Page 78 of My Not-So-Secret Santa

“Could you knock it off, please?”Wyatt says as he crumbles a wad of candy cane wrapping paper and tosses it toward the trash bag spread open in the corner of the living room.

I turn my perma-grin his way.“I have no idea what you mean.”

“You are the smuggest, smiliest son of a bitch I’ve ever seen,” he grumbles.

“Can’t stop, won’t stop.”

My attempts at playing it cool at Mom and Phil’s house on Christmas morning have epically failed, and the person responsible for that is sitting cross-legged in the middle of the wrapping paper wreckage with my sister, cooing over art supplies.

Mom joins us on the couch.“Have you ever seen Drea this…”

“Friendly?”I suggest as Wyatt says, “Non-rabid?”

“This girl of yours, Hollis.”Mom wraps an arm around my shoulders and shakes me gently.“She’s wonderful.”

“She really is.”Oh look, the grin’s back.

“Tell me, does she have a friend for your brother?”

“Mommmmm,” Wyatt yowls as I snicker.

“She does, actually,” I take great delight in saying.“She and Wyatt know each other well, as it turns out.”

“Perfect!I already like her better than that Reese.”

Wyatt gives a gusty sigh, making it clear that no one in history has ever been more tested than he is right now.“I dated ‘that Reese’ for six years.”

“I know, dear.”Mom leans forward and pats his knee, the gold bracelet on her wrist catching the lights of the tree.It’s the one that Liv spotted at Lyrical last week.She apparently went back and bought it so she’d have a gift for my mom this morning.She also added to the pile of presents under the tree with wrapped packages for the sibs, Phil, and even the sulky baby sitting next to me.

Mom gets up to stop a Tristan/Kai fight that’s threatening to erupt over LEGOs, and I say to Wy, “That’s a nice rice cooker Liv got you.Maybe the way to CJ’s heart is through her stoma—god, okay, I’m sorry!”I twist away with a laugh as he slugs me on the arm.

“No fighting on Christmas,” Liv orders, gesturing for us to slide apart so she can sit in between us like a referee.

I slide my arm around her once she’s settled in, and the feeling of her melting into my side is like nothing I’ve ever experienced.It’s love and gratitude and pride that I’m the person she’s chosen.Me.I have to swallow past the lump in my throat over how good life is.

“Did I hear that you want to court CJ with rice dishes?”Liv asks Wyatt.“Because I think that’s a great idea.”

Wyatt hits her with his grumpiest glare.“I’d wear one of Holly’s show thongs in the Beaucoeur holiday lights parade before I’d share a meal with that queen of the harpies.”

He stands and stomps off to join Sophie where she’s perched atop CuddlePuff mountain, her skinny arms strangling the black cat that Nick miracled up for me.

“I guess we’re not going to double-date,” I say as Becks approaches us holding one of the wrapped boxes Liv arrived with.Its tag is addressed to the two oldest girls.

“Can we open this now, Liv?”Becks asks.At her nod, she rips into the paper while Drea watches from a wary distance.

“When did you do all this?”I ask quietly.

“Over the past week.”She says it like it’s no big deal even though she’s already been a bigger part of Christmas morning for the sibs than “that Reese” was in her half a decade with Wy.

Becks pulls off the last of the wrapping paper to reveal a foam cooler the size of a microwave.

“Did you get Mom another liver?”Wyatt asks.“Because I think she’s all set.”

The first belly laugh is from Mom herself, and the rest of us are quick to join in.Then Becks’ squeals drown out everything else.

“Oh my god!”Her entire body quivers in excitement as she holds up a bright-orange tub of ice cream.“How did you do this?They don’t even make the chai spice flavor any more!”

“They do if you spearheaded a massively successful viral marketing campaign for them and you call in a last-minute holiday favor,” Liv says.

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