"Mom," I said with a warning tone.
Her eyes wide, she said, "What? You can't tell me I can't go to the new bookstore. I love to read."
"Don't meddle in Maverick's love life."
"What love life? He's the kind of guy who thinks tugging on a girl's pigtail is declaring his affection for her," Mom grumbled.
I laughed. Maverick was gruff with women, but it seemed to work for him. They liked the silent, brooding type. The only problem was maybe those women he was meeting at bars weren't the forever type.
Mom handed me the dessert box. "You have a good time at Angela's. I want to hear all about it."
"I'm not going to tell you about my date. I'm not Aspen."
Mom rolled her eyes. "You know that girl doesn't tell me anything. She's locked up tighter than a safe, and it's all thanks to you boys never giving her a second of peace or privacy. Now, get out of here. I don't want you to be late."
I hadn't spoken to Angela after our morning phone call when she freaked out about me coming over. But I didn't want to admit that to Mom. Let her think that Angela was fine with me butting into her life. I was hopeful I could convince her to open the door to me tonight.
Whatever her hang-ups were, I wanted to break through them, one at a time.
I said my goodbyes to everyone else, taking the ribbing about stealing desserts for myself, and finally made it to my truck. I loved my family, but right now, I was craving the quiet of my old house, the one that was filled with Angela and Ayla.
On the drive over, I wondered what they'd done all day. Had it been a quiet one for them? Had they talked to her parents or Ayla's father?
Had Angela cooked a big meal? I wanted to know what their days were like.
I parked next to her car in the driveway, then carried the box of desserts to the front door. I hesitated. Was this a good idea? What if showing up pushed her further away?
I lifted my hand and knocked.
I heard the thump of feet, and then the door swung open to reveal Ayla dressed in the same pajamas as this morning. "Hudson."
"Merry Christmas, Ayla." I was excited to be here. "I brought dessert and a present."
She moved away from the door, calling out, "I told you he'd come."
I stepped inside, closing the door. "You were waiting for me?"
"You said you'd come," she said simply. "But Mom said that you were spending time with your family and probably wouldn't have time to come over."
“I brought this for you.” I handed her the gift bag.
Angela appeared in the doorway. "Ayla, what's going on?"
She waved a hand in my direction. "Hudson's here."
I lifted the box. "Mom sent me with dessert."
I didn't have any shame in blaming my mother in the event that Angela wasn't happy with me showing up on Christmas Day.
"That was nice of her," Angela said, taking the box from me.
I toed off my boots and hung my jacket on one of the hooks next to Ayla's pink one, which looked so tiny hanging there. "I hope you don't mind if I join you for dessert. I had to take it before it was served, or it would have been gone. My brothers are savages when it comes to food." I used my most charming smile, and Ayla clapped her hands.
"Of course you can share it with us."
Ayla took the box and headed for the kitchen.
I stepped closer to Angela, my hand on her hip. “And how do you feel about me being here?"
