I lifted my head to gaze at the tree and its twisted framework, then to the ball-shaped clusters of lush green leaves standing out against their skeletal, barren host.
“You kissed me under the mistletoe,” I murmured, pointing up.
“I couldn’t let another opportunity pass me by,” Archer said.
Is this really happening?“You know what they say about kissing under the mistletoe…” I hedged.
“Mm.” He agreed, eyes never once leaving my face. “And this stuff is still attached to the tree.”
“What’s that mean?” I asked.
“It means,” Archer said, palming my waist and tugging me in, “that I just turned my frenemy into my forever.”
Well, maybe Archer Hodge was romantic after all.
14
Archer
Most of my life,I avoided change. I fought against it even. I disliked anything that made me feel out of control and vulnerable.
Yet here I was, running—no, sprinting—toward something new. No. Someone.
Of course, it could be argued that Toby was not new.
I would agree.
Toby wasn’t new. He was inevitable.
I’d fought against that for a long time too. Using any excuse to retreat into the safe life I created and hide. I wasn’t exactly sure why. Fear of the unknown? Getting hurt? Or maybe fear of not being good enough. Looking at it now from the perspective ofafter the mistletoe kiss,it seemed like a waste of time.
Perhaps, though, it hadn’t been a waste but an opportunity for us to find our way back to each other. The groundwork for building something worthy of forever.
Because after that kiss? Forever was the only option.
For the first time in my life, I was excited for change and ready to make room,so much room, for Toby in my life.
Just because I was ready, though, didn’t mean I wasn’t nervous. The nerves were real.Veryreal. Why did change have to be so damn uncomfortable?
But I wasn’t running. Not this time. I couldn’t let fear hold me back.
Just look at last night.
The idea of kissing him scared the bejesus out of me. What if I hated it? I’d never kissed another man before. What if it was terrible? What if I spent ten years regretting pushing him away and pining over him, only to kiss him and realize all these feelings were not romantic?
And then he spent hours scouring through the dark, looking for my dog. The picture he made standing under the old oak tree with snow clinging to his shoulders and my hat on his head made me realize something.
He was worth it.
All the fear, self-doubt, and change… he was worth all of it.
So I kissed him under the mistletoe.
Best kiss of my life.
Now what?
How exactly did a man go from friends to enemies to more? Forever was a romantic notion, but love outlasting time itself seemed daunting. And, if I were being honest, rather improbable.
