Levi gave me a quick smile over her head. “I guess my costume didn’t fool her.”
I straightened his fake beard, which was sitting crookedly over his real beard. “I think you make aperfectSanta.”
Then Annie looked up at me as though noticing me for the first time.
“Who are you?”
“I’m… Levi’s date.”
Her eyes filled with wonder. “You’re so pretty.”
Grinning back down at her, I said, “So are you. I love your reindeer sweater. And your reindeer slippers. Do you like reindeer?”
“I love them!” she squeaked out.
A kindred spirit.
“Where I come from, we have a reindeer farm where you can go and pet them. I like to volunteer during the off-season to take care of them.”
Annie’s mouth dropped open. Then she stammered out, “Uncle Levi, you have to marry her so I can take care of reindeer, too!”
Levi chuckled, his hand slipping around me. His fingers slipped just under the hem of my sweater until I felt his delightfully rough touch on the bare skin of my waist. It felt like his hand belonged there, taking ownership of me, claiming me.
I tried not to swoon in place.
Then he shocked the hell out of me by saying. “Okay. But will you plan the wedding for us, Annie? I’ve never been good at planning parties.”
My entire reality shifted two feet to the left.
Levi kept talking, Annie hanging on his every word. But I couldn’t focus on anything he said. All I’d heard was something about planning a wedding.
He was joking.
Hehadto be joking.
What if he wasn’t joking?
My lips curled up into a big grin.
That’s when a womanly duplicate of Levi rounded the corner.
When she saw me she stopped in her tracks and put her hands on her pregnant belly.
“Who in the world are you?” she asked with a marveling look on her face. “Levi, did you bring adateto our house onChristmas Eve?!”
Then the woman, who had to be Levi’s sister, hugged me tight and dragged me inside. “Hon! Mom! Dad! Aunt Josie! You’ll never believe it. Levi brought a date!”
Levi groaned as he settled down onto the couch.
He’d just stoked the fire and added a few logs to the fireplace.
It was roaring strong now, his cabin warming up fast.
We’d stayed out until after eleven p.m. His family had been so excited to see Levi out of his cabin that he hadn’t had the heart to leave before then.
“Fuck. I forgot to get my bottle. Robin, would you mind grabbing my pills from the cabinet in the kitchen? If not, I can do it.”
I knew tonight had been a lot for him. But I was also worried about all these pills he was taking.
