Page 65 of Fake It Till We Fall
“Did you finish delivering all the presents already, Santa?” Charli asked.
“Hey.” He turned to her, as if he’d only just noticed that she was there. “I did. My Santa duties are all finished.” He turned back to me. “I’m ready for some caroling. Am I early?”
“No,” I said quickly. “Sorry, Gray. I didn’t?—”
“Go on.” Grandma waved me toward the door. “We’re all done here. Kevin can close down the kitchen on his own.”
“But it’s Christmas Eve.” I reached for Grandma and held her hands. “Do you want to come with us?”
She laughed. “Oh, sweetheart. No one needs to hear my singing voice. Tilley’s going to pick me up to take me to the senior center. I’ll see you back home later.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.” She gave me a look that brooked no argument. “Besides, I think you’ve earned a little fun.”
Charli’s grin was all too knowing. “Go.” She winked.
I untied my apron, suddenly hyperaware of the flour on my sweater and the heat still clinging to my cheeks. As I stepped toward the door, Grayson’s gaze met mine, warm and steady, reminding me of the way he’d looked at me lying on the rug in front of the fire the night before, and just like that, my pulse was racing all over again.
Grayson
The last verseof “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” finally trailed off. The last song in the songbook, I closed it and wrapped my arm around Harper. She snuggled into my side automatically.
“All done?” She looked up at me with a hopeful grin.
“I mean, we could start at the beginning again if you want? Maybe there are some houses over?—”
“No!” She grabbed my cheek and turned me back toward her.
I laughed and kissed her. It was getting easier and easier to believe that what we were doing was real. Probably because it felt real.Veryreal.
She melted in my arms, and I would have happily kissed her right there in the middle of the snow-dusted street all night if there hadn’t been a smack on my shoulder.
“Okay, you two. Enough already.” Brody laughed. “The time for festive cheer is over; you can go get a room.”
“Didn’t they do that last night?” Lauren appeared over his shoulder and laughed.
Harper pulled out of my arms and slapped the carol book against Brody’s chest. “What? Are we in high school again, you guys?”
“I mean, it kind of feels like it, seeing the two of you back together.”
“Very funny.” I shot Brody a look and reached for Harper’s hand, tugging her away from my big brother before he could say anything stupid. Well, even more stupid. “We’re out of here.”
“Okay, okay.” Brody didn’t bother to hide his laughter. “See you tomorrow, guys.” He looped his arm casually over Lauren’s shoulder and steered her in the opposite direction.
Watching them, I couldn’t help but think of how easy it could be with the right person. The person who felt like home. Of course, Brody and Lauren continued to insist there was nothing romantic between them, but they didn’t see themselves the way we did.
Was that how others saw Harper and me?
When Harper squeezed my hand, bringing me back into the moment, all thoughts of my brother and Lauren vanished, replaced by the one woman who alreadydidfeel like home for me.
We walked together under the streetlights until we arrived at the back door of the restaurant and her apartment. “Come up,” she said. “I want you to see the tree.”
The ring weighed heavily in my pocket. I wanted to give it to her. More than anything, I wanted to give it to her and see her reaction. But the words weren’t there yet. It hadn’t felt right. Not yet.
“I’d love that.”
Upstairs, the tree cast the cozy living room in a warm glow. Harper shrugged off her coat and boots. “I’ll make us an eggnog.”
