“They aren’t going to buy it,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. “There’s no way any of them will believe that you and I are actually dating. This isn’t like fooling your family for a couple of hours. These people actually know us!”
“Then you need to put on your acting skills,honey,” He stressed the last word, “because we need to act like we are in love.”
“What other nonsense did you tell them?” Because if we had any chance in hell of pulling off this lie, we needed to be on the same page. “Doesn’t lying get you on the naughty list?”
He frowned at me. “I’m in charge of the list. I think I’m good. You, on the other hand,” he gave me a look, “might be in trouble.”
“Oh, fuck you,” I flipped him off, which likely cemented my eternal place on his infernal list, but I was beyond caring. “Do you want my help or not with this mess you made?”
I might be putting up a fuss, but I still planned to make sure little Miss Ruby from wrapping knew she’d best keep her hands off my elf. My Bal. Bal. Anyone in general. I would make sure she knew that you didn’t just go around randomly touching people. Yeah, that. “And don’t you dare think you are going to start going around calling me honey. Not happening.”
He quirked one silver brow at me, the corner of his lip twitching. “Sure thing, red.”
Narrowing my eyes, I took a step towards the doorway. “I’m going in there and telling everyone you’re an absolute obnoxious pain in the ass and we just broke up.”
Grabbing my hand in his, he pulled me closer to him. “Please don’t. I promise not to call you any cutesy names, just please help me. Besides, them thinking we are dating will benefit you too.”
“How so?” If I sounded highly suspicious, it was because I was.
“Your parents are planning to retire and move here, but they are worried about you being alone. This way they won’t worry about you. If we’re together, I mean.”
Even knowing it was coming, my heart sank a little hearing him say it out loud. Bal was head elf and had been for a long time. The Kringles also considered him one of the family, practically like a second son. He was in the know of all the inner workings of things in the village. If he said it was happening, it was happening.
“I kinda guessed that already,” I mumbled glumly.
“They want you to move here too,” his voice was low, quiet, and his eyes searched mine for my reaction.
After a few seconds, I told him, “I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“Well, you can’t,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“Oh,” I breathed the word out on a sigh. I wasn’t sure what any of it meant for me, but it suddenly felt like there was a boulder of dread sitting smack in the middle of my chest.
I didn’t even know if I wanted to leave my life in Sweet Alps to live here. Didn’t know if I was okay with essentially disappearing from my friends’ minds like I had never been to come here permanently. And even though I knew I would still be able to communicate with my family, and even see them, somehow this change felt different.
“Keegan lives here and he’s a human.” Well, he was sort of still a human. I knew that when he mated and married Nik, some of the Christmas magic passed to him, and essentially his lifespan would last as long as Nik’s. Which was hundreds and hundreds of years. “And my parents are human.”
“A one-time exception is being made for them,” Bal said softly. “Because of Keegan, and the grandkids.”
“But it can’t be made for me?” Why did my voice sound so small and forlorn?
He stared at me for what felt like a long time, before reaching up one finger to push a stray lock of my hair out of my eyes. “There is one exception that will be made for you, but…I don’t see that happening.”
The skin of my forehead practically burned where his finger had touched me ever so lightly. We were standing so close, I could feel his body heat wrapping around me like a fuzzy, warm blanket. “What is it?”
“You’d have to fall in love and mate or marry someone from the village,” he said, looking up and taking a step back when we heard footsteps coming towards us from the other room.
“There you two are,” Nik’s deep voice called. “We were wondering where you had disappeared too. Turkey is ready.”
“We’ll be there in a minute,” Bal told his long-time friend, giving him a steady look over my head.
“Kendrick,” Nik’s voice held a bit of merriment. “Bal gave us the…surprising news about you two. We’re all still a bit in shock to hear you’ve been dating for…what was it, Bal? Six months?”
Bal’s eyes narrowed, the silver in them gleaming. “Four months. We’ve been seeing each other four months.”
“Ah, right.” Nik clearly wasn’t buying what we were trying to sell. “Well, food’s on the table.”
Turning, I started to leave the room, not waiting to see if Bal was following. I had so many thoughts running through my head, I didn’t know if I’d even be able to eat.
