Page 31 of The Holiday Ex-Files

“Cams, you can totally make it up to me.” He chuckled, making me laugh.

I wasn’t expecting that response. I lifted my head and met his penetrating gaze. His eyes told me that he was still willing to be a safe landing place and that he would even help me clean up the wreckage.

Noah tucked some of my hair behind my ear. “Do you feel better now?”

I had to think for a moment. “Kind of.” I still felt pretty jerky about not contacting him about his mother, among other things. Especially since he was so close to his mother, given his father had left them all when he was only five.

“Don’t worry, I can help fix the rest.”

“You sound like Sam from the movie Holes.”

“Great character. Great movie.”

I nodded.

“So, back to my plan. Not only will it help you feel better, it will also make up for your ill treatment of me.” He grinned.

“Is that so? How?” I shuddered through the last of my tears and sniffled loudly. It was really attractive. Good thing Noah and I never saw each other in a romantic way.

Not so fast. Look at those eyes and that stubbled jawline. Mmm. Miss Sparkly butted in again.

Seriously, stop. This is Noah.

I see that.

I had to stop egging her on by responding to myself. Listen to me. I was a nutjob.

With a glint in his beautiful eyes, he said, “Well, my sister with her type-A oldest child syndrome has designated me for all Jaxon’s and Liam’s entertainment needs. Which, I’m not afraid to admit, is a bit overwhelming. This is where you come in.”

My brows popped.

“I need help.”

“Babysitting?”

“Not just babysitting. Keeping two boys alive and entertained is not for the faint of heart.”

I giggled.

“This is serious. Do you know how fast kids are? Don’t even get me going on all the questions they ask. I mean, how do I answer questions like, ‘How come God can’t kill ghosts?’ Or ‘Why is the moon called the moon?’”

“It comes from the medieval word mona,” I easily answered.

His jaw dropped. “How did you know that?”

“Google.” I laughed. One of my nieces had asked me that a while ago. “You should try it.”

“See, this is why I need your help.”

“Okay. I could set up a few playdates with them and some of my nieces and nephews.”

He wagged his finger at me. “While that’s nice, my sister has their entire lives mapped out for the next two months. I just need a partner in crime and someone good with Google.” He winked.

“Um . . . I don’t know if I’m the right person. Why don’t you ask your girlfriends or the woman you’re in love with? Knowing you, I bet she loves kids.”

“You are correct. She’s amazing with kids.”

“Great. You’re all set.”

He let out a meaningful sigh. “Cams, I really would love your help. Besides, you owe me.” He gave me a crooked grin. “And I want you to feel better for being such an awful friend to me.”

“Way to shove the knife in my heart.”

“I don’t want to hurt your heart any more than it’s been injured already,” he said tenderly.

His words had some rogue tears leaking out. No wonder women adored him.

“Honestly, I think some of the activities my sister has planned will help you.”

“How?”

“Well . . .” He paused. “Let’s just say they have a holiday bent to them.”

I clutched my throat.

Noah removed my hand from my throat and held on to it. “Cams, you gotta start living your life again. You need pumpkin throw pillows and pumpkin-spice candles. That’s you.”

Oh man. I did love a good pumpkin-spice candle. I could smell it now. But . . . “It’s not that simple.” Candles, like snuggling, were gateway drugs. I wasn’t sure I was ready to go through any gates. Who knew what was on the other side?

Noah squeezed my hand. “What are you afraid of?”

“So much,” I whispered.

Noah held up my hand and gently traced the scrapes, from falling on the court, that were mostly healed. I’m not going to lie, Miss Sparkly and I felt the tingles it was causing. One of us was more pleased than the other about the long-repressed sensation a man could invoke.

“I’m happy to see these are healing nicely.” His eyes bored into mine. “Would you let the fear of getting injured keep you from playing basketball again?”

“Of course not.”

He placed my hand in my lap. “Because you love the game, right?”

I bit my lip. “I know what you’re getting at.”

“You used to love life, Cams,” he said plainly. “I don’t get that vibe from you anymore.”

I wrung my hands together. “I don’t hate it.”

“Not the same thing.”

“I know,” I said quietly.

He grabbed his drink and leaned back. “Let’s change that, starting tomorrow.”

“What are we going to do?”

“You’ll see.” He wagged his brows. “Get your Han Solo outfit primed, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

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