I snorted, pulling another ornament out of the box. It was a glittery reindeer, almost obnoxiously cheerful. “It’s… in negotiations,” I admitted, not even bothering to dodge the question. Aurora always had a way of cutting straight through the nonsense. “Carnell’s being difficult. He wants me at the Moreau building. He thinks it’s safer.” I shrugged, trying to sound casual. “And Greyson has offered to step in and take over private security for some of Carnell’s businesses. You know, the ones he always said he didn’t have time for before.”
Eve raised an eyebrow. “He took them over? For you?”
I avoided her gaze, hanging the reindeer on a lower branch. “For Carnell,” I corrected, though we all knew the truth was somewhere in the middle.
Aurora smirked knowingly. “Sounds like he’ll do anything to permanently get you in his bed.”
“Maybe there is a ring in Faith’s future,” Nishi added, her tone teasing as she adjusted the garland draped along the fireplace.
I ignored them and grabbed a shiny red ornament, heading for the ladder. “I don’t need any jewelry,” I muttered, climbing up a few steps.
Just as I stretched to place the ornament on one of the higher branches, my phone buzzed in my back pocket. I froze, trying not to lose my balance. “Someone grab that?” I called down.
Tegan plucked it out and held it up. “It’s Greyson.”
Of course, it was. I sighed, climbing down a rung so I could press the speaker button. “Hey, you’re on speaker. I’m up a tree.”
There was a pause on the other end. “Are you alright?” Greyson’s voice was sharp with concern, his natural protector instincts kicking in.
“A Christmas tree,” I clarified, fighting the urge to roll my eyes.
The room erupted into laughter, and after a beat, Greyson chuckled too, the low, rich sound warming me more than the spiced cider ever could. “You scared me for a second there.”
“You and me both,” I said, stepping off the ladder and brushing off some pine needles.
Greyson’s voice came through the speaker, calm and grounded as always. “I made up the spare room for Liam.”
Holding a delicate glass ornament shaped like a snowflake, I froze for half a second. “He should be heretomorrow,” I said, trying to sound casual. “But he might want to stay at my suite in the Moreau building.”
There was a beat of silence on Greyson’s end, and then he spoke, his tone unshakably confident. “Did you tell him we’re moving in together?”
My heart did a weird little flip, and my face heated as I glanced at the others. Their amused glances were bouncing between each other, and I instantly regretted putting this conversation on speaker. Of all the moments for him to be so direct.
I cleared my throat, scrambling to redirect. “I haven’t… gotten around to that yet.”
“You will,” he said again, this time softer but no less certain. It wasn’t a command, exactly. Just Greyson being Greyson, with that mix of quiet conviction that somehow always had me second-guessing my own hesitation.
Before I could come up with a response that didn’t feel like an admission of defeat, his tone shifted, warm and laced with just a hint of teasing. “I have to finish up here and head to the prison. Make sure you don’t get into any trouble.”
“Well, aside from nearly toppling the tree, I think we’re good,” I replied, doing my best to sound nonchalant. The others were still snickering, and it wasn’t helping. “What about you? Keeping the world safe and all that?”
There was a pause that felt heavier than it should have. “You could say that,” he said finally. His voice was quieter now. “I’ll tell you about it later.”
I nodded, forgetting he couldn’t see me. “Alright. I’ll let you get back to it. We’re in full holiday chaos mode over here.”
“Sounds about right,” he said, a hint of amusement returning to his voice. “Don’t let them rope you into hanging from the ceiling to string lights.”
“No promises,” I shot back, smiling despite my cheeks feeling warm.
As the call ended, Nishi smirked, not even trying to hide her amusement. “I would love to hear the rest of that conversation.”
The others chuckled, and I rolled my eyes, determined not to give them any more fuel. I reached into the box of ornaments and pulled out an angel, its wings delicate and dusted with glitter. Climbing the ladder, I kept my focus on the tree, ignoring the lingering smiles around the room.
When I reached the top, I placed the angel carefully on the highest branch. The tree swayed just slightly, but the angel stayed put, looking serene and unbothered by the chaos below. I climbed back down, brushing imaginary glitter off my hands.
“Perfect,” I said, stepping back to admire the tree. But even as I smiled, I couldn’t help but replay Greyson’s words in my head.
Nishi’s eyes locked onto my belt, a knowing smirk curling her lips. She pointed. “Is that new?”
