At some point, Christmas comes up again—not directly, but like he can’t resist asking.
“So,” Vince says, tracing the rim of his mug with his thumb. “What’s Christmas Eve like at Sarah’s? What should I expect?”
I smile. “It’s busy, but like I said, not too chaotic. Especially now that the kids have grown up. Ryan has two boys, and Ryan’s brother, Nate, has a daughter. It was always fun seeing themtogether since they’re close in age. Anyway, there’s always too much food, and pie. Always pie.” I shrug. “I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just… nice.”
“Sounds it.”
“We used to alternate who Georgie spent Christmas morning with, but now we let her choose. She usually stays there to be with her stepbrothers.” I hesitate. “What about you? Growing up, I mean. What was Christmas like?”
Vince shrugs, scrubbing a hand along his stubbled jaw. He has two new nicks from shaving. “It was fine. My parents weren’t big on traditions, so it was always just kind of thrown together. My brother and I lost interest in it after a while.”
“You lost interest inChristmas?”I gasp.
He focuses on his mug. “They never made it anything to look forward to, you know.”
Well, damn. No wonder he seems uninterested. He hasn’t felt the Christmas magic.
“Then, in the army, Christmas just became something I got through, you know? Base dinners. Or spending it with whatever group I ended up with. Ace and Bucket always tried to make it special, but it was still… empty for us.” He smiles a little, remembering something. “Then after the army, it was just work. Double shifts. I always volunteered to work on Christmas since I didn’t have anyone to be with.” He shrugs again. “It’s been that way my whole life.”
I picture him alone in his apartment, Christmas lights on someone else’s balcony glowing through the window. My throat tightens.
“Do you work this year?”
“The bar is always open on Christmas Eve, but no. Declan gave me the night off. They’re closed Christmas Day.”
“Well, good,” I say carefully. “Because Sarah will blow your mind. She goes overboard. It’s like tinsel and lights palooza over there.”
He gestures to the sparkling lights and stockings in my living room and grins. “More than this?”
I snort. “Oh yeah. Sarah goes full Hallmark movie this time of year.”
“I’ll pretend to know what that means.”
I gasp. “You’ve never seen a Hallmark Christmas movie?”
“No?”
“Oh, you sweet, sweet man. Come on.”
We move to the couch, and I pull a blanket over our legs. Vince wraps an arm around me. It’s easy to lean into him, especially without Georgie around.
“Okay. Prepare for gloriously cheesy lines, all the wonderful feelings, and everything smothered in Christmas goodness.”
He looks mildly horrified. And it makes me laugh.
As the movie plays, I realize it’s been at least three years since I’ve watched a holiday movie. Georgie is usually too busy now, and I don’t enjoy watching them alone. To my surprise, Vince is completely absorbed, laughing at all the right places. For a guy who prefers action flicks, it feels like a huge win.
I suddenly can’t wait to see him in Sarah’s tinsel-filled home.
I want that future so much.
It won’t be too much for him, right? I imagine him cringing at all the lights and crowds of energetic people, wishing he could escape, and it fills me with doubt.
Curling into him, I hold Vince tight.
Please don’t let this scare him away.
17
