Mistletoe Magic (Evergreen Lake: Under the Mistletoe)

Chapter 10

ten

CHRIS

“Five more minutes,” I mumbled as I tugged the covers up higher around my chin.

A murmur replied, and my eyes pinged open.

My whole body went taut.

I wasn't alone in my bed.

I wasn’t in my bed.

I took a breath and the scent of vanilla hit me, making my mouth water.

I was in bed with Holly. And not just in bed with her, tangled up with her. I was wrapped around her, spooning her from behind. She was the little spoon to my big spoon, our bodies pressed together. Our legs were tangled, and her cold toes were tucked in the bottom of my pajama pants.

Without startling her, I pulled back my hips not wanting my morning wood pressing into the crease of her ass.

My mind was racing.

This was bad.

This was really bad.

I’d known this wasn’t a good idea. I’d tried to tell her, but Holly was stubborn and wouldn’t listen, and now look what we were dealing with.

Carefully, I started to unwrap myself from around her. I couldn’t even blame Holly for this. It was my arm stretched out under her neck. It was my hand resting on her soft belly. I was one hundred and ten percent guilty for the situation we found ourselves in.

“It’s Christmas!” a musical voice exclaimed, and I looked up to see Noelle staring down at us. Her hair was a mess, her braids falling out, but her beautiful big eyes were filled with wonder.

I’d never spent much time around kids. I was an only child and any cousins I had lived across the country. Holidays were lonely without someone to play with, but I’d had my dad and that was enough. He mightn’t have been the sweetest, gentlest or even most patient man you could meet, but he knew how to have fun and make the time we did get together special. But even with my lack of experience, Noelle just made it seem so easy. She smiled and laughed. She hadn’t complained about the changes of plans and her worries were justified. Holly might be doing this alone, but she was doing a damn good job. Not that it was surprising really. Holly seemed to be good at everything she did.

“Morning, munchkin,” Holly garbled, her voice still heavy with sleep.

I knew the moment Holly realized the position we were in. Every muscle in her body went rigid as she sucked in a breath.

“Breathe,” I whispered in her ear as I pulled my arm out from under her and rolled off the mattress onto the floor.

Holly stared up at me with horror written all over her face. I knew the feeling. I’d been there barely a moment ago. But there was nothing to be horrified over. We hadn’t done anything wrong .

“Stay in bed for a few more minutes,” I suggested as I shivered. “I’ll get the fire roaring again.”

Before I climbed into bed last night, I’d taken every second I could to do everything I could to avoid the inevitable including stoking the fire in hopes it would stay blazing through the night. And while there was still a soft glow and steady flicker, the warmth had died, and the temperature had plummeted.

“Mom?”

“Yes, Noelle,” Holly replied as she attempted to finger-comb her hair.

“I’m cold,” Noelle whined.

“Climb in here,” Holly invited, lifting the blankets.

I watched as Noelle slipped under the covers and rested her head on her mother’s shoulder. As I grabbed another log and jammed it in the fireplace, I wished I could climb back in there with them and cherish the moment.

When Shayna had left, I’d given up a lot of things, the idea of ever having a family being one of them. Shayna had broken me in a way I never thought was possible, and even the thought of giving someone the power to do that to me again made me want to put my fist through a wall. It wasn’t until Noelle and Holly crashed into my life that I realized how dumb I’d been. Shayna wasn’t missing out on things, I was. I was missing out on this. On having someone look at me like I’d hung the stars. On having someone to look after, someone to care for, someone to make smile.

I wasn’t stupid enough to think Holly was that person, she was only passing through—something I had to keep telling myself over and over and over again, but maybe there was someone out there. Someone who’d want to stay in Evergreen Lake. Someone who’d like to live a slow, quiet life. Someone I could take fishing on the lake. Someone who’d want to spend the weekends curled up in bed, eating snacks, and watching old movies. Someone I could spend all my days thinking about, dreaming about, and wanting to do nothing else than make them happy. Maybe it was time for me to find out.

I listened as Holly and Noelle chatted. Noelle was animated and alive, while Holly struggled to keep up. I had no doubt Holly was like me. Dysfunctional until powered by caffeine.

“Do you think Santa came?” Noelle asked, practically bouncing.

“I’m not sure,” Holly replied. “Do you think you’ve been a good girl this year?”

Noelle rolled her eyes, and I snorted. Both of their heads snapped around and stared at me. It was obvious they’d been so caught up in their bubble they’d forgotten I was there. I tried not to take it personally. I got the distinct feeling that Holly and Noelle had learned to depend on each other, and letting someone else in wasn’t easy for them. I didn’t know their story, I didn’t know where Noelle’s dad was, but they didn’t talk about him, so I let it go. It wasn’t my place.

“Why don’t you both get up and see what Santa left under the tree?” I suggested.

Holly’s eyes widened while Noelle tried to scramble off the mattress making Holly jolt.

“Come on, Mom!” Noelle cried, tugging Holly’s hand.

I added another log, hoping it wouldn’t take too long to warm up. The last thing I needed was someone getting sick because the fire had died. I walked over to the edge of the mattress and held my hand out for Holly. For a long moment she sat and stared at it like it was going to electrocute her before placing her palm in mine. For some reason, this felt like more. We’d spent all night wrapped up in each other’s arms, but having her fingers tangled with mine just felt like more.

I pulled her up and held on until she was steady on her feet. “You good? ”

She looked anything but. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied, her eyes scanning my desk in the corner before coming back to me, her gaze questioning. Then Holly leaned forward, the warmth of her breath tickling my cheek. “Where are the presents?” she whispered.

I felt the grin on my lips stretch my cheeks.

“Put your shoes on, ladies. You don’t want your toes to get cold,” I instructed, looking down at their sock-covered feet.

Holly obeyed but didn’t stop looking at me, no doubt wondering what I was up to. I couldn’t blame her. When she’d climbed into bed last night, we’d agreed to stack Noelle’s gifts in the corner, and she could open them when she woke up. But then I’d gone and changed the plans. I just hoped she agreed that my idea was a whole lot better.

“Hurry up, Mom!” Noelle rushed, standing there in her sneakers with the laces undone.

Holly finished tying her shoes and put her hands on her hips. Damn, she was adorable. Even with the creases in her face from the pillow, her hair a mess, and in her matching red flannel pajamas, she was effortlessly beautiful.

“Ready?” I asked, nerves starting to make me feel sick. It’d been so long since I’d done something like this, I just hoped they liked it.

With Noelle practically vibrating, and Holly eyeing me cautiously, I led them out of my office and into the main workshop.

“Chris!” Holly exclaimed, stopping beside me.

“Mom!” Noelle squealed, running toward the tree.

I bent my head down and asked, “Is it okay?”

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do if she said it wasn’t. I’d be disappointed for sure, but I’d get over it. At least I hoped I would .

“Chris,” my name fell from her lips with shock. “It’s beautiful. You didn’t have to do this,” Holly assured me.

“I wanted to,” I replied honestly. It surprised me actually how much I wanted to. Last night, after they were sleeping soundly, I went back up to my apartment and looked around. I wanted Noelle to have a Christmas to remember. One she deserved. I’d decided I was going to move the tree downstairs so her gifts could wait for her under it, so that’s what I’d set about doing.

Slowly, carefully, I’d carried the already decorated tree down the icy steps and set it back up in the middle of my workshop. A few decorations didn’t make it when they’d fallen off and broken on the steps, but after a few minutes of repositioning the survivors, it didn’t look half bad. Except it looked out of place. A brightly decorated tree in a dirty workshop. So, I kept going and before I knew it, I’d lost three hours, my workshop looked like Santa’s village, and Christmas had really arrived in Evergreen Lake.

Noelle was kneeling by the tree, her head bobbing each way as she tried to read the tags on the pile of gifts. Not once did her fingers reach out and touch, and I had no doubt that was yet another trait Holly had ingrained in her daughter.

I risked a glance over at Holly. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears and her smile was enough to melt the snowdrifts piling up outside. When she wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her head against my chest I almost toppled over. Not wanting her to let go, I hugged her back. Holly was a strange woman, one I couldn’t quite figure out. I’d spent the night asleep beside her, and now, standing here hugging her I could smell cinnamon and Christmas. Maybe I was imagining it, but this was exactly how I’d pictured Christmas morning as I’d crawled into bed barely a few hours earlier.

“Mom? ”

Noelle’s voice broke the bubble as Holly wiped away her tears. “Yeah, sweetie?”

“Look at the presents! This one has your name on it!” Noelle told her, and Holly looked back at me. When I unpacked the bag, I’d found gifts for Noelle, her father, and someone named Nikkie, but nothing for her and that wasn’t okay. Santa always brought gifts for everyone. So, while they were sleeping, I ransacked my apartment trying to find something, anything that could work. It wasn’t like I kept a cupboard stocked with gifts I could wrap in the middle of the night.

“Does it?” Holly asked, her voice hitching as she strode across the cold concrete over to the tree.

When I shivered, I suggested they grab the gifts, and we take them back to the office where it was warmer so we could open them. Leaving them to it, I went back and tidied up a bit. I leaned the mattress against the wall trying to make some space while tossing all the blankets in a nest on the floor. Based on the sound of the wind whipping around out there and the heavy snow still falling, we were going to be in there for a while, so we might as well get comfy.

I snorted with laughter when Noelle almost fell through the door, her arms full of brightly wrapped boxes. “Careful,” I reminded her, closing the distance in long strides to help.

“Achoo!” Holly sneezed as she stepped into the office.

“Gesundheit,” I replied automatically.

“Thanks,” Holly murmured, sniffing.

“Gazhi?” Noelle tried to repeat, tripping over the word. “What does that mean?”

“It’s the same as ‘bless you’,” Holly explained, setting some gifts down on the nest of blankets I’d built.

Noelle turned to look at me, confusion etched on her young face. “Why don’t you just say ‘bless you’ then?”

I grinned. “You know, I’m not really sure. My mom used to say gesundheit and I guess I just still do.” I smiled sadly at the memory. I missed my mom. I was a grown ass adult with adult money and adult problems, but there were still moments I missed my mom and wished she was here.

“That’s weird.” Noelle shrugged, turning her attention back to the unopened Christmas gifts, forgetting all about the strange word.

Holly’s hand landed on my forearm, and I almost jumped through the roof. “I think it’s lovely,” she offered with a soft smile.

As she moved away and settled on the floor beside Noelle, I shook off the nostalgia and clapped my hands. “Well, ladies. Those presents aren’t going to open themselves. Who’s first?”