More than Once

14

When we passed through the archway, Trish yelled, “Stop!”

We froze. Everyone’s eyes were on us, and Hannah was giggling. That couldn’t be good.

“You’re under the mistletoe,” Trish said, pointing to the little red and green plant hanging above our heads. “You know the rules. You have to kiss.”

“You did that on purpose,” Becca said, narrowing her eyes.

Trish grinned, wearing the same naughty look I’d seen on her sister before. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Well, it is tradition,” I said, giving Becca a smile. She was the one who wanted us to pretend, after all.

“Kiss him!” Becca’s mother called from where she was watching in the hallway. The others joined in, too, making it a chant. “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

“Fine,” Becca said. “One kiss.”

I slid my hands around Becca’s waist, keeping the pressure light. She moved closer to me, fitting into my arms, and gave me a quick kiss. Even that slight touch of her lips drove me crazy, and I was tempted to steal another, longer kiss from her.

“That’s it?” Evelyn asked.

“Yeah, not sure that even counts as a kiss,” Trish said.

Becca groaned, but I could tell by the way she leaned into me that she was enjoying being in my arms. I took her chin and directed her gaze back at me. “Guess they want a show.”

I cupped her cheek, and this time I kissed her nice and slow, teasing her lips apart. Her eyes fluttered shut and her hands clutched my arms as I slipped my tongue inside, just a tiny bit, just enough to make her want more. Because now that I’d tasted Becca again, I knew there would be more.

I could kiss her all night long, but not in front of her family. So when they hooted and whooped and whistled, I forced myself to pull away, smiling down at Becca.

Her breathing was faster, her eyes dazed, her lips still parted like an invitation. I brushed my mouth against the side of her head, whispering, “You can have more later if you’d like.” From the way her fingers tightened on my arms, I had a feeling the answer was yes.

I turned to our audience and gave them my most charming smile. “How was that?”

“Much better,” Trish said, grinning.

She’d been covering Hannah’s eyes, who now peered out, wrinkling her nose. “That was gross.”

“Such a beautiful couple,” Becca’s mother said. “You’ll make such pretty babies.”

“Mom!” Becca’s face turned red, but I just laughed. It was fun seeing her so frazzled. She was normally so fierce and cool, and I enjoyed the glimpse at this other side of her. Even if the idea of having babies anytime soon made my balls want to shrivel up.

We were directed into the dining room and found our seats at the table, which had all been labelled with our names (or, in my case, Brett’s name). The flowers I’d brought sat in the middle and complimented the rest of the decorations, from the gold napkins to the red and green candles.

As the food was passed around—and wow, Becca had been right, there was a ton of it—the family laughed and talked about their day. I found myself smiling; this was a hell of a lot better than spending Christmas Eve alone in my apartment. I missed my own family, of course, but I appreciated that I could spend the evening with this one. Becca was doing me as much a favor as I was doing for her.

“Tell me, Brett, what do you do exactly?” David asked, once we’d all started eating.

Must be time for the obligatory father interview. I knew it well. Becca hadn’t given me any insight into what Brett did or how I should respond to these sorts of questions, so I decided to be honest. “I work in advertising and PR for Statewide Airlines.”

“They have a hub here, don’t they?”

I nodded, and he asked me a few other questions about my job. As we talked, I noticed Becca watching me closely. Was she waiting for me to slip up and reveal something that didn’t mesh with her description of the oh-so-perfect Brett? Who I kind of wanted to both punch in the face for leaving her hanging on Christmas Eve and also thank profusely for giving me the opportunity to be here?

“But why aren’t you with your family tonight?” Evelyn asked.

“They’re back in Michigan, and I couldn’t make the trip out there this year. That’s why I’m so honored that you invited me tonight. Thank you again for that, by the way. This food is delicious.”

Evelyn beamed at me across the table. “Oh, we’re just thrilled to have you. Becca never tells us anything about the boys she dates. It’s so nice to meet one that isn’t covered in tattoos.”

“And one who has a real job,” her father added.

“They weren’t all like that,” Becca muttered.

“Yeah, they were,” Trish said. I noticed her husband, Matt, hadn’t said anything since we’d sat down to eat. There was definitely some tension between the two of them, but everyone seemed like they were trying to ignore it.

Evelyn dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. “All we’re saying is Becca’s lucky to have finally found a nice boy to settle down with.”

“Mom, please.”

“What? It would be nice to have more grandchildren soon. By the time I was your age, I was already married and pregnant with you two.”

Wow, they were laying the marriage thing on thick. Becca and Brett hadn’t even been together that long—less than five months, at least. No wonder Becca felt so much pressure to bring home the perfect guy to show off. Although I couldn’t imagine Becca settling down anytime soon. Which was fine, ‘cause after my failed marriage proposal with Tara, I was definitely not interested in that either.