MORE THAN MISTLETOE

OBSERVATION

Chapter 5:

Ethan's POV

Ethan had made a mistake.

He'd known it the moment Vanessa walked through the door and he'd seen Maya's face—the way her expression had shuttered, the way she'd retreated into polite pleasantness. He should have told her about Vanessa before now. Should have mentioned it casually over text, or during one of their increasingly rare phone calls.

But he hadn't, because some part of him, the part he didn't want to acknowledge, hadn't wanted Maya to know.

"This house is so charming," Vanessa said, walking through the living room with her hand in his. "Very... rustic."

Ethan heard the slight pause before 'rustic' and knew she meant something else.

Vanessa came from money, old money, and her parents' house in Connecticut had more square footage than this entire neighborhood. She tried to hide it, tried to be down-to-earth, but sometimes the difference in their backgrounds showed.

"My mom likes it cozy," Ethan said.

"Oh, I love cozy! It's just different from what I'm used to." Vanessa squeezed his hand. "In a good way."

From the kitchen, Ethan could hear his mom and Diana talking in low voices. He couldn't make out the words, but he knew they were talking about Vanessa.

Probably comparing her to Maya. His mom had never been subtle about who she thought Ethan should be with.

"So what's the plan for today?" Vanessa asked. "I'm free until tomorrow afternoon, I have to head back for a client meeting. But I'm all yours until then."

Before Ethan could answer, Liam appeared with Alex, both of them dressed for the outdoors.

"We're going to cut down a tree," Liam announced. "There's a farm about twenty minutes away. It's tradition."

"Oh, how fun!" Vanessa said, though Ethan could tell she was mentally calculating how cold it would be. "I didn't bring boots though."

"Mom probably has extras," Ethan offered.

"Perfect! This will be such a great experience. Very authentic." Vanessa kissed his lips. "Let me go ask Carol about those boots."

Once she was gone, Liam gave Ethan a look.

"Don't," Ethan warned.

"I didn't say anything."

"You're thinking it very loudly."

Alex cleared his throat. "She seems nice, man. Really."

The 'but' hung in the air, unspoken.

"Where's Maya?" Ethan asked, trying to sound casual.

"Her room, I think," Alex said. "She said she needed to make some work calls."

It was Sunday. Maya didn't work Sundays. She was avoiding Vanessa. Avoiding him.

"I'll go check if she wants to come tree shopping," Liam said, already heading for the stairs.

"Liam—"

"Relax, I'm just making sure she's included. That's what a good host does, right?"

After Liam left, Alex studied Ethan for a moment. "You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you've been staring at the stairs like you're about to chase after him." Alex's voice was gentle but firm.

"And because my sister looked like someone kicked her puppy this morning."

Ethan's chest tightened.

"I'm not blind, Ethan. Neither is she, even though she's trying to be." Alex moved closer, lowering his voice. "I don't know what's going on with you and Vanessa, and honestly, it's none of my business. But Maya is my business. So I'm just going to say this once: be careful. With both of them."

Before Ethan could respond, footsteps sounded on the stairs. Maya appeared, wearing a thick sweater and jeans, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She looked beautiful and sad and determined not to show it.

"Liam said we're getting a tree?" she asked, not quite meeting Ethan's eyes.

"Yeah. If you want to come."

"Of course. It's tradition." Her smile was bright and brittle.

Vanessa returned with borrowed boots. "These are perfect! Shall we go?"

The tree farm was exactly as Ethan remembered from years past, rows and rows of evergreens dusted with snow, the smell of pine sharp in the cold air, families wandering with saws and sleds. They'd been coming here since he was a kid, back when his dad was still around and everything was simpler.