“Summer?”
“It’s personal,” I murmur,“but you’re the only person I trust with it.”
He opens to the first page.
Reads.
His breath stutters.
He flips to another entry.
Then another.
Until he reaches the one from days before Christmas.
I love him.
And I think I’ve loved him longer than I realized.
He looks up at me like the ground just shifted beneath him.
“Summer…” he breathes.
He pulls me into his arms, holding me like a promise, like something unshakeable.
Around us, the family pretends not to stare. Badly.
Jace clears his throat dramatically.“Well damn. Anyone else suddenly feel single?”
Grace wipes her eyes behind her camera.
Lily sniffles.
Cas shakes his head at Ethan.“Overachiever.”
But Ethan only cups my face in both hands.
The room buzzes with laughter, more gifts being exchanged, rustling paper, excited chatter. I squeeze Mia closer, her small body warm against mine, and in that moment I know:No matter what comes, we have each other.
By noon, the house smells like rosemary roast and cinnamon glaze, and every single one of us looks ridiculous.
Even Ethan.
EspeciallyEthan.
His Christmas sweater is bright green and fuzzy, with a giant felt moose head sticking out of the chest. Its googly eyes jiggle every time he moves. I can’t look at him without dissolving into laughter.
Mine lights up. Literally. Tiny LED snowflakes flash with every step.
Mia’s sweater singsJingle Bellsevery time she jumps so, naturally, she hasn’t stopped jumping since she put it on.
We are chaos.
Pure Christmas chaos.
The doorbell rings and Grace shrieks,“CALEB!” before sprinting down the hall. She nearly slips on a rogue piece of tinsel.
We all follow.
