Page 34 of Merry Kissmas

I bend down so only she hears me.Everyone else is busy talking to their significant other.“One of these days, we’re going to have a race, and if I win, I want a lot more than my picture on a star.”

Her breath hitches, but she schools her features.“Sure, and don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you.”

I chuckle in her ear.“That’s a shame because I plan on giving it to you hard.”

I straighten and walk out of the main lodge, wishing she was coming with me.As it is, I’m going to have to rub one out in the shower to ease the tension in my body.

The woman drives me crazy.In the best way.

ChapterFourteen

Brynn

Let the inquisition begin.I purposely didn’t leave with the rest of my family because I need some advice from Tessa and Kenzie without my mom’s involvement.There will be a time to tell her everything, but I need to process all of this first.

Ryah and Nolan grow sleepy, their moms picking them up and cuddling them.I’m not sure I’m ready for a family, but it sure looks nice on them.

“Spill it, girl,” Tessa says.

I pick up a pillow from the couch and put it over my face, my cheeks heating.

“You two are totally hot together.”

I drop the pillow as Kenzie looks at Tessa, who nods.

“He remembered your coffee order,” Tessa coos.

I roll my eyes, picking up my coffee mug and sipping the flavor he introduced me to.“Well, I could have easily never drunk it again after what happened.”

“What did happen?”Kenzie asks.

I blow out a breath.“I went to London to study abroad for a semester.My first weekend there, I met Pierce at a pub, spent the weekend with him, and… we connected.”I look between my sister-in-law and her best friend.

“No judgment here.It only took your brother a cross-country road trip to make me fall for him.”Tessa kisses Ryah’s head.

“I can’t even describe it.It sounds unrealistic and completely naive.I was young and stupid and thought that… I don’t know.”I sip my coffee.

They give me a sympathetic look.

“Just because you were young doesn’t mean it wasn’t real.”Kenzie lays Nolan on the couch between us, putting a pillow on the side just in case.“The heart feels what it feels.Age has no bearing.”

“You writing greeting cards now?”Tessa laughs.

“Sometimes it’s just the wrong timing.”Kenzie raises her eyebrows at me.

“It was definitely the wrong timing, but I’m worried it was more because I was in a foreign country, and I was clinging to a connection I found because I was homesick.After finding out he was my TA, I felt completely alone again.”

“We can all figure out how you both fell for one another, but tell us the problem.Why aren’t you acting on your attraction to him now?”Tessa stands and takes Ryah to the pack-n-play in the corner, then pours herself another cup of coffee before sitting with her legs crossed in the chair.

“The problem?Which one?”

“The reason why you’re hiding your excitement about this coincidental reconnection.”Tessa arches an eyebrow over her mug.

I narrow my eyes at her.“I’m not excited.”

“Yeah, and I wasn’t excited when Andrew showed up at my brother’s for Thanksgiving either.”Kenzie bursts out laughing.Nolan stirs, but when Kenzie puts her hand on his tummy, he calms back down.

“Yeah, I wasn’t excited when Tre bailed me out of jail either,” Tessa says.

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