Page 57 of The Santa Rules
A small sniffle escapes despite my best effort to contain it, and I blink rapidly as I try to hold in the rest. I can feel Hardy’s eyes on me, and he squeezes my thigh in silent support.
“I don’t think you understand how much I needed to hear that. I’ve always been treated as an afterthought by the men in my life. It’s probably why I use humor as a defense mechanism. They can’t laugh at you if you laugh at yourself first.”
“I know that you don’t need a man in your life. But I hope that if you allow me to be in yours, it’s because you chose me. I want to be the person you choose.”
“Not that I’m not loving this road trip confession, but what changed? I feel like you were so hot and cold the past week.”
“I talked to Avery this morning, and she not only gave me the girlfriend green light, but she also picked you specifically to be my girlfriend.”
My head whips in his direction, trying to determine if he’s kidding. “So, we can make it official?”
“I’m pretty sure we already have with as much time as we’ve been spending together. And I don’t know if Ned’s a big gossip or not, but you totally moaned right before he knocked.I’m pretty sure he knew what we were up to on the other side of the door.”
Letting go of his grip on my leg, I bury my head in my hands. “He’s the worst. The whole town will know by the time we get home.”
Just then, my phone buzzes in my coat pocket, and I fish it out.
Aunt Delilah
Heard you and a certain firefighter finally bumped uglies
Oh my God, how did you know that? It literally just happened
“What was that gasp about?” Hardy asks, his gaze fixed on the road as we approach Denver traffic.
“My aunt just asked me if we fucked.”
He coughs, pounding on his chest to clear it. “I’m sorry, what? Your aunt?”
“Yeah, Principal Adams.”
“Your aunt is the principal?” It’s kinda cute how high his voice gets when he’s surprised.
“She’s not technically my aunt.”
He looks confused. “Didn’t you just refer to her as your aunt?”
“She’s like an aunt. She and my mom were best friends, and even though I was eighteen when she died, Delilah practically raised me after that.”
My phone buzzes again.
Just heard a rumor from Ned that Hardy was at your house, but you confirmed the boinking
“Shit. How could I fall for that?” I mumble to myself.
“Fall for what? I need you to fill in more details here,” hesays, turning on his blinker as we pull into the parking lot of a strip mall.
“Ned already ran his big mouth and Delilah just texted.”
“Why does my daughter’s principal want to know if we hooked up? Did Ned tell her we did?”
“Delilah kinda led me to believe that she knew we hooked up and then I accidentally admitted it. But it’s okay. She already gave me the go-ahead.”
He drops his head onto the steering wheel. “I will never get used to this, will I? How all up in your business small towns can be?”
“It grows on you.”
An hour later we’re walking through the aisle of a large retail store, looking for items for Avery.
