Page 62 of The Holiday Games

“Frank, make him leave,” Vivian shrieks, clawing at her husband’s arm. “Call the police if you have to. I told you, he’s dangerous.”

“Oh, heisnot,” Kayla snaps. “Now, be quiet, and let everyone enjoy the story. And then Caroline is going to talk to this nice man who drove all the way from New York City to see her, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“That’s right.” Leo’s lips curve in a warm, confident smile that makes the hopeless romantic in me positive that everything will work out.

I remind myself that he doesn’t know about Gilbert or how complicated our connection would be going forward, but my heart refuses to listen.

As I start the story, my voice filling the now utterly silent room—nothing shuts people up like some hot, messy family drama—I feel at home in my skin for the first time since I left New York.

Leo is here.

Leo still loves me as much as I love him, and maybe, just maybe, we can find a way to make this work, no matter how many obstacles stand in our way.

twenty-four

. . .

Leo

She’s beautiful. Perfect. The sweetest, the funniest, the best.

And she’s going to be mine.

I’m certain of it. Still, when Greg appears by my calf, gazing up at me with slitted eyes as Caroline nears the end of the holiday poem, I experience a wave of foreboding.

What if she doesn’t believe me?

What if Vivian manages to keep us apart for a month or more? Eventually, the truth will come out, but in the meantime, my hell spawn of an ex could steal more of the time that belongs to us.

I don’t want to miss out on another minute with Caroline. I’ve waited a lifetime for her. I don’t want to waste a second of the time we have left. I want to be there for her, loving her, supporting her, healing the hurt her cousin has caused and building the life of our dreams.

Together.

Oh, calm down,Satan says with a twitch of his tail.She loves you. You love her. Everything is going to be just fine. Now, pet me, loser. I’ve missed you.

I crouch down, rubbing between his ears, summoning a rumble from his chest. He’s purring. Forme. It’s a holiday miracle, and I decide to take it as a sign that he’s right. Everything is going to be fine.

I’m going to get the girl. I have to. Not even a world as cruel as this one can sometimes be would conspire to keep us apart—not when this is clearly destiny.

Destiny? Seriously?Greg chuckles, but he’s still purring as he adds,Does Caroline know you’re a cheesy, melodramatic weirdo?

“Does she know you’re a brat with a bad attitude?” I whisper beneath my breath.

He grins, his golden eyes dancing.Yes, but she loves me anyway. Good luck, dork.He saunters a few steps away before glancing back at me over his shoulder.Oh, and tell Vivian she can kiss my fat, orange ass, would you? She’s pretending she doesn’t recognize the treasure she left behind.

“Youarea treasure,” I assure him as the rest of the room breaks into applause.

What can I say? I’m feeling the love, even for my diabolical cat.

After all, he’s been through the wringer with Vivian, too. We have that in common. But it’s our love for Caroline that finally put us on the same team. Love is always stronger than hate.

I do my best to remember that as the library slowly clears, until only the key players in tonight’s drama are in the room.

“I’ll take the kids out to the lobby,” Vivian’s husband says, shooting daggers my way as he scoops their one-year-old into his arms and ushers an adorable toddler with blond curls out of the room in front of him. “Call me if you need me, Viv. I can be here in sixty seconds or less.” He pauses in the doorway, adding beneath his breath, “And I know karate. Like…a lot of karate. I don’t want to use it, but I will if I have to.”

Sympathy for this apparently decent man flooding my chest, I nod. “Understood. I mean your family no harm. I promise.”

His narrowed gaze shifts from my face to Vivian’s and back again, clearly unconvinced. But then, I know what it’s like to be trapped in Vivian’s alternate version of reality.

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