Page 106 of Mistletoe Mischief

“I was going to talk to you about it, but I applied to produce the Crime Lords podcast, and I got it.”

“The mafia family podcast?” Ryler chuckled. “Just don’t offend anyone and end up with cement shoes.”

“They’re turning the show into a TV series, and I know you’ve never been interested in that, but this is my chance to break into television.”

“I think that’s great, Neil. When do you start?”

“I was going to wait until after the New Year, but now …” He trailed off, and Ryler picked up the conversation.

“What are you going to do about Alia and the baby? Do you have feelings for her?”

Neil groaned. “Yes, I do, but it’s new. We spent so much time picking at each other and hating each other that when things changed, I wasn’t expecting our relationship to do a complete one-eighty. And what if we try, and it gets bad again?”

“Have you told Alia any of this?”

“No, I just flipped out over the baby.”

“You two don’t have to rush into marriage, but if you care about her and want to give this a real shot, maybe you can start by asking her on a date?” Ryler said.

“A date you say?” Neil said in a British accent, stroking his jaw. “What a novel concept.”

“I know,” Ryler said. “I’m sorry, Neil, if you were holding out for me. I never meant to lead you on.”

“You didn’t. I guess I just always thought that friends make the best lovers. Turns out that isn’t the case for us.”

Ryler squeezed Neil’s hand. “It has been an honor and a privilege working with you, and I hope this doesn’t mean we stop being friends.”

“No, I will always be your friend. And hey, we’ll always have Paris.”

Ryler laughed. “If you are referring to Paris, Texas, that is a trip I’d rather forget!”

“What? I thought that was a fun trip.”

“It was,” Ryler said.

Neil got up from the bed with a determined expression. “So, where is Alia?”

“On the couch in the living room. We were watching movies and fell asleep.”

“Alright, I’m going to talk to her,” Neil said firmly. “Wish me luck.”

“First, let me duck into the shower in case you two start fighting again.”

Ryler exited Neil’s room and went back into the bathroom again, picking up her phone to read her most recent text, Will I see you later?

Ryler heard the door to Neil’s room close and a few minutes later, lowered voices. I’ll let you know after my shower. It depends on how things shake out.

Ryler finished her shower, drying off her hair and wrapping the towel around her. When she walked out of the room, she found Neil and Alia sitting on the couch, her head resting against his chest. They looked happy and contented instead of the two people who had been at each other’s throats just yesterday.

Neil looked up and spotted her, giving her a thumbs-up. Things were about to look really different for Excursions in the coming weeks, but Ryler was so happy to see her cousin smiling again, she didn’t care about how the changes would affect her. The two people she loved most were going to try to be together for real, to stop holding back and live life on their terms.

It was something she could get behind.

Ryler closed the door to her room and texted Pike. All signs point to yes.

Chapter Thirty-three

Pike leaned back in his chair on Saturday night at the Mistletoe Community Center, wishing that Holly, Merry, and Delilah would hurry up and get the show on the road. Anthony and Pike had carpooled to the bachelor auction meeting, but Pike had plans to pick Ryler up from her rental and take her out for a surprise. Maybe not a real date, since they weren’t supposed to be doing that, but the next best thing.