Page 123 of Can't Get Over You
She turned to go and found the man himself blocking the snow house. “You’re obsessed with my slippers.”
“I’m obsessed with you. Now, come on. We have to get out of here. They’re judging ours next.”
She stepped out of it and hugged him. “You’re so sweet.”
“Did you see it, Miss O’Neill?” Cody came running up to them.
“I sure did. It’s amazing.”
“We’re gonna win,” the boy said. “’Cause that’s what us guys do.”
“I sure hope so. But even if you don’t, it was a lot of fun working together, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah.” He broke into a shy smile. “It was.”
Gunnar, Wyatt, and Boone strode toward them, a wall of muscle, scruff, and motorcycle boots. Heads turned, and people froze as the bad boys of Calamity Falls parted the crowd.
“You guys, this is outstanding.” Finlay greeted each one with a hug. “You’ve outdone yourselves.”
“Thanks,” Gunnar said in his gruff way.
“Come on.” Boone rested his big hand on Cody’s head. “Ready for some hot chocolate?”
“We sure earned it,” Cody said.
Jude smiled, and as they headed over, she found herself in the middle of these men who’d so readily adopted her into their circle. She just loved being part of them.
That punch of adrenaline flooded her system—as it always did—when she thought of the text conversation she’d had with her mom that morning.
On the way to the tree farm, she’d invited her parents to Christmas Eve at Gunnar’s and Christmas Day at her house. Initially, her mom said she’d try to make it.
It had really grated on her, so when she’d woken up that morning, she’d pushed it.
Finlay: I get that you have to work, but I need you to know how it feels as your daughter to hear you say you’ll “try to make it” for a holiday as important as Christmas. It hurts. I don’t want to feel like a burden to my own mom.
Mom: You’re my daughter, and I love you very much. You are not a burden. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel that way. But I work with people 24/7, and I just don’t have the bandwidth to dive into a whole new family after spending two years getting to know the Joneses. I know you need to be part of a big family, but I’m happy with our little one. Why don’t we find a few hours to spend together, just you and me, and we can open our presents then?
She didn’t know if her mom meant it as a dig, but “I know you need to be part of a big family” had wormed its way into her brain and taken root.
Because she did want that. She’d had it with Matt, and there was no question she’d thrown herself right into the McKennas.
How did she know what was real and what was driven by the lonely little girl who taped pictures onto her vision board?
Her thoughts were interrupted when she entered the tent and ran into Eloise and her baby. Her friend looked a little frantic. “What’s going on?”
“I got hired to photograph Snowfest, but the sitter canceled at the last minute, and I don’t know what to do. I can’t just bail, but I also can’t take?—”
Boone stepped between them and yanked the stroller out of Eloise’s hands. “I’ve got her.”
“I can’t ask you to babysit.”
“You didn’t,” he said pointedly.
“Don’t you have to work?” Eloise asked.
“I’m off for two days. Now, go. Before you lose the job.”
She held his gaze, two combatants unwilling to back down.
