Page 13 of When Ivy Met Mr. Holiday
“Are you sure you’re ready for all the holiday cheer that’s about to ensue?” I askedJack.
He really had no idea what he’d signed up for when he said he wanted to come home for the holidays with me.
“Absolutely,” he said confidently, but I could see the way his brows gathered together to form aVjust above his nose. That small crease told another story—he was concerned.
He wasn’t the only one.
“So . . . how exactly do we tell my parents that we’re, uh—you know, together?” I whispered, pulling Jack closer.
My parents were picking me up at the airport any minute now. They loved the airport scene. It was a holiday tradition for them, and they always showed up in Santa hats and made a cute little sign with my name on it, like I was some VIP. To them, I was.
Little did they know I was bringing along a real VIP and just how much of a show they were about to get. Now, I wished I hadn’t decided to surprise them.
It was honestly for selfish reasons that I had. I didn’t want them to get all worked up about Jack coming and forget about me. And I had half expected Jack to back out. Who would have guessed this twist in the plot?
We really should’ve figured out our “backstory” earlier—preferably before takeoff—but I’d been too afraidsomeonemight overhear. Someone who looked like she’d shaved a collie and worn it as a coat. Okay, that was petty, but it needed to be said.
Jack took the opportunity to brush a strand of my hair back before slipping his arms around me. I’d never realized how touchy-feely he was.
“We tell them you couldn’t resist me, and I—being the nice guy I am—just gave in,” he murmured, just for my ears.
“You’re hilarious. Say that, and you might as well book a flight home now.”
Jack flashed his signature smirk. “How’s this? I tell them that from the first moment I saw you, I knew you were the woman for me, and I was lucky enough to finally convince you to give me a chance.”
“Wow. That’s actually sweet,” I said, caught off guard. “You know—if it were true.”
Honestly? If I didn’t know better, I might have believed it.
Jack dropped his arms. “I do know how to be sweet,” he said, sounding almost offended.
I squeezed his cheeks. “You have your moments,” I teased, sing-songing the words.
Sienna let out an exaggerated “Ugh,” loud enough to make sure we heard. Apparently, she wasn’t a fan of our pretend coziness.
For that, I almost wanted to plant a kiss on Jack’s lips. Almost.
But that was one thing we were definitely not doing—kissing.
Kissing was a gateway drug to bad decisions. Believe me, I had firsthand experience there. All it takes is one good-looking man, and if he’s any good at kissing, suddenly everything he says starts to sound amazing. And I was smart enough to know that Jack would be a world-champion kisser. I’d seen his technique on the big screen.
And . . . He. Was. Good.
Friends and kissing don’t mix. Or at least they shouldn’t. Once you kiss your friend, there’s no going back. And I needed Jack and me to go back to who we really were—the best friends ever. I had to keep that part of us safe, and not just because I wanted to prove him wrong about men and women. It was because I didn’t want to lose him in my life.
As soon as we reached our gate, the usual disembarking chaos erupted.
Everyone was in a hurry to leave—even Jack, who jumped right up to grab our carry-on luggage from the overhead compartment.
I was equal-parts torn. I was tired of everyone on the flight watching me—especially Sienna. But the thought of facing my family—and lying to them—made me want to stay on the plane forever.
Why had I ever agreed to this asinine plan?
As if to answer my question, Sienna grabbed Jack’s hand.
“Just so you know, when you’re ready to admit your mistake”—she nodded in my direction—“I’m ready to forgive you.”
Jack ripped his hand away, his neck and face splotched in angry red. “I’m ready to admit my mistake—I was foolish enough to believe you were ever a good person.”
