EPILOGUE
Christmas Eve church services were Pax Nicholas ’s favorite. The music swelled up to the rafters and the choir sounded like angels. When they were up in front, wearing their white choir robes, no one noticed that his eyes never left one singer. The last thing he needed was any of his brothers figuring out that he was in love.
Jovie.
Jovie had a voice that could make hardened criminals break down and cry. The first time Pax heard her sing, in the third grade, he’d dropped his crayon box. Colors scattered across the floor and his world shrank to one little red-headed girl.
She wasn’t a little girl anymore.
He could tell you exactly when:
Her freckles started to fade—10th grade English class.
She started work at her family’s diner—The summer between 6th and 7th grade she and her twin sister started helping out. Jovi quickly decided she liked working behind the counter while her twin enjoyed socializing and entertaining the customers. He’d eaten so many milkshakes made by Jovi that his mom said his bones were harder than two-by-fours.
Her hair changed from flaming orange to a golden copper—One week after graduation. He’d walked into the diner expecting to see her behind the counter like always. Instead, she was in the back, learning to cook with her dad. Her hair had gotten darker, richer and taunted him because she was one more wall away.
The song ended, and the congregation bowed their heads for the prayer. This moment was always a battle for Pax. He knew he shouldn’t peek at her, but one more glance was all he needed to hold him over until next week. He lifted his chin and then popped his eyes open, finding Jovie.
Their eyes locked. His breath caught. She closed her eyes quickly.
He stared.
Had she been looking athim?
Before the pastor said amen, she was off the risers and through the side door. Gone. Again.
He shook himself and tucked his head down, intent on getting out of church without talking to anyone. “Merry Christmas,” he mumbled as he pushed past the group gathered at the end of the pew.
They responded in kind, but he kept going.
“Pax Nicholas !”
Someone hooked his elbow from behind and spun him around. He groaned–silently, of course, because his mother raised him to be a gentleman. He glanced down to see Heidi, Jovi’s twin sister, grinning up at him. “Just feel those muscles.” She squeezed his arm. “Hmm–mm–mm. You are just the man I was looking for.”
He blushed under her praise and open admirations. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh, but you are.” She leaned into him.
He swallowed heavily, casting his eyes about for a rescue. Drake was all wound up in Clove. They’d tied the knot that very day in the county jail and only had eyes for each other.
Caleb and Faith talked with the pastor. Ryder made circles around Caleb’s legs.
Jack, Caleb’s twin, waited for Natasha to finish chatting with a woman about where she’d bought her Christmas dress. He smiled softly at his wife, not in a hurry to rush her when she was so clearly enjoying the conversation.
Forest chased Aspen, who was just learning to walk down the aisle to the front. He snagged her and threw her over his shoulder, eliciting giggles that came all the way from her toes.
Mom and Dad were in the middle of a group of young parents who were excited about the annual sleigh ride Dad would take through town in a reindeer drawn sleigh. He volunteered to dress up as Santa and go, since everyone else wanted to be with their families and Pax didn’t like the attention. They wanted to know what time he’d be on their street so they could have the kids ready to watch through the windows. Seeing Santa ride by was a huge motivation to go to sleep on Christmas Eve.
Thanks to his family’s general socialness, he was at the mercy of his good manners with Heidi.
“Can you believe we haven’t had a proper Christmas pageant in over ten years?” Heidi flipped her hair over her shoulder. Unlike Jovie, Heidi tried to cover up the red with brown hair dye. “I told the pastor it was a travesty, and do you know what he said?”
Pax tucked his chin to keep from rolling his eyes. “Seeing as how I wasn’t there for the conversation, I don’t know how I would know what he said.”
She giggled as if he were so funny. “He told me to go ahead and plan one!” She squealed and bounced on her toes. “Can you believe it? Me? In charge of the biggest production of the whole year.”
“Congratulations.” He went to move away, and she stuck herself to his side even tighter than before.
