Page 39 of The Christmas Romance Wish

“Do you not like Christmas because it’s a holiday so you don’t get your own day to celebrate your birthday? It’s overshadowed?”

“No, my family was big on making sure I got my fair share of attention.” Which makes me feel even more like a brat.

“Then why does it seem like you don’t like the holiday?”

“It’s more like I avoid it. Same as some people avoid dairy, ironing their clothing, or making customer service phone calls when they can’t unsubscribe from the Hot Lips: Hot Sauce of the Month Club.”

Alex’s eyes land on my mouth and linger there for a long moment before he says, “This might be controversial, but eggnog is delicious. I agree that ironing is overrated. And customer service phone calls aren’t that bad. I can take the hot sauce off your lips, I mean your hands, if you like.”

The bah humbugs cheer. “You make life sound so easy.”

“And you make Christmas sound so bad.”

I’m prepared to die on this hill. I won’t let Christmas back into my life. “Dylann claims that I’m originally from Whoville and I’d be the Grinch if he were a girl.”

“We’ll see about that,” Alex says as if he’s masterminding a plan to get me to fall in love with him, I mean, Christmas.

“Dylann has tried and failed at what she calls the ‘Christmas Quest to Thaw Emmie’s Grinchy Heart’ for the last two years.”

“Does she really call it that?”

“You betcha.”

“Her fiancé loves Christmas as much as she does, so it’s a match made in winter wonderland. For example, her parents had to talk the two of them out of having a Christmas day wedding. Apparently, their relatives didn’t want to have to change their plans or traditions.”

“Where’d they meet?”

“On my app.” I hiccup and realize what I said. “I mean on an app.”

Even seated so close, Alex meets my eyes, exposing me for thesnowy little lie. “That’s not what you said. Emmie, I’m starting to wonder about you and all these secrets.”

I hiccup. So close under this blanket, it’s impossible not to be intoxicated by Alex’s woodsy scent, his winter warmth, and his body so close to mine.

What would he do if I buried my face in his neck?

“What aren’t you telling me? Are you a covert operative? A criminal on the run? An undercover celebrity?” he asks, tone light and playful.

My lips twist with a smile at his joking. “No to all of the above.” I let out a sigh and hiccup again at the same time. “More like I was always the secret sister. My brothers did their own thing. Treated me with great care. My grandfather, well, he was shrouded in mystery. By default, I’ve kept to myself. I was the princess and the boys were the pirates. We were all characters in Chip’s feature film—playing our roles.”

“What about your parents?”

I trade that story for a different one that’s easier to talk about. “When I left Florida, I vowed to hit a home run on my own. Living in New York City is expensive, but I wanted to support myself.”

“That fits with your super independent, doesn’t ‘need-saving’ personality.”

“True, but I met a guy.”

“Not Dylann.”

I laugh again, feeling at ease even though I’ve rarely shared this story either. “No, Dylann is a female and my best friend. Not boyfriend material. Anyway, he was a tech guy—knew coding, including for apps. We put our heads together—” I hesitate to say Tad’s name. “Dylann called him Tid Bit.”

“Like literally put your heads together?”

I incline my head, not sure what he means.

“In thehiccup curekind of way.”

“Ew gross. The memory makes me want to gag. Anyway, we developed the Marry Me app.”

---