Page 14 of Mistletoe Meet Cute
“No,” Camden bites back defensively, but it’s my turn to arch a brow.
I’m not buying it.
“That’s it?No? That’s all you’ve got?” I drag my teeth over my bottom lip, certain Mr. Monroe would not appreciate it if I laughed at him and unwilling to get fired on the first day.
“I never saw the big deal in it. All these people spend all this time running around, driving themselves crazy for this one day. I never understood why,” he grumbles, and I think I might see a spark of embarrassment there.
“First of all, it’s not one day.” He opens his mouth, but I keep going. “It’s an entire month if you do it right. And you need to do it right. You’ve got a baby now, buddy. You need to make it special for her.” Day one, hour one, and I’m pretty sure I just leaped across a line like the actual Sugar Plum Fairy and told my new boss he’s failing his baby’s first Christmas responsibilities.
Maybe I’m subconsciously trying to get fired.
Camden shakes his head while he looks at Sophie. “She’s five months old. She doesn’t even know what any of that stuff is. You’re the one with the fancy degree in babies.” He grins. “Tell me I’m wrong and that she’ll remember any of it.”
“She doesn’t now, but she will, and you need the pictures of her first Christmas to show her later,” I all but plead, because no matter how silly it might sound, the little things are important. We all crave traditions, not just because they’re fun, but because they’re constants in our crazy lives. Something we know to expect and something we can treasure when the people we love the most are no longer with us. “She needs memories to lookback on in a photo album one day, so she can smile at pictures of the two of you in matching pajamas on her first Christmas.”
Oh yeah. I’m definitely getting fired.
The lines in Camden’s face tighten as he looks away, and when he brings those mossy-green eyes back to me, they’re resigned. “Fine,” he huffs, pulling a credit card from his wallet. “Has anyone ever told you you’re pushy?”
“Says the man who bought my tampons,” I bite back as he holds the card out for me to take. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Get whatever Christmas crap you think I need,” the hot grinch basically growls back, and I smile triumphantly at Sophie.
“Oh, sugar plum,” I whisper, kissing the top of her downy soft head. “We’re going to have so much fun.”
CAMDEN
Maverick stands next to me on the sidelines as we finish up the walk through while snow falls around us. For as much as this city loves its football team, they’ve never approved the domed stadium the owners want to build. And there’s something about playing in the snow.
It’s a different kind of football.
Harder. Rougher. Almost a throwback to a different era of the game.
But never what you want when you’re looking at an away game in Pittsburgh’s stadium.
Those fuckers love this shit. They live for a whiteout.
“How’s Rosie feeling?” I ask while we wait for the next play.
Mav closes his eyes and sighs. “Like shit. Emmie got her into the pediatrician first thing, and they confirmed it’s the flu. Said it’s going around. Poor kid is out of school for the next week. She’s so pissed.”
I can just picture my spunky little niece mad as hell at missing school. She loves it. Probably because she’s smarter than all of us combined. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks. Did you figure out what you’re doing with Sophie? I can always ask my mom,” he offers, and I appreciate it. His momis pretty great. She’d watch Sophie, no questions asked. But I’d feel wrong asking.
When Emmie married Maverick, she married the whole Beneventi crew, and she finally got what she deserves. A real family. One that’s still intact. One that’s nothing like ours.
Once Dad was diagnosed with early-onset dementia when Emmie was little, Mom bolted, leaving Vivi, Emmie, and me to figure things out. I like to think we managed to do okay, even if it wasn’t easy. I tried to do everything I could to keep Vivi and her safe, but we were never going to be one of those perfect families. The kind Mav has.
Then we lost Vivi and Dad within a year of each other, and well?—
I’m glad she has Mav.
His mom and dad have tried to treat me like a part of their family since we met, but I guess I’m not all that good at letting people in. Not past the superficial at least.
“Thanks, man. I’m actually good. Luke’s sister was looking for work. She’s got a degree in childhood development and hasn’t found a job yet. She’s going to help this weekend, and if all goes well, she’ll stick around for the rest of the season and maybe even help me find her replacement.” When I say it like that, it actually sounds like this could work, and I feel a little less like a piece of shit father leaving my kid with a stranger.
“Chase’s sister, huh?” Mav grins. “Is she hot?”
