“Hey, it’s okay.”
“I know. I’m just…emotional. It’s Christmas and all. And that spiked hot chocolate’s got me all in the feels.”
“Noted. Next time we use tequila.”
She smiles for a second, a sad, small smile compared to the others, and I draw her into my arms. “Hey, I’ll listen if you want to talk.”
“Same for you, frogman.”
We stand like this for a while, her tight against my chest, my hand gliding up and down her back over that soft sweater and the delicate bones below it.
Fuck.I’m splitting wide open.
Justice is right. Liberty doesn’t need me in her life.
Even for a night. Or two.
I drop a kiss on her forehead. “I only want what’s best for you. Now, what do you say? Ready to get some food?”
The moment she pulls away from my arms, a knot twists inside my gut.
Things just got a lot more complicated.
We’re halfway back to the kitchen when a text comes in from Marshall. It’s not the group chat, but both our phones go off at the same time.
MARSHALL: Just confirming—everyone else is definitely out for the next 48 hours. You two have the facility to yourselves. Everything you need should be there. Merry Christmas, kids. Oh, and there are condoms in the supply closet off of the kitchen. Lots of them.
Jesus.Subtle?
Never.
“What do we say about that?” Liberty asks, wide-eyed.
“Nothing. Not a damned thing. Don’t give him anything to hinge on.”
“I’ll just send something generic.” Liberty texts back as we walk, and her reply pops up on my screen too.
Liberty—thank you for everything. Merry Christmas.
MARSHALL: You're welcome. Enjoy the quiet. Both of you.
Marshall knows what this means for both of us.
The push. They want us both to move beyond our past.Together.
I almost groan aloud as I take the kitchen by storm.
“What's for dinner?” Liberty asks following me toward the massive fridge.
“Christmas Eve dinner is duck confit with roasted root vegetables, arugula salad with pomegranate, and—” I open another container. “—some kind of chocolate dessert situation.”
“Fancy, I would have been eating spaghetti.”
“Yeah, I might have made some steak. Marshall's idea of team bonding is apparently Michelin-star quality food.”
And condoms, but I refrain from saying that as I nearly smile, but my face feels stiff. “Everything just needs heating. Instructions are printed on each label.”
“Want help?”
