Page 38 of Mistletoe Misses
“Let’s just say, she seemed excited to have Maddox all to herself.”
“But Easton will be there.”
“It’s a man-woman thing, darling.”
“Eww.”
“My thoughts exactly,” I commiserate.
“Maybe me and Mom being there will make it better.”
I don’t mean to, but my eyes dart back to Carmen over Sadie’s shoulder. Her tender grin transports me back to when she was my everything—my dreams, my reason for breathing, my wish list and favorite present for every special occasion.
To keep myself from stumbling down that road again, I kiss Sadie’s cheek. “You make everything better, queenie.”
“Queenie?” Carmen asks with a laugh as I release my two favorite girls and stand.
“I call him sweetie,” Sadie yells as she takes off down the hall with Trixie scampering after her, leaving me unprepared.
Last time I was left alone with Carmen like this, confessions I never expected to hear rocked my system. My overreactive heart isn’t helping my nerves relax, and I’m on the verge of making some confessions of my own.I’ve missed this. I can’t handle being here. I need to hold you. I can’t risk my heart again.
Every one of those terrifies me, so I switch to a safer topic to hold myself together. “She earned the nickname when we practiced her lines for the play.”
“Oh, yeah. I remember now. She was so excited that night. You changed her perspective on the part.”
“I just gave her another option to think about. She did the rest.”
She shrugs then motions toward my dusty clothes and paint-stained hands. “Would you like to wash up?”
“Probably a good idea before I ruin your furniture.”
While I wash up at the kitchen sink, Carmen moves about the room, adding place settings to the little square table nearby. There are three chairs, two matching and one added from another part of the house. The table barely fits two people, much less three, and I’m not ready for the intimacy that creates.
“Would you like a beer?” she asks when I turn off the water.
“Sure.”
How can she be so casual? I’m crawling out of my skin, alternating between wanting to stay far away and holding her close. Both sound like exactly what I need to survive this evening.
She calls for Sadie, and I’m grateful for the distraction and the calming light she brings with her.
Chapter 9
Carmen
Are you excited for your date?” I tease Maddox after dinner to get him talking. Ever since Sadie retreated to her room, he’s been in his head and impossible to read. How can we overcome the awkwardness between us if I have no idea what he’s thinking or feeling?
“It’s not a date,” he says with zero emotion, and I appreciate the answer.
“We’ll see.” Can’t blame Jada for trying. He did look exceptionally handsome that day—as he does every time our paths cross. He keeps getting better and better the more he loosens up. And tonight is no exception, especially seeing him with Sadie for the first time. Their connection and the way he talks to her, with complete adoration and respect, takes my breath away.
Sitting alone with him on the couch, the soft glow from the nearby lamp highlights his strong, rugged features, and I can’t tear my eyes away. Whenever his gaze meets mine, I feel like I’m his—like he wants to be mine again. At this point, I’d do whatever, surrender almost anything, to make that happen. But first, he needs to trust me.
“I’m glad you came over.”
A soft grin tips the corner of his mouth, the same honest amusement Sadie brings out in him, and I’m grateful he’s no longer looking at me like I’m a monster.
“Me, too,” he says before his gaze darts away in a sudden burst of nervousness. “I’m sorry for shutting you out the other day in the truck.”
