Page 9 of Under the Mistletoe

“You need a hand?”

“No, I got it.”

The clang of metal on metal echoed through the driveway as I tightened the bolts under the hood of my SUV. It was freezing out, and my fingertips were growing numb. I wasn’t paying attention, and the wrench slipped, skinning my knuckles. I clenched my jaw at the sting and grumbled, “Dammit.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Savage leaned back on his heels and smirked. “You gonna tell me what’s crawled up your ass today, or do I have to keep guessing?”

I ignored him, going back to work on the bolts.

I kept twisting, but my grip was too tight, and I nearly stripped the damn thing. “Not in the mood, Savage.”

“Yeah, no kidding. You’ve been beating on this damn thing like there’s no tomorrow.”

He wasn’t wrong. I’d been at this all day, trying to outrun thoughts that had been running through my head, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about Beck. Sheresembled the girl I knew seven years ago. She had the same dark hair and light freckles dappled across the bridge of her nose, but now, she was all woman with an hour-glass figure and lips that begged to be kissed.

I was just as attracted to her now as I was back then, and it pissed me the hell off. I tossed the wrench onto the ground as I snapped, “Everything’s just fine.”

“Clearly.”

Savage crossed his arms and gave me that look—the one that said he wasn’t buying a damn word of it. I leaned against the front end of my truck and sighed, trying my best to shake off the tension that was crawling up my spine. Didn’t matter how many times I tried; I just couldn't shake it.

Savage took a pull from his cigarette as he gave me the once over and waited for me to spill. It took a minute, but I eventually asked, “Did you know she was moving back?”

“Who?”

“Beck.”

“Yeah, I heard Dad mention it, but I got the feeling it would be after the holidays.” He cocked his brow. “I take it that’s not the case.”

“Nope. She’s back and get this...” I motioned my head over to the little white house next door. “She’s my new neighbor.”

“No shit?”

“Nooo shit.” I glanced down at his cigarette as I asked, “Got a spare?”

Without a word, he grabbed the pack from his cut and pulled one out, offering it to me. I lit it, then took a long drag, letting the nicotine work through the knot in my chest.

“Have you talked to her?”

“Not exactly. I helped Big move in her sofa, but neither of us had much to say.”

Beck and I grew up together. We all did—Savage, Lexie, Darby, Susana, Mia, and Chance were all part of the crew. Beck and Lexie were younger, but they did their best to keep up.

Beck managed a bit better than Lex. She was a bit of a tomboy and didn’t let anything slow her down. I liked that about her. There was a lot I liked about her. She was beautiful and smart, and she had something to say about everything.

But as we grew older, Beck started looking and acting less and less like a tomboy and more like my next girlfriend—only that couldn’t happen. She was too young for me, so I kept my interest in her to myself and waited for her to grow up a bit. And then, she went off to college and never came back.

Savage was one of the few who knew how everything had gone down, so it was no surprise when he pushed, “So, what are you going to do?”

“Hell, if I know.”

“There are things that need to be said.”

“You’re telling me.”

“Then, go talk to her.”

The words had barely left his mouth when our attention was drawn over to Beck’s house. The front door had swung open, and Ava came tearing outside. Her little legs were moving like there was no tomorrow, and her curls were bouncing with every step. She made a beeline for the mailbox and yanked the door open.

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