Page 64 of Mistletoe Meet Cute
“I wasn’t even here,” Briggs defends himself as Sophie reaches for him. “Well hello, little lady.” He holds his arms up. “May I?”
“Do not drop her,” Holly warns, and my eyes bug the fuck out of my head. “Sorry. I’m kidding. He’s good.” She turns to Rainey as I hand Sophie off to Briggs, who acts like they’re dancing. And my baby girl, who’s usually kind of picky with people she doesn’t know, tries to kiss his cheek. “Rainey, where are the kids?”
“Probably being filled with sugar by Aunt Francis,” Rainey grumbles. “Let me go check.”
As everyone starts to move away, Holly turns back to me. “I have no words, Camden. I’ve never had a birthday party before.”
“You don’t need words. You already gave me the best ones I’m going to hear all night.” I wrap my arms around her and hold her close. “Now how about we get you some birthday cake?”
“I still can’t believe you pulled this off.”
“Says the woman who decorated my entire house while I wasn’t looking.” She laughs and kisses my jaw.
“Happy birthday, Holly,” Maverick calls out, a glass of champagne raised high in the air, as Ryleigh walks around, passing out the rest. She hands us each glasses we raise and toast my girl. “Cheers.”
“Cheers,” the room roars, glasses raised as Holly’s face flames.
“Merry Christmas, everyone,” she says with emotion filling her voice, then moves us under the mistletoe and looks up at me. “This is the best birthday ever.”
“Pretty sure it’s the best Christmas ever too, thanks to you, vixen.”
“Love you, Grinch.”
“Love you too, vixen.”
Later, after cake, presents, and a round of which holiday movie is better that devolves into Hadley insistingDie Hardis the best Christmas movie ever, the night slows down. Rosie falls asleep on Maverick’s chest, mouth open, tiny snores like something you’d hear from Madden slipping through, before they say they’re goodbyes.
Ryleigh snuggles up with Sophie, singing her Christmas carols, and I catch Holly by the hand and tug her toward the barrel room. It’s dimmer in here. The air cooler. The scent of mulled wine and evergreens lingering.
“You kidnapping me, Grinch?” she whispers, delighted.
“Borrowing is more like it.” I nudge the door closed and lean back against it, just looking at her.
“Borrowing means you intend to give me back,” she taunts, her icy-blue eyes holding me hostage.
“Never,” I promise.
“Hi,” she whispers because it’s the first moment we’ve had alone all night.
“Hi.” I lift my hand to her face. “Are you enjoying your birthday?”
“More than ever before.” She raises onto her toes and kisses me. Soft and sweet until I slide my hand to her waist and drag her against me, deepening the kiss like this is the first of a lifetime full of kissing this woman. One I won’t ever take for granted.
She breaks away on a breathless laugh. “This is the part of the Hallmark movie where someone comes looking for us because the baby is crying.”
“Not a chance. Your sisters run their ship like generals. They’ve probably got our girl changed, fed, burped, and sound asleep by now.”
“Our girl?” she asks quietly.
“Sophie fell in love with you first. I just tagged along for the view,” I tease her. “That’s not true. I was right there with her from the beginning, Holly. You make me brave.”
“I don’t think that’s true, Camden. The first time I met you, you reminded me of a gladiator, and that was before I knew you played football.”
I lean my forehead against hers. “That’s a sport, vixen. A game. I could walk away from that tomorrow, and it wouldn’t be the end of the world. But you... there’s no walking away from you. You made me look at my life and decide whether I was willing to accept the good and the potential of the bad.”
“Am I the bad?” she asks, confused.
“No, baby. You’re the good. All the good. You and Sophie. And I swear to God, I’ll try to make sure the bad never touches either of you.” I kiss her mouth and suck her bottom lip between mine.
