by Hope Ford
We drive for a while as I listen to the directions before I ask her, “So what do I need to know?”
I chance a look at her, and she looks confused by the question. “Ya know, to make this believable I’m going to have to know things about you and your family.”
She nods her head, “Right. Well, I have a younger brother. Matt, he’s seventeen. My mom is Janet and my dad’s name is Darren. They both work at the university, Mom in the English department and Dad in the math department. They are complete opposites, but it obviously works for them.”
“Okay, so evidently they know how we met, but what have you told them about us?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing. I told them I wanted you to be a surprise.”
I start to think on that and realize that I didn’t think this all the way through beforehand. “So what will they think about you dating your boss and me being so much older than you?”
“You’re only twelve years older than me. Do you think that’s too much of an age difference?”
It makes me wonder if she’s now worried about what her parents are going to think or if she’s just now considering how much older I am. “I don’t think so. Plus, you act a lot older than most women your age. But what about the boss thing?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t think they’ll care. My parents are pretty good parents. All they’re going to care about is if you make me happy or not.”
“Good. So all I have to do is prove to them I can make you happy,” I tell her as I hold the steering wheel a little tighter. I’m a gruff bastard, I’m her boss and older than her, and all I have to do is prove to Mr. Scott that I’m not taking advantage of his daughter and I can make her happy. No problem.
Tara
Pulling into the driveway of my parents’ house brings back so many memories. Even though it’s starting to get dark outside, I can still see all the decorations. The lights are strung, lighting up the whole exterior. There’s fresh snow all across the yard and trimming the house. I can see the nine-foot Christmas tree in the big bay windows with more lights than I remember.
But the minute I see my mom and dad come out the front door, I realize my mistake.
My mom races toward the driver’s side. Not to me, not to her daughter—no, she races to Baker. “I knew it. I knew it. Tara was in love with you from the minute she came for that interview, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before you felt it too.” She looks over at my dad. “See, Darren, I should have bet you money. I was right.”
I could argue or make a scene and tell Baker that my mom doesn’t know what she’s talking about, but I know that will only make it worse. Mortified, I sit in my seat with my head in my hands, unable to move. Did my mom really just tell my boss that I’ve been in love with him since day one?
My car door opens, and I hear my mom and dad grabbing bags out of the back of the truck.
“Hey, there,” Baker says in my ear. His hand cups my knee, and I know that I’m going to have to look at him. When I raise my head and look into his eyes, I can see the happy smirk on his face.
“It’s not what you think,” I tell him.
His forehead creases. “So you don’t like me?”
“No! I mean, yes, ugh, you know what I mean,” I tell him, rolling my eyes.
“C’mon, Tara! Bring Baker inside out of the cold,” my mom hollers over her shoulder.
I still haven’t budged.
His finger is running circles around my knee, and I can’t seem to concentrate on anything but that.
“But that’s the thing, Tara, I don’t know what you mean.”
“Oh God, okay, so when I came for the interview, I may have told my mom how handsome you were.”
He laughs then, a hearty laugh that ruffles my hair as he breathes out. “So you think I’m good looking. Your mom made it sound like a whole lot more than that.”
Why does he not sound upset? I look up at him, and he’s staring back at me with a smile on his lips. “I may have been just a tad bit smitten with you,” I tell him. I let out a nervous giggle and then push my way out of the truck. “So are you backing out now?” I ask him.
“Hell no!” he answers emphatically. “It’s just gettin’ good!”
He takes a few steps, and when he looks back, I have to remember to close my mouth, which is hanging open. He holds his hand out to me. “C’mon, your mom’s waiting for us.” When I reach for his hand, he pulls me under his arm as we walk slowly up the steps. “Don’t forget we’re supposed to act like we like each other,” he tells me, nuzzling his face into my neck. When his lips graze across the lobe of my ear, I almost trip over my own feet.
“I uh,” I stammer.
He just smiles as he pulls away from me. “Don’t worry. We got this.”
And then his lips touch mine. It’s the briefest of kisses, making me wonder if I imagined it. But my lips are warm and tingly as I touch them with my finger. Yep. My boss just kissed me… and I liked it.
4
Baker
“So I’m putting you and Baker in your old room. Your dad’s already carried your bags up,” Tara’s mom tells us after dinner.
I can see the minute that Tara grasps what her mother’s saying. “No!” she almost screams. “I mean no. I can bunk in Matt’s room. Baker can have my room.”
“Nonsense, Tara. What’s wrong with you tonight? You’ve barely eaten your dinner. You’ve been quiet. Even more quiet than normal,” her mom says.
“Mrs. Scott, thank you so much for the hospitality. Really. Pot roast is one of my favorite meals, and yours was so good. And thank you so much for letting me stay in your home,” I tell her to help Tara out. She seems like she’s about to hyperventilate or something.
I reach under the table and run my hand across her leg to soothe her, but her whole body tenses next to me.
“Mrs. Scott? You can call me Janet. Or who knows, maybe one day soon you’ll be calling me Mom,” she says with a big smile. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to get dessert.”
As soon as her mom walks out of the room, Tara bangs her head into her hand then looks up at me. “I’m going to fix this. I promise. I know we can’t sleep in the same bed. I can’t believe she’s already talking marriage.” She starts to whisper as her dad walks in with a tray of coffee and her mom walks in with dessert. “I’ll fix this.”
I squeeze her hand and bring it over to my thigh. I run circles with my thumb across her soft skin.
“So, Baker, how’s business?” Mr. Scott asks me.
“Good. We’re staying busy. We’ve got quite a few new clients, and I’ve had to hire a few crews to keep up,” I tell him. Mr. Scott is an easygoing man, and I think Tara was right. Her dad doesn’t care that I’m her boss or how old I am. He just wants her to be happy.
“And what about my pumpkin? She a big help in the office?” he asks with a twinkle in his eye.
I put my arm around Tara. “She has proven herself to be irreplaceable. I don’t know how I could make it without her,” I tell him honestly. It’s like second nature for me to pull Tara in and kiss her forehead. I want to kiss her lips again, but I’m afraid she’d combust right in her seat if I tried it. She looks like she’s about to blow a gasket.
“Dad” she says. “Mom said you put us in my old room. I can stay with Matt on the twin bed in his room, and Baker can have my room. We don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.”
Matt, who’s been in and out of the room on his phone most of the night, finally looks up. “Except me. I’ll be uncomfortable if I have to share a room with my sister.”
“Nonsense, pumpkin. I thought the same thing too, but your mom convinced me that we’re hip,” Mr. Scott says, rolling his eyes. “Whatever that means. You and Baker take your room.”
Tara starts to argue, but I stop her by squeezing onto her hand. “Thank you, Mr. Scott.” I quickly change the subject. “Janet, is that apple pie? My favorite!”
Tara
What in the world is goin
g on right now? Am I in some kind of strange universe or what? I’m sitting at my parents’ dinner table, talking about Baker and me sleeping in the same room together over apple pie. Is this for real?
I’ve done all I could to try and sway their decision, but it seems like Baker was trying to stop me. What’s he thinking? We can’t sleep in the same room together, much less the same bed.
I look at him over my fork, and he’s smiling at my parents. He has them talking about their work, and from the looks of it, he’s even won over my little brother by the way he’s put his phone down for the last five minutes. It has to be some kind of record.
Finally, when everyone’s had their fill, I try to get myself a breather. I need a little space to think about things and to bring myself back down to reality. This is fake, Tara. Fake! “Mom, I’ll take care of cleanup.”
“Nonsense. I know you and Baker have to be tired after working all day and then driving almost three hours home. It’s nice your boss let you leave early so you could get here in time for dinner.” She cackles at her joke and then pushes me toward Baker, who catches me in his arms.
“Thanks again, Mrs.—” And then with a stern look from my mom, he finishes with, “Janet. Everything was so good.”
“Yeah, thanks, Mom! It was perfect.” I go to hug her and my dad and then reach for Baker’s outstretched hand.
We walk up the steps side by side, and I’m trying not to freak out. “This is my room,” I tell him and push the door open and walk inside. The room is just as I remember it. It’s got the big king-sized bed in the middle, but of course Mom has added some extra touches. She’s added a tree by the window, which is Christmas tree number eight so far. My mom definitely goes overboard for the holidays.
“So this is us,” he says, looking at the bed.
I point to the chair in the corner. “I’ll sleep there.”
Dare I say he looks disappointed. “I’ll sleep in the chair.”
I put my hands on my hips. “Cool your jets. There’s no way you’re sleeping in that little chair. It makes more sense for me to do it.”
He walks over to the bed and sits down. “Actually, it makes more sense for the two of us to sleep on the bed. It’s a big bed.”
I know I’m staring at him with my mouth hanging open. Did he just suggest we sleep in the same bed together?
I take a step toward him and then another. “I didn’t plan this, Baker. I had no idea they would have put us in a room together.”
He stands up and cups my face. “I know that. But I’m glad it’s me you brought with you instead of someone else. Someone that may try to take advantage of the situation.”
I pull my shoulders back. “Right.” Of course he’s right. He’s my boss, and this is a fake date. He’s my fake boyfriend. And there’s no way he’s going to take advantage of the situation. Not that he’d want to.
“I’m going to shower, okay?” he asks.
I nod my head and walk over to the Christmas tree like I’m admiring some ornaments. I hear him shut the bathroom door, and soon after, the shower turns on. I turn to the closed door, and all I can think about is that my boss is on the other side of that door, and he’s naked. I fall back onto my bed and try to figure out how I’m going to sleep in the same bed with the man I’ve had a crush on for months and not throw myself at him. You’re in over your head on this one, Tara.
5
Baker
An hour later, I’m lying in the big bed hard as a rock. Tara’s lying next to me, and her scent is wrapped all around me. I try to keep my voice calm so she doesn’t hear the arousal in it. “Are you glad to be home?”
She’s been tense since she came out of the bathroom after her shower. She lay down next to me and hasn’t moved a muscle since. “I am. I miss my parents, and it’s always good to be home.”
“So you’ve never told me. Why did you leave in the first place?”
She snorts. “Have you met my family?”
“Yeah, and they seem pretty great! They obviously love you very much.”
She turns to her side to face me, and I can see her face since the Christmas tree is still lit up in the corner. It’s funny to think that I’ve never had a Christmas tree before, so I’ve never really thought about it. But right now, with the pretty colors lighting up the room and Tara’s face, well, it does almost seem magical.
“I don’t really fit in with my family. Don’t get me wrong. They’re great. I’m just different.”
I lift up on my elbow and stare down into her face. The vulnerability I see surprises me a little. “What do you mean?”
She shakes her head. “Please don’t make me say it.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t get it.”
She blows out a breath. “My mom was the beauty queen in high school and college. She’s an award-winning author. My dad was quarterback and has always been cool and popular. They have more friends than I could ever imagine having. My brother is the quarterback and super gifted in everything he does. I’m just… me.”
I shake my head. “You’re smart. Way smarter than me in a lot of ways. You’re beautiful.”
“I am not,” she argues.
“You are too. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know. You may not have a lot of friends, but the ones you do have seem to think you’re something special.”
She opens her mouth and closes it. Finally she mumbles, “Thank you.”
I brush a stray hair off her face. “You’re welcome.”
“Thank you for coming with me, Baker. I know this is awkward for you…”
“It’s not,” I assure her. How do I tell her that even though I’ve never been with a family for Christmas that I don’t feel awkward at all? I just feel happy. Happy to be with her. “So what do we have planned for tomorrow?”
“Uh, let’s see. It’s Christmas Eve… so that will be ice skating, shopping, and then ugly Christmas sweater party.”
“Ugly Christmas sweater party… I’ll have to sit that one out. I forgot my ugly Christmas sweater,” I tell her.
She laughs. “You wish it was that easy. I made you one, so you’re good to go.”
“Haha! I see how it is.” I roll onto my back because lying next to her, looking at her is just too tempting.
She rolls to her back too. “Goodnight, Baker.”
“Goodnight, sweetie.”
I lie there for a long time and listen to her next to me. She’s way over on her side, and I don’t dare turn toward her because I know I’ll reach for her. No matter how bad I want her, I won’t take advantage of the situation.
Tara
Buzz. Buzz.
A sound startles me awake, but I don’t dare move. I’m cocooned in heat with arms and legs wrapped around me. I freeze against Baker. He’s pressed against my back, but I can’t blame him because I’m completely on his side of the bed.
The noise starts again, and Baker’s gruff voice is right next to my ear. “That’s my phone.”
“Do you want to get it?” I ask him.
His hand tightens on my breast, and he sighs heavily. “No, there would have to be a bomb to get me to move right now.”
“Baker…” I start nervously. I know I should move. We reached for each other in the middle of the night obviously and just stayed to share each other’s heat. We should move. Why isn’t he moving?
“I’m sorry, Tara. I said I could handle sleeping in the bed next to you, but obviously I should have told my body that.” He shifts his hips, and I feel his hard manhood pressed against my buttocks. He’s hard… for me.
“Uh…” I stammer, unsure what to say. He starts to move away from me, but I know that even though I don’t know what to say, I do know that I don’t want him to move away. “No. Stay.”
He groans and rests his forehead on the top of my head. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
I move my lower body just an inch, wanting him to be close to me again, and he groans. “Tara, I’m not playing. I’m trying to do
right by you, and feeling your curvy body in my arms, fuck in my hands”—he squeezes my breasts—“well, I’m about to put my good intentions aside.”
I almost tell him that’s okay with me when his phone goes off again.
“Ugh, I’m going to have to get it.”
Deflated, I tell him, “Okay.” I don’t want him to move either.
“Unless you want to grab it and read the text for me,” he says against my ear.
“You want me to read it? What if it’s a girlfriend or something?”
His lips touch the shell of my ear. “I told you I don’t have a girlfriend.” He laughs a little. “Well, now I do. But I don’t think you’re texting me.” He kisses my ear. “You can read my phone. I don’t hide anything from you.”
I reach for the phone, but Baker holds on to me and moves with me as I go across the bed to reach the phone. I lie back down, and he moves his head so he can read it over my shoulder. I try to calm my breath and not reveal how I’m panicking right now. I’m in bed with Baker, and I’m sort of freaking out about it. “It’s from my brother,” he says.
And I know I’ve heard about his foster brother Dawson. He’s the only family that Baker has, and he’s been serving in the army since the day he turned eighteen.
He starts to read the text.
Bro, I’m in Mistletoe. I got in yesterday.
The next text says, I had a visitor show up this morning. Cassie is here.
Text me.
“Yes!” Baker says over my shoulder excitedly.
“What is it?” I ask, turning in his arms.
“Cassie is someone that Dawson’s been talking to for a while. He wasn’t going to see her when he got out, but something must have happened.”
His arms are still around me, and I’m holding the phone between us. “Do you want to reply?”
“Yeah. Uh, good to hear. Don’t mess it up. I’m in Juniper Junction with Tara. I’ll see you after Christmas. Love you, bro. Merry Christmas.”
