Page 174 of Unravel Me

“Oops. Sorry, sunshine.” He scoops her into his arms, twirling her as she squeals with laughter. “We’re engaged!”

The girls dash forward, embracing the both of them, and when Jennie frees herself, she dashes over to her brother. Carter hauls her into his chest, hugging her so tight as he whispers in her ear, and when she pulls away, I swear he wipes a tear from his eye.

Then he holds his hand out to Garrett and tells him, “I’m lucky to call you my brother-in-law,” and when they embrace each other, every woman in the room bursts into tears.

Rosie flaps at her face. “I’m not stable enough for this.”

I grip her chin, tilting her face up, and press my lips to her tears. “I love your unstable heart.”

“That’s good, because it’s yours.”

Jaxon steps inside, Mittens tucked under his arm, the two of them in matching Christmas sweaters. He looks at the scene unfolding around him, crying girls and Jennie and Garrett kissing under the mistletoe. “They get engaged?”

I nod.

“Cool. I’m the only single one left. That’s okay. Mitts and I don’t need no one but each other, right, chunk?” He nuzzles Mittens’ face. “No, we don’t. We don’t need no mean, scary girl putting our balls in a vice.”

“You’re not gonna have any balls left to put in a vice if your cat keeps using them as batting practice,” Rosie murmurs, and Jaxon guffaws.

“I’ll have you know I started sleeping with underwear on, so the problem is solved.”

Rosie arches one brow.

“Fine. Whatever. The problem isn’t solved. I refuse to wear underwear to bed.” He points a finger in her face. “Shut up.”

Mittens leaps from Jaxon’s chest to Rosie’s, nuzzling her chin, and Jaxon glares as the two of them walk away, finding a spot to snuggle on the couch where the rest of us join while Jennie and Garrett give us the details on how their engagement went down.Explicitdetails, right down to what color Jennie’s underwear was. Apparently, it’s a very necessary detail, Jennie argues when Carter says it not, because they matched perfectly with the sapphire on her ring, a pleasant surprise for Garrett when he got to take them off after she said yes.

“You can’t tell me that’s not some soul-mate shit,” Garrett says. “Panties matching her ring?”

It sounds like a coincidence, but he’s so psyched about it, I just nod and tell him, “Oh, for sure. Definitely soul-mate panties.”

I sigh, watching as Carter sticks antlers with bells on them onto Connor and Ireland’s heads. Then he plops matching ones on Bear and Dublin, and when Connor snatches up Mittens, holding him to his chest and kissing his forehead, Carter attaches a tiny pair to the cat too.

Carter flattens himself on the floor, aiming his camera at the most chaotic group of reindeer I’ve ever seen. “Okay, guys, look over here. Ireland, baby, look at Daddy! Connor! Connor, look at your favorite Uncle Carter! Dublin!”

“Mittens,” Jaxon calls, jingling his keys above Carter’s head. “Mittens, look at Daddy!Pss-pss-pss!”

Fuck it. If I can’t beat ’em, might as well join ’em.

“Bear!” I clap my hands. “Up here, buddy! Connor, look at Dada! Say cheese!”

Connor holds up the candy cane, grinning at me. “Cheese, Dada!”

“No, Dublin, don’t eat that!”

“Ireland, baby, Connor’s nose isn’t a chew toy.”

“Mittens! Not the tree! No, not the—Not the tree!”

The pink tree goes toppling to its side, the dogs trample over it, the cat takes off like lightning, scattering pink ornaments in every direction, and Connor’s just sitting there shrieking with laughter as Ireland stands on her wobbly legs, her arms wrapped around his head while she gnaws on his nose.

I sigh, turning to Rosie, and my heart stops at the two silent tears streaming down her face as she takes in the utter commotion around her.

Olivia lays her hand over Rosie’s. “You okay?”

She sniffles, wiping at her face, head bobbing. “I forgot what Christmas is supposed to feel like. Thank you for reminding me.”

I watch the two of them embrace, and I’m struck by how easy it is for me to forget. To forget that Rosie has missed out on so much, silly traditions, ridiculous antics, embarrassing family you wouldn’t trade for the world. I’ve never known what it’s like to be lonely on a holiday, to crave something so deeply, something that so many people take for granted.

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