I glance at Cal, who just smiles and shakes his head. “You think if we lock them in the pantry they’ll kiss or kill each other?”
“Flip a coin,” I say.
Later, Beth sits at the piano and plays “Silent Night.” Her fingers move with more confidence than I expect, and the room falls quiet as the soft notes carry through the house. Cal pulls me closer, and I lean my head against his shoulder, feeling his arm wrap around my waist.
Hannah hums along, curled up in Johanna’s lap. Mitchell sings in a low, off-key voice that somehow makes it sweeter. Thomas and Seth try harmonizing, and Tina threatens to throw a snow globe at them if they don’t stop.
I glance across the room. Nate’s watching Tina again. She’s looking everywhere but at him.
I nudge Cal. “Told you they wouldn’t storm off.”
“They’re saving it for New Year’s,” he murmurs.
I smile. The lights, the music, the fire, the people I love most in the world all around me. It’s more than I ever thought I’d have. And for the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm home.
Chapter 28
Cal
When the clock strikes nine, Tina rises from the sofa, slipping on her new gloves and looping the scarf around her neck.
“You’re leaving?” Elle asks from her spot beside me.
“I have a date,” Tina says, casual but clearly pleased. “Vince is picking me up in an hour. That gives me just enough time to go home to freshen up.”
Elle glances at me, but I’m already watching Nate. His jaw clenches like he’s chewing rocks. Yeah, this definitely bothers him.
Tina makes her way around the room, handing out hugs and thanking Mom and Dad for hosting. “I love these,” she says, fluffing the scarf around her neck. “So soft and warm. Honestly, I feel like a glamorous extra in a Christmas movie.”
Mom grins. “Not an extra, sweetie, the main star.”
“Thank you!” Tina beams, giving everyone a playful twirl.
Nate’s gaze follows her as she walks past, offering him a cursory goodnight.
He follows her to the door, and when he opens it, they pause—glancing at each other like neither one knows how to part.
“Look!” Beth exclaims. “It’s mistletoe!”
I glance at Elle, who’s glancing back at me, wide-eyed.
The room falls quiet, except for Hannah, still happily opening gifts with a whole stack left to go. She’s completely oblivious to the scene unfolding right in front of us.
“Kiss her, Nate!” Thomas calls out in his deep voice. “If you don’t, I will.”
That earns a round of laughter.
Nate drags a hand through his hair.
Tina just stands there, smirking, making no move to leave. She’s waiting on him.
We wait. And wait. It feels like an eternity.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake!” Tina finally says, and then reaches for Nate.
She grabs him by the front of his shirt, her fingers curling into the fabric, pulling him toward her. When her hand slides to the back of his neck, Nate’s face goes from shock to something else, and then he pulls her in and kisses her.
Tina doesn't push him away. Instead, she leans into him, deepening the kiss.
