Tic-Tac-Mistletoe - N.R. Walker Page 0,53
And I’m booking you in advance for Halloween.”
I laughed. “Deal.”
“Uh, Liv?” Josh yelled out. “It’s done!”
“Excellent,” she said, pulling out her phone. “I want to get some pics.”
“Pics of what?” I asked. “Does Josh’s ability to make eggnog warrant photos?”
She snorted. “No, silly. I want to get photos of you and Ren.”
“What?”
“Uh . . .” Ren made a face.
I shrugged. “I was not aware of this.”
Liv just laughed and shoved us in front of the Christmas tree before taking a few steps back. “Stand closer,” she directed.
We muddled through some photos, which was all kinds of awkward, but I did put my arm around Ren and he slung his around my shoulder, which was nice. And remembering how I’d said earlier that Mum used to take photos a lot and how I appreciated them now, I knew in the coming days and weeks, I’d appreciate a few photos of me and Ren together.
“Now, in the kitchen doorway,” Liv said, directing us. “It’ll frame you beautifully.”
“Okay, Steven Spielberg,” I grumbled, but we did as she asked, smiling as she tapped her phone screen.
“Are we done?” I asked, still fake-smiling.
“No,” she said. “Now look up.”
Look up?
Ren and I both looked upward at the same time to find Josh had taped some mistletoe to the top of the doorframe.
“Rules are rules,” she said, grinning behind her phone. “No interruptions this time.”
Oh God.
“Liv,” I said, feeling very thrown under the bus, trying to shoot lasers at her from out of my eyes.
She lowered her phone, her smile gone. “If you don’t kiss under mistletoe, a Christmas angel dies rather horrifically. I don’t make the rules, Hamish.”
Ren chuckled beside me, his body warm from where our sides were touching. His smell filled my head, and I couldn’t help but look up at him. He put his hand to my jaw, rubbing his thumb along my beard, and he tilted my face up and pressed his lips to mine.
Soft and warm, sweet and dizzying, he made my knees weak.
He held my face to his and I melted into him. My whole body flushed hot and my heart thumped hard in my chest. I wanted to do that tree-climbing thing again but kept the kiss on the PG side, given my sister was watching. I broke the kiss with a dopey smile and Ren chuckled again, his cheeks pink, his eyes glittering blue.
“Aaaaaand, you’re welcome,” Liv said, grinning at us. “Josh, honey, you can come out now.” She winked at me. “I told him if he interrupted, he was in big trouble.”
Josh came out of the kitchen and took Liv’s hand. “You ready?”
She nodded.
“Ready for what?” I asked.
“Haims, take a seat for me,” Liv said, leading me back to the couch. “Ren, you too.” Then, while we were being seated like school kids, Liv went to the Christmas tree and picked up a small wrapped gift. It was rectangular in shape, about the size of a book. She handed it to me as if it was a ticking bomb, then quickly stood beside Josh, taking his hand. “Okay, you can open it.”
“Don’t we do presents after dinner?” I asked.
“Just this one,” she answered. “I figured it best to get this one out of the way.”
All right then. Poor Ren looked like he’d rather be anywhere else, and an impending sense of doom settled over me. “Is this bad?” I asked.
“No.” Liv was almost bouncing. “Now hurry up and open it.”
I slid my finger under the tape and unwrapped the paper. It was a photo frame, which I had to turn over, and the picture inside was . . . a galaxy? “Is this one of those astral charts of the date of my birth?” I asked. I thought they were bigger, to be honest. I was kinda confused.
Liv shook her head, waiting for my next guess. Josh looked at me like I was an idiot.
Ren put his arm around my back. “Uh, Hamish,” he whispered. “I think it’s a sonogram.”
I shot him a look. “A whale song?”
He snorted. “No, that’s a sonar. A sonogram, as in an ultrasound.”
Ultrasound . . .
My gaze went to Liv’s, and she was smiling, nodding . . .
“Ultrasound,” I whispered. “For a baby?”
She nodded again and started to cry. “Twelve weeks. We can now officially tell everyone. So . . . Merry Christmas!”
“Oh my God!” I launched myself at her and Josh, crushing them in a jumpy, crying hug. I stopped jumping and pulled back, horrified. “Sorry. God, are you allowed to