Accidentally Under Your Tree (Grand Ridge Christmas #1)

7. Lizzy

Christmas Day

"It's freezing out there," Will hissed, slipping back under the covers of my bed.

His toes touched my calf, and I yipped. "Jesus! Did you go to the bathroom or the arctic?"

"Oo"—he wrapped powerful arms around my waist, pulling me back to his chest—"you're so warm."

Giggling, I squirmed. "I was. You're taking my heat."

He shifted his hips, nestling closer to my ass, his erection against the round curve of my cheek. Suddenly inspired, I shifted closer instead of further away. Gliding a hand down my thigh, he groaned. "The wiggling is nice."

"You're nice."

"Not as nice as you."

I burst out laughing. He shushed me, pressing his rough fingertips to my lips.

My shoulders shook, but I managed to stay quiet. I whispered, "You're so much nicer than me. Remember when you met me?"

His fingers traced the seam of my lips. Heat pooled in my core. A call and response.

He ran his hand down the column of my throat. He had to feel my blood rushing hot just under the tender skin. "I remember everything about meeting you."

"Then you should recall that I'm not very nice." My words were barely more than puffs of air.

"Clearly, we have two different versions of that night." Palming my ass, he squeezed. "Goddamn."

In the back of my throat, I moaned.

"Stay quiet. I want to stay here, and I definitely don't want to wake up your family. This is the best Christmas morning I've ever had."

"The absolute best?"

"Couldn't get better."

I ground my hips into his, thrilled at his sharp intake of breath. "Couldn't?"

"I don't think you can stay quiet enough."

"I can."

"What about the basement?"

"That was one time."

My body arched at the progress of his touch.

"Lizzy," he breathed my name in my ear, then pressed a kiss to my neck. "We have time. We'll have other mornings like this"—he pulled me tighter against him, his arms solid bans around my ribs—"just let me hold you."

I sighed. The heat and tension in my body were still there, but his words helped calm me. With the intimacy I found just being with him, I snuggled even closer.

"This is more than enough," he whispered

"Will had the idea of giving you my favorite things." I handed Rose the heavy overstuffed basket. Initially, I'd felt trepidation about the suggestion. That was gone now. I wanted her to know me. They were just things , but we'd shared so many before. The line between hers and mine were blurred when we were young. This gift was a little like that.

"So cute!" Mom beamed. She cuddled into my dad's side on the loveseat, his arm pulling her closer. Logs burned in the fireplace. It crackled and smelled like past Christmases trapped in the amber of my memory.

Mom, Rose, and I had fuzzy socks pulled up our calves. We'd discarded the blankets that had been on our laps. They lay in knitted puddles on the carpet. Dad kept eyeing the windows behind me and Will. He would open one any minute now.

But the fire would continue burning.

Just another Christmas tradition.

I sat crisscross applesauce next to Will, with the tree on my other side. He had one leg stretched out in front of him. His elbow propped on the knee of the other. Every once in a while, I'd glance in his direction, he'd look back with the most heartwarming affection.

I couldn't stop grinning.

We were one of those weird families that took turns opening presents.

All eyes were on Rose as she unfolded the chunky knit blanket off the top of the basket. I'd had to wash mine before giving it to her. There wasn’t time to order a new one. It made me happy to give her mine. Being overly sentimental seemed to be the theme of the day.

She held it to her face. "My God this is so soft."

"Isn't it lovely?"

"Hey," she exclaimed, setting the blanket aside and pulling two jars out, "I have these candles!"

"Do you really?!"

"Yes! They're my favorite too!"

We shared matching smiles, and Will rubbed a thumb up and down the back of my neck. My heart rate jumped, not just at his touch, but because it wasn't in secret. Once Will and I had made up yesterday, Rose posted about her and Will's breakup. She told their fans not to be sad, that they were both happier as friends. That their time trying out a romantic relationship had been the strangest few days of their lives. That it was a relief to be nothing more than pals again.

I hadn't ventured to the Internet since then.

Rose's mouth pulled to one side, looking down at the basket's contents. "This is the weirdest chess set."

Mom lifted her eyebrows, her lips pursed.

"It’s so funny," Rose continued.

I shot my mom an, I told you so face.

She rolled her eyes, but there was a pleased glint in them.

"Why are the elves so happy?" Holding the box, Rose showed the front image to everyone. "They're pawns. They're being used."

"That's what I said! And the gingerbread men bishops? That implies a strange religion."

"Mr. And Mrs. Clause hold an interesting court."

"I love the reindeer knights, though."

"They are cute."

"What was the other one?" Will leaned forward for a better look. The curve where his neck and shoulder connected became my sole focus until I remembered he'd asked a question.

"The rooks are snowmen." Rose and I said in unison.

"Gotcha." Settling back, he draped an arm around my waist.

She nodded. "Yeah, they're kinda a bummer."

"The elves are the big winners," I agreed.

"Clearly."

The combination of my relationship with Rose repairing, and the love blooming in my heart for Will, had me giddy with Christmas spirit. I was practically Buddy the Elf.

Stop being so corny .

But I couldn't help it. My sister and I were not only on speaking terms, but friends again. My parents were being incredibly cool about the turn of events.

And Will, with his sexy hands, was mine.

I was happy and grateful.

Being bold was really paying off.

Will's arms wrapped around my ribs. I breathed in the clean smell of his skin.

He kissed the top of my head. "God, I want time to stop."

Laying my head on his chest, I tried to nuzzle into him as much as I could. "Me too."

"Maybe I could push back my flight."

He and Rose were scheduled to fly home in four days.

"I won't be far behind you. I'm going to start packing within the minute you leave."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

I ignored the movie on the basement television screen, too busy absorbing every detail that I could of Will. It would only be a few weeks of missing him. I could make it.

Even if I didn't want to.

Deprivation had never concerned me much. It did this time.

There are phones and the Internet. It'll be fine.

He might have been thinking the same thing or sensed how my heart was growing heavy because his arms pulled me in even tighter.

Footsteps moved down the hall. Unlike our first time alone in the basement, we didn't have to pray that we wouldn't be caught.

The door to the garage opened, and the sound of large boots on the floor overhead was distinct and out of place—considering it was well after midnight. A man's voice drifted down the stairs. I recognized it was Lawrence, but he and Rose were too quiet to make out any of their words. They went back and forth, their tones changing from irritated to vulnerable.

"There's no logic in the way I feel about you." His voice had notched a little louder, anger biting at every word. When he continued, he was too quiet again.

But his pain echoed in my head.

They must have been standing so close. Close enough to hold each other. It lasted for minutes.

Why can't they just be together?

I'd asked myself this question so many times over the years. Every time, I recalled all the steps that had brought them down this path. Even just the few fights I'd seen were full of words sharp enough to cut. They were never careful enough. Never kind enough.

Eventually, he left. One step after another was all it took, but the weight of him lingered. Rose remained, glued to her spot for a few moments after the door closed, before retreating to her bedroom.

When it was clear she was gone, Will said, "That seemed…depressing."

"I don't ever want to hurt like that." I used to think that I didn't want to ever love like that either, but I suspected it was too late for me now.

Will hooked a finger under my chin. His eyes held mine with a burning intensity. He was staring into the deepest parts of me and wasn't looking away.

"I just want to be good to you," he promised.

Lizzy

After Christmas

I'd be goddamned if Will didn't fill out a cable-knit sweater like a cozy Greek God. He was all sweet, yet masculine charm with a puppy sleeping in his palm, its head nuzzled on his shoulder. The humane society director, Patricia, had gotten the shots she wanted of Will and Rose. Then she left us to cuddle with the two puppies for as long as we wanted.

"Please, take your time," Patricia said as she waved goodbye. "They need the socialization."

"Well, if they need it," Rose joked.

At the door, Patricia paused. A rare hesitant expression fit onto her face. "It might not be my place to say, but I see how you two make better friends."

With a wink in my direction, she left, closing the door behind her.

Like always, my eyes found Will. He was their favorite thing. A crease pressed between his eyebrows. His lips tilted to one side.

"Did Patricia just give you two her blessing?" Rose asked.

I snorted. "I wasn't asking for it, but I'll take it."

"She's good people."

I nodded. My butt was going numb from sitting on the tile floor, but I also had a sleeping puppy on my lap, and I didn't want to disturb her. She was lying on her back in the valley between my thighs, her paws flopped at her chest. Her little belly rose and fell with even breaths.

"Most people are," Will added.

"Let's not be hasty," I said, as Rose stated, "I'm gonna stop you right there."

We broke into silent laughter. It came to an abrupt stop when the puppy on my lap groaned.

"Maybe we can adopt her." Rose brushed her fingertips on the soft triangle ear. "She could be our show dog. Maybe that would get our show on a streaming service."

She'd remained silent about the midnight visit from Lawrence. Occasionally, I'd catch her with a thousand-yard stare as if she was considering removing one of her limbs. But she was still laboring under her thoughts alone.

"You think a dog is more enticing than the relationship roller coaster you've put your fans through?" I asked.

"Look at her."

She was a perfect little dog, a black lab mix with a wrinkled nose.

"You make a fine point," I conceded.

"Would you be really disappointed if we didn't get streaming?" Will gently unhooked a mini claw from his sweater.

Rose shrugged, but I suspected that she was faking her nonchalance. "I'd be disappointed. Not, like, crushed. You?"

His eyes shot to me, then to his toes.

Is he concerned about how it would affect me?

"Not crushed."

"I hope you two get it," I said.

"You do?" they asked at the same time.

For a moment, their shock made me feel guilty. Pushing it aside, I looked at them. "Of course I do. It still freaks me out to be…I don't know. Noticed. But I want you to have whatever you want. I'll be okay."

Rose leaned her head on my shoulder. "Thanks."

With the toe of his shoe, Will bopped my boot. He looked at me with his kind green eyes, and I felt like I was the cutest thing in the room.

I was already dreading tomorrow when they'd leave for Kansas City. They hadn't even left yet but I could feel the hole they'd leave behind. Even if it'd only be for a few weeks.

Moving back home had been fine, in an embarrassing blow to my ego kind of way. I couldn't wait to move again. Rose sent me Pinterest boards of bedroom styles we could do to my new room. Every one of them featuring a desk as the focal point.

"Someplace to show off your stationary collection," she explained. "Why would it be so pretty if you're not going to show it off?"

Why, indeed.

Once moving had signified the end of my old life. This time it was a beginning. One where Rose and I could be sisters. One where Will and I could continue to grow this connection between us. Our strange beginning was turning out to be the perfect way for us to start. I had evidence of his kindness and consistency, the lengths he would go for someone he cared for. It made trusting him so easy.

Will and Rose waved over their shoulders as they went through security. Convincing my arms to let him go had been the most challenging thing. Somehow, I'd done it—committing the beat of his heart and his clean scent to something deeper than memory. He was still in eyesight, but I missed him desperately.

Mom hooked an arm around my shoulders. "You two are cute."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, Mom."

"Let's go home."

It might have been rude to walk through the airport with my eyes cast down toward my phone, but I pulled it from my pocket anyway. With the notes app open, I started my packing list. A text came through, and a silly thrill shot through me.

Will: You packing yet?

I sent back a screen shot.

Me: I promised.

#

CHAPTER ONE

Epilogue

Epilogue

Lizzy

Will held out his hand for my coat. He hung it on a hook at the front entrance of his second-floor apartment. His place fit him so well. Industrial beamed ceiling with gleaming woodwork throughout. The small space thoughtfully utilized and cozy. He'd given me a tour of the wood shop on the main floor of his building. Downstairs, he'd seemed more comfortable than he was in his apartment.

His fingers twitched at his sides, and he licked his lips.

He gestured to the room. "This is my place."

"I like it," I said.

"It's not too…" Pink rose up his throat to his cheeks, and my heart ached.

"Too what?"

"I don't know." His biceps flexed distractingly as he rubbed at the back of his neck. After moving me into Rose's place the day before, he’d given me a kiss goodbye and not much more. And while we were on our 'first date' just a few moments ago, he'd behaved like a total gentleman. I had yet to jump his bones since arriving in Kansas City.

The rise and fall of his chest paired with the way his T-shirt matched the green of his eyes were almost too handsome to hear over. "Boring. Male. Small."

I scoffed. "You just helped me move from my parents’ house into my sister's. No. I'm not judging the size or decor of the space that you own. I do really like it, though."

The heel of my boot clicked on the tile floor by the front door. It took no time at all to close the space between us. I leaned against him, my hands resting on his chest.

His hands slid from my hips to the back pockets of my jeans. "I really like you in it."

For our date, he'd taken me to a barbecue place, claiming that it would change my life. It was really good. But considering how my life was going…I'd already made the changes I was interested in. Now, I was looking forward to some consistency—with Will firmly established in my usual routine.

Going up on my tiptoes, I placed a kiss on his neck just below his jaw. His stubble was rough on my lips. "Wanna give me a tour of your bedroom?"

"You don't want a drink first?"

I fell back onto my heels. Pursing my lips, I didn't even pretend to appreciate his suggestion. "Will, it has been a month and a half."

A cocky grin spread across his face. It would have been annoying if I didn't like him so much. "You've been keeping track?"

"Haven't you?" I demanded. "A. Month. And. A. Half. Since we had to be quiet in the basement. I've been surviving"—I lifted a haughty eyebrow—" admirably , on sexting, and solicited dick pics. Do you want me to beg?"

His eyebrows shot up, and he tilted his head to the side.

My mouth fell open, the corners pulled up. I slapped his chest in the most girlish way. "You do, don't you?"

"You bring out the weirdest sides of me." He kissed me deep and slow. I unraveled. My tight coils puddled in a tangle that didn't feel messy. On the contrary, the more I revealed to him, the more certain I was that he appreciated all my sharp edges and tightly wound threads.

The more certain I was that I loved him.

Breathing the words aloud was the simplest thing—so simple I forgot to feel anxious. "I love you."

He pulled back just far enough to meet my eyes. His voice was velvety and warm, and only for my ears as he said, "I love you too."

The most natural thing in the world.