The Christmas Secret: A BWWM Holiday Romance

by Peyton Banks

  The Christmas Secret

  A BWWM Holiday Romance

  Peyton Banks

  “What's meant to be will always find a way”

  Trisha Yearwood

  Contents

  Peyton’s Freebie

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Epilogue

  A Note From the Author

  About the Author

  Also by Peyton Banks

  Copyright © 2020 by Peyton Banks

  Editor: Dana Hook with Rebel Edit & Design.

  Cover Design by Peyton Banks

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, businesses, events, and incidents are a figment of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any similarities to real people, businesses, locations, history, and events are a coincidence.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Information about the copyright permissions of the stock photos used can be provided upon request.

  Created with Vellum

  Peyton’s Freebie

  Sign up for my mailing list and get your free copy of Tempest: His Best Friend’s Sister Romance! This book is not published anywhere! It’s my gift to you!

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  Blurb

  There’s no place like home for the holidays...

  When her best friend comes home for the holidays, there is something different about him. Gracie Logan had been best friends with Harris since they were in junior high. Growing up, he had been the popular guy in town who all the women swooned over.

  And she had been stuck in the friend category forever.

  Keeping her lips sealed about her crush, she decided to continue being the one thing he needed most—a friend.

  Harris Bates was home for the holidays. One look at Gracie and knew he could no longer fight what he had known for years.

  She was the one for him.

  Sparks began to fly, and they can’t ignore the intense attraction between them. Will they act on what is brewing between them? One thing they both knew was that nothing will ever be the same again.

  The Christmas Secret is a steamy, holiday BWWM romance. For readers who love sexy, friends to lovers romance, this is for you. This short novella is reserved for mature readers only.

  1

  “Why do you keep checking your phone?”

  Gracie looked up from her smartphone and side-eyed her best friend, Ida, who was currently driving them to town.

  “I thought I felt it vibrate.” Placing it on her lap, she focused on the road, hating how her friend could read her so well. After a few moments of silence, Gracie began tapping her fingers on her knee, trying to keep from picking up the device again.

  “Waiting on a message from him?”

  “No. He’ll call me when he gets into town,” Gracie replied, trying to act nonchalant, but one look at Ida told her she had failed.

  Miserably.

  Guiding the vehicle down the snowy road, Ida countered, “You’ve checked your phone every three minutes. Why don’t you just call him?”

  “For what?”

  “To see when he will arrive, and if it’s going to be solo this time.”

  Gracie stiffened. She couldn’t wait for him to come home, but she didn’t want to think that he may not be alone.

  She stared out the window, watching the winter scenery fly by. They were on their way to the town’s recreation center so Ida’s daughter, Luna, could meet Santa Claus. Langdale was a small town nestled into the countryside of Illinois, where she had grown up, and always loved the small-town atmosphere.

  Everyone knew everyone.

  Christmas was just around the corner, and she couldn’t wait for him to return home.

  The he Ida was speaking of was Harris Bates.

  The boy next door.

  Gracie and Harris had grown up together, and he had been her protector when kids in school tried to pick on her. There weren’t many black families in Langdale. She wouldn’t say that the kids were cruel to her because of her race, but that they were just being kids.

  Harris had been the popular guy everyone respected. He had been the jock, while she had been a cheerleader. He had been the bad boy, while she was the good girl.

  They were friends, and Harris had always looked out for her.

  He just never looked at her as a woman.

  She was just Little Gracie to him.

  After high school, he had enrolled in the Marines, leaving her behind.

  Throughout the years, they had remained close through texts, phone calls, and social media. When she’d found out he had been deployed, she had been scared to death. Gracie and his mother, Molly, had ensured he always had goodie packages mailed to him wherever he was overseas.

  When he was honorably discharged after eight years of service, he had moved to Chicago, and made it home a few times a year to visit his family. She looked forward to each and every one of them because they got to hang out, making it feel like old times.

  “When are you going to tell that boy you’re in love with him?”

  Damn her.

  Gracie swung her head around and stared at Ida, who grinned at her unashamedly.

  “Aunt Gracie, you have a boyfriend?” Luna, the spunky five-year-old who was precious to Gracie, asked through a giggle. Ida, her best friend, was a single mother, divorced from her ass of an ex-husband, and had returned to Langdale to be closer to her family, who were helping her raise Luna. Gracie and Ida had become friends in high school, where they were both on the same cheer team, and developed a friendship that turned into a lifelong sisterhood. Gracie was an only child, so she considered Ida a sister—family.

  “No, I do not.” Turning around in her seat, Gracie looked into Luna’s big brown eyes and made a silly face, eliciting a fit of laughter from the girl. “Your mother doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

  “Sure. I’ve only watched your auntie for years now. She just doesn’t know she’s in love, Luna,” Ida cackled.

  “Auntie Gracie, when do you know you’re in love?” Luna asked in all seriousness.

  Little did she know, Gracie didn’t have an answer.

  Was she in love with Harris?

  She thought back to when his dirty blond hair had given him a rugged look. When he entered into the military, he had to cut it all off. She had to admit, though, he’d cleaned up nicely. He had the clearest blue eyes she’d ever seen. He was tall, always kept in shape, and women always flocked to him.

  It had been hard watching him go through women over the years, but it was rare for him to commit to a relationship. She’d met a few he had dated, but was always relieved when he’d share that he had broken things off.

  Hearing about him with any woman was torture.

  Not that she’d been celibate. She’d had her fair share of relationships.

  She realized a long time ago that she would always be in the friend zone with him.

  And that was okay, as long as he was still in her life.

  Gracie smiled. “I don’t know, peanut. I’m sure that whenever I fall in love, it will hit me out of nowhere.”

  “Then you’ve obviously not been hit hard enough, because you’re already in love,” Ida grumbled.

  “Shut it.” Rolling her eyes, Gracie tug
ged her winter cap down and reached out to turn the volume up on the radio.

  Christmas was her favorite time of the year. Living in Illinois, the winters could be harsh at times. This year, they had gotten the perfect amount of snow. The town was decorated beautifully, and the holiday cheer was definitely seen and felt everywhere.

  She began singing along when one of her favorite Christmas songs began to play. Her voice cracked a few times, but she didn’t care. Once the chorus hit, Ida and Luna joined in.

  Being that they were off to see Santa, the song was perfect.

  Soon they were turning into the parking lot of the Langdale Recreation Center, where there were already plenty of snow-covered vehicles parked in the lot.

  “Wow. Everyone must be out for Santa,” Ida murmured as they looked for a close spot to park in.

  “How is Santa here today? Shouldn’t he be getting ready for Christmas?” The excitement brewing from the back seat was refreshing, and had Gracie grinning.

  “Santa can do all things when it comes to Christmas. He must want to triple check his list,” Gracie teased, glancing over her shoulder at Luna. “I hope you’ve been a really good girl.”

  “I have,” Luna declared proudly. “My room is clean, and I’ve taken care of Boots too.” Boots was her little French Bulldog her mother had purchased for her birthday.

  “Here we go,” Ida announced, pulling the car into a snug spot between two pickup trucks. After bundling themselves up, they exited the car, the chilly air cutting through Gracie’s coat. Hoisting her purse up on her shoulder, she trudged through the snow behind Ida and Luna toward the building.

  The recreation center was a common area for the community to gather for events, offering all sorts of activities all year round. For Christmas, Santa came to town, and the children looked forward to it. They could tell Santa how good they were, put in their last-minute requests, and take a photo with the big man in the red suit himself.

  Once inside, they were hit with the warmth of the building. Gracie shuddered, thinking the weatherman had lied about how cold it was supposed to be. A week before Christmas, and it felt as if they’d been dropped in the middle of the arctic circle.

  After checking their coats, they stopped at a few of the vendor tables set up in the lobby. There was everything from homemade baked goods to beautiful jewelry; everything a little town had to offer.

  “Look at this.” Ida waved Gracie over to a table where Lila Evans sat. She was a short woman with spiked brown hair streaked with blue. Her grin was wide and infectious.

  “Hey, Ms. Evans, how are you?” Gracie greeted her.

  “I’m doing well, Gracie. Come, see if you like anything.” The woman’s table was filled with crochet scarves, hats, and other items. Scanning the items, her gaze fell on a scarf and hat set that was the perfect shade of blue.

  It would match Harris’s eyes.

  “How much for this set?” she asked, her hand running along the soft material.

  Ms. Evans gave her a wink. “For you, honey, twenty-five dollars.” Gracie smiled and reached for her wallet. After completing the transaction, they continued browsing the tables until Luna started to nag them about getting in line for Santa.

  “Come on. We have to hurry before Santa leaves!”

  “Okay. Let me just pay for these cookies,” Ida chuckled, smiling down at her daughter. “Maybe we can leave a couple of these out for Santa.”

  Luna’s eyes grew wide, and she nodded.

  “I don’t blame her,” a voice chimed in. Turning, Gracie found Lisa Bowen standing beside her, a girl who worked at the grocery store, and a few years older than her.

  “Why do you say that?” she asked as she looked down at the few bags in her hand, wondering if she should run them out to the car because she had picked up a few other gifts for her family. Looking out the front doors, she was quickly reminded of the arctic wind whirling around outside, and shuddered.

  The bags could wait.

  Lisa chuckled. “Because this year, Santa is not the ol’ jolly round man. Hell, he’s got all the women trying to sit on his lap to make a wish.”

  “Really?” Maybe Santa needed to lose weight?

  “All right, Luna Bear. Let’s go meet Santa,” Ida announced, adding her goodies to her other bag.

  Luna jumped up and down, cheering, “Yes! Yes!”

  Gracie followed the pair toward the room where Santa was waiting.

  2

  The beard itched. The suit was hot as hell, but it was well worth it when he looked into the eyes of all the kids coming to make their Christmas wishes.

  Harris Bates wasn’t sure how he had let himself get talked into being Santa this year, but he was glad he had done it.

  His mother had called to inform him that Donald Taylor, who had been Langdale’s Santa for the past twenty years, was down with the flu, and didn’t want to spread it around the community. Her next announcement was that she had volunteered for him to take his place, and when Molly Bates told you to do something, you did it. There was no help for him, his brother, Drew, or his father, Chester.

  That woman could sell an Eskimo ice.

  And that’s why he was dressed in a fake white beard, matching wig, and a full Santa suit, including big black boots.

  Harris was in impeccable shape and refused to wear a fat suit. He was hot enough in just the suit, he couldn’t imagine having to pack anything else inside.

  So, this year, Langdale’s Santa didn’t have a round belly.

  “And a train set,” the kid finished up.

  Harris had blanked out on the rest of the items little Jimmie had rattled off.

  “Well, have you been a good boy?” Harris asked, chuckling.

  “Umm…I think so.” Jimmie’s gaze flicked to his mother, who was waiting patiently nearby. Harris could see she was trying to hold back her laughter. “But I will be on my best behavior this week.”

  “You promise?” Harris couldn’t help but tease the poor boy.

  “Yes, sir. I’m going to clean my room as soon as I get home.”

  “All right, then. I’ll see what my elves can do for you.”

  “Thanks, Santa,” Jimmy gushed as he hopped down and skipped over to his mother.

  Harris took in a deep breath. It had been a few hours, and the time was winding down. The recreation center was fully decked out for Christmas. He’d forgotten how much the town went out of their way to ensure the kids had a fun holiday activity with Santa.

  A few volunteers were dressed as elves, and the area was decked out with fake snow, trees, and a path that led to Santa sitting in a large wooden chair.

  His parents had brought him and Drew when they were younger to meet Santa, and he could remember the feeling he got after spilling his list to the jolly old man, then opening those gifts on Christmas morning.

  He and Drew had a great childhood, and were as close as brothers could be.

  Growing up, they were glued at the hip, as his mother would say, even though Drew was two years younger than him.

  Harris scanned the line of people waiting, and his gaze landed on a familiar figure at the front of the line. His heart skipped a beat.

  Gracie Logan.

  She was standing with Ida, and her daughter, Luna.

  Gracie was the girl next door, and they had been friends growing up. He’d had to step in a few times when they were younger, when kids tried to make fun of her. In junior high, she had braces, and kids were just being cruel about the metal things on her teeth.

  But no one would pick on Gracie with him around.

  He’d set them straight, and after that, no one messed with her.

  Over the years, they had grown close. In high school, he could remember her cheering at his football games. He and Drew had stepped in to rough up a few of her boyfriends when they had done wrong. She’d even cried on his shoulder a few times over the losers who had broken her heart.

  They shared everything with each other. When he had entered the
military, she had been his number one supporter, along with his family.

  Her letters kept him grounded.

  He’d entered a dark place in his life when he was deployed to Afghanistan, and her words helped him stay connected to the real world. Each week, he looked forward to her correspondence.

  She was the good girl.

  After high school, she’d commuted to the junior college not too far from Langdale. Graduating with a business degree, she had taken a job at a popular women’s clothing store in town as a manager. She was close to his family. His mother loved her, and claimed her as her adopted daughter.

  Not that he ever thought of her in the sister-like sense.

  Gracie must have felt his gaze, because she turned slightly, and for a second, their eyes connected.

  Harris wasn’t sure why his heart was racing the way it was.

  This was Gracie.

  His friend.

  She was dressed in a soft cream sweater, jeans, and boots, her dark hair parted down the middle and put into two twin braids. Her brown skin appeared to glow, and her lips were painted a bright red. She always wore light make-up, but in his opinion, she didn’t need any. She was a natural beauty.

  His Gracie was funny, sweet, and had a big heart.

  He didn’t want to mess that up.

  He’d done some fucked-up things in his past, but he knew that in her eyes, he could do no wrong.

  So, he tucked what he felt for her in the corner of his heart, wanting to keep her just the way she was.

  It hit him then that she didn’t recognize it was him underneath the disguise.

  He grinned.

  Harris was about to have some fun with this.

  The elves spoke with Luna first, who was grinning at him. Waving her forward, she skipped down the path with her dark ponytails flopping until she reached him.