Liv’s says:That’s not very shiny.

When Brady takes his turn, I bust out laughing. “You smell like beef and cheese? Brady! That’s hilarious!”

He wags a finger at Big Mama. “Did you give these to me on purpose?”

“Well.” I smirk. “If the stink fits…”

“Ha ha.” He smirks back. “Laugh it up, Fuzzball.” It’s an inside joke we’ve shared since the first time we watched the originalStar Warstogether.Of course this ismycue to start acting like a Chewbacca. And if I do say so myself, I have pretty-much perfected my Wookie.

My first growl makes Brady chuckle, so I growl again. This time louder. By now my cousins are all cracking up. Even my aunts and uncles join in the laughter. I’m not used to such a big spotlight, so I decide to gift everyone with one last epic howl. So I take a deep breath and really let my inner-Wookie rip. “Yaaaaarrrrggggh!” And that’s when Brady shifts his focus to something beyond my shoulder. I spin around and see the open front door.

Beau.

My heart hits the floor, and I basically die of embarrassment. He ducks his head and waves. “Sorry to interrupt,” he says. While my neck and throat and both my cheeks are bursting into flames, he makes his way over to me. “Guess you didn’t hear me knock, huh?”

“I was being a Wookie.”

“I heard. Very impressive.” His lips twitch. “Nice pajamas, Chewie.”

“Wowsa!” Big Mama looks Beau over from head to toe. “That’s a tall oyster you’ve got there, Kasey.”

Beau glances at her, then back at me. “Hey. Can I talk to you? Privately?”

I stand there gaping, unable to speak. Thankfully my mother rescues me. “Come on, everyone. Let’s head out back to take some holiday pictures. You all look so cute in your pajamas. We’ll do shots with each family individually, then a group picture at the end.” She turns to me. “It might take me a while to get this all arranged, Kasey, so you two take your time…”

Beau nods at her. “Thanks, Mrs. Graham.”

“Call me Elaine,” she says. Then she claps her hands to rally the troops. “Okay! Let’s go people!” Uncle Irv and Auntie Ann move first, helping Big Mama out to the backyard. Everyone else follows suit, casting quick peeks at Beau before heading out the glass slider. When I hazard my own glance up at him, he’s gazing down at me.

Churn. Smile. Gulp.

“I tried to be patient.” He tilts his head. “But I couldn’t wait anymore.”

“Hold on!” Brady calls out, rushing down the stairs. I didn’t see him sneak up to my room, but now he’s carrying Beau’s gift. He shoves the package into my arms and turns to Beau. “I tried to get her to open it, earlier, man. But she wouldn’t listen to me.”

“That sounds like your sister,” Beau says. “I love that about her.”

My pulse begins to race. Helovesthat about me?

“Yeah.” Brady shrugs. “Kasey’s pretty stubborn, but she can be lovable too. Once you figure that out, things get easier. But the Wookie smell?Thattakes some getting used to.”

“Hey!” I put my hands on my hips in mock anger, which is hard to pull off in Buddy the Elf pajamas. “Would you two stop talking about me like I can’t hear you?”

Brady salutes me. “As you wish.” He turns to Beau. “If you need me, I’ll be outside. Taking pictures. In my beef and cheese pajamas.”

Beau chuckles. “Good luck, my man.”

“Same to you, friend. Same to you.”

As Brady strolls outside to join the rest of my family, I can hear the sounds of their laughter. And my mother barking orders. That is until Brady shuts the back slider. Then Beau and I are truly alone. In the silence. Oh, wow.

I swallow hard. “Beau… I—”

“First things first,” he says. “Did your grandmother call me an oyster?”

This question catches me off guard, and I actually let out a snort. As if wearing Elf pajamas and howling like a Wookie wasn’t embarrassing enough. “Sometimes Big Mama says things that don’t totally make sense. And sometimes she knowsexactlywhat she’s saying.”

Beau lifts an eyebrow. “I’ll take your word for it.” He nods at the package in my arms. “Now, will you please do me a favor and open that?”