Page 20 of When Ivy Met Mr. Holiday
Shane set the kettle on the stove and lit the burner. “Yeah, she’s divorced, and we only say a few passing words when we have to. I think she does her best to avoid me. Not that I blame her. Poppy and Sophie don’t even know that we dated. It seems to be an unspoken rule between us to keep that secret.”
I met him at the island with the cocoa and nudged him. “Then my lips are sealed. But I have to know: Why did you break up with her?”
Shane leaned against the island and shook his head. “I don’t know. It seems so pathetic now. I just didn’t want to hold her back. She wanted to be a professional dancer, and I didn’t. And I knew she wouldn’t take another partner besides me if we were together. She was just larger than life, and she needed someone other than me. At least, that’s what I told myself. Truthfully, I think I was afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
“That I wasn’t good enough for her, and she’d figure it out sooner or later.”
I hadn’t expected that admission. Shane was one of the best people I knew. Sure, he could be an annoying big brother, but he always had my back. He was an amazing dad, and his architectural skills were second to none. He created the most beautiful homes and officebuildings.
“Honestly, I don’t think she would have ever seen you that way. She loved you.”
“Yeah, well, I screwed that up.”
“I mean, she went on to marry a ridiculously hot Italian guy and won every prestigious dance award under the sun—so maybe she thanks you,” I teased him.
“Thanks for making me feel better, sis,” he groaned.
“I do what I can,” I chirped.
By the time the kettle whistled, several family members began filing in. Mom was the loudest and cheeriest among them, all decked out in her Cookie Crew sweater—the same one all of us were wearing, per Jaquelyn Wells’s schedule. There was no escaping this tradition. Not even Jack would be left unscathed. Mom always had extra sweaters made. And she owned her own embroidery machine just in case.
I cringed, thinking about someone snapping and posting pictures of my Christmas-crazy family all dressed alike. Those in Sienna’s camp would probably say things like,Blink twice, Jack, if you need help.Maybe all the regular girls cheering me on would say something like,Ivy, please tell us how to live the Hallmark dream with our own Mr. Holiday.
Believe me, this was no dream. It was more likeTheNightmare Before Christmas.
Ugh. I just wanted a nice, quiet Christmas, not a sweater scandal. Normally, I loved the matching sweaters, but I’d never been on public display before. I wondered what Mom would do if I staged a coup and we all dressed normally out in public. But I didn’t think I could break Mom’s heart that way. Dang Jack.
Speaking of my fake boyfriend, he came waltzing in, showered and wearing the sweater. It was unfair how good he made it look. He strode my way and wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed my cheek.
“Good morning, darlin’.”
I froze for a second, breathing in his fresh shower scent mixed with his spicy cologne and indulging for a moment in the way he held me and didn’t let go. I had no choice but to settle against him and sell this relationship. But my dang body betrayed me and more than settled. It just melted right into him and shivered. You heard me right: Ishivered. What was that all about?
In my defense, Jack was a world-class actor and had been voted sexiest man alive by all the major news outlets. My body basically had no choice but to react.
“You two are so cute together,” Mom sang.
“So darling,” my oldest brother Drew mocked.
“Knock it off.” His gorgeous wife Kira swatted his arm. She always reminded me of Julia Roberts with her long red tresses and perfect cheekbones. “They are cute together.”
“So, tell us how this all happened.” Paige, who everyone thought looked like my twin now that we were older, pointed at us while trying to herd her three kids to the kitchen table. Zach, Tyler, and Emma all belonged to her and her husband, Peter. Both Paige and Peter were lawyers and scary in a courtroom.
“Are you going to be our real uncle now?” Zach asked. “Can I be in one of your movies?”
Oh, jeez. I was a terrible person, lying to my sweet nephews and nieces.
“Absolutely.” Jack didn’t hesitate to answer.
“Yes!” Zach threw a fist in the air. “I can’t wait to tell my friends when I get home.”
I tilted my head, trying to convey with my eyes that he needed to cool it with those kinds of promises. And especially with making my family think we were on some fast track to making this a permanent situation.
“Honey, we just started dating, and I thought you said you wanted to take things slow.” Like freaking molasses-in-the-winter slow.
Jack’s devious eyes lit up. “You’re right, but every time I’m in your presence, your perfection gets to me.”
