Page 15 of Festive Faking
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Baking had taken upthe entire afternoon, and after another delicious home-cooked meal from Daisy, the Sullivans and I were relaxing before a fire, enjoying a round of eggnog.
Aspen and I were seated on the same couch, but she’d made sure there was space between us. She’d been off since our little incident in the kitchen.
In the moment, it had been purely reflex. She was falling and I reached out to catch her, but you’d have thought my touch had burned her with how fast she ran off.
Her absence created an uncomfortable silence in the kitchen, so I’d forced myself to keep busy, working to finish assembling our assigned cookies. But when she returned, she gave me mixed signals.
First, she wouldn’t meet my eye. Then, when she did, I saw those brilliant blue gems flare when I licked the spoon clean. It was driving me crazy wondering if there was even the slightest chance she might be interested in me.
I was just as chickenshit as Tripp, too afraid to tell the girl I liked how I felt.
That was the thing about harboring a secret crush—if you kept it to yourself, it would never materialize into something more than a fantasy, a series of what-ifs. I was stuck in that limbo, and if I didn’t take Meemaw’s advice and man up, I would always wonder what could have been.
Six days. I had six days to make a move or make my peace with letting Aspen walk out of my life forever.
The fire crackled, and I drained the last of my drink. The scene set before me was so cozy it made my head swim. Everyone was content to simply exist together, the conversation having trailed off after dinner.
I couldn’t remember the last time my entire family was in the same place together, let alone anyone actually enjoying the company of those we happened to share genetic material with.
Suddenly aware of how pathetically cold and lonely my upbringing had been compared to what Aspen must’ve experienced as a child, a vise tightened around my chest. Finding it hard to breathe, I stood, desperate to put space between myself and this heartwarming display I’d never get to experience for real.
When all eyes turned to me, I raised my empty glass. “Refill.” My voice came out strained.
Aspen arched an eyebrow, but I gave a subtle shake of my head, hoping she’d let it drop.
Moving through the family room and into the kitchen, I inhaled deeply, trying to regain my bearings. It wasn’t like me to be knocked off balance like this.
The warmth of the home extended beyond the heat coming from the fireplace. There were homey touches everywhere I looked. Framed pictures graced every available space on the wall, marks on the doorframe showcased the heights of Aspenand her brother as they grew up, and the stockings hung by the tree had been lovingly embroidered and personalized for each family member.
What did it say about me that, in my entire life, I’d never entered a private residence where you could feel the love oozing from every surface, like it had been absorbed into very fibers of the home? It scared the living hell out of me to think that once I left this place, I might never encounter it again.
I needed to stop drinking. My buzz had clearly turned on me, and instead of feeling loose, I was just plain sad.
Abandoning my glass inside the empty sink, I turned to rejoin the family scene that filled me with so much longing it threatened to suffocate me. I barely reached the threshold when a body crashed into mine, and on instinct, I reached out to steady whomever it was.
Aspen blinked up at me in surprise, her breathing ragged. “I, um . . . You were gone a while.”
“Ooh, boy. They’re at it again!” Meemaw’s amused voice carried through the room.
Together, we turned to face the rest of the family, but I didn’t release my grasp on Aspen. Holding her made it easier to breathe, and I wasn’t ready to let her go.
Meemaw flashed us a wicked grin. “And under the mistletoe? That boy’s not just a pretty face. He’s smart too.”
A quick peek above our heads proved that we were, indeed, standing beneath the mistletoe hanging from an exposed wooden beam along the ceiling.
Nervous laughter fell from Aspen’s lips. “How did that get there?”
“The idea was for Tripp and Penny to find themselves beneath it, but you two will do just fine.”
Tripp groaned. “Meemaw, we’re just friends.”
She waved him off. “You keep trying to sell that story, but nobody’s buying.” Gesturing to us, she encouraged, “Come on, now. Don’t be shy.”
Instantly, Aspen protested, “Oh, I don’t think—”
When she tried to step away, I only banded my arms tighter around her, slipping one hand to the small of her back as the other moved up to cradle the side of her jaw.
