Page 36 of My Ex for Christmas
I remove my hands to glare at her. “Can we talk about this later?”
Or never, preferably. Sam and I tell each other almost everything, but this isn’t something I’m ready to share. Mostly because I don’t even know what thisis.
“Fine. Only because Brooks is taking you to breakfast,” Sam replies. “But you might want to give him his shirt back first.”
My lips clamp shut as Brooks hides his face in my hair, trying to keep his laughter at bay. I attempt to shove him away, but his arm tightens around my shoulders.
“One more thing,” Sam says. “You’re welcome.”
I roll my eyes. “Goodbye, Samantha.”
“Bye. Love you the most!”
I hang up without saying it back.Serves her right.
Ignoring Brooks, I throw my phone back on the bed and then start gathering my clothes for the day. When I get to the bathroom, I strip out of Brooks’s shirt and ball it up, then toss it toward him before shutting the door.
I take my time in the shower, washing my hair thoroughly and scrubbing every inch of skin as I stew in my embarrassment.
Sam knowing that we’ve been sleeping together shouldn’t change anything. She’s the last person who would judge me. Yet for some reason, I feel on edge.
It hits me then. This is exactly how I felt when Brooks and I started going out in high school. The moment we let our friendship shift into something more, it took me a while to stop feeling like I was doing something wrong. Like the very act of being vulnerable enough to love someone was a point against me.
But it turned out alright back then—post-graduation breakup aside. So it should be fine now. Right?
Besides, we aren’t dating. We’re fucking. There’s a difference.
Once I’m dressed, I brace myself to face Brooks. I’m not exactly proud of how I ran off to the bathroom to hide. I’ve been making a lot of cowardly decisions as of late.
The creaking of the bathroom door as I exit causes Brooks to lift his head. He stands from the edge of the bed, meeting me halfway.
“Sorry,” I say quietly. “I was freaking out again.”
His lips quirk up into a wry smile. “I gathered that.”
When I step forward, face pressed to his chest, Brooks doesn’t waste any time wrapping his arms around me. We stay like that for longer than we should, considering I still need to blow dry my hair and do my makeup. But I can’t seem to let go.
“Feel better now?” he asks after a couple minutes.
I pull away from his chest and nod. “Yes. And if the offer’s still good, I’d like to have breakfast with you.”
Brooks chuckles. “The offer stands.”
“Good.” I rise up on my toes and place a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”
“Always,” he says.
And I know, without a doubt, he means it. Even though I don’t deserve it.
CHAPTER 14
BROOKS
Pineridge at Christmasis when it truly feels like home. But nothing can compare to the feeling of crossing the town line with the woman I love sitting in the passenger seat of my truck.
Hadley’s gaze is fixed firmly out the passenger window as we drive through town. I purposefully go a little slower so she can take it all in.
“It looks different and exactly the same all at once,” she says quietly.
