Page 28 of The Christmas Playbook
No. Surely not.
It would be insane to miss my fake boyfriend, right? And it’s not like he’sgone. He’s just taking a break from being forced to domystuff.
“Hey, Mira… isn’t that your boyfriend?” My brother’s tone is laced with amusement.
But I’m not stupid enough to fall for his tricks.
“Nice try, Marcus,” I call over my shoulder. “I know the second I turn around, you’re going to hit me dead center in the face with a snowball.”
“Boy…fwiend!” Liam claps his hands while my dad holds him steady on his shoulders.
Butterflies fill my stomach, and warmth rushes in.Why did I just get butterflies?
I follow Liam’s line of sight, forgetting all about Marcus and our snowball fight, and spin over the slippery ground.
“Think fast!” Marcus shouts.
My hands fly up to block the hit, but nothing comes. Someone grabs my wrists and slowly pulls my face free.
I blink several times before snapping out of my trance. Rhys stands in front of me with the hottest smirk I’ve ever seen.
“Need some backup, Frostbite?”
Excitement forces a real smile onto my face. Rhys jerks slightly at the sight of it.
“You should smile more often,” he whispers. “It’s a pretty one.”
A knot forms in my throat from the compliment. Does he mean that? Or is he just playing along with the whole boyfriend thing?
“Bro, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you.”
Rhys drops my wrists and wraps his arm around my waist. “I know. You were trying to hit my girl.”
My cheeks burst with heat.His girl.
Marcus shrugs sheepishly. “She started it.”
I gasp. “I did not.”
Rhys chuckles and peers down at me. “Want to go get some hot cocoa?”
“Hot cocoa!” Liam chants from behind me.
I wrinkle my nose at him. “Do you want some hot cocoa, too?”
My dad grabs his wallet and offers me money. “Hurry before your sister sees and tells us he can’t have sugar.”
I laugh and reach forward for the money, but Rhys quickly tugs me backward. “I’ve got it. Anyone else want some?”
Marcus pipes up. “Me.”
Rhys glances at him. “Only if you stop throwing snowballs at my girlfriend.”
“Done.”
I roll my eyes at my brother before heading towards the hot cocoa stand. Once we’re out of earshot, I peek at him. “What are you doing here? I gave you the night off.”
Rhys blows air out of his puffed-up cheeks. “We’ve got a problem, Frostbite.”
