“We still have to take it home and decorate it,” Ruby pointed out.
Mrs. Mitchell continued to evaluate the two, going back and forth between the aisles they were in.
“They’re both great, honey,” Reid’s dad said.
“This happens every year,” Reid whispered to me, his hot breath on my ear making me shiver.
“It’s a big deal, picking a tree. You only get one a year,” I said.
Reid covered my mouth with his hand and jerked his gaze to his mom. “Shhh. Don’t let her hear you say that. You’ll just add flame to her already out-of-control fire.”
I giggled and mimed zipping my lips.
Finally, after at least fifteen more minutes of circling the trees and touching the branches, Reid’s mom made a decision. The employees came to wrap it up and assist with loading it into the bed of West’s truck.
“Alright, everyone, meet back home for decorating and snacks,” Mrs. Mitchell announced.
“You got it, Sarge,” Ruby said.
I laughed, grinning like an idiot when Reid grabbed my hand and led me back to the car.
“Thanks for inviting me,” I said, settling into my seat and pulling on my seatbelt.
“Thanks for coming.” He leaned over the center console and kissed me.
I was buzzing with electricity the entire drive to his parents’ house. Was this what being happy felt like? Like, truly out of your mind happy? I missed Gran every day, but Reid and his family were filling voids I’d always assumed would be left empty.
Back at their family home, I sat with West on the couch while Reid and the rest of the clan started pulling out bin upon bin of Christmas decorations. It pleased me to find out that they weren’t one of those families with the fancy glass ornaments all purchased from the same designer store. No, they had quite the collection. One with each kid’s handprints. The base of the trunk from every tree they’d ever had, labeled by year of course. A crocheted angel. A fuzzy reindeer. The list went on. Reid’s mom was adorable,insisting on showing each one to me and explaining its meaning.
“I still remember my first Christmas here,” West whispered to me. “The summaries for each ornament have gotten shorter. I think Ruby gave her a talking-to after it took them nearly three hours to go through everything.”
I laughed. “Was that when you moved in here?”
“Yep. Reid has been my best friend since middle school, so I was grateful they let me move in. I miss my parents, but the Mitchells have always been like a second family to me.”
I watched as Reid reached all the way to the top of the tree to string rainbow lights, his brow furrowed with a look of concentration.
“Got that whole cat situation figured out?” West asked, before taking a long sip of eggnog.
“Almost.” I held up my crossed fingers. “We should know this week.”
“Good. I’m glad Reid brought you tonight,” he continued, making me instantly flush. Was I about to get the best friend approval? The rest of the family chatted loudly in the background, arguing over the placement of a particular ornament and where the stockings usually hung.
“Not gonna lie, when he first brought you up, I thought there was no way. Reid is so set in his ways, a bit of a buttoned-up guy. As I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
“Definitely,” I said, my heart beating faster than before.
“And when he said you were such a mess and didn’t have your life together, I was like no way. That’s way too much for him to handle.”
Too much? A mess?
My body stiffened as I forced the smile not to drop from my face.
I was familiar with those words, but I thought Reid saw me differently. Saw me as more than that. Had I been wrong the whole time? Was I some sort of fixer-upper? A project for him to work on?
“But you two seem to vibe. I’m happy for him.” West continued to speak, but I was struggling to focus.
My bubble had officially burst, popped as soon as the careless words left West’s mouth. Knowing that Reid had said those things about me to his best friend stung. He must like me, I wasn’t doubting that. There was no mistaking the way he acted around me. But did he like mein spite ofall my flaws? I always thought he didn’t see them as harshly as everyone else did.
