" I ask her, circling the island to blow a raspberry on her cheek. Annoying her is a time-honored treasure and tradition. That doesn’t change just because we’re all adults.

She groans and huffs, flaring her nostrils as she tries to shoulder me away from her. "Don't start, Dan-Hell. I'm going to get the hang of this chocolate croissant dough if it kills me. It's Jake's favorite, and I just?—"

Her frustration morphs into sobs, and I suddenly feel like a piece of shit. It’s the last thing I want to do—upset her and make her cry before dinner. I move to hug her, but she shrugs away from me. "Ev, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to break the dam."

"It's fine." She sniffs back tears and goes back to kneading the dough. "If Jake's not going to eat it, at least you guys will be able to. Right? And you're dating our brother or some imaginary friend? What's going on with that?"

"Collin, the tattooed kid who stayed here before he aged out of the system. The one Dad taught to drive," I tell her, wondering if she remembers him.

"Oh, you mean Leftie," she says.

My reaction is visceral, anger rising from my chest. "Don't call him that."

It feels like I'm seventeen all over again, chastising people who just don't know why that's a horrible thing to call Collin. He looked out for me, but in my own way, I also did the same thing for him. Even at that age, I knew Collin was special, and I hated everyone who either made fun of him or treated him like he was a menace.

"Geez. Relax, Dani. He's the one who told us to call him that." She rolls her eyes and gets back to kneading.

"I'm telling you that he doesn't like it. His name is Collin. Now, what can I do to help?" I shift my attention to Mom, who's kneading a ball of dough sans chocolate. The kitchen is in absolute chaos, but I know Mom has everything under control.

She chastises us in a tone that brings me back to childhood. "You two, don't fight. Energy soaks into everything, and I don't need angry desserts. Um, I wanted to tackle all the dough and flour stuff first, so once I put the flour back in the pantry, I don't have to pull it back out."

"Okay." I stop her before she starts rambling. "What's on the menu?"

Mom's eyes light up and warm my heart because this is her time to shine. She loves cooking for us, especially when we're all home at the same time. She gushes over the food she has planned. "Okay, so we're tackling desserts for Christmas night today, but for this Christmas Eve dinner, I'm doing my signature cherry bourbon-glazed ham, scalloped potatoes, pigs in a blanket, and chicken pot pie. Everything is already made; just gotta pop them in the oven to reheat. I also have a lasagna already made and in the pan in the freezer for tomorrow. Just bake. Plus, there will be green bean casserole and good ole steak."

I laugh. "And dessert?"

"We’ll have cinnamon rolls, croissants, cranberry bread pudding, and hot chocolate fudge. Oh, I forgot about the roasted Brussels sprout."

Evelyn's face twists in disgust. "You had me all the way up until you said Brussels sprouts.”

"You'll like it, Ev," Mom insists, her eyes turning to me. "I got a new recipe off the TikTok. Blanch them and then toss them in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and a vinaigrette. I think I'm supposed to broil them a few minutes after?—"

The sound of the doorbell ringing draws my attention, and I listen out for Josh going to answer the door. There's nothing.

"Fine, I'll get it since you two are elbow-deep in dessert dough." I push myself away from the kitchen island, expecting to see Josh on the other side of the door, having locked himself out. Instead, I'm staring into the devilishly handsome pale blue eyes of Collin Wright. Butterflies flutter in my belly and a fresh wave of desire thunders through me.

Teenage Collin was hot, but this guy? He can make all my lady parts vibrate with anticipation with one look, one smirk. I'm not sure that’s a good thing.

He holds up a bottle of wine in his hand. "Well, are you going to let me in the house, Jelly Bean?" Something about his voice triggers the clenching in my core, and it’s like I’m seventeen all over again. My heart races as I feel like this relationship is far more real than we planned. He hands me the bottle, and I step aside for him to walk through the door.

Evelyn is the first to emerge from the kitchen, and her mouth drops open as she rakes her eyes up and down his body shamelessly. "Fuck, he's hot."