“Shh.” Mitzi grabbed him and hugged him close. This time Billy threw his arms around her and held on for all he was worth. “It’s okay. I promise.”
Billy cried, his anger spent.
Forest knelt down and patted Billy’s back. “You stood up for what you believe in, Billy. That’s what a man does.”
They both turned to look at him.
“I wouldn’t want to mess with the likes of you.” He cuffed Billy’s chin.
Billy smiled through his watery eyes.
“There’s some warm water on the stove—do you want to make some hot chocolate?” Mitzi asked.
Billy nodded. “Yeah.” He walked with his head up. Snowflake moved beside him, and Billy placed a hand on her shoulder.
“They make quite the pair, don’t they?” Mitzi asked quietly.
Forest pushed to his feet and brushed off his knees. “Reminds me of me.” He chuckled, thinking of the scrapes he used to get into.
Mitzi didn’t chuckle, nor did she tease him about one of the dumb pranks he’d pulled on her. He glanced her way to find a deep sadness in her eyes as she watched Billy hug Snowflake before he went into the house. “I’m going to tell him there’s no Santa.” She started back toward the garage.
Only a million alarm bells went off inside of Forest. “You can’t do that!” He jogged to catch up to her, barely noticing his arm protest. “Why would you do that to him?!” he demanded.
She sighed. Not an ounce of fight was left in her; there was just this sad resolution that tore at Forest’s heart. “Snowflake is his best friend—and you’re taking her. I need to consider ways that he will fit in here. If believing in Santa is keeping him from that—then …” She folded her arms and rubbed her hands up and down them. “I need to do what’s best for Billy.”
“What’s best for …” he sputtered. “Ripping the magic out of his childhood isn’t going to make things better for him.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I’m doing the best I can, and I’m doing it alone.”
Forest shook his head, scrambling for a way to make this right. “You have Ely.” The words tasted like reindeer droppings, and he couldn’t believe that he’d gotten them out without gagging.
Mitzi jerked back. “Ely?” she asked in disgust.
“Yeah—well, I mean, yeah.” That was an intelligent response. “Yeah.”
“What … Huh?” she replied.
Clearly they were both struggling to put thoughts into words. “I just meant that, I mean he may not be here all the time, but Ely—”
Mitzi’s horrified look made Forest cut off. She made a face like she’d eaten a super Sour Patch ball. “I don’t have Ely.” She flapped her hands. “Ew! What made you think we …?”
Ew? Forest’s brain churned. “He said you two had a thing.”
She rolled her eyes—her whole body getting into the act. “Never. Oh my gosh!” She brushed her hands down her arms as if she were trying to get spiderwebs off them. “You thought I was with Ely?”
The rules and boundaries and everything else that Forest had self-imposed to keep him from falling for Mitzi evaporated like his breath in the air.
She shoved him. “I’m insulted.”
Forest shook his head. “Circumstantial evidence. He was here, acting like he owned the place. I just …”
She rolled her eyes at him again. “You could have asked.”
Feeling defensive, he answered without thinking. “Then you would have thought I was interested.”
“Are you?” She quirked a brow.
“Maybe,” he fired back.
