Page 21 of Mr. Right Under the Mistletoe

“I’ll just take a beer,” I said. Jackson echoed me and the girls walked off towards the kitchen.

“Looks like things are going good with you and Harper, huh?” I asked Jackson.“Yeah, man. Things are great.”

“Like, how great? Marrying great?”

Jackson swallowed, but shook his head in the affirmative. “I think so, man. She’s pretty freaking perfect.”

“I’m happy for you, man. That’s awesome.” I clapped him on the back, congratulating him.

“How about you and Sydney? She seems cool.”

My stomach tightened, my pulse quickening. “She is great.” I dropped my voice, so only Jackson could hear, leaning in closer to him. “But she started working as publicist for the team while I was out in Arizona, so all of this is on the DL. I somehow have to convince her to either break HR rules—or I don’t know what.” My voice trailed off, anxiety buzzing through me.

“Ugh, that’s tough. Harper and I had to work out some career drama, too, but once we made it through that, it’s been smooth sailing.” A slow, contented smile spread over Jackson’s face; he looked happier than a kid on Christmas morning.

“That’s great, man. I’m really thrilled for you. If you have any good ideas on dealing with team HR rules, let me know.”

He scrubbed a hand through his dark hair. “I’ll think on it. But I know how tricky those regulations are.”

“Yeah.” I swallowed, my throat dry all of a sudden.

Luckily, the girls came back with the drinks and we spent time chatting about holiday plans, football, and hockey. All the common themes with us. Sydney and Harper really hit it off, giggling about everyone’s ugly sweaters and how quaint Starlight Bay was, how much they loved it here. It was nice to hear Sydney was having a good time.

She threw her head back, laughing, her cheeks flushed with happiness (and Ugly Sweater punch), and my heart squeezed hard deep in my chest.

How could I just let her walk away, back out of my life again?

Short answer: I couldn’t. I needed to find some way for Sydney to keep her job and our relationship.

Sydney was all I wanted for Christmas.

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