Within seconds, my phone vibrates.
The Deatheaters
Olivia
Callie, get Voldemort ready
Olivia
Lo, get lost in the crowd. I’ll stick with Charlie. We’ll tell him you found Callie and are watching with her
Maybe this is planned better than I thought. As we weave in and out of people to get closer to the giant tree in the square, I slowly drift back. Once I can no longer see the two of them winding through the crowd, an arm wraps around my waist.
I squeal as that arm tugs me from the crowd and behind a giant inflatable decoration.
“Shhhh!” Jax presses a finger to his lips. “We’re trying to be incognito.”
“Then don’t scare me like that.” I give his shoulder a shove. “I thought I was being kidnapped!”
“Come on, Freckles. We’re in Roots. There aren’t any kidnappers here. The sheriff said it himself. You were the most exciting thing to happento him in a while.”
I roll my eyes. “That’s notexactlywhat he said.”
“You know what I mean.” He swats his hand then pulls me in for a kiss, taking advantage of the privacy provided by the giant inflatable Santa and his eight reindeer.
When he pulls away, I ramble on about how excited I am for the tree lighting. “We used to go as a whole family. I’m not the only one who likes Christmas.” I laugh, but Jax doesn’t even smile. He’s zoned out, watching the crowd as Callie helps us recirculate into it.
“Jax, are you okay?”
When he turns to me, he looks like an alien dropped onto this planet. “What?”
“You seem distracted.”
He plasters on a smile that mirrors one the Joker would wear. “I’m sorry. It’s nothing.”
I inspect him once more, alarm bells going off in the back of my mind, as the three of us settle into the back of the crowd. It certainly doesn’t feel like nothing.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Jax
Why doesmy past always have to haunt me? Just when I think I’m moving on, something reminds me of the darkness I’m trying to leave behind. Today, it was a letter from my dad. In over nine years, we haven’t heard anything from him, but now he’s sending letters to Aunt Carol’s house.What the hell?
I do my best to keep my focus on Lauren. Today is supposed to be all about her, but it’s hard not to run the words from the letter over and over again in my mind.
“Welcome to the eighty-seventh annual Roots Christmas tree lighting!” the mayor announces, bringing me back to the present. Thank y’all for coming. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, this ceremony is about sharing in the magic of the season. Will y’all help me count down?”
I keep my gaze on Lauren, willing away any thoughts of the letter. Her eyes blaze with excitement as music starts and the mayor leads the countdown. “Five!”
“Four!” The rest of the town has joined in by now. “Three! Two! One!”
The tree lights up in an array of dazzling colors. Tinsel and custom-made ornaments, one for each year the festival has been celebrated, glimmer as the light bounces off them. The crowd bursts with excitement, hugging one another and laughing.
The lights give Lauren’s blonde hair a reddish tint on one side and a green tint on the other. Her hazel eyes are sparkling in a way that tells me everything that went into making this small moment between us work was well worth it. She nudges me with her shoulder, a smile creeping onto her lips, which I can tell is her subtle way of telling me she’s happy I’m here with her.
As the excitement slowly wears off, and the crowd disperses, Lauren turns to me abruptly. “We need to find a quiet place. I have a surprise for you.”
My heart skips. I don’t think I can take another surprise today.
