Page 3 of Two Pink Lines for Christmas

I’m putting it down as a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Honestly, if I had known she just needed to get laid and it would soften her to my favorite holiday, I would have made it happen years ago. I would have taken her out one night along with Corbin and we would have found her a man.

I suspect, though, it has less to do with her getting laid and more to do with Evan specifically. It sounds nice and all, romantic even, but it kind of makes me feel a little sick. She’s opened herself up to heartbreak and disappointment.

Evan better not screw it up or else he’ll be dealing with me. And Hale. I’ll definitely sic our former SEAL, giant of a brother on his ass without any hesitation.

Then there’s Bella, she’s still not admitting it fully, but something is going on with her and the landlord for the bakery, Sterling. Their tension has always been through the roof, but something is different now. I don’t know when she’s going to admit it out loud, but I have time.

Raegan counters, “Why does claiming our coal need to have anything to do with a man?”

Bella pauses with the popcorn bowl in her hand, now filled with buttery goodness, before she takes a seat. I plop down next to her and grab a blanket from the back of the couch, stretching it across our laps because I know my sisters. After I grab a handful of popcorn, I relish in the warm, buttery, yummy bite.

Bella shrugs and concedes, “I guess it doesn’t, but it would be a lot more fun if it did. And satisfying.”

I snort out a laugh. Satisfying is kind of questionable sometimes with guys. I’m sure my sisters have their own stories to tell, and I have far too many to even think about. It’s always such a letdown to find out a man who had so much game can’t back it up.

“You don’t need a man to claim your coal.” I shake my head as I grab my remote and start scrolling through the Hollie Berry movie options which aren’t from the Adore Network because fuck them. “Hell, from the sounds of it, Hollie didn’t even get laid in Vegas. She just got up close and personal with some performers.”

“Sexy, ripped, oiled up performers,” there’s a wistful quality in Bella’s voice I completely understand. She sits up a little straighter. “Do you think Naked Heat tour? I would totally go and see the show.”

Raegan snorts out a laugh. “I think if they don’t then they should now. You and most of the female population would go and pay top dollar to do it.”

My voice is teasing, “Do you think Evan would let you go? He might not like it.”

“Let me?” Raegan’s voice goes dangerously close to shrill, “There’s no let me about it. I would go and that would be it.”

“Damn right,” Bella tacks on.

I almost ask Isabella if Sterling would let her go, but I already know she’d tell me nothing is going on even though something, clearly, is. She thinks she’s so sneaky, but I see the way they are together. It’s like watching two magnets come together and clang when they meet. I seriously should invest in some popcorn bags for the shop, but I guess eating an éclair to watch the show is just as entertaining. And delicious.

As I’m scrolling, Raegan smacks my arm, “That one. It’s the one she was in with Margot Reynolds.”

“Higgins,” I remind her, and she rolls her eyes.

Bella grins and snuggles back into the couch. “I can’t believe we met her at Piper’s wedding. That was so cool. She was so nice and normal.”

I can’t help but ask, “What did you expect?”

Bella shrugs one shoulder and makes grabby hands for the popcorn. “I don’t know, someone a little more stuck up? I know she had to grow up quickly with her parents dying and taking care of her sister when she was just a baby, but she was so wild before then. I guess I thought the whole Hollywood thing would have rubbed off on her more.”

Raegan snorts, “I have a feeling if she were snooty then Blake would spank it right out of her. Did you see the size of that man?” She muses, “He seems like he wouldn’t hesitate to put her over his knee if he needed to.”

Blake Higgins is Margot’s husband, and my sister is right, he is a giant. We’re all used to being around big guys considering Hale and the men he works with at Sullivan Protection are all fit and rather large. Still, Blake put them all to shame.

Even though I start the movie, we still spend some time chatting about the whole Hollie debacle. It’s not fair and the morality clause is a fucking joke.

“It must be hard to live in the spotlight,” Bella muses.

“Yup,” Raegan pops the p as she agrees, “I couldn’t do it.”

“Well this is the first year you’re not trying to murder people over some tinsel, so the thought that you wouldn’t be able to be cheery with a career centered around the holiday is no surprise,” I deadpan, and she flips me off with a smile in her eyes.

It’s damn good to see my sister smiling at Christmas. It’s been far too long since we’ve seen it. I should get Evan a gift or something for mellowing our sister out. The man has skills.

The movie sucks us in at some point and we’re all watching the magic of romance unfold in front of us with a nice Christmas backdrop. It makes me feel warm fuzzies, but also scares the hell out of me. I like the idea of romance a lot more than I like the actuality of it.

What does stick with me is how the couple is moving toward a future together and kids. When I imagine their perfect happily ever after and the little bundles of joy as a product of their love, a realization hits me.

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