Page 79 of Christmas Wishes

“Shit. I need to cancel my flight. All the calls and then phones off the rest of the night because you’re mine,” he growled into my ear.

I shivered.

We would’ve walked hand-in-hand to his truck, but we needed our hands to juggle all of our—mostly my—luggage.

A funny realization hit me while we were walking. “I made a goal after I found Nico’s Christmas wish. To find you a boyfriend, or at least identify some leads.”

Riggs chuckled. “How’d that turn out?”

When we reached his truck, I turned to him. “I found you one.”

He grinned and stepped closer. “Yeah? Who’s that?”

“Me.” I stretched on my tippy toes to kiss him. He enveloped me in his body heat by pressing me against the side of his truck as he took my mouth again.

Yeah, staying was a really good idea.

Riggs pulled back. “Better start making those calls.” He slapped my ass and loaded our luggage.

With a massive smile, I called Arlo. Riggs started the truck and drove us toward the next chapter of my life: KeatonInAZ.

Chapter38

Keaton

After puttingthe deviled eggs I’d made into Doris’s fridge to chill before her Christmas dinner guests arrived later, I checked my phone to see if Arlo had updated me on how things were going.

“Has Arlo texted yet?” Doris asked as she assembled ingredients for a green bean casserole. I adored how Riggs and Doris had basically already adopted my bestie, and they hadn’t even met him yet. When Arlo came to visit, I knew they’d fall in love with him as immediately as I had that first day of college.

There wasn’t a text from Arlo, but I’d received several texts from family members.

Steph: Miss you. Kids keep asking where Uncle Keat is. Christmas isn’t the same without you, but I’m excited to hear all about your new adventure! Fair warning: Mom and Dad are talking about timeshares in Flagstaff or a snowbird home in the Phoenix area, lol.

Chris: Christmas is weird without you here. There’s no one here to give me the second roll they grab and never eat. I have to grab my own extra roll, man. Merry Christmas, Keat.

Dad: Merry Christmas, kiddo. Mom said you learned how to make a new Greek cookie? You’ll have to send me some.

I had to pause and collect myself. Maybe I hadn’t been as invisible around my family as I’d always thought, or maybe leaving was finally what got me noticed. I didn’t regret my decision to move to Arizona. Rather, their texts gave me hope for a good relationship with them, even though we’d be far apart.

Then, out of habit, I checked my Instagram notifications. I’d been obsessively doing it since editing and posting the snowball video yesterday. Twenty new followers! Each one was a win.

I went to show Riggs and found him on a ladder in the hallway, replacing a lightbulb in the overhead light. He’d already fixed a lit reindeer in Doris’s yard and installed a dimmer switch on her Christmas tree lights. Of course that’s what he was doing on Christmas Day instead of relaxing with a drink in the living room. God, I loved that man.

“Twenty new followers!” I held up my hand for a high five since he was out of kissing distance. At least the suitable for public part of him was unreachable. “I promise I won’t be annoying about this all the time. I’m just surprised people are finding my videos already. It’s only been two days!” Two of the best days of my life for so many reasons.

Once I’d decided to stay in Arizona, everything had clicked into place. I had a goal, focus, a direction to work toward. My brain had trashed the bulk of my self-doubt and replaced it with action.

Riggs climbed off the latter and cupped my cheek. “Watching you succeed is never annoying.” He kissed my forehead, and I nearly fucking died on the spot.Yup. Staying in Arizona is the right move.

“Thanks, beefcake. Any more house chores you plan to do before guests arrive?”

He looked toward Doris’s living room. “Well, I’ve been wanting to install a new dimmer switch for her.”

I laughed. “Please never change.”

For the next hour, I helped Doris in the kitchen. She shared stories of Christmases throughout her and Nico’s lives. Their childhood Christmases in Greece, then eventually in the US when their family moved to Arizona. There were tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.

“Thank you for making the melomakarona. That means a lot to me. I know it does to Riggs as well.” She pulled me into a hug.