Page 17 of Yours to Ho Ho Hold
The moment our bodies connect, I scoop the kid and tuck him and the plastic walker against my chest and twist to the side cradling him protectively like a football. My ribs hit first, knocking all the air from my lungs, and I quickly spin to my back so the kid and the walker lie on my chest unscathed.
“Oh my God, Drew. Are you okay?” I hear Holly’s muffled voice through my ringing ears.
I lie there in a helpless heap as I try to catch my breath. “Are you okay, kid?” I croak out. The kid just grunts, sits up, and climbs off me. He sets his walker back up, then turns to face me, his lip jutting out so far I’m afraid he’ll trip on it.
“Are you okay?” I ask again, but rather than answering me, he just holds up a chubby fist revealing the tiniest middle finger I’ve ever been given before skating away without saying a word.
Doesn’t this kid know who he’s dealing with? I literally just saved his life, definitely bruised a rib or two, and all I get as a thanks is his tiny fuck you finger? And on Christmas.
“Drew,” Holly calls coming up behind me. “Are you okay? That looked like it hurt.” She bends down, ducking beneath my arm, and I groan as she helps me to my feet. “Come on. Let’s get out of the way.”
She leads me over to a bench set away from the rink and helps me remove my skates. “What happened back there?” she asks, looking up at me from her knees, her eyes soft with concern. All my impure thoughts rush to mind, and I have to shake them away. I bite my cheek. Now is not the time for a boner.
I shake my head. “I don’t know. I think I tripped, and then this kid just skated in front of me out of nowhere. I really thought I was going to hurt him, but I couldn’t stop, so I just grabbed him and tried to absorb most of the blow.” I rub the tender spot on my ribcage and wince.
“Little shit,” she hisses under her breath. “Do you think you need to go to the hospital or something?”
I roll my lip to hide my smile, seeing her really concerned about me. I have to say, I could get used to Holly looking at me like that. I’m halfway tempted to milk my injury, so she’ll keep doting on me, but I don’t want to waste the few hours we have left.
“No. I’ll be fine,” I groan as I lace up my boots.
“Come on, I’ll help you get back to the room, so you can rest.”
I grab her arm to stop her. “Wait. No. I’ll be fine. I’m not ready to go back just yet.”
She lifts an eyebrow. “You sure? Because your grunting tells me something different.”
I pat my aching ribs to show her I’m fine. “Trust me, I’ve had a lot worse. You don’t grow up with three brothers without being able to take a hit.”
“Well, then, may I suggest a less hazardous activity?”
“What do you have in mind?”
She points to a small red food truck shaped like Santa’s sleigh parked on the corner of the street. “Buy me a cup of cocoa?”
“I’ll buy you all the hot cocoa you want.” I hold out my hand, and she takes it as we make our way to the novel hot cocoa truck. A plump man with a long white beard wearing a very authentic-looking Santa suit smiles and greets us, and Holly and I share a glance. I’ve never met the real Santa, but this guy could definitely give him a run for his money.
“Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas, what can I get for you?” He gestures to the menu posted on the side of the window.
“I’ll have a small dark chocolate with whipped cream and peppermint,” Holly says, and I nod.
“The same for me.”
“Dark chocolate with peppermint is Mrs. Claus’s favorite, too. You have good taste, young lady. I’ll have that right out for you.” He disappears behind the window, and we both fall into a laughter as soon as he’s gone.
My eyes go wide. “Did we just order hot chocolate from the real Santa?”
Holly laughs and pushes me. “Wait a minute. I thought you were the real Santa?”
I catch her hand and pull her closer. “Maybe I am. Maybe I’m not. Maybe I can be whoever you want me to be.
She sucks in a breath her eyes flicking to my lips and back up to my eyes, and there’s that spark again zapping through the air between us like an electrical current.
“Two small dark peppermints with whipped cream and a little extra Christmas magic,” Cocoa Santa says.
I hold my cocoa in front of me. “Cheers.”
“Cheers to what?”
