Page 50 of A Real Man for Christmas

There was a commotion to my right. I glanced over to see my mother and my sister both hiding behind a lamppost that did almost nothing to obscure them from sight.

Oblivious to the distraction, Tanner said, “Thanks for lunch. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Sure thing,” I said without looking at him. “See you then.”

He waved and went back inside. I waited until I was sure he was in there before stalking the few feet to the lamppost.

“What are you two doing?”

They straightened from their crouch and had the grace to look abashed at being caught.

Lindsay took a step forward and cleared her throat. “Mom asked me about Tanner. She wanted to meet him.” Her guilt at spying on me must have worn off fast, because a second later her tone changed and she was back to being wedding-stressed Lindsay. “Mom and I have been waiting for twenty minutes for you to come out, and it wasnotcomfortable hiding there.”

I gave my head a slight shake and shot her a warning look. “Nobody was making you do this.”

She raised her chin. “I was helping Mom.”

I turned to my mother and crossed my arms, readying myself for the fight. “Well, now that you’ve seen him, what do you think?”

To my shock and awe, Mom’s eyes filled with tears. She put her arms around me and hugged me so tight, the breath was flattened out of me.

“Oh, sweetheart! I am so sorry. This is all my fault. You’ve been under such stress and I—well, I haven’t been there for you.” She pulled out of the embrace and wiped her eyes but then held each of my hands in hers. “I’m here for you now, sweetie. I’m your mother.” She squeezed my hands. “I understand and would never judge you. I’ll help you in any way you need. With anything. Anything at all.”

I peeled away from my mom, which was difficult because she clung. “I take that to mean you didn’t like what you saw.”

Her brow furrowed, and she grabbed my hand. “What you need in your life is important right now. Not my opinion on it. I want whatever’s going to make you happy. If this makes you happy, then I’m happy too.”

“Thanks, Mom.” I patted her hand with my free one. Even if she didn’t like the idea of me dating a model, she was trying. “Tanner does make me happy.”

My mother sniffed. “I’m glad, sweetie. I’m glad you have…him.”

“We’re all glad,” Lindsay said, shocking me by coming in for a hug. “I’m sorry that I’ve been so demanding and awful about wedding stuff. I didn’t mean to pile on the extra stress. I’m glad you’re my maid of honor…and my sister.”

Oh my goodness. Was I dying? What was happening here? Lindsay was saying the type of stuff I thought she’d only ever say at my funeral. And then I’d be too dead to hear it.

“I love you both,” I said and pulled the three of us into a group hug. Who knew that dating a model could bring about enough Christmas magic to make my family appreciate each other? My Christmas stocking was already overflowing.

Chapter Seventeen

When we got back to the hotel, Mom and Lindsay insisted I go rest while they fussed over final wedding day details. With the event now less than twenty-four hours away, they weren’t leaving anything to chance.

Ignoring their advice to take a nap and unwind, I did the complete opposite. I knocked on Josh’s door.

The door swung open instantly. There wasn’t time for him to have checked the peephole. His eyes went wide at the sight of me. “Margot.”

My hands fidgeted. “Can I come in?”

“Sure,” he said, although he seemed not to have recovered from the surprise of finding me at his door. He shuffled to the side and let me pass before closing the door with a dazed look on his face.

But maybe he was just surprised because it was me, and he’d been expecting someone else.

I stopped short. “Did you order a hooker?”

His jaw dropped. “What?”

“You opened the door so fast—without looking, which is not good for your personal safety, by the way—I thought you must be expecting someone.”

He tilted his chin. “And you assumed the someone I was expecting would naturally be a hooker.”

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