Page 16 of Take Me Home for Christmas

“Not this time,” she said firmly. “Since you’re not coming to see me, I get to say what’s on my mind. Promise me you’ll think about what I just said.”

“Okay, I promise. Now get to work so you can send me those pictures. Talk to you soon, okay?”

“Okay. I love you.”

“Love you too. Tell Aiden hi.” My sister had it together. I was so proud of her. I wanted to say all this, but I ended weakly, “And Jenna…thanks for understanding.”

After I hung up, I stood there thinking. I’d just chosen going home with Mia for the holiday—actuallyinsistedon going—over seeing my sister, my only family. But Mia was a friend in desperate need, right? It didn’t have to mean anything else. I didn’t want to admit that what Jenna said had struck a chord.

Chapter Six

Mia

During the two-hour drive from Milwaukee to my small hometown south of Madison, we were mostly quiet. I was enjoying the winter beauty of the forest-lined highway. Brax seemed strangely on edge—too quiet for him—but that wasn’t my concern. My goal was simply to survive the next three days and pray they passed as quickly as possible.

He’d insisted on driving, showing up at my apartment with an eight-year-old Honda CR-V that he’d bought from a senior who’d rarely driven it. It struck me as a practical choice for someone who needed a reliable car and who was also trying to save money. Which was fine with me—practical was my family’s middle name.

He helped me load my suitcase, cookies I’d made, presents, boots, and snow gear without complaint. When I got in, I patted the seat beside me. “My grandma has seat liners just like this,” I said with an evil smile.

“I want to get full resale value, okay?” he said half joking, half defensively as he pulled away from the curb.

“I think they’re cute,” I said to let him know I wasn’t poking too much fun. “In a retro kind of way.” But I felt that I’d hit a nerve. I wanted so badly to know more about his childhood, what drove him to such practicality—but I knew he’d have to offer that up in his own time. So I kept the conversation light.

“So, what do I need to know?” he asked out of the blue.

“Beth’s my mom. Steven’s my dad,” I recited cheerfully, “and you’ve heard me mention my brothers Liam and Caleb. You already know that Caleb’s an orthopedic resident at UW. Liam’s married to Dina, and their little girl is Emma. And our dachshund is Cooper—he’s the real boss of the family. We’ve always been a doxie family.”

“Doxie?” I appreciated from the side how his nose crinkled up the slightest bit in confusion.

“That’s short for dachshund. I was working in a realty office the summer of my sophomore year of college, when my parents got Cooper from a rescue organization, and we bonded for life.” I looked over and smiled. “He really counts as my favorite sibling.”

Brax laughed. “What about grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins?”

“Yes, yes, yes, and yes.” Judging by his expression, I thought maybe it was good that over the next few days, Brax wouldn’t be overwhelmed by my whole family at once; he’d just experience a few wild ones at a time.

“A few days after Christmas, all four of my grandparents are flying in from Florida, and everyone’s getting together at my aunt’s in Green Bay. We usually have everyone at our house, but this year, no one wanted my mom to have to host. I’m sad to miss everyone.” I shrugged. “But I’m lucky to have Christmas off, so I’m not complaining.” We both knew how tight the call schedule was around the holidays, how everyone sacrificed for their few days off.

Brax seemed to take all that in, repeating everyone’s name like the good student he was. “Got it,” he said. “Anything else I should be prepared for?”

“No, not really.” So maybe I accidentally-on-purpose left out a few things. I wasn’t talking about how my parents enjoyed piling on food and love to nearly anyone who walked through their door. Or how my mom loved Christmas more than Frosty on steroids.

What I left out was the big Christmas bash Charlie’s family threw every year, that he and his new bride, Erin, were hosting this year. After all, I wasn’t going, so that wasn’t really an omission, right?

I also didn’t mention how my very tall and burly brothers wereextremelyprotective of me, especially after what had happened with Charlie. I focused on imagining the expression on Brax’s face when we pulled up the driveway, and there my brothers would be, big arms crossed, waiting for us. No matter what happened over the next few days, it would be worth it for that one moment of seeing Brax’s face as they checked him over.

“Whoa,” Brax exclaimed. “Why are you smiling like that?”

I didn’t mention it was caused by the fact that my family had my back, no matter what. I might have been unlucky in love, but I’d hit the family jackpot in spades. “Just that you’re soon about to be hugged by a woman who is known to put a Christmas bow on anything that can’t move fast enough to avoid one. Just a warning.”

The corner of his mouth lifted up. “Good thing I was on the track team.”

“Stop,” I said jokingly. “I didn’t know that.”

“Sprinter. College scholarship.”

“Cool.” That made me sad. We were “friends,” yet I knew so little about him. Against my will, the image of a sweaty, shirtless, and very buff Brax jogging along our country roads flashed intomy mind. Whew, that car heater must really be cranking out the heat!

“There you go again, still smiling.” He tossed me a quick glance from the driver’s seat. “Hope you’re not plotting my demise and planning to leave my body in a snow-covered pasture.”

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