Blame It On The Carols (Sugarplum Falls #6)

Eighteen | Makayla

Eighteen

Makayla

I t had been over a week since Aiden arranged the little holiday party for me at the bar. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about how wonderful it felt to have everyone drop what they were doing to join us. I had forgotten what small-town life felt like after being in the city and constantly in a rush for so long. My mom had come to LA to visit a handful of times when I couldn’t make it home, but it wasn’t the same. Having my mom around was wonderful, but there was something to be said about what this town could do to someone. It was almost like it filled an emptiness in my heart that had been hollow for so long. Or perhaps that was from being around Aiden so much.

I also hadn’t been able to get the sad look on his face out of my mind after telling him that he was such a great friend. But what was I supposed to say? We both knew that the love we once shared was still there, but I wasn’t stupid enough to think that things would work any differently for us now than they had six years ago when I left.

I sat on the couch, going through the brochure my mother had given me for the competition tomorrow. I had expected it to be on some grander scale with lots of other choirs they were competing against, but it turned out there were only five total, including the Sugarplum Sweethearts. I would have laughed at how ridiculous my mother had been when she obsessed over how they had to win this , but being back in Sugarplum Falls made me remember just how competitive everyone was. From decorating houses to sugar cookie decorating, there was a competition for everything.

It felt weird being in the house without Aiden, but I was thankful that he had at least relaxed a little bit and allowed me some space once my real security detail arrived. I was more than happy to say farewell to the Men In Black and sighed a breath of relief when greeted by Tony and Patrick once they got to town. They were so good at what they did that I didn’t even feel or notice their presence most of the time.

My phone vibrated on the table, the noise startling me.

“Hello,” I answered, pressing it to my ear without bothering to check the caller ID.

“Hi, Makayla,” a deep voice answered, sending chills immediately down my spine. I jolted up and scanned the room for Tony or Patrick, not even a few seconds passed by before Tony was by my side. His brows furrowed in concern as I nodded my head.

“Hi, Kevin.” My voice was shaky but not as shaky as my fingers that trembled trying to hold the phone. “How did you get my phone number?”

Tony motioned for me to keep him talking while Patrick held his phone to his ear, pacing behind us.

“Don’t you know, I know everything about you, Makayla. Those sugar cookies you decorated were quite amazing, weren’t they?”

My eyes widened as I tried to fight back the tears. Aiden chose that moment to come home and walked in with a smile on his face that was immediately replaced with concern. He rushed over but stayed quiet after Tony pressed his finger to his lips. I pulled the phone away from my ear for a moment and put the call on speakerphone so they could hear it.

“Thank you. I didn’t know you had seen the sugar cookies that I decorated.”

I could feel the tension around me as Tony quickly swiped his fingers across his phone and then held it up to show us an image of the front page of the Sugarplum Gazette. Right there in the middle of the screen was a picture of the cookies I’d decorated with a caption that read: Local music superstar Makayla Rhodes wins sugar cookie decorating contest with gorgeous hand-painted snow-covered pine trees.

“I see everything. I’ll admit, I’m glad you got rid of those goons they originally sent you. They were so obvious.”

I shrugged my shoulders, unsure of how to answer that. He was clearly in town and watching me without any of us knowing where he was. Aiden went through the house quickly closing the blinds and checking to make sure the doors were locked.

“Yeah, they were the worst,” I said, just throwing words out there to keep him talking while Patrick continued his conversation.

“It’s so silly that they sent security for you anyway.”

“Why is that?”

“Because you don’t need it. You have me.”

I tried to breathe slowly to keep the nausea at bay as bile rose in my stomach.

“I would never hurt you, Makayla. You know that. I buy you stuff and send you letters so you know how much I love you. If anything, I should be protecting you from them .”

Tony and I exchanged a look but it was apparent he didn’t know what to say to that either. I looked at Aiden, but he was frowning. His arms were crossed so tightly over his chest that I worried the seams on his t-shirt would burst open.

“I’m so lucky to have so many people who love me,” I said softly, wanting him to trust me. “Thank you for the gifts, by the way. I haven’t had a chance to say that since things have been so busy.”

“You’re welcome. Did you find the new lingerie I put in your drawer before you left? I tried to make sure you had everything you needed, but it was more difficult to get into your house than before. If you want to give me the code or a key, that would make things so much easier.”

I turned my head and tried to keep control of myself.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I saw them. But I’ll definitely have something to look forward to when I return.” My jaw hurt from how tightly I was gritting my teeth, trying to force the words out. “I’m assuming you’ll be there when I get back?”

“Of course I will. You better go rehearse before the competition tomorrow. You wouldn’t want to be the reason the Sugarplum Sweethearts lose this year, would you?”

I opened my mouth but no words came out as the line went dead. Tears filled my eyes as I looked helplessly around the room.

“Who the fuck is this guy?” Aiden growled, looking from Tony to Patrick.

I covered my face in my hands, not wanting them to see me cry as the cushion beside me shifted with Aiden’s weight as he sat down and wrapped his arms around me.

“We were able to trace the call this time,” Patrick said.

“Where did it come from?” Tony asked.

“He’s here. In Sugarplum Falls. Exact location is the mall.”