Page 93 of Holly versus Mr. Ivy
I went over to Holly’s Monday morning and decorated gingerbread houses with her and Deidre. Let’s just say my skills had not improved since I was little. There was no amount of frosting or candy that would make my house look better. Holly stated she loved it and proudly displayed it on the kitchen sideboard alongside hers and Dee’s. Mine looked like a toddler’s compared to theirs. Holly’s could win awards if she entered it into a contest. What amazed me was that in contrast to Holly’s lack of drawing skills, her gingerbread decorating slayed.
After that, we spent as much time together as possible. Almost every morning after I’d worked out and showered, I’d head to Holly’s. On occasion, when Holly didn’t feel too guilty about leaving her mom, she’d come over to my house. We rarely went out, preferring our alone time, when we didn’t have to restrain our words or physical affection.
It had been three weeks full of fun, connection, and growth. We went ice skating, talked, and watched a bajillion Christmas movies curled up on the couch together. Holly’s laugh made my chest as light as air. Her smile put flutters in my stomach, and her kisses raged fire and electricity throughout my body.
Christmas was less than a week away, but I gave Holly an early gift. I’d taken the day off to coincide with Holly’s normal day off and worked it out with Deidre for me to take Holly half an hour away to go tubing at a mountain resort. I hadn’t had that much fun since I was a kid.
We’d only known one another for three months, but I was in love. None of my past girlfriends had made me feel the way I did about Holly. She presented me with her scrooge-like attitude, but underneath, she was as soft as a marshmallow. Overall, this December had been the best I’d ever had, which said something, because I’d had some pretty fantastic holidays as a child.
Chapter 31
Holly
Whenwegotbackto my house after Rhett’s surprise snow tubing date, Mom had a box on the kitchen table filled with real sprigs of mistletoe tied with a red velvet ribbon.
“Where did you get these?” I asked.
“Trevor dropped them off on his lunch break. I thought they’d be cute to hang around the house.”
Rhett and I kissed plenty without the aid of mistletoe. Was Mom hoping some stranger manifested himself and took advantage of the green leaves of holly hanging around? “And you needed twelve to put up around the house, becausewhy?”
She patted my cheek. “They’re pretty. And between you and Rhett and the new girl Trevor is dating, it seemed fitting.”
Trevor said we’d meet his girlfriend on Christmas Eve. I was excited to meet her. “We’ve never had mistletoe before.”
Rhett’s brows popped up. “Really? Never? We always had some in our entryway.”
I turned to him. “Then take some for your house.”
His eyes flashed with desire, and my stomach fluttered. “I’ll take some if you want me to. I know the perfect spot.”
Above his couch? That had become our favorite place to kiss. “Where do you want them hung up?” I asked Mom.
She pointed to each location as she spoke. “Above the kitchen sink, the dining room table, couch, entry, the couch in the formal living room, and by the Christmas tree.”
I calculated the spots indicated on my fingers. “That’s only half.”
“Looks like Rhett gets to find six places to hang mistletoe in his house.” Mom patted his shoulder. “I’ll leave you to it.” She winked, then ambled off to her bedroom.
I looked at Rhett and started laughing. “My mom is insane. Twelve sprigs of mistletoe? Does she think we need that much help?”
Rhett trailed his fingers down my arms until both his hands were holding mine. “Why are you complaining?”
“I’m not complaining, I just think it’s ridiculously over-the-top. Hang one. Not twelve.”
Rhett let go of me and moved to the box sitting on the table. Picking up a bunch of green stems, he let it dangle in front of him. “How do you want to hang these?”
“I’ll get some thumbtacks.” I went to Dad’s office and pulled out the top drawer, locating what we needed. Rhett took a kitchen chair and placed it by the sink. We slowly worked our way through the house, hanging mistletoe and kissing underneath each spot as we went. In the entryway, a gold and glass chandelier dropped down from the ceiling.
“I’ll just tie the ribbon around one of the poles.” I climbed onto the chair. Rhett put his hands on my hips, keeping me steady. My shirt rode up as I reached above me. His thumb brushed back and forth across my stomach, making sparks of fire erupt within me. I finished tying the ribbon, then put my hands on Rhett’s shoulders. “I like being taller than you.”
Rhett stepped closer until his shins hit the edge of the chair I stood on. My arms wrapped around his neck, drawing us flush against one another. Rhett looked me in the eye.
“Does it give you a power trip?” he teased.
“Do I have power over you?”
His pupils dilated, and he licked his lips. “More than you know.” His tone was low, gravelly.
