“Which is exactly what we did with the stuff on Marie’s original list to Santa.” I twisted around to look over my shoulder before pulling out of my parking spot. “But that doesn’t help me at all when my daughter waited until yesterday to change her mind about what she really wanted.”
“I might be able to help, but it depends on what Lexi’s dad is doing today. Do you happen to know if he has five or so hours available this afternoon?” she asked.
I wasn’t sure how my father-in-law could help solve my problem, but I was willing to give anything a shot at this point. “As far as I know, he doesn’t have any plans other than coming over for dinner tonight.”
“Perfect! I’ll give him a call, and you should have Marie’s Once Upon a Unicorn wrapped and under the tree tonight,” she vowed.
“But how?” I asked, already feeling a deep sense of relief. If my mom thought she could solve my present problem, then Marie would be a happy girl tomorrow morning. My mom didn’t play when it came to her grandchildren.
“I already bought one for her, and I’m more than willing to swap out the gift tag so it comes from Santa instead of Grandma and Grandpa,” she explained. “And I’m sure her poppa will be happy to fly up here to grab it to make our granddaughter’s Christmas wish come true.”
My mom was right. All it would take was a phone call from her to explain the situation, and my father-in-law would turn one of his planes into Santa’s sleigh to guarantee that Marie got what she asked for. Maybe I had a touch of Santa’s magic, after all. I’d just needed to call the right elf to tap into it.
5
Alexa
I had loved seeing how cute Marie had been when she was pointing out all of the stuff she’d picked for the baskets to some of the kids at the homeless shelter. She’d gone into great detail about the cookies she’d decorated and the kinds of candy we’d included. They’d all bonded over a love of sugar, and my sweet girl had promised to come back to play with everyone again.
Tanner had been quieter than usual, but he’d been a big help with carrying all the baskets inside. As I pulled onto our street and glanced at him through my rear-view mirror, I made a mental note to talk to him about his experience at the shelter when I could find a quiet time with just the two of us. But not when little ears were listening. “What do you guys want for lunch? Grilled cheese sandwiches or corn dogs?”
Tanner perked up at my question. “Will they be your special ones? With four kinds of cheese?”
“When have I ever made any other kind?” I asked as I waved at Mike—who was fiddling with the wreath on his front door—and turned into our driveway before hitting the button for the garage door.
“Only when you don’t have everything you need.” He rubbed his palms together and grinned. “Which won’t be a problem today because the fridge is way full.”
“That it is,” I agreed.
“Christmas food is the best,” Marie chimed in while I pulled into the garage. “I get to eat all of my favorites on the same day.”
“And Mom went all out this year since everybody will be here,” Tanner added.
After I parked the SUV, I climbed out and opened the door for Marie. She undid her buckles and scooted out of her car seat.
“What do you have there, Marie?”
I hadn’t realized that Mike had followed us up the driveway until I heard his question. Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted him at the entrance of our garage. The poor guy must be bored out of his mind to keep popping up over here. Keeping in mind that he had to be missing Emily more than usual today, I pushed down my irritation at being interrupted when I wanted nothing more than to go inside so I could check a few more items off my to-do list. “It’s mistletoe.”
“I’ve always been big on holiday traditions. How about you?” he asked, drawing my attention away from my daughter right after she shoved the stem of mistletoe she’d been holding into my hand so she could climb out of the SUV. The homeless shelter director had given the sprig to Marie when she’d admired the live centerpieces on the cafeteria tables.
Marie bumped into me when her boots hit the ground, and I took a step back so she could squeeze around me on her way into the house. Unlike my daughter, Tanner wasn’t in a rush to go inside. Instead, he circled around to my side of the vehicle after he climbed out of his seat and slammed the door shut. Standing beside me, he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at our neighbor.
I barely managed to stifle my giggle when Tanner shifted his glare to me after I nudged him with my elbow. “What?”
“Please head inside to make sure your sister doesn’t have a problem getting her boots off,” I requested. “I did the laces up tight.”
“Sure, Mom.” He directed a suspicious look at Mike, and then he tugged my purse off my shoulder. “I’ll take this inside for you, too.”
“Thanks.” I ruffled his hair before he darted away.
“You have a good one there,” Mike complimented as we watched Tanner head into the house.
“Yeah, he’s definitely a keeper,” I agreed, pushing the car door closed. When I turned toward my neighbor, I smiled. “Emily is pretty awesome, too.”
Mike nodded and returned my grin. “I can’t argue with you there.”
Thinking about what he’d said initially, I asked, “Do you have any special traditions that you’re going to do with her when she comes home tomorrow?”
“I have her stocking filled already, which is one of her favorite parts of the holiday.” He pointed over his shoulder. “And I went out and got the same inflatable decorations that her mom has so it’ll feel more like Christmas when she comes over tomorrow.”
I passed him on the way to the entrance of my garage and peered over at his house. A six-foot-long decoration with Santa on his sleigh with a reindeer in front, a big teddy bear holding a candy cane and wearing a Santa hat, and a giant polar bear with two penguins on its back adorned his yard. “You were busy while we were out. I’m not sure how I missed those when I was driving past.”
“You were probably distracted,” Mike murmured, moving to stand beside me. “Christmas Eve is one of the most hectic days of the year for parents. It has to be hard to get stuff done with Tanner and Marie here while Drake is out.”
My morning hadn't gone as I’d planned, but I didn’t blame my husband. Not when he was out trying to accomplish the impossible so that our daughter wouldn’t be disappointed tomorrow morning and was probably having a bad day while mine had actually turned out pretty good so far. “He’s on a mission to save Christmas.”
Mike slanted me an odd look but didn’t ask me to explain my cryptic comment, which was weird since I would definitely have wanted more details if someone had said the same thing to me. Instead, he pointed at the plant I was still holding and asked, “Do you know how far back the holiday traditions surrounding mistletoe go?”
His question was strange, but it piqued my curiosity. “No. Has it been long?”
“Longer than anyone realizes.” He took the sprig from my hand and twirled it by the stem. “Using mistletoe in ceremonies dates all the way to the Celtic Druids, but it didn’t have anything to do with kissing back then. They believed that it had special healing powers and could help them to predict the future, so they gathered the plant during the winter solstice and decorated their houses with it.”
“Whoa.” My eyes were wide as I tried to remember when the Druids were around. “Wasn’t that more than a thousand years ago?”
“Yes, they date back about twelve hundred years,” he confirmed with an approving smile. “But the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe can be traced back to the festival of Saturnalia in ancient Greece. They also used it during marriage ceremonies because of the plant’s association with fertility. During the Roman era, soldiers would reconcile their differences under the mistletoe as a representation of peace. There’s also a Nordic myth surrounding it, and in Victorian England, if a girl refused a kiss under the mistletoe, then she wouldn’t g
et any marriage proposals during the next year and might end up an old maid.”
I had no idea a tiny plant could carry so much meaning to different people. “That’s a really detailed explanation.”
“I’m a bit of a history buff, and I’ve had more time than usual on my hands since the divorce. I’ve been able to indulge my hobby lately,” he explained with a shrug.
I needed to get inside, but I didn’t want to rush Mike off when he was feeling down about the holidays. That wouldn’t be very neighborly of me. “I’m glad you’re using your free time to do things you enjoy.”
He ducked his head and scuffed his boot against the concrete beneath our feet. “It’s nice to get back to some of the stuff I wasn’t able to do while I was married. My ex wasn’t a big fan of me spending hours online doing research.”
I couldn’t blame her. If Drake wanted to sit in front of his computer instead of hanging out with me, I wouldn’t be happy. But getting into a deep conversation about marriage with my recently divorced neighbor was the last thing I wanted to do. And not just because it was Christmas Eve. This was a topic I was more than happy to avoid with him forever. “Well, at least it’s something you don’t need to worry about anymore.”
“Yeah, and there are other benefits to being divorced.”
Then he lifted the stem of mistletoe in the air, and I finally realized where all his talk about traditions had been leading in his head. I really should’ve sent him back next door sooner because things were about to get awkward in the neighborhood.
6
Drake
As I turned onto our street, my cell phone rang. Lexi’s number came up on the screen on the dash, and I grinned while I pressed the button to accept the call. “Don’t worry, baby. The crisis has been averted, and I’ll be home in a minute.”
Once again, it was my son’s voice that came through the line instead of my wife’s. “Good, because we just got home from the homeless shelter, and that jerk from next door is bugging Mom again.”
“I’ll handle it,” I promised as my hands tightened on the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white.
“They’re outside in the garage,” he added. “I came in with Marie to help her with her boots.”
“Thanks for watching over your mom and sister for me. Stay inside while I take care of this,” I ordered before disconnecting the call.
“What the fuck?” I hissed as I pulled into my driveway, blinking a few times to confirm that what I thought I was seeing was real. The image in front of me didn’t change, though. The asshole who lived next door to us stood next to my wife while holding a sprig of mistletoe above her head.
A red haze clouded my vision as I slammed my car into park. Nobody kissed my wife under the mistletoe except me. Or anywhere fucking else, for that matter. Her lips were all mine.
I flung my door open, stepped out of my vehicle, and slammed it shut before stomping over to them. Yanking my wife against my side, I glared at my neighbor. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Mike sputtered, dropping his hand to his side.
“Don’t overreact, honey.” Lexi stroked her palm down my back in a futile attempt to soothe me. “The manager at the homeless shelter gave Marie that mistletoe from one of their decorations, and Mike was just telling me about its very long history of being used in celebrations.”
“How nice of him,” I drawled sarcastically. Then I tugged the stem out of our neighbor’s hold and handed it to my wife. “Maybe you should go inside and give this back to our daughter before she comes marching out here to demand it.”
Lexi sighed after searching my face. “I guess I could do that. Just try to remember that we live in this neighborhood and don’t do anything too drastic.”
I pasted on an innocent look and raised my hands in the air, palms facing her. “I’m just going to have a little chat with our neighbor. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“Uh-huh.” Her suspicious expression turned into surprise when I yanked her against my chest and cupped her cheeks with my hands, tilting her head back so I could capture her lips with mine.
I took advantage of her gasp, plunging my tongue inside her mouth. When her body melted into mine, a groan rumbled up my chest. I would’ve enjoyed taking our kiss further, but I forced myself to set her away. Giving her a little pat on her butt, I jerked my chin in the direction of our house. “Go on. I won’t be too far behind you.”
Her eyes were a little foggy as she wandered into the garage. I waited until the door leading into the house shut behind her before turning toward Mike, who seemed frozen in place. “What the fuck did you think you were doing with my wife?”
“I didn’t—” He broke off midsentence and ran his fingers through his hair. “I would never do anything to hurt Lexi.”
“Look, Mike.” I clapped my hand on his shoulder and squeezed, enjoying his wince of discomfort a little more than I probably should have. But I didn’t like how he said my wife’s name any more than I’d enjoyed seeing him hold mistletoe over her head as though he expected her to give him a kiss. “I can understand why you’d have a crush on my Lexi. She’s beautiful, smart, and sweet.” He let out a little yelp of pain when my hold on him tightened. “So sweet that I sometimes need to take care of shit for her when people try to take advantage of her kindness. Which is fine by me because I’m not as nice as my wife. And sometimes situations like this let me brush off skills I haven’t been able to use since I retired from rugby.”
Mike’s eyes widened, and his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat when he gulped. “Oh, shit.”
“I think you’re finally getting where I’m coming from.” I released his shoulder and crossed my arms over my chest. “I love my wife more than you can possibly understand. We’ve spent fifteen years together, and I have no plans for our relationship to end. Ever.”
His gaze darted toward my house, and his shoulders slumped. “I can’t blame you for wanting to keep her.”
“But I sure as fuck can blame you for thinking for even a minute that you have a chance in hell of luring her away from me.” He stumbled back a few steps at my growled accusation. “There are plenty of women in this neighborhood who would be thrilled if you tried to kiss them under the mistletoe. We won’t have any more problems as long as you stick close to one of them from now on. Or hell, as many of them as you’d like. Just so long as you stay the hell away from my wife.”
“You will never see me near her again.” I watched him as he ran across his lawn, almost bumping into a giant inflatable teddy bear in his rush to get to the safety of his house. A deep chuckle rumbled up my chest as I headed over to my car to pull it into the garage. Between making my daughter’s Christmas wish come true and scaring the fuck out of the dickhead who lived next door, I accomplished a lot today.
Lexi was waiting for me in the kitchen, her hip leaned against the counter and her arms crossed over her chest. Quirking a brow, she asked, “How badly did you scare Mike?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided that our neighborhood isn’t a good fit for him.” I walked over and pressed my hands against the counter on either side of her body, caging her in.
She twined her arms around my neck. “That’s going to suck for Marie since she and Emily have become good friends over the past few months.”
I hated that my daughter was going to be disappointed, but there was no way in hell that man was going to spend time around my wife after trying to trick her into kissing him—not that I thought she’d ever do anything to betray me. My wife loved me as much as I did her. “Maybe we can figure out something with Emily’s mom so the girls can still see each other if he moves.”
Her brown eyes were full of humor as they crinkled at the edges. “I guess I could reach out to her if it comes down to that.”
“Good.” I brushed my lips over hers. “And at least Marie will have her present from Santa to distract her if she doesn’t play with Emily as often.”
Le
xi’s brows rose, and she whispered, “You found one?”
“It will be under the tree for her in the morning,” I promised with a grin.
“How did you manage it?” Lexi shook her head. “I didn’t think any of the stores still had them in stock.”
“I had a little help from Santa’s elves,” I admitted.
She looked toward the door leading to the garage. “Why am I getting the feeling that there isn’t a you-know-what in the trunk of your car right now?”
“Because my mom already had one, and your dad is headed to Greenwich to pick it up.” I gave her another kiss before letting her go and heading over to the fridge.
She bumped me out of the way to grab several packages of cheese and the tub of butter. “I should’ve thought to call your mom before I sent you out on a fool’s errand.”
“Me, too,” I chuckled, snagging the jar of pickles when she pulled a loaf of bread out of the basket on the counter. “But at least I’m back home in time to save the day and to enjoy one of your grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.”
“Save the day,” she snorted, shaking her head as she buttered a slice of bread. “As though I couldn’t have handled the situation all by myself.”
“I know you would’ve been fine.” I pulled out the panini press and plugged it in. “But you’ll never have to deal with shit like that while I’m around, which will be for-fucking-ever.”
7
Alexa
After all of the chaos yesterday, it was a huge relief that Christmas morning went off without a hitch. Marie had been thrilled when she unwrapped her Once Upon a Unicorn, more than satisfied with the proof that Santa’s magic was real. It had taken a team effort to make her wish come true, but that tended to be true with many things when raising children. Drake and I were blessed to have so many people willing to lend a hand when needed, between our family and friends. And my favorite part of the holidays was when we all came together to celebrate.
Under the Mistletoe: A Blythe College Holiday Story Page 3
