Page 94 of Holiday Hostilities

When we’re safely out of earshot, I let out a big breath. “I’m so sorry. I promise I had no idea they were coming for Christmas.”

“I know.” She smiles. “I saw your face when you realized that your grandmother witnessed you with your tongue in my mouth.”

“Right,” I groan. “Almost successfully managed to block that out. So thanks for that.”

“You’re welcome,” she singsongs.

“Anyway. I know you originally wanted to spend Christmas alone, and if that’s still the case, I want you to know that I’m gonna fix this.” I bite my lip, thinking fast. “I’m sure I can get them on my flight to Jersey tomorrow morning with me.”

Olivia casts a sidelong glance towards the kitchen, a funny look flitting over her face. “No. They should stay.Youshould stay.”

I blink at her, taking in her gorgeous hazel eyes, her pretty, slightly flushed cheeks. “Are you sure?”

“I’ll go back to my old apartment for a few days. I’m still on the lease ‘til the end of the month,” she offers. “Give you some family time.”

“Absolutely not.” I pin her with my gaze. “You arenotgoing back to that dump under any circumstances.”

“Okay, we’ll all stay then.” She shrugs, but I could swear there’s a twinkle in her eye. “You can show me a Marino family Christmas.”

“You seriously want to experience that?”

“Yup.”

“I’d love nothing more than to spend Christmas with you. And my family,” I tell her, hardly believing how this is all working out right now. “But promise me that you’ll let me know if it gets to be too much for you. Okay?”

“Okay,” she agrees. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, though. A little bird once told me that I needed to make new Christmas memories.”

I grin. “What a smart bird. Bet he was handsome, too.”

“Plus, your mom and grandma seem hilarious.” She wrinkles her nose at me. “Way funnier than you.”

“They are their own special brand of something, let me tell you.” I look towards the kitchen to see my mother noseying in the pantry. Probably for a bottle of red wine. “Mom likes you already, I can tell.”

“She does?” Olivia whispers back. Her face is lit up, and the fact that she cares about what my mother thinks makes me feel warm, like I’ve already had a glass of wine.

“How could she not?” I respond softly as I find her hand. As our fingers interlock, hers brush over my bracelet.

“My dad would’ve liked you, too,” I add quietly, and I mean it. My dad was honest and no nonsense and an incredibly good judge of character. He would’ve loved Olivia and her fiery side. I tug on a strand of her coppery hair. “He also would have said I have good taste.”

Liv sticks her tongue out at me. “He would have been right.”

I squeeze her hand, her small palm pressing against mine as we walk back around the corner to join my mom and Nonna in the kitchen.

“Where’s the food, Nipotino?” Nonna demands.

“Right. The food.” I start, jerking a thumb over my shoulder. “I’ll get it.”

“This is what happens when we’re too busy making out in the hallway!” Nonna’s cackles follow me as I grab the food from the delivery man, giving him an apology in the vein of “please excuse my nutjob family.”

By the time I get back to the kitchen, Olivia’s clearly placated my heckling grandmother and they’re setting the table while Mom pours the wine. Nonna goes on to take the foil containers of food directly out of my hands and sniff them before announcing that we need to find a new Italian place because this one doesn’t smell authentic enough.

We finally sit down to eat all together in the dining room, and the lights on the Christmas tree shine bright behind us as Nonna says a blessing. The whole scene is entirely festive and cozy and domesticated, and dammit, I am here for it.

When Olivia raises her head, her eyes are full of an emotion that almost makes me wrap my arms around her and carry her upstairs. Not to do anything that Dallas would approve of, but to just hold her.

I’ve never brought a woman home to meet my family. But as I watch Livvy Griswold—the woman I’ve thought about for so many years—chat with my mom and ask my grandma about her favorite recipes, while every so often smiling at me across the table, it’s like my family has come home to meether.

And it feels more right than anything ever has.

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