“Was too,” I hissed back.
“I’m not interested in Brett.”
“I’m not interested in anyone but you.”
“Words I genuinely thought I’d never hear,” he murmured, head bent, still icing that stupid tree. “Still feels a little surreal to hear it now. Like I’m going to wake up and realize this is all a dream.”
Setting aside the edible glitter, I went to him, laying my hand on his arm. He paused and looked up. Whatever he saw on my face had him straightening, piping bag forgotten.
“I know it took me a long time to get here. Way longer than you deserved, but I mean it. Every word. I want to be with you.”
He rotated so we were facing each other, the gingerbread gazebo on the countertop in front of us.
“I want to be with you too. It’s all I ever wanted.”
Resting my hand against his waist, I curled my fingers into his shirt. “That’s good because I’m not changing my mind.”
“It doesn’t feel weird to… want to be with another man?”
“Not when that man is you.”
“For someone so grumpy, you sure do say a lot of nice words.”
I smiled. “I was only grumpy because I didn’t have you.”
“Think Bab would notice if I kissed you?” he wondered.
“Do you care if she notices?”
“Do you?”
In response, I puckered my lips.
He laughed under his breath and leaned in. Seconds later, the cold, rubbery end of a spatula lay against my lips.
My eyes popped wide, meeting an equally startled set of hot-chocolate ones. Cutting my eyes to the side, I saw Bab standing there with a spatula pushed between us.
“Back to work, slackers!” she announced.
“Aww, Bab,” I bemoaned.
She swatted me with the spatula. “Save it for the mistletoe,” she ordered. “Now finish that tree.”
Toby got back to work immediately.
I watched her retreat across the room to whatever she was baking.
“It doesn’t surprise you we almost kissed?” I called.
She snorted. “Mon chéri, no one is surprised. In fact, I speak for the whole town when I say it’s about time!”
“But we hated each other,” Toby refuted.
She laughed. “There’s a thin line between love and hate. And my boys, the one between you two is practically see-through.”
We shared a look. No way the entire town had known thisentiretime.
Bab hollered something in French, and we got back to work immediately. She was scary when she went into French mode.
