Chapter 1
Levi
“I don’t want to,” I growled, glancing around the room.
“Youhaveto.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m asking you nicely. And because you’re abiggrump.”
How could I fight against that logic?
Especially when the logic was coming from my precocious little niece, who I absolutely adored.
My sister had beaten me to all of life’s milestones. She’d married young and had a baby fast.
The second Annie had been born, she’d stolen my heart. I could never say no to her. Even when it was something I really didn’t want to do. Like this.
I sighed and looked down at the blank sheet of paper.
We were currently at the official Reindeer Headquarters on Red Oak Mountain, known as the town center at any time other than the holiday season.
And Annie had dragged my ass here to meet women.
She knew it.
I knew it.
But neither of us would admit it.
There were a handful of interested ladies smiling in my direction. But the idea of letting any of them near me long enough to do more than say hello put me on edge.
I was all fucked up. And the best thing a woman could do was stay away from me.
“You’re not writing!” my mini-tyrant pointed out, tapping the sheet of paper with her tiny finger.
“What haveyouwritten?” I grumbled as I snuck a glance over at her paper, blinded by the amount of hearts and stars she’d drawn. In the center of the page it said, ‘Jacob, will you be my holidate?’
Even though she was only nine, she’d discoveredboys. My sister thought it was cute. But my brother-in-law was mortified and already planning his defenses against future marauders.
Since I was on the inner circle of the need-to-know-club, I was aware that Annie had the hots for the biggest nerd in school.
Annie herself veered heavily in the nerdy direction, so it made sense that she’d be all starry-eyed for a Mathlete winner.
The two of us had been spending a lot of time together while my sister and her husband built an addition for their upcoming second child. I didn’t mind at all. Even though I’d never admit it, sometimes my world got a little lonely. And Annie took the edge off that. She was full of life.
She tapped my paper again and whispered, “Write!”
And that’s how I found myself writing a letter to Santa Claus.
Chapter 2
Robin
Three years later.
I loved this time of year.
