Page 87 of Make Me Yours

“I’m going to win,” Cathy calls from the living room, where half a dozen Sullivans are gathered around the fire. “I always win, so don’t feel bad, Weaver. I’ve got a brain for facts.”

“You’ve got a brain for nonsense,” an older man I’m guessing is her husband says from beside her, laughing when she smacks him on the leg.

“Bring me a beer before you start and say hi, will ya, Gert?” calls a feminine voice from upstairs. “I’m still wrapping the kids’ presents. I’ve got to keep going or there’s no way I’ll be donebefore Blake drops them off for dinner. We’re doing our presents tonight and Santa at my mom’s tomorrow.”

Sully casts a glance my way, ensuring I’m okay to go it alone while she delivers the drink. When I nod, she calls back. “Okay, what do you want Henna? A lager or a pale ale?”

“Pale ale,” Henna shouts. “And a peppermint cookie please.”

Sully pulls a face, whispering, “Beer and peppermint? Gross,” before snatching the beer from the ice bucket on the kitchen island and pressing a kiss to her grandfather’s cheek. “Be good, Gramps. This is the man I love.”

“I know, I know,” he says, chuckling as she goes. When she disappears up the stairs he turns back to me, adding in a softer voice, “She doesn’t need to worry. You’ve done good since you two left, kid. She’s happy and so excited about that show you helped her land at the gallery. We’re all taking the train down in February to see it.”

“She landed it all on her own,” I say. “I just made the introduction. She’s the one with the talent.”

Gramps beams. “She does have talent. I think she got it from me. I wasn’t a bad artist when I was young. I always drew the girls my air force buddies had tattooed on their biceps while we were deployed.”

“You’re a family with a lot of gifts,” Mia says, pressing a kiss to his other cheek, the one Sully missed. To me, she says, “Thank you for hiring me for this job, Weaver. I’m pretty into this guy right here.”

“And I’m pretty into you, sweet cheeks,” he says, making her blush as he grabs her ass.

Fighting a laugh, I nod. “My pleasure.”

“What’s your pleasure?” Sully asks, appearing again at my side, slightly breathless, making me think she must have run down the stairs to avoid leaving me alone for too long.

“Nothing,” I say, with a smile as I draw her close. “Just feeling the love in the room, is all. Mia and your grandpa are dating.”

She glances their way, taking in the canoodling with a dropped jaw. “No way! Why didn’t you tell me, Gramps? I thought you were keeping me up on all the gossip.”

“Some things are too special to share on Zoom,” Gramps says, cuddling Mia closer. “Things like…engagement rings.”

Mia holds out her hand, revealing a small, but lovely diamond, and Sully cries out in excitement. She hugs Mia, then Gramps, then Mia again, before turning to me and exclaiming, “Oh my God! You did this. You’re a matchmaker extraordinaire. Your first try, and they’re engaged in less than two months.”

“I’ll send the firm my resignation tomorrow,” I say in my best deadpan voice. “And hang out my matchmaking shingle as soon as we get back to the city.”

They all laugh and Sully squeezes my arm with an affection I can feel through the heavy sweater she bought me for an early present. It’s cream colored and old-fashioned looking and she told me it makes me look like the brooding hero of a gothic romance novel.

I may never take it off.

I like being her hero—brooding or otherwise.

Drinks in hand, we adjourn to the living room to play trivia while the turkey finishes roasting. Cathy does, in fact, win, and Sully’s cousin, Steven, comes in second place. I’m down at the bottom, thanks to knowing very little about holiday traditions and being distracted by Sully sitting on my lap.

Even with only part of the family here, there aren’t enough chairs to go around.

The rest of the clan apparently elected to spend their Christmas Eve playing bingo somewhere else. Not all the Sullivans are as accepting of our relationship, but that’s okay. Allthe relatives who mean the most to Sully are here and she seems happy. For me, that’s all that matters.

She and her father haven’t spoken since he left rehab, but apparently, he’s at the other gathering, fully aware that Sully has no interest in a relationship with him until he gets sober. Considering he found another relative willing to pay his rent when Gramps withdrew his support, I don’t see that happening any time soon, but who knows.

People surprise you sometimes.

I surprise myself every day. I never thought I’d be good at loving someone, never thought I could make a woman want to stay. But every day with my girl is better than the last, and she shows no sign of leaving. We’re actually packing up the rest of her things while we’re here to send them back to New York.

She’s making the move permanent and starting her job as a second shooter to a well-known wedding photographer in January. She may go back to school, eventually, too, but for now, she’s excited about moving straight into a career in photography. Within just months of arriving in the city, she’ll have her first show and be on track to earn far more than she ever made lobstering.

Not that we need the money, but I know it makes her feel good, to be succeeding when she’s doubted her talent for so long.

She shouldn’t doubt it.

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