“No, it’s not.” I took another sip and found the taste not so bad anymore. “I would feel pretty awful if those things happened to me. My parents might view finding the perfect guy as the only way to find happiness—which is annoying—but they’ve never made me feel like I wasn’t a priority. Thinking about them doing something like that hurts.”
“You’re lucky.”
“I know I am.” I frowned, thinking about his situation. “I still don’t understand why they wouldn’t want to see you or your sister before flying out there, especially if the game isn’t until next week. They could’ve stopped here for two days at least.”
“Story of my life, Becca. I invited them, and they said it was too much. I stopped trying to understand their actions. I’d probably stop talking to them if it weren’t for Blair. She’s by far the best child they have.”
His phone rang, and glancing at the screen, his face relaxed into a smile before he swiped his finger to answer. “Speaking of you,” he said into the phone while keeping his eyes on me. “Yup, she called me too and laid it on thick as hell.”
He nodded a couple of times and then laughed. “Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my next-door neighbor is staying with me until this snowstorm passes.”
He glanced out the window, agreeing with whatever she said before his tone changed. “You wouldn’t mind if she came along for Christmas, would you? No? Great!”
My stomach bottomed out. I usually spent the holiday with my parents—just the three of us. Did I want to go with him to see his family? Maybe? I took another swig and coughed.Rats.There went my cool points.
Harrison hung up and patted my back a couple of times. “You okay, Becca?”
His eyes are so pretty. Like an evergreen forest. Oh, I love forests.
“Becca?” He lowered his voice. “Hey, do you need anything?”
“Sorry, I choked on the strong libation.” Feeling idiotic for using the wordlibation, my face heated.
Harrison smiled and shook his head. “Glad you’re okay.”
“Listen…” I began, hoping the words would naturally come to me. It took a second, but I found them.Whiskey messing with my mind, eh?“Uh, the holidays. I can’t go to your sister’s. Because of reasons.”
“What reasons?” He furrowed those dark brows,
I wondered if those brows were soft or not. I bet they were soft. If I reached over, I could find out for sure. Like a caterpillar.
Focus, Becs!
“I can’t,” I said again.
“We’re paired up this week, though.” His voice held a hint of worry.
“But my parents—I always spend it with them.” I chewed the corner of my lip, anxious at the turn of conversation.
Seeing his family was totally outside the blizzard-buddy contract. Oh, we should’ve made one. That would’ve spelled out the rules, making it easier for me to keep things straight. Dang.
I studied my neighbor, admiring his strong jaw. His two-day beard growth gave him a rougher and sexier look than the man I’d known as my neighbor. His lips moved but I was too focused on his beard, or his eyebrows, or both to understand what he’d said.
“Hmm?” I hoped I sounded flippant and cool and not spacey. Was I spacey? No. Why are my thoughts like snowflakes then? Just blowing around without patterns?
“You said your parents live a couple hours out of town, right? Not sure you can make it there this week.”
I nodded, and his gaze went to the window.The weather.“I forgot about the roads.”
“Yeah. It wouldn’t be safe driving beyond town. My sister is fifteen minutes away max, and we can take it real slow with my truck. But no pressure. I realize I asked her without inviting you first. You don’t have to go. Hell, I can stay here with you if you’re uncomfortable.”
The insides of my belly did the swoopy thing again, and I blamed that on the alcohol. That had to be the reason my thoughts were incoherent. “You need to visit your sister, Harrison. I can hang out here.”
“Do you like cookies, chaos, and carols?”
Of course I freaking did. “Yes? I am a human.”
“Then come. You’d like my sister and her three hooligans. It’ll be relaxing, and she’s a hell of a cook.”
