Page 56 of I'd Never Date my Best Friend's Brother

I squeeze the woman in my arms, and she lifts her face to me. Her cheeks are glowing, and her eyes are shining. My heart bangs against my chest like a jackhammer, and I can’t stop myself from leaning in and pressing my lips to hers.

“Popcorn is done popping,” Liam says as he walks back into the room with Penny and Tex.

“I grabbed the last two bags of cranberries.” Penny chimes in.

Evie lifts a hand to my chest, and I smile at her.

“Well then, let’s get this garland done so we can start decorating this tree,” I say, looking up at Jessica and winking. She rolls her eyes at me, and I chuckle. “I thought that was what you wanted.”

“Jessica,” Sean says, working his magic. “Come and help me with the garland. In fact, everyone grab a needle and some thread.”

Everyone, except my dad and Mark, head over to the coffee table and grab a needle and thread to string the popcorn and cranberry garland. My dad and Mark work to put the lights up, which is honestly the worst part of decorating a tree.

When the garland is finished, a cheerier Jessica directs us to the box of ornaments.

Happy chatter fills the room as we all decorate the tree. My eyes stray to Evie throughout the night, and more than once, I catch her glancing at me. I take a deep breath and allow myself to enjoy the sense of peacefulness that fills me.

When the last ornament is hung on the tree, Sean instructs us all to step back. We form a circle around the tree and watch as he runs over to the light switch. Once he rests his hand on the switch, he starts to count down.

“Ten, nine, eight—”

The rest of the join in. “Seven, six, five, four, three, two…”

There’s a collective gasp as the room goes dark, except for the seven-foot spruce that stands as the only light in the room. The tree sparkles as the lights bounce off of the ornaments and the red colors stand out vibrantly against the green of the tree.

“It’s perfect.” Jessica covers her mouth with her hands and walks over to Sean who wraps his arms around her and tucks her in close, kissing the top of her head.

I feel a hand move across my back and look down to see Evie beaming at me. I lift my arm around her shoulder and pull her in close. The warmth from her body spreads to me, and I can feel my heartbeat pound in my ears, and my nerve endings tingle.

I lean into her and whisper. “Will you go out with me?”

“I thought we already were?” she says as she turns her head up toward me, a crooked smile on her face.

“On a date.” I rub my nose against hers and laugh as her eyes widen at my words.

“Oh.”

“Is that a no?” I chuckle.

“No, no. It’s not a no.” She rushes out. “I was just surprised.”

“So? Will you go on an official date with me?” I ask again.

“Yes.” She crinkles her nose and smiles. “I’ll go out on an official date with you.”

Just as I lean in to seal her yes with a kiss, Jessica yells.

“Time to play Trivial Pursuit!” I groan against Evie’s lips and shake my head no. Evie laughs.

“Seriously, Jessica?” My mother groans.

“Yes! Seriously.”

Everyone starts to gather their things as they try to make a quick getaway, including Evie and me.

“Where is everyone going?” Jessica yells as everyone puts on their coats and heads out the front door.

“Home,” Sarah O’Connell says. “I’m tired.”

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