Page 81 of Another Christmas from Hell

“Probably,” Cayley said even as she had to wonder why Sean was so determined to piss her cousin off. She should probably be concerned about that, but right now, something else had her attention. “Kevin proposed to me at the bar because that’s where we first met,” she pointed out.

“But that doesn’t explain why he was watching Bryce as he pulled that ring out of his pocket,” Jess said, making her frown because she honestly couldn’t remember anything other than feeling sick to her stomach the moment she saw that ring. It should have been the clue that she needed to let her know that she was making a mistake, but she’d told herself that it was just excitement, but now, she knew that it had been the beginning of the end.

“Bryce looked…destroyed. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Jess said, making Cayley swallow hard as she glanced back at the man in question to find him watching her. “I thought that he was finally going to say something. Then again, I thought that you were going to say no.”

“I made a mistake,” Cayley said, realizing that she was making another one right now.

CHAPTER45

“How long do you think it will be before she finally snaps and beats the shit out of him?” Craig asked, sounding bored as Bryce took a sip of the eggnog he’d grabbed to have something to do and glanced to his right to find Sean sending Jess a pinky wave.

“Probably not long,” Bryce murmured absently as his attention shifted back to Cayley and found himself releasing a shaky breath and-

He was fucking terrified.

“And how long do you think it will be before you do something incredibly fucking stupid?” Johnny drawled, taking a sip of punch as he leaned back against the wall next to him.

“Meaning?” Bryce asked, watching as Cayley was forced to grab hold of her cousin when Sean went ahead and winked at her again.

“You’re not there yet,” Craig said, shaking his head as he reached over and plucked a sugar cookie off a passing tray.

“And you know this, how?” Bryce asked, his gaze flickering to his older brother before returning to Cayley, who’d been forced to grab hold of her cousin sometime in the last twenty seconds to stop her from killing Sean.

“Because I grew up hearing the same stories that you did. Bradfords don’t propose, Bryce,” Craig pointed out.

“I’m not proposing,” Bryce said, absently running his fingertips over the small box in his pocket.

Frowning, Craig and Johnny shared a look. “Then, what’s in that small box that you keep caressing in your pocket that’s really starting to creep us the fuck out?” Craig asked with a pointed look.

Sighing, Bryce pulled the small box out of his pocket and said, “The key to Thomas House.”

“Why are you giving her a key to Thomas House? I thought you were selling it,” Johnny asked, reaching over and plucked the small box out of his hand.

“Decided to keep it,” Bryce said, reaching over and plucked the small box out of his brother’s hand and placed it back in his pocket after caressing it with his fingertips one last time.

“And you’re giving it to her? That’s one hell of a wedding gift,” Craig said with an appreciative whistle.

“It’s not a wedding gift,” Bryce said, hoping like hell that they would just drop it.

“Then, what the hell is it?” Johnny asked, plucking a cupcake with green frosting off a passing tray.

“It’s a start,” Bryce said, slowly exhaling even as he wondered if he was really going to be able to do this and-

She was nothing like his mother, Bryce reminded himself again, watching Cayley as he told himself that he could do this. He was going to tell her that he loved her and pray like hell that it was enough.

It had to be.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Craig demanded, throwing him a questioning look as he finished off his cookie and grabbed another one.

“I don’t plan on asking her to marry me,” Bryce said, only to be met with twin snorts of disgust.

“Bradfords never do,” Brian said as he joined them with a plate filled to the brim with mini pies, cupcakes, brownies, and cookies.

“I’m not marrying her,” Bryce said as he once again found himself watching Cayley and-

“Please tell me that you’re really not this fucking stupid,” Craig said, sounding pained.

“I can’t marry her,” Bryce bit out as he forced himself to look away from Cayley because saying the words while he looked at her felt wrong.

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