He tucked his phone away after capturing a few more seconds of video. He’d been sneaking shots all day for another project he was working on. Watching Emma and Colin together made him realize just how lucky he’d been to grow up with his five brothers, and how much he missed them—especially around the holidays. He knew things couldn’t stay the same forever, and he was happy his brothers all had exciting lives of their own now, but it still didn’t dull the sting he felt of being left behind. And as fun as today had been, Will felt disheartened that his pain had still managed to slip in and steal some of his joy. He wondered if he would ever find a cure for the loneliness that had crept in over the last year.
“What size do you wear?” Emma called, freeing Will from his thoughts.
She was at the skate rental counter, grinning at him. Her hair was a beautiful mess, glistening in spots where little crystals of snow still clung. He hadn’t seen her smile like that in a long time, and it pulled him back from the depths of his sorrow. “Thirteen,” he replied.
The girl behind the rental counter gave Will a once over. “I like a guy with big feet,” she purred.
Emma rolled her eyes. “Keep it in your pants,” she muttered.
“I have big feet, too!” Colin yelled standing on his tiptoes trying to look over the counter.
The rental girl gave a humph and handed over the ice skates. Emma paid her and said, “Thanks,” with enough frost to resurface the ice rink.
Will took his skates giving Emma a questioning look, which she ignored. The three of them moved over to a bench to lace up their skates. Colin insisted he could lace his own skates, so Will sat down next to Emma and gave her a playful nudge unable to hide his grin.
“What?” she said cooly.
“Keep it in your pants?” Will asked.
Emma rolled her eyes again. “Well, she was being gross.”
“My size thirteen feet are gross?”
“Shut up, Will. You know what I mean.”
“I don’t think I do,” he said still grinning.
“Does your ego really need to hear me say that girl was hitting on you?”
He snorted. “And that bothers you?”
“No. It was just inappropriate in front of a little boy.”
“I don’t think he got the reference, Em.”
Emma only looked up from tying her laces to give Will a glare.
He bent down to lace his own skates and leaned into Emma. “I’m a little disappointed.”
“Why?”
“I liked the idea that you didn’t want her hitting on me.”
Emma
Emma stopped mid-lace and looked at Will, their faces mere inches apart as they bent over their skates. This was definitely not her imagination. Will was flirting with her. Her heart thumped in her chest. She wanted to reach over and kiss him right now, but she had to be sure this time. She couldn’t recover from him making her feel like a complete fool a second time. “Why?” she whispered.
Will smirked. “I’ve always liked the feisty side of you, Em. But I guess I never pegged you for the girl who defends her guy, and . . . it was nice.”
“What was nice?”
“Having you want me.” He winked, his vivid blue eyes gleaming with mischief.
“Will . . .” Emma didn’t know what to say. Being this close to him was making it impossible to think of anything other than how much she wanted to kiss him. “I . . .” Was it possible that he didn’t know how she felt about him? That he’d never known?
“It’s okay to be jealous, Em.”
Emma sat up quickly. “I’m not jealous.”
“I liked it,” Will teased.
Emma huffed, finishing her laces. “Sometimes you’re impossible, Will.”
He barked a laugh, then moved his lips close enough to brush her ear. “Yeah, but sometimes I’m irresistible,” he murmured.
A ripple of desire shuddered through Emma, but before she could react, Will was on his feet and Colin was tugging at Emma’s sleeve.
“Come on,” Colin whined. “I wanna go skate.”
His excited voice brought Emma back to reality. “Do you know how to skate, Colin?”
“Not really.”
“Okay, well let’s start out slow so you don’t get hurt.”
“Okay,” he said beaming up at her as he slipped his tiny mittened hand into hers.
Will took Colin’s other hand and they led him onto the ice. After a few less than graceful laps around the rink, Colin got the hang of it. Emma was impressed with how quickly he picked it up. But then again, things like ice skating came easier to little kids. She’d always thought that it was the low center of gravity or having a shorter distance to fall. But as she watched Colin skate away, Will trailing him with his phone out to record the moment, she realized it was because kids had no fear. They hadn’t been scarred by the world yet. And they hadn’t learned that there was so much they could lose if they took a chance and failed.
Emma’s eyes found Will. He was skating backward filming Colin, waving and cheering him on. The happiness on Will’s face brought such a brightness to Emma’s heart that it was almost hard to breathe. She watched them take a lap around the rink, grinning and laughing the whole way. When he came back toward her, Will pulled Emma with him, twirling her once on the ice, until she was clinging to his strong arms to steady herself.
“I’ve gotcha,” he whispered and Emma’s heart shuddered with a mix of emotions. This was the Will she’d fallen in love with. The Will who was always there for her. The Will who made her feel like home.
They’d spent countless days like this in the park—just being kids and having fun. The small seed of hope Emma clung to grew. She never imagined she’d ever get more moments like these with Will. But somehow he’d made it possible—better even, by including Colin.
The little boy zipped around the skating ring, pushing between them until he held each of their hands again. Emma squeezed Colin’s little hand in hers and grinned over his head at Will. His expression seemed to say, ‘I told you today would be great’.
Now if only Emma could tell Will that Colin was only part of the reason she couldn’t stop smiling.
25
Will
After skating, Will sent a quick text message to signal the next phase of his plan while Emma took Colin to grab some food from the cart vendors. Colin came back with a giant soft pretzel, while Emma held two knishes in her hands. She was practically glowing as she handed one to Will.
“I haven’t had a knish in over a year,” she remarked. “Do you know they don’t sell them in Boston?”
“You’re joking?” He had the good manners to look appalled as he shook his head, soaking in her adorableness.
“I tried ordering one at a deli once and they looked at me like I was speaking another language.”
“Were you speaking Dothraki?” Colin asked around a mouthful of pretzel.
“No smarty pants, she was speaking New Yorker,” Will said ruffling his hair.
Emma bit into her piping hot knish and moaned. The noise was almost obscene and Will struggled to keep his composure as he watched Emma lick the pastry crumbs from her fingers. He’d never been so jealous of a crumb in his life.
Luckily, the sound of hooves and bells interrupted his less than PG thoughts about Emma. Right on time, Will thought as he turned to see a horse drawn carriage pull up behind them. The driver got out and opened the door, folding out the steps.
“Is that for us?” Colin cried.
Will winked. “You know it, little man.”
“This really is the best day ever!” he shrieked.
“Thank Emma,” Will said. “This was all her idea.”
Colin ran into Emma will all his might and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re the best sister in the whole world, Emma.”
She knelt down and hugged him back. “You’re pretty great too.”
“I love you,” Colin whispered throwing his arms around her neck.
Will caught the astonished look on Emma’s face as she held Colin to her chest. Her eyes glistened with emotion and Will smiled. If he couldn’t be with his family, bringing someone else’s together was a close second.
He rescued Emma from near tears and hoisted Colin up and into the carriage. Will climbed in himself and extended a hand to Emma. She took it, looking at him with wonder. “Seriously, how did you do all of this?” she whispered.
He shrugged. “I’m full of surprises.”
They settled next to each other in the carriage and the driver handed Will a plaid blanket and a thermos of hot cocoa. Colin asked if he could sit up top with the driver, who kindly obliged, which left Will and Emma alone in the back.
This was working out even better than Will had planned. He snuggled closer to Emma in the back seat, stretching the blanket over their laps before pouring her a mug of cocoa as the carriage began its jaunt through the park. The sleigh bells on the horse’s harness jingled merrily as they bounced.
Emma grinned. “You really thought of everything, didn’t you?” she asked taking the cocoa.
“I don’t know about everything.”
“Will, I can’t thank you enough.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I just wanted you to have a great day getting to know your little brother.”
“Well I did,” she said leaning into him. “Today’s been perfect.”
Will slipped his arm around Emma’s shoulder. She fit with him like a missing puzzle piece, so Will wasn’t surprised that he felt complete with Emma tucked against him.
“Thank you, Will. It was nice to be a kid at Christmas again.”
He smiled. “I still have one more surprise up my sleeve.”
Emma
Emma couldn’t suppress her grin when they pulled up to Macy’s. The doorman unclipped the red velvet rope to what was dubbed as the ‘Path to the North Pole’. Will led Emma and Colin past festive window displays decked out in holiday cheer and through a winding aisle inside the massive department store until they reached an elevator labeled ‘North Pole Express’.
Colin pressed the button and the doors slid open letting Christmas music spill out. The walls inside of the elevator were wrapped in gold foiled Christmas paper, with red velvet ribbon crisscrossing it to make a perfect bow directly above them. It gave Emma a very Willy Wonka-like feeling of being inside a gift box. As the elevator smoothly climbed to the eighth floor, she glanced up and noticed a bough of mistletoe swaying innocently above her.
“Seriously? More mistletoe?” she asked, looking at Will. Although she found she didn’t mind the insinuating plant as much as she had a few days ago.
Will shrugged. “It’s nearly Christmas. I think our mistletoe moment is unavoidable.”
“What’s mistletoe?” Colin asked.
Emma laughed. “You speak Dothraki but you don’t know what mistletoe is?”
Colin only shook his head.
“Do you wanna take this one?” Emma asked looking at Will.
He grinned. “When you see mistletoe you find someone you like and offer them a high-five. If they high-five you back, that means they like you too.”
“Cool!” Colin exclaimed, raising his mittened hand in the air.
Emma tugged Colin’s soggy mitten off and high-fived him. Then so did Will. Colin’s rosy cheeks glowed. And just when Emma thought he couldn’t get any more excited, the elevator doors slid open to the most elaborate Christmas wonderland she’d ever seen.
“Welcome to Santaland,” a snow-covered nomad exclaimed. The Nordic actor was brushing the fur of a gigantic animatronic polar bear as fake snow fell over the whimsical scene.
Colin was bouncing on his toes trying to take it all in. There were caroling snowmen, real reindeer and lively elves bustling around carrying stacks of gifts or passing out candy canes to the people waiting in line.
Of course, Will had found a way to make Santaland even more magnificent by securing VIP passes so they didn’t have to wait in line to meet Santa. As they walked to the front of the red carpet and Santa came into view, Colin began to shake and Emma’s heart swelled. She remembered what it was like to still believe in that kind of magic and it nearly brought tears to her eyes.
“Is that really Santa?” Colin whispered.
Will knelt down. “Why don’t you go talk to him and find out?”
“How will I know?” Colin asked.
“You have to ask for a special Christmas wish and if it comes true you’ll know the real Santa got your message.”
Colin smiled at Will like he was the most brilliant person in the world, and Emma couldn’t help thinking maybe he was.
She turned to Will. “You’re going to ask that Santa what Colin wished for, aren’t you?”
Will nodded. “I learned a trick or two from my brothers.”
“What if he wishes for something you can’t get him?”
“He’s seven. He’ll wish for a new toy or video game.”
Emma sighed. “Not all wishes can be purchased. Although, life would be a lot less complicated if they could.”
Will looked at Emma with an intensity that made her insides coil feverishly. “Kids don’t wish for stuff like that.”
“I hope you’re right. I want Colin to have a good Christmas. I have a feeling he hasn’t had one in a while.”
It sounded ridiculous to say after seeing Colin’s room. The endless pile of toys and video games showed the boy obviously had more than he needed. But after spending the day with him, Emma could tell the thing Colin really valued was time.
Smart kid, she thought to herself. Emma would do just about anything for more time. More time to appreciate the happy moments she’d had with her parents. More time to figure out where she wanted to go to school next fall. More time to go back and fix her mistakes with Will. More time to make everything right.
“Your turn, Emma,” Colin said when he bounded back over from Santa.
“Oh, I’m too old to ask Santa for presents.”
“You’re never to old to make a Christmas wish,” Colin argued.
Will chimed in. “Yeah, Em. You’re never too old.”
“Fine.” Emma sighed, feeling ridiculous as she marched up to the Santa performer. He patted his lap and she shook her head. “No way.”
“Come on, dear. Don’t be shy.”
Emma looked back at the line of people waiting. This was absurd. There were little kids dying to get their turn with Santa. She didn’t want to make them wait. The best thing to do was just get this over with quickly. She balanced herself on the Santa impersonator’s knee.
“So, tell me . . .” Santa began.
“Emma.”
“Ah yes, Emma. What’s your Christmas wish, Emma?”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I wish . . . I wish . . .” But the words stuck in her mouth. Emma stared back at Will and suddenly all she wanted was another chance with him. “I wish I could make things right with him,” she whispered.
“That’s a tall order, young lady.”
“What?” Emma looked at the Santa in shock. She hadn’t realized she’d even said anything out loud.
“If you open your heart, maybe your wish will come true.”
Emma stood abruptly. Suddenly she wanted to be anywhere but there. “Thanks,” she mumbled hurrying off the stage.
“Did you make your wish?” Colin asked when she rejoined him and Will.
“Yeah,” she muttered, still feeling a bit shell-shocked.
“You’re next, Will,” Colin instructed.
Will gave them a wink and jogged over to Santa. Emma watched as he leaned in to whisper something in Santa’s ear. Santa laughed and whispered back, wiping the confident smirk from Will’s face. He glanced back at Emma and Colin and frowned. Emma watched as Will reconfirmed whatever the Santa-clad man had told him. But Santa only shook his head. Will thanked him, shook his hand and walked back over to Emma and Colin, wearing the same dazed expression Emma had when she’d left th
e stage.
26
Will
The ride down in the elevator was much less euphoric than the ride up. They were in a different car and it wasn’t decorated as festively as the one that took them to Santaland. The mistletoe was notably absent. And after what the Santa impersonator told Will, he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.
Will kept glancing at Emma cautiously. It’s not that he didn’t believe Santa, or Franklin, rather. Franklin was the son of the super in Will’s building. He was only a few years older than Will, and was going to school for acting in the city. He’d been moonlighting as Santa at Macy’s for the past few years. So when Will was planning his day with Emma and Colin, he’d asked Franklin to tell him what they wished for so Will could swoop in and be the Christmas hero.
Of course Will hadn’t taken into account that both Emma and Colin would wish for things that he couldn’t buy. Will had been completely caught off guard by both of their requests. Colin wished for ‘the best Christmas ever.’ A nearly impossible task considering Will didn’t know anything about Colin’s previous holidays. And with Emma’s wish . . . he didn’t even know where to start. She wished she could make things right with him. Had she meant Will or Colin? And if she had meant Will, what had she done that she needed to make right? Did it mean she wanted something more?
Will was still pondering the endless possibilities of meanings when they arrived at the ground floor. The elevator doors slid open and they filed out, starting toward the exit until Colin pulled them back.
“Wait,” Colin called tugging at Emma’s arm.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Will you help me pick out a Christmas present?”
She smiled. “Sure. Who’s it for?”
Colin waved her closer and whispered something in her ear.
Emma stood up and looked slyly at Will. “Oh, okay. Sure. That’s a good idea, buddy.” She faced Will. “Do you mind if we do some quick shopping?”
“Yeah. Of course.” Will started to follow them back into the maze of fragrances and cosmetics but Emma held her hand up.
The Boyfriend Series Box Set (Books 1-6): YA Contemporary Romance Novels Page 71
