Page 27 of Mistletoe Love Match
A rosy hue warmed the apples of her cheeks, and he knew she felt it, too.
Curiosity glinted in her gaze. “Do you miss living in Ecuador?”
He cut out the fancy footwork, and they rocked gently from side to side. “I do. The people there are kind and hard-working. The food is amazing. Anders and I would spend half our day in classes and the other half building clinics or digging wells in tiny villages. It was always an adventure. What about you? You and Callista are world travelers. Do you miss teaching in South Korea?”
She nodded. “Like you said, going abroad is always an adventure. You not only learn about a new culture—you learn about yourself. You have to figure out who you are when everything in your environment changes and you’re forced to adapt. Callista says we reinvent ourselves with every new place we go.” At the mention of her sister, a pained looked flashed in her eyes.
He understood how she felt. His brother had been by his side through everything, and that was about to change. Still, there might be a silver lining to their situation. Perhaps their siblings weren’t the only ones venturing down a new path. He and Calliope might also be on the cusp of reinventing themselves.
But first, he needed to know if she was okay with their sibling situation. “Any thoughts about Callista and Anders?”
She rolled her eyes. “Your brother clearly can’t hold his drink,” she replied, going into snarky mode. “That might be a problem for a man marrying a lass from East London. She’ll constantly be drinking him under the table.”
She was trying to keep it light, but he couldn’t. He knew how much this affected her. “Do you think Anders wanted that alone time with Raz to ask for his blessing?”
Calliope sighed. “It makes sense. And from the amount of alcohol the two consumed, they must have been celebrating. We can try to deny it, but you and I both know that Anders is crazy about Callista and that she returns the affection. I’m sure my brother could see it, and I bet he appreciated your brother’s gesture. It’s old-fashioned but respectful, nonetheless.” She paused. “Family is important to Raz. Our parents died when Callista and I were toddlers, and he became a father figure to my sister and me. When he won his first boxing title, he spent the money on us—on his family. He bought us a beautiful flat in a posh part of London and insisted on sending Callista and me to the best schools. That’s the reason we decided to go into teaching. We’d been given so much. We wanted to give back. What about you? Why did you and Anders choose to study medicine?”
They hadn’t talked like this before. Between screwing each other’s brains out and trading barbs, he’d never entertained the idea that they had much in common. He was wrong.
He entwined his fingers with hers as they moved to the sounds of the crackling fire. “Anders and I want to give back as well. And it was important to us to honor the memory of our mom. Her doctors did everything they could to give her as much time with us as possible. We want to practice medicine and help those who need it the most.”
“How did you lose your mum?” she asked softly.
“Cancer.”
“That had to have been difficult.”
“It was,” he began, his voice thick with emotion. “Our dad wasn’t in a good place mentally after mom died. He pretty much checked out on us. That’s when Libby stepped in. She worked a ton of jobs to make ends meet. We didn’t have a whole lot growing up, but my sister always made a big deal about the holidays. She’d unpack all the Christmas decorations and turn every room in the house into a winter wonderland, like my mom used to do.”
“Is that why you got all emotional when we entered the cottage?” She’d employed a teasing tone, but he could see the compassion in her eyes.
“I wouldn’t call itall emotional,” he lied through a smirk.
She cocked her head to the side, silently calling him out.
“Fine, I becameappropriatelysentimental at the sight of this place.”
She rested her head against his chest. “I could tell something changed when you walked inside.”
“It reminded me of my childhood, but that wasn’t the only thing on my mind.” A realization washed over him. The bullshit faded away, and he knew one thing for sure: the time with the people you cared about was precious, and one would be wise not to waste a minute of it.
“Are you concerned about the future? About what happens next?” she asked. “I knew it wouldn’t always be Callista and me. But I’m the oldest, by seven minutes. I’m the planner, the doer, the type-A twin. I thought we’d have more adventures together before it ended. And I also thought that . . .”
He stroked his thumb across her palm. “What else did you think?”
Eyes shining, she looked up at him. “I thought I’d be the one to break away first. I always worried that Callista would have a hard time if I found someone.”
It was like this woman could read his mind. He’d thought the same thing about Anders. “I get it. I’m the oldest—by four minutes. And we both know I can be a little rigid and anal retentive.”
“A little?” she teased.
He chuckled. “All right, a lot. I’d planned Anders’ and my future, too. I believed I had all the answers, but fate might have a different adventure in store for you and me. Maybe we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be. Maybe the mistletoe magic is rubbing off.”
“I didn’t think you put any stock in fate and magic,” she challenged.
A warmth spread from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. “I didn’t, and then we hit a patch of ice, and the first thought that came to my mind while we were sliding across the road was that I didn’t want to lose you.”
He wasn’t the kind of guy who spouted his deepest feelings. But his admission wasn’t sappy or over-the-top. It was the truth—a truth he no longer wanted to disregard.
