Page 146 of Voices

We all raise our glasses. “Cheers to great friends and a fun winter break!” We all say cheers and clink our glasses together.

After an hour of mingling, we’re served dinner. Charlie cleans his bowl and downs another Long Island. I can tell he’sfeeling buzzed by how relaxed he is and the way his cheeks are glowing pink.

Once the plates are cleared, dessert is set out on a buffet-style table. I’m about to go get some for Charlie when he grabs my hand and pulls me to the dance floor. I’m shocked for a second but quickly wipe it away and let him lead me to the center of the room.

I’ve never seen him so relaxed and free before. He lets the sound of Nat King Cole’s voice move his body as he dances around me toDeck the Halls. I can’t stop smiling at him. He doesn’t stop as the song shifts intoWhat Christmas Means To Meby Stevie Wonder and starts a chaotic swing dance with me. I burst out laughing, enjoying the hell out of this. When the song ends, we’re joined by Ryder and Matt and all four of us dance to the famousAll I Want for Christmas is Youby Mariah Carey.

I pull Charlie close to me and put my forehead to his as I sing the last part just for him.

“All I want for Christmas is you, baby.”

He looks up at me with a soft smile, then leans in and presses his lips to mine. It’s a gentle kiss but full of emotion, like he’s quietly whispering I want you too.

Just then, I look up and see Franklin glaring in our direction. He starts to head toward us, but Coach Q steps in and stops him. Thankfully, they get caught up in a serious conversation. I won't let anything ruin Charlie’s night.

“I’m thirsty. Can we get another one of those drinks,” he yells over the music.

I weave my fingers through his and lead him to the nearest bar, ordering him another Long Island and a water.

The rest of the night goes by with more dancing, a short break for sweets, more dancing, including Asher this time, and the appearance of Charlie’s dimples more than once.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Charlie

“Ladies and gentlemen, Delta Air Lines Flight three-seven-one-five welcomes you to Orlando, Florida. The local time is eleven forty AM…”

The voice fades as my nerves from earlier come back. Shane has been the best while I mentally prepared myself to meet his family. He’s kept reassuring me that they’ll love me, that he’ll be with me the whole time, and that if I’m uncomfortable, we can leave at any time. I know they are good people. They have to be for Shane to be this great of a man. I’ve never been in this position before, besides meeting Lily’s family, and that didn’t go over well.

Shane holds my hand as we depart. He grabs his duffle bag at baggage claim, throws it over his shoulder then grabs my rolling suitcase and pulls it behind him as we walk towards the escalators. He leads me outside where a bunch of cars are waiting. We walk towards a silver Chevy Tahoe. The passenger door opens and a woman with wavy light brown hair and bright blue eyes hops out.

“There’s my baby boy!” She rushes over to Shane and hugs him.

“Hi, Mom.” Shane looks at me over her head with a loving smile as he squeezes my hand.

His mom steps back and smiles at me. I freeze as she hugs me too. When she pulls away, she’s still smiling from ear to ear.

“Sorry honey I should’ve asked before I did that. I’m just so excited to finally meet you! I’m Holly,” she holds her hand outfor me to shake. I smile tentatively and shake her hand. “Well, let’s get you boys loaded up before we start getting honked at.”

Shane puts our bags in the trunk then we climb in on either side. The cool air from the air conditioning feels heavenly as it cools my warm skin under my hoodie.

“It’s good to see you, son.” His dad bumps fists with Shane then twists to look at me. “You must be Charlie. I’m John, it’s nice to meet you.” He holds his fist out, so I bump my fist into his. We pull away from the airport and onto a highway.

“How was the flight?” They talk amongst themselves as I watch as we pass huge palm trees and bask in the warmth of the sun. I close my eyes and ease back into the cool seat.

“Charlie, we’re here.” Shane’s husky voice wakes me as I slowly open my eyes.

His eyes are as bright as the sky behind him and his smile is as bright as the sun.

When I step out of the car the first thing I notice is the sound of waves in the distance then the unmistakable fishy smell of a lake. Shane holds my hand as we walk up to a large two-story house with huge windows and a porch that looks like it wraps all the way around. We step up onto the porch and I’m greeted by a tiny tan and white husky. It jumps up on my legs and barks excitedly. I notice that it has two different colored eyes, one bright blue like Shane’s and the other brown like mine.

“Tucker, get down you rascal.”

I look up from the puppy to find a woman a little older than me with the same light brown hair as Shane’s mom and blue eyes that are a shade darker than Shane’s. She smiles at me kindly.

“Hello there, I’m Becca, Shane’s older sister.”

“Hi,” I say shyly squatting down to pet Tucker who’s chewing on the laces of my boots.

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