by Anna B. Doe
Mistletoe Kisses
A romance anthology
Contents
Blurb
Publisher’s Note
A Brazen Christmas
Ali Dean
Christmas Puck
Alley Ciz
Christmas Beneath the Stars
Amie Knight
Kiss Before Midnight
Anna B. Doe
Christmas Fantasy
Cambria Hebert
Blue Christmas
Ginger Scott
The Cabin
L A Cotton
The Elements of Unrequited and the Missing Einstein
Len Webster
All I Want
Mackanzie Lane
Sweet Christmas
Micalea Smeltzer
My Favorite Gift
Monica Murphy
A Wicked Holiday Surprise
Piper Lawson
My Heart to Cherish
S.B. Alexander
First Christmas
Tracy Lorraine
Thank you!
Copyright 2020
No part of this story may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.
Created with Vellum
Blurb
Are you ready to fall in love under the mistletoe?
Join fourteen bestselling authors as they take you back to some of their favorite worlds, with this collection of all-new young and new adult short stories.
'Tis the season for friendship, family, first love, and FEELS.
Participating Authors:
Ali Dean
Alley Ciz
Amie Knight
Anna B. Doe
Cambria Hebert
Ginger Scott
L A Cotton
Len Webster
Mackenzie Lane
Micalea Smeltzer
Monica Murphy
Piper Lawson
S.B. Alexander
Tracy Lorraine
Publisher’s Note
Mistletoe Kisses is a charity anthology featuring a group of bestselling Young Adult and New Adult authors.
Each short story is written as a part of existing world, but can be read as a standalone and has a happy ending.
All the proceeds from this anthology will go to One October, a non-profit helping the lives of children in foster care.
A Brazen Christmas
A short story spinoff from the Brazen series
Ali Dean
Chapter One
Griffin
I knew as soon as we pulled up to my parents’ house that I’d made a mistake inviting the woman in the passenger seat. It was the fifth year in a row I’d done it too, and the optimist in me kept hoping it’d be different each time, that maybe this girlfriend would be different.
There was something about pulling up to my childhood home for our annual holiday dinner that brought my relationships into focus. It was terrible timing, right before the holidays, but it always helped me see whether she was the one or not. And so far, she never was.
I turned to smile at Rebecca, knowing I’d have to fake my way through the night before breaking things off tomorrow or the next day.
“This is it,” I announced unnecessarily.
“Same house you grew up in, right?”
“Yep.”
“Is Beckett Steele’s house on this street too?” She still referred to my best friend by his full name, even though they’d met several times over the three months or so we’d been dating.
“A couple streets over.” I’d already told her Beck would be here with his parents, wife, and sister. It was one of the reasons we’d pushed the dinner two weeks before Christmas. Beck and his wife Jordan split the holidays between their families, and they’d be leaving soon to head to Connecticut to be with her side. We got them for Thanksgiving this year. At least it gave me a little window of time to break up with Rebecca without having to be a bigger jerk and do it on Christmas Eve or something.
As we got out of the car, a familiar green Jeep pulled up behind us. My chest suddenly felt tight and heavy as Naomi Bello stepped out of the driver’s seat. She was Beck’s sister, but with different fathers, they didn’t share the same last name. I remembered when he gave her his old Jeep on her sixteenth birthday over seven years ago, back when I still thought of her like a younger sister. It was then I noticed my actual sister was with her, getting out of the passenger seat.
I forced my eyes off Naomi as Summer greeted us with hugs. “Oh, what’d you bring?” Summer asked, eyeing the dish in Rebecca’s hands.
“Bundt cake. It’s from this amazing bakery in Jay Beach.”
The cake was wrapped in shiny green and red paper and while I was sure it was delicious, there was no way it could compare to the one Naomi had been making for the past decade. She’d learned the recipe from her mom and had perfected it to make it her own.
“I told her not to bring anything,” I explained sheepishly.
“I couldn’t show up to your parents’ empty-handed.”
Summer guided Rebecca inside, probably to delay the embarrassment of her discovering Naomi brought the same thing.
“I’ll be right in,” I called as I opened the door to the backseat of my car.
Naomi was right behind me when I turned around a moment later, a bag of clothes in one hand and a skateboard in the other.
“Hey Griff,” she breathed out. I swore I’d started to imagine her reactions to me. The way her voice got a little husky and she faltered a bit before regaining composure. Not only was I ten years older than her, but I was certain she thought of me like family, the way I should be thinking of her.
I struggled to get air for a beat as her nearness made my spine tingle with awareness. I just wanted to touch her, brush her cheek with my knuckles, wrap an arm around her waist, kiss her forehead. And that was wrong on so many levels. Beginning with the girlfriend I’d brought tonight. Instead, I started to shove the bag into her chest before remembering the Bundt cake in her arms.
“I brought you Brazen’s winter line. Realized you didn’t have it yet. I’ll just put it in your backseat.” Brazen was the company I started seven years ago, shortly after injury ended my professional skateboarding career. The company sold skateboards in addition to skateboarding clothing and shoes, which was a fairly unusual combination. Most companies specialized in one of those three things, maybe two. With both Jordan and Beck as the primary reps, Brazen had taken off quickly and had been growing ever since.
Naomi glanced at the gigantic shopping bag with the Brazen logo. “You don’t have to do that, Griff. I know you don’t do it for all your employees.”
“Yeah, but I’ve always given you and Summer the newest line of Brazen clothes. It’s free advertising when you wear them. You might not have chosen the pro skateboarding route but people still notice you at the parks.”
“Except you don’t give Summer Brazen gear anymore,” she pointed out.
“Only because she i
nsisted on working for a competitor.”
“Davis’s surfing company is not a competitor, not really.”
“Well, she told me she doesn’t want to wear Brazen all the time now that she’s working for them.” I understood why my sister didn’t want to start her career with Brazen, I was just grateful Naomi didn’t feel the same way.
Naomi sighed. “Thank you for the clothes, Griff. But I don’t want my colleagues to think I’m getting special treatment.” Well, Naomi did share similar feelings about proving herself, and I tried to respect that, even if it pained me to see her in an entry-level position. Sure, a data analyst role was highly competitive, but no one could argue she hadn’t earned the position fair and square. She was whip smart and wise beyond her years. I wanted to promote her, and often wondered if the opposite was occurring – if I was holding back on giving her greater responsibility because I was afraid she’d be suspicious of my motivations. We were damn lucky to have her at Brazen.
“So, I guess you don’t want the new special edition Jordan Slattery skateboard then?” I held up the board I’d had tucked at my side.
Naomi bit her lower lip. “It’s not Christmas yet.” It was a weak protest and I knew she wouldn’t say no.
“I’ll just put all this in your car.”
Naomi didn’t step back to let me pass though. She swallowed. “Did you get this stuff for Rebecca?”
“No, it wouldn’t be a great girlfriend gift if it’s from my company, would it?” This was partly true, even if I knew Rebecca would love any one of the items in my hands. It was also my way of deflecting, masking how I felt about Naomi. Because I couldn’t deny it to myself any more, and I was beginning to wonder just how long I had been denying it at this point. No one else could know though, ever.
“What I meant was, did you get this stuff for her and then realize when you pulled up to the house that you two weren’t going to last and it was time to break up?” Naomi’s blue eyes bored into me, and I respected the hell out of her for calling me out. She was always too damn perceptive.
I sighed, never wanting to lie to the woman in front of me. Unless of course it was about how badly I wanted her. “I got the stuff for you. But you’re right about the other part.”
There was a flash of something across Naomi’s face, and I couldn’t quite identify it.
“I’d tell you to stop doing this to yourself, but I guess if bringing her here helps you see she’s not your future, maybe it’s better to figure that out sooner rather than later.”
My lips tilted up at her astute reflection. “Maybe,” I conceded.
Naomi used her free hand to pat me on the bicep. “You’ll find the right one eventually, Griff.” She started walking to the house, adding, “Door’s unlocked. Thanks again for the board. You know I’ve been lusting after it.”
You’ll find the right one eventually. Maybe I already had, and that was the problem.
Naomi
I’d been in love with Griffin Perry for as long as I could remember. Yes, love. Sure, when I was a little girl it was more like a crush, but I’d always seen him clearly. Most people didn’t bother looking past the superficial, which was pretty damn enticing: charming as hell, incredible skateboarder and extremely successful businessman. Oh, and I guess his looks weren’t so bad either. Really, his looks were the first thing everyone noticed and it was hard to get past them. His sister Summer, my best friend, was the same way. I almost felt sorry for them with their gorgeous blonde hair, perfect features, and heart-melting smiles. Even I found myself sighing dreamily and ogling them, yes both of them, because their beauty was just that incredible. I understood why people often never got beyond it, even if it drove me nuts.
Anyway, as a young kid Griffin might have been like a second big brother in a lot of ways, but he was also the reason why I couldn’t bring myself to be interested in boys my own age. Other girls had movie star or rock star infatuations, but I had Griffin. I knew it was wrong. I knew it would never happen and couldn’t be reciprocated. But I couldn’t help it. Loving Griffin Perry was simply part of my makeup. And really, who could blame me?
Now he was thirty-three years old to my twenty-three, and he was still single. Well, he would be soon. I’d never let my heart hope, but I was starting to wonder, was there a chance Griff might be able to stop seeing me as a little sister?
Griff was usually filled with happy energy and easy smiles, but I knew tonight it wasn’t quite as authentic. Rebecca was here, hanging with our family, and it was all wrong. At least, to me it was, and I knew it made me a bad person, but I took comfort – a lot of it – knowing Griff agreed with my sentiment.
When we sat around the living room after dinner, stuffed and relaxed, I tried to keep my eyes off Rebecca and Griff sharing an armchair.
My brother Beck started walking around to each of us, passing out gifts.
“Wait, I thought we were doing presents after you guys got back around New Year’s,” I protested. I didn’t have mine ready yet.
“We will, this is just a little something we wanted to do before we left,” Beck’s wife Jordan explained. She was sitting beside me on the couch. Now Jordan was someone who had fit in with our family instantly. Our two families, I should clarify, since we’ve already established my feeling for a certain somebody went beyond familial. I knew that someday, Griffin might bring a girlfriend home who fit in like Jordan had. It wasn’t impossible. I’d been bracing for that day ever since he started dating women seriously about five years ago.
I took my present, but before I got a chance to start ripping the wrapping paper, my mom started sobbing. She clutched a shirt to her chest with one hand, the other hand covering her mouth.
“I’m going to be a grandmother!” She hugged my dad beside her before jumping up and hugging Beck, then she was running over to Jordan. “This is the best gift I’ve ever received. Thank you so much, honey.”
My own eyes welled up and as soon as Mom let Jordan go I threw myself at my sister-in-law. “How are you feeling? No wonder you didn’t get thirds like you usually do. How far along are you? Do you know if it’s a girl or a boy?” I bit my lip before I could fire more questions.
Beck took his spot on Jordan’s other side and put an arm around her as she answered. “I’m ten weeks, and not throwing up but definitely queasy. We’re going to find out gender but we don’t know yet.”
As I unwrapped the gift in my lap and pulled out my tee shirt declaring me “the favorite aunt,” my eyes darted to Griff again. He held up a shirt saying “the favorite uncle” and we grinned at each other.
Summer laughed as she showed me her shirt which also said “the favorite aunt.” Every single thing about this moment was a happy one, except my stomach sank a little anyway. It was the reminder that even if we weren’t blood-related, Griff and Summer were family, as much siblings to Beck as I was.
I thought I hadn’t let myself hope that Griff could be something else to me, but in this moment, I realized I had. It was time to let go of that hope, once and for all.
If Rebecca being here tonight felt slightly off, I couldn’t even imagine how much things would be thrown off if I tried to show Griff how I really felt about him. Even if there was a small possibility he would be able to see me as anything other than a little sister, we couldn’t do anything about it. If things didn’t work out, it wouldn’t be a quick split and then we’d go back to normal. It wouldn’t be just breaking off with a girlfriend, like Griff planned to do with Rebecca. Nope, I’d risk changing our family dynamic forever, making things permanently strained.
Even as my chest hurt with the reality I was making myself face, I smiled anyway. I was going to be an aunt, and at least I had Griff in my life permanently, even if his love for me would always be brotherly.
One week later
It was the Brazen holiday party, and I’d probably had too much to drink for a work function. This was not typical for me, but I was in a mood. A weird mood that I couldn’t quite put my fing
er on because I’d never experienced it before.
I’d heard the gossip. Brazen work parties, and especially the holiday party, had a tendency to get wild. The impression I got was that it was a free pass to hook up with colleagues without worrying too much about the consequences. People pretended to forget it ever happened afterward.
This kind of opportunity was also not something I would normally be interested in, which was why I was drinking too much.
Griff had broken up with Rebecca, and I’d been working hard to squash the usual dreams that popped into my mind whenever he was between girlfriends. I was twenty-three years old; it was time for me to accept the futility of the situation and move on. If I could be realistic about everything else in my life, I could do it about this too.
Turned out being realistic required liquid courage. Of course, I knew that hooking up with a colleague wasn’t the cure-all, but it was a step in the right direction. It wasn’t as if Griffin needed me to send a message, since he didn’t know how I really felt, but I needed to make the declaration anyway. For myself.
There were three guys at Brazen I’d considered hook-up possibilities tonight. One had already been crossed off the list because he was too drunk, but the other two were still on my radar. Nate from marketing and Quentin from sales. Nate was in his thirties while Quentin was closer to my age. I didn’t think I necessarily had a thing for older guys, but I’d discovered years ago that most guys my age found me intimidating. I guess I didn’t have the Perry charm that made everyone feel warm and cozy. But if a guy was intimidated by me, it was hard to find him attractive. As a result, the only guys I’d dated were at least a few years older than I was.
