Page 19 of Mistletoe Kisses

“They have spent plenty of time together, Henry.” My mother tries to hide her smile behind her next bite. “If you haven’t noticed by now. We should give them a little space for themselves.”

“Delilah-” Mylo starts, at the confidence in her voice.

“What am I missing here?” My father looks at us all confused, his brows pinched together.

“Mylo and I are…well, I-” Fumbling with my words, I feel the warmth of his hand against my leg. One little squeeze is all it takes to make my tongue swell up.

“I’m planning a future with your daughter, Henry.” With a surprise amount of confidence behind his words, my heart flutters. “Cassidy and I have found a connection I don’t want to risk letting go of.”

My father squints at Mylo like he’s trying to figure out a difficult puzzle. Then he looks at me the very same.

“Henry, darling, they’re in love.” My mother sighs and spells it out for him. “If you weren’t so busy watching me, you’d have seen the signs. Trust me, there have been plenty of them.”

Well, now I want to die a little.

“How long have you known?” I thought we hid ourselves pretty well.

“My suspicions started straight from the beginning the moment you rushed out to comfort him. Once I discovered how truly thin these walls are, I put two and two together.” Looking alittle proud of herself, she reaches out and squeezes my father’s shoulder. “Let them be happy, I think they deserve it.”

My father’s shoulders sink and he runs a hand down his face. Like he’s struggling to comprehend everything that’s been happening under his nose, I can’t blame him for not noticing. He was the last person we wanted to find out.

“This’ll be what does it?” Looking at Mylo, he grows a bit more sober. “What’ll help you?”

Mylo explained before that my father helped him get out of a dark place. His past really tore him up down to the point of getting kidnapped for the holidays.

“Yeah, this is what I need. What I want.” Mylo nods and a softer smile forms on his lips. “I love her, Henry.”

My heart swells, and for a moment, I wonder if I misheard him or imagined the words. Sure, my mother can assume, but it’s completely different to hear the words come from him.

“You love me?” Voice cracking at the worst time, I meet his gaze. He nods and my father ruins it by making a gagging sound.

My parents have made me gag my entire life with their PDA. He can suck it up for a day.

“Maybe getting your own place is a good idea…” Muttering the idea, Mylo is happy to show my father the cabins he is looking at. “You really plan on moving up there?”

“At least it’s not to cut out the world this time.” He pulls up the realtor sites and starts swiping. “I’ve always had a love for nature. We’ll still be close enough to visit.”

The two of them go on about these plans and I’m practically left alone with my mother.

“You’ve changed too, Cassidy.” Reaching out, she grazes my knuckles with her hand. “You came home looking so lost. Lately, it’s like you found what you came here for.”

“You’re not weirded out by this? I mean, Mylo’s been a staple in this family for a long time now.” I grimace as I say it.

“I believe love can be found in the strangest of places. It’ll take Henry a little time to adjust, I think. But we’ll be fine. Don’t worry about what we think. Just worry about your happiness.” She squeezes my hand once more before returning to her food. “Now that this conversation is finally out of the way, let’s finish eating before our food gets cold. I want that pie.”

Letting out a much-needed laugh, I nod.

Yeah, I’m ready to move on too. Now that we don’t have to hide anymore, I’m ready to keep this train moving.

10

Mylo

“Well, that went better than I thought it would. Figured I’d end up with a broken nose.” Taking a seat on her bed, I look at my duffle bag next to her belongings.

I’m not going to lie, it feels a little strange being in here without worrying about one of them knocking on the door and catching us together. I don’t have to worry about thinking up any excuses.

Cassidy shuts her door and her shoulders relax. Noticing the way she twists the lock, I crack a smile. Even with a little privacy, I’d hate for one of them to walk in on us even now.

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