Page 31 of Snowbound with the Santas

“Girlfriend?” Frankie scoffs softly. “Not a chance.”

My boots slide in the snow as we hop up onto the next ledge. “Why the scoff? Are you recently single?”

“No, it’s not that.” Frankie holds out this arm for me to grab as we climb up the next steep incline. “I’m not exactly lucky in love because of this.” He points quickly at his face.

“I must be missing something.” I frown deeply. “Do you mean your job?”

“No, my mouth.”

“I’m sorry, I’m still confused.”

“When I was younger, I had a lot of facial paralysis. It was my bullies' favorite thing to terrorize me about. Because of it, my muscles developed differently, and now I have this.”

My heart goes out to him as he speaks, and there’s clear pain lingering in his tone. A lifetime of being bullied about something you can’t control leaves deep scars.

“I’m so sorry,” I say softly. “I can’t even fathom… I think your smile is adorable. I would have thought it would have helped you in the dating world.”

Frankie laughs loudly. “Maybe, but I’m too… I don’t know. Shy, maybe. Hung up on things I can’t control.”

“Ahh, you need to be impulsive,” I tease.

“Maybe. It was easier when my brother was around.”

There’s a moment of silence over the crunch of snow and a mix of panting between us.

“I’m sorry.” I squeeze his arm before releasing. “Were you two close?”

“Very.” Frankie nods vigorously. “He was my older brother. Protected me from bullies. Kicked the ass of anyone who got too close, but then he went to war. He loved being a soldier, don’t get me wrong. But he was my idol and it was tough.”

I glance toward Archer, remembering how it had been mentioned before that Archer was in the army and served with Frankie’s brother.

“And that’s how you met Archer?”

Frankie nods. “Not until the funeral, though. I was twenty-two so… about twelve years ago now. The call came through, and suddenly, I was alone in the world until I got a call from Archer. He wanted me to come and visit him in the hospital.”

It starts to come together in my mind. The scars on Archer’s back and Frankie’s brother dying. They had to be connected.

“He wouldn’t take no for an answer after that.” Frankie’s smile is affectionate. “He could never replace Harry, but he does a damn good job, as stubborn as he is. I lost Harry, but I gained Archer, and I try to care for him the way Harry cared for me, y’know?”

Frankie wipes his brow and shoots me a smile.

“It’s all we can do when they’re stubborn.”

“A trait of being a man.” I snort softly.

“Do you have brothers?” Frankie asks.

“No.” I puff out my cheeks. “Only child.”

“But you know stubborn?”

Rolling my eyes, I nudge into him slightly. “My mother. Most stubborn person I’ve ever met in my life, but then there’s my uncle. He’s… his job comes first, y’know? So that’s his life, and my own father fucked off, so y’know, both stubborn against being a family.”

Except now, Cecil is shoving his tongue down my mother’s throat.

I grimace slightly.

“And yet you all holiday together?”

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