The Christmas Grinch - Rebel Hart Page 0,47
threw together the best feast I knew how to make, and ordered what I didn’t. Nothing made me happier than seeing my parents, my sister and her husband, and both my niece and nephew sitting together in my home, enjoying each other’s company.
There was just one thing missing.
I jumped at the knock on the door, eager to answer. Hazel was standing there with a look of trepidation, unsure what to make of my sudden invitation.
“Come in,” I smiled.
She slowly came in, still uncertain, and gasped when she saw my family all together. “I thought you said you guys didn’t get together like this for Christmas.”
“We do now, thanks to Chris,” Ann said. She was sarcastic at first, but softened into a teasing laugh.
“No, it’s thanks to you,” I told Hazel. “You inspired all of this.”
“I..I don’t understand.”
Cassie and Luke came running over, eager to meet this new lady. They each said their hello’s, excitedly tugging at her coat.
“Oh, hello you two,” she beamed, kneeling down to greet them face to face. “I’m Hazel. And you must be Cassie and Luke.”
“How did you know our names?” Luke marveled.
“A special little Christmas elf told me.”
“Hazel, do you believe in Santa?” Cassie asked. “I don’t, but my dumb little brother still does.”
“You don’t believe in Santa because you keep picking on your little brother, and you don’t want to admit that if there was a Santa...he wouldn’t be bringing you anything but coal!” Ann scolded from the dining table.
Hazel thought about it for a moment, then replied, “I think it’s harder for some of us to feel the Christmas spirit than it is for others. Maybe your brother just has an easier time with it than you.”
“You should pay more attention to your brother,” I added. “You might learn a thing or two. That’s the great thing about having those holiday lover types around. They start to rub off on you after a while.”
She straightened on her feet and looked at me with a dreamy, hopeful smile. I took her by the hands and led her into the other room to talk.
“I’m so happy for you, Chris,” she said as she followed me. “I know how hard it must have been for you to convince them. And for you all to make the time.”
“I never would have done any of this if it hadn’t been for you.”
“Sorry for the inconvenience,” she laughed.
“I’m not.” I stepped closer with my eyes locked to hers. “I’m not sorry for anything that’s happened with you other than the last time we talked. I got scared and pushed you away. It was so stupid, and I don’t deserve to have you here with me right now. But since you are here...you should know...I lied in my office. I know damn well what was happening between us. I was falling for you. I still am. I’m going to keep falling for a long time unless you stop me.”
She considered it for a moment. “Why on earth would I want to do something like that? How about we both just keep falling for as long as we can?”
“You think people like us can handle giving up that kind of control?” I quipped.
“Eh,” she rolled her shoulders. “I’m learning control isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
“There you two are,” my dad appeared in the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt, but everyone’s starving. One of us needs to carve this ham to kick everything off. I’ve seen enough movies to know that’s how this works.”
“We’ll be right there,” I laughed.
He hesitated for a moment, looking at something up above us. “I’ve also seen enough movies to know you two are supposed to kiss under that thing.”
He walked out, leaving us both to glance up and see the mistletoe hanging overhead.
“Chris Palmer,” she scolded. “Did you put that there and lead me in here on purpose?”
“So what if I did?” I winked.
“You get bonus points.”
I pulled her in close and pressed my lips to hers, feeling like everything in the world was made right again in that moment. Her tongue slipped between my lips, rolling across mine. I had never felt so afraid of something slipping through my fingers. But at least I knew to hold on tight and do everything I could to keep that from happening. I certainly wasn’t going to throw it all away again just because I was scared.
We finally forced ourselves apart and joined the rest of my family at the table for the big feast. We sipped