Page 29 of The Sleight Before Christmas

It’s during that short exchange that every fiber of my being lights with the same message it did the first time I laid eyes on her.

Fuck.

“I want to pick first!” Peyton demands as Ruby emerges from the kitchen with Frosty’s hat. One we use for the annual mystery Rudolph drawing. A tradition in which we all pick one name out of the hat to buy a gift for twenty bucks or less. The rules remaining unchanged since the Collins kids began marrying and multiplying. The tradition is an effort to have every adult open at least one gift while keeping the budget reasonable so the bulk of each family’s Christmas fund is spent on the kids. The catch being that each gift is meant to let the person you’re buying for know how well you know them. Ruby, a veteran in mysterious and highly subliminal gift-giving, is now only matched in skill by my newest brother-in-law, Eli.

Even so, I’ve fared well enough in mystery Rudolph over the years, having known and been a part of this family for a little over half my life. It’s that thought that has my lips curving up after reliving that call with Joshua. My current problems now similar to those I was envying during that time. As shit as things have been lately, at least I have that silver lining.

“What’s that grin about?” Eli asks, nudging me where we sit side by side at the breakfast table.

Turning, I meet the ice-blue eyes of Whitney’s husband, who, short years ago, appeared as the ghost of Whitney’s Christmas past after a seventeen-year hiatus. Formerly college sweethearts, Eli broke Whitney’s heart suddenly after eight months of serious dating. Long years later, and through the most serendipitous of circumstances, Eli got a job working with Brenden. Shortly after, he took his shot, accompanying Brenden for Christmas here at the cabin to deliver a belated apology before managing to win Whitney back. It was the same year that Serena and I had hit our communication stalemate, which turned out to be a blessing. Brenden and his wife, Erin, had their own issues during that time. That year, Brenden’s blind ambitions had him moving his family from Nashville to Charlotte to kickstart his company—Networth Inc. Their resolution being sorted when Brenden moved her back. But onlyafterfinding out that Christmas that she was miserable and hiding it to support his business venture.

It was a good Christmas for all of us. One I hope we can mirror this year, at least in the resolution sense.

“It’s a miracle Thatch smiles at all, having married this one,” Brenden chimes as he saunters in, his youngest son, Jameson, on his hip. Brenden’s older two, Wyatt and Conner, trail behind, as does Erin, who greets us all with a warm smile and ready hugs. Though all of us reside in Nashville, Brenden and his crew pulled into Triple Falls especially late last night, leaving only Eli and Whitney awake to greet them.

“Hey man,” I say, getting up to give Brenden a bro hug just as he runs his fingers down my wife’s scalp and forehead before giving her pig nose. The table collectively laughs as Serena swats his hand away before standing to embrace him.

“You’re such an asshat,” Serena greets, hugging him fiercely. While Whitney is my wife’s other person, she has a heavily concealed soft spot for her overly sarcastic, highly self-involved little brother.

Conversation explodes as the mixed greetings begin, and I can’t help my chuckle when Allen takes out his hearing aids, AKA his ‘ears’ to avoid the commotion. My amusement is cut short as my narc of a son calls him out for it an instant later.

“Grammy, Gramps took out his ears!” Peyton exclaims.

Allen gives Peyton the stink eye as he defends his actions. “It’s really loud in here, so I wonder why?”

Peyton stares back at him cluelessly as Ruby scolds him. “No one likes a tattle, Grandson.”

“But Grammy,” Peyton protests, “you always tell him to put in his ears!”

“That’s right.I tell Gramps,” she points to herself. “Not you. Children have no place telling adults what to do.”

Get him, Grammy!

“Well, I tell my Daddyall the timewhat to do, and he does it, right, Daddy?” Peyton counters, stealing my grin while making me his bitch with that delivery. Neck heating, I duck under the stares of every adult surrounding us before I remember myself, glowering at Peyton as I voice my reply.

“Did I turn the radio to Wiggles yesterday when you ordered me to?”

“No,” Peyton replies instantly, but with contempt.

“Did I get your suitcase?”

“No.”

“Did I read to you last night when you ordered me to?”

“No, and that was not nice!”

The heads surrounding us whip back and forth as I finish. “So, yeah, Daddy doesn’t do what you say anymore because you’re not nice.”

Inquisitive eyes bounce between me and Serena before she nervously speaks up. “Soooo, Thatch and I need an emergency meeting withall adultsbefore we leave to shop for mystery Rudolph.”

Gracie immediately snaps to, eyes darting furiously between Serena and me, which I consider a win.

“We just got here,” Brenden groans. “There’s already a fire?”

“Don’t worry, bro. I saidadults,” Serena drawls out dryly, “so you can color with the rest of the booger pickers.”

“Awesome. Tell me, how was the flight here, sis?” Brenden counters.

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