Page 59 of A Very Merry Enemy

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He laughs. “Shut up.”

I stand in the cold, watching the whole town glow.

A shiver runs over me, so I walk to my car and getinside.

I lean my head against the steering wheel, squeezing my eyes shut, trying to steady my breathing.

Dominic will be here next week, and I know he’s going to try to take me away from the one place I’ve ever really belonged.

And Lucas is standing beside me, ready to fight for this.

I drive home in a daze and go upstairs to crash in my bed.

My phone vibrates, and I pull it from my pocket.

Lucas

I’m worried about you.

Holiday

Don’t be.

Lucas

Too bad. Deal with it.

Holiday

I’ll be fine.

Lucas

You will, but right now, you’re not.

He genuinely cares, and that wraps around me like a promise, like a memory, like everything we used to be.

I slide out of my clothes and shower until my skin turns red. Afterward, I collapse into bed, but I don’t fall asleep.

In less than four weeks, I have to stand in front of hundreds of people and bake beside Lucas while Dominic watches, while Dominic tries to prove I belong to him, and while the whole town watches to see what move I make.

The love triangle rumors have already started.

My phone glows on the nightstand. I reach over to read the text.

Lucas

Night, HoHo.

I stare at it until my vision blurs. Then I press the phone to my chest and let myself cry for everything we lost, for everything we might still lose, and for the impossible situation I’ve been put in.

When I open my eyes, I focus on the glow-in-the-dark stars until they blur to nothing.

And for the first time since I came back home, I think about staying instead of leaving. I dream about Christmas lights and cookies and a town that feels like home. I dream about choosing him, choosing us, choosing to fight for something instead of running away.

When I wake up, I can’t remember the details.

But the feeling lingers.

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