A peel of laughter from Casey had me shielding her head from further assault as more Trojan fan gear fell from the sky. I maneuvered us away from the shelves and looked up to see if we were safe. That’s when I realized we were standing directly under the mistletoe.
I shook my head, grinning at Marissa’s diabolical plot. But how could I fault her when it had worked out so spectacularly? The meddlesome Texan had saved our relationship.
“What are you thinking about?” Casey asked, noticing my grin.
“Oh, just that we probably have to name our first born after Marissa now.”
She giggled. “You know what I’m thinking about?”
I leaned down and placed another kiss on her delicious lips. “That we should stay locked in this room forever?”
She kissed me back until she was breathless. “Pretty much,” she said, coming up for air.
I smoothed her hair back, loving the way her eyes sparkled as she stared up at me. “What were you thinking, beautiful?” I asked, wanting to know every thought in her pretty little head until the end of time.
Casey’s cheeks flushed. “About that other time we ended up making out in this closet. Do you remember?”
“Of course I remember.” I cupped her cheeks gently. “I remember everything about that moment and every moment when it comes to you.” I pressed my forehead to hers and closed my eyes, committing this moment to memory as I tried to gain control of my swelling emotions. “Casey, my life began the moment we first kissed. And I know it’ll end with our last. I’m sorry if I ever let you doubt that.”
“Me too.”
I grinned and nodded up to the mistletoe. “Then I propose we start kissing and never stop.”
Casey laughed, but then my lips were on hers and the only sound I heard was the pounding of my grateful heart as I clung to the girl I loved; beyond grateful for another chance.
Chapter Fourteen
Alex
Everyone at the table was busy listening to Grant’s story about meeting Mike Trout at one of his games last year. I’d heard the story a million times, so I found my mind wandering to Casey and Lucas. Something seemed off with them all day and now they’d disappeared. It was strange and it had my Spidey senses tingling.
I wanted to check on my friends, so I started at the source—Marissa.
Not much had changed since high school. She was still the queen bee of gossip, which meant if there was something going on, she’d be the first to know.
Luckily, she was sitting right next to me. I leaned in and nudged her. “Seriously, where are Casey and Lucas?” I whispered.
“I told you,” she whispered back. “I saw them sneaking off.”
“Yeah, but that was a while ago. Maybe we should go look for them.”
Before she could respond Tyler showed up at the table again. I rolled my eyes. The guy still had the world’s worst timing. But worse than that, he had a clipboard in his hands. “I know I can count on you guys for some Christmas Carol-oke.”
“No way,” I said, holding up my hands to stop the clipboard he was shoving in my face.
“Oh, come on. It’s for a good cause,” Tyler pushed. “Only twenty dollars a song and all the donations go to the local children’s hospital.”
Tyler was met with reluctant grumbling and excuses from our entire table, but then Marissa piped up. “Don’t listen to them, Tyler. Of course we’ll sing. And Alex here already has her song picked out.”
I blinked in shock. “I do?”
Marissa crossed her arms. “Did you forget all about our bet?”
Obviously. “What bet?” I asked.
“The one where if you and Grant weren’t married by this year’s Mistletoe Mixer you would sing Holly Jolly Christmas with me.”
Oh crap! That bet . . . “Uh, that doesn’t sound like something I’d say.”
“It isn’t,” Marissa agreed. “But it sounds a lot like something three-glasses-of-champagne Alex might say.”
It all came back to me with sudden clarity—my twenty-first birthday.
It had coincided with an away game I had in Philly. I stayed the weekend and Marissa and Casey drove in to join me. We went to Journeys, some crazy karaoke club that Marissa’s friend recommended, where you could get on stage and sing with a live band. I of course didn’t, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have a great time watching Marissa serenade us and singing along from my seat.
All in all, it had been a great night, capped off with Philly cheesesteaks and lots of laughter with my best friends. But I’d definitely blocked out the part where Marissa made me that ridiculous bet.
I loved music, just as long as it didn’t involve me singing it on stage. “Champagne bets don’t count,” I argued.
“Oh yes they do,” Marissa replied. “We shook on it.”
“You were preying on my champagne inhibitions.”
“Oh please. You’re the most competitive person I know. You would’ve said yes without the champagne.”
“Would not.”
Marissa poked a red-painted fingernail into my shoulder. “Don’t be a sore loser. You’re not getting out of it.”
Archer spoke up. “You know this little Texan never takes no for an answer.”
“Then why don’t you get up there and sing with her?” I challenged.
“Oh don’t worry, I will. But that means so are you.”
“Great!” Tyler said. “I’ll add you guys to the list.”
“Anything to help a good cause,” Marissa said, ignoring the shade I was throwing her.
Tyler grinned back at us. “I’m gonna go work on getting the karaoke equipment set up. I think my dad keeps it in the supply closet.”
Marissa shot to her feet, shoving me out of the booth with her to cut Tyler off. “Ty! We’ll do that. You should keep working on getting people to sign up.”
“Really?” Tyler asked. “That’d be a huge help. Thanks, girls.”
Once Tyler was pestering his next victims, I turned to Marissa, ready to wring her tiny little neck. Her whole helpful elf bit was making me feel like the Grinch. “What the elf, Marissa? I don’t know anything about setting up karaoke equipment,” I complained. “Sports trivia, pickup games, fundraising golf tournaments, I’m your girl. But I draw the line at singing. There was a reason I didn’t set foot in the music wing the entire time I was at Northwood.”
“There’s always room for growth,” Marissa replied. “Besides, I’ll do the setting up. I just need your muscles to help me lug out the equipment. Plus, this gives us an excuse to look for Casey.”
Ugh, she had me there. “Fine,” I agreed, hoping that maybe Casey would have some brilliant idea to get me out of this nightmare before Christmas.
There was no way I was singing. I’d gotten out of it every year and I wasn’t about to ruin my perfect record.
Tonight was turning into a disaster. I’d been looking forward to the Mistletoe Mixer, but things weren’t going as planned. Grant and I had promised to press pause on our argument over wedding plans so we could enjoy the holidays, but I could tell it was weighing on him.
It was driving me crazy, too.
Ever since we got back to Northwood my mother had been at it, pestering me with a million and one wedding questions. Granted, they were questions I should’ve been able to answer . . . had I not been avoiding all things wedding related for the last year.
But I couldn’t help it. Every time the subject came up Grant and I ended up in an argument about something stupid. My solution? Avoid the topic completely.
It had worked pretty well. Until now.
I’d let my mother bully me into a wedding date that was quickly approaching, which meant we had some big decisions to make. But since I wholeheartedly prescribed to avoiding conflict whenever possible, I decided to throw myself into helping Marissa track down Casey and Lucas. I figured a few more hours of focusing on other people’s problems couldn’t hurt.
Plus, it might help me avoid my own. Which apparentl
y now included singing Christmas Carol-oke on top of facing my true feelings about my impending marriage.
Marissa
“Okay, I’ll head to the supply closet,” I said. “You go check the bathrooms for Casey and Lucas.”
Alex nodded and we headed toward the narrow hall lined with jerseys, framed sports photos and championship banners. Alex split off first to check the bathrooms. As soon as she disappeared into the girls’ room I broke into a run, the bells on my elf costume jingling with each step.
By the time I reached the hallway that led to the supply closet, I was out of breath.
Man, I missed my soccer days.
Studying Shakespeare didn’t keep me in the same kind of shape.
I stopped a few feet away from the door to the closet, silencing my jingle bells as I held my breath and listened.
No yelling.
That was a good sign, right?
It’s not like they would actually kill each other in there.
I crept closer, pressing my ear to the door. If they were in there, they weren’t making a sound.
Could they have gotten out?
I tried the handle. It was still locked.
I knocked lightly on the door and heard the whisper of voices, followed by the deep rumble of Lucas’s laugh.
Okay, if they were laughing, that was definitely a good sign.
“Are you guys ready to come out?” I asked.
“Um, actually, I think we’re good right where we are,” Casey replied.
I grinned at the happiness I heard in her voice.
Now that was more like it!
One couple down two more to go.
As much as I’d love to just leave Casey and Lucas to enjoy rekindling their relationship under the mistletoe, I had other plans for that miraculous little plant. I just hoped it had enough magic left to save Christmas for the rest of my friends.
At least I had time on my side. Being snowed in at Champs ensured I’d be able to use my meddling powers for good on the next couple in my sites: Alex and Grant.
But first I had to make sure everything was back on track with Lucas and Casey.
I unlocked the door and found them looking awfully cozy in the corner. “So,” I teased. “Did you guys kiss and make up?”
Casey’s cheeks turned bright pink and Lucas grinned. “You could say that,” he replied.
I laughed. “I told ya. Mistletoe is magical.”
“I’m a believer,” Casey said as she took Lucas’s hand and followed him out of the closet.
“Good,” I said, handing them their phones back. “Now go sign up for Christmas Carol-oke.”
Casey and Lucas headed down the hall, but Casey turned back when she realized I wasn’t following. “Aren’t you coming?”
“Later.” I winked. “I have more Christmas miracles to work.”
Casey let go of Lucas’s hand and jogged back to give me a big hug. “Thank you, Marissa.”
I squeezed her back. “Everything good?”
“So good. You were right. We just needed to talk.”
“And a little mistletoe never hurts.”
Casey grinned. “I’m not sure if you have room in your meddling little elf schedule tonight, but I have a hunch Alex and Grant could use a little mistletoe in their life.”
I laughed. “Great minds think alike.”
“Are they your next targets?”
“Yeah. Wanna help?”
Casey gave me a wicked grin. “Absolutely.”
With Casey and Lucas on board to help me with Grant, I quickly went in search of Alex, nearly bumping into her in the hall.
“Hey!” I greeted. “I was just coming to find you. I just found Casey and Lucas. They were locked in the storage closet the whole time.”
“What? No way!” Alex replied.
I conjured my best surprise face. “I know! Can you believe it?”
“Good thing we came looking for the karaoke equipment.”
“Yeah. Speaking of, I’m bringing you with me so I can make sure I don’t end up locked in the closet.”
“Good plan,” Alex said, following me back down the hall.
I opened the door to the supply closet and pointed to the amp, receiver, monitor and mics on the top shelf. “Everything we need is up there.”
“And what, you’ve gone full diva and can’t lift a finger?”
“No, Miss Sass. I’m just too short to reach. Plus, one of us needs to stand here and hold the door so we don’t get locked inside.”
Alex rolled her eyes but shoved past me and dragged a folding chair over so she could start gathering the equipment. She handed me things one by one and I piled them in the hallway.
“Careful,” I said as she gracefully climbed back up on the chair. “Your phone’s about to fall out of your pocket.”
Seeing that I was right, Alex pulled it out and tossed it to me. “Nice catch,” she said when I managed not to drop it.
“I still got my mad softball skills.”
Alex laughed. “And I see your ego is still the size of Texas.”
I grinned. “You know it. How else am I supposed to make it on Broadway?”
“How’s that going?” Alex asked, as she tried to untangle the nest of knots I’d tied the mic wires in before finding her.
“Great. I’m getting some amazing auditions. And Tessa Hart asked me to be a guest judge with her for the Northeast Regional Scholarship for the Dramatic Arts competition. How cool is that?”
Alex swooned. “I still can’t believe you know Tessa Hart.”
“One of the many perks of dating Northwood’s legendary QB1,” I teased.
“Soon to be the NFL’s QB1,” Alex replied with a big grin.
“Fingers crossed.”
Alex laughed. “Please, that boy’s got it in the bag. Just because I never get to see you guys doesn’t mean I don’t keep up. His stats have been off the charts.”
I couldn’t hide my grin. “I’m so proud of him.” And I was, but I wasn’t about to let Alex distract me from the task at hand. “What about Grant?” I asked. “Has he had any interest from the MLB?”
“I’m not really sure he’s pursuing that anymore,” Alex said, her smile fading.
Surprise nearly made me drop the mic stand she’d just handed me. “Really? What changed?”
“I don’t know. Nothing really. We’re just trying to get through graduation and the wedding. It doesn’t leave much room to think about anything else.”
Since when did Alex and Grant put anything above sports? I fought my shock and refused to let my mouth fall open. “Well, you do have a lot of exciting things to look forward to.”
“I guess,” Alex muttered, confirming my suspicions that not all was well in paradise.
No one marrying the guy of their dreams said ‘I guess’ when discussing their excitement level for their wedding. Not even a tomboy like Alex!
I tried a new tactic. “So, I know what song you’re gonna be belting out tonight, but what I really wanna know is what song you’re gonna be walking down the aisle to?”
“Why, do you have a bet riding on that, too?” Alex asked, sarcastically.
“No. I’m just curious.”
Alex sighed, her face losing its lightness again. “We haven’t figured it out yet.”
“What about the first dance?”
She shrugged.
“Band or DJ?”
Another shrug.
“Did you pick your colors yet?”
“No! Okay, I haven’t picked my colors, or my music, or a dress, or anything! And yes, I know that’s ridiculous since I’m getting married pretty freaking soon, but it’s just too much to figure out on my own.”
“Alex . . . you don’t have to do it on your own. You have Grant. And you know me and Casey are always only a phone call away.”
Alex climbed down from the chair and sat in it; her shoulders hunched inward like she’d just lost the championship game.
This was much worse
than I’d thought.
I threw my plan out the window and propped the door open with the mic stand so I could console my friend. I couldn’t ever remember seeing Alex so down. She was a force of nature. The girl didn’t have the words ‘give up’ in her vocabulary. But right now, she looked utterly defeated, which was strange considering I’d seen her take on a boys’ baseball team and win.
“There’s no way wedding plans are getting the best of Alex Prince,” I said, coming to kneel at her side. “What’s really going on?”
“You sound like my mom,” Alex grumbled, fighting back a sniffle.
That’s when I noticed she had tears in her eyes which threw me even more.
Alex Prince did not cry!
Ever!
This was more serious than just your average pre-wedding stress, and I felt foolish for thinking something as simple as mistletoe could fix it. From the way Alex was looking at me, I wasn’t sure there was anything I could do to help fix things, but I was certainly willing to try.
“Alex, if you need to talk, you know I’m here for you, right?”
She nodded.
“Is there anything you want to talk about?”
She sighed. “That’s the problem. I feel like I don’t know what I want anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. The wedding . . . it’s . . . I just want things to go back to the way they were.”
I swallowed, knowing I had to ask the hard question. “Alex, don’t take this the wrong way, but do you want to get married?”
She swallowed, the silence in the room unspooling for much too long before she finally looked up at me, her eyes full of uncertainty. She opened her mouth to answer, but her eyes suddenly darted past me, widening. “Grant?”
My head whipped to the door where Grant and Archer were standing. From the look on Grant’s face it was blatantly obvious that he’d heard my question, and even worse, Alex’s hesitation.
I stood when Alex did, looking between her and Grant as the tension in the tiny space spread between us. “Well,” I said, skirting passed Grant into the hall, “it seems like you two have some important things to discuss. We’ll give you a minute.”
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