A Very Merry Mess (Cider Cove Sweet Southern RomComs #3)

Ryanne

RYANNE

I have no idea what to do with the stares. Everyone seems to be looking at us, and I can’t decide if it’s me in this designer gown, or Elliott in his sport coat that used to be his grandfather’s, or the awful combination of us.

Almond, peanut, chili nut, peanut butter . I recite the nutty M I take back my phone. “What should I tell her?”

He calmly takes a sip of his hot chocolate. “I answered her for you.”

My heartbeat thrashes against my ribcage. “What now?” He’s never done that before. He reads my texts and tells me what to say. He doesn’t actually type it out and send it.

“Yeah, yep,” he says, and that makes me pause and blink. Yeah, yep. That’s what Elliott says when he’s nervous.

“Well, what did you say?” I lift my hot chocolate to my lips and blow gently. I like things hot that are supposed to be hot, but I like my taste buds to function too.

I start to take a sip, and oh, yeah, that’s rich, full, and the perfect amount of chocolatey flavor.

“I told her you needed two tickets,” he says casually. “One for you and one for me.”

The hot chocolate in my mouth spews out—all over his father’s jacket, that funny tee, and those sexy pants.

He stands there and takes it, not moving a single muscle. When I can get a breath, I pant and say, “What? Do you know what this means?”

Elliott finally blinks, and he reaches down to the hem of that shirt and lifts it to wipe his chin and neck. In doing so, he’s completely flashing me his abs and chest, and raspberry birthday cake with fudge brownies, the man has muscles.

“Yes, Ry,” he says. “It means your momma now thinks we’re dating.”