Isabella grimaced. She felt as if her entire family was conspiring against her. Didn’t they see that she and Leo had tried this before? And it ended. Badly.
“Now you better hurry. We’re all piling into Leo’s and Landon’s pickups. You don’t want to be the last one.” There was a mischievous glint in Mom’s eye and a smirk on her lips.
Isabella tilted her head, her mind spinning. Was this a warning? If she was the last one, what would happen?
She had a sinking feeling she knew exactly what would happen—she’d end up being stuck riding in Leo’s truck. Over her dead body.
Isabella raced out of the room and jogged up the stairs. She tore through her suitcase, yanking out clothes for a trek in the snowy mountains. She tugged on a pair of long underwear, then a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved shirt with a flannel over it, and two pairs of socks. She shoved her feet inside her UGGs and grabbed her winter jacket, gloves, and a gray knit cap before tearing down the stairs and rushing out the front door. She hadn’t even brushed her teeth or hair yet.
Winded and panting, Isabella’s heart sank when she discovered she’d been too late after all. The passenger seat in Leo’s truck was the only empty spot remaining.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered as she stalked toward the truck. She flung the door open and glared at Finn, Nina, and Ava who sat comfortably in the backseat.
“Sorry, Izz,” Nina said, wincing. She was the only one who looked like she might actually mean it.
“We saved you the best seat!” Ava’s huge smile stretched across her face. “The front seat in Uncle Leo’s truck is the best. If you’re really good and don’t touch the radio, he’ll give you a Tic Tac.”
“UncleLeo?” Isabella’s stomach tightened while she glanced back and forth from Finn, Nina, and Leo. None of them offered an immediate explanation. So she repeated herself, because maybe they hadn’t heard her the first time. “Uncle Leo?”
“It was just easier that way. You know, for Ava,” Nina said. “Since Landon will be her uncle, Ava wanted to know why Leo wasn’t her uncle too. We figured it was less confusing this way.”
“Less confusing?” Less confusing for who? Because it sounded like grounds for therapy when Ava grew to be an adult and learned her family lied to her.
“It’s not a big deal,” Leo finally said.
“It feels like a big deal.” Isabella unzipped her jacket as the fire inside her body lit.
“Well, it’s not, okay?” Finn pushed his window down a crack. “Just drop it.”
Obviously, it was a big deal if Finn noticed the tension.
“Fine.” Isabella exhaled and reached for the radio dial. Music had to be better than the awkward silence enveloping the cab of the truck.
“Uh oh,” Ava said, disappointment in her tone. “No Tic Tac for you, Auntie Izzy.”
Leo chuckled. “She’s a naughty girl,” he mumbled, his voice practically purring.
Was he seriously using sexual innuendo in front of her five-year-old niece?
“Yup, you’re naughty.” Ava played with the long strings hanging from her knit hat.
Nina stifled a laugh.
“I’m glad you’re all enjoying yourselves.” Isabella crossed her arms and pouted out the passenger window.
After the thirty-minuteawkward drive up the snowy, winding mountain road, Isabella couldn’t wait to get out of the truck. Sure, hearing her niece sing a near-perfect rendition of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was adorable, but the tension between her and Leo was suffocating. She jumped down from the truck, and the snow buried her UGGs by a few inches.
Leo took the chainsaw from the back of the truck and waited for Landon to pull alongside them. Isabella wasn’t in the mood to wait—she wasn’t in the mood to talk to any of them—never mind accompanying them on a search for the perfect Christmas tree like one big happy family.
It didn’t make sense to have Leo there anyway. They were there to pick out the perfect Whitley Christmas tree. Was he picking out a tree for his dad’s house? Or his own?
Isabella turned 360 degrees, spotting nothing but snow, trees, and parked vehicles. The memories from the last time she was here flashed through her mind, the nostalgia creating an ach in the center of her chest. She took in the sight of the trees frosted with glistening snow and inhaled the crisp air into her lungs.
By the time she looked back to the trucks, she’d been so caught up in her mental rant about Leo and the stupid tree that she hadn’t even noticed that she’d been left behind.
Apparently, her family had grown accustomed to not having her around. They’d completely forgotten about her and ditched her. Except she wasn’t alone. Leo stood propped against the side of his truck, ankles and arms crossed, and a smirk plastered on his face.
Just perfect.
