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“I’ve heard it is.” Her eyes slid to me. “I can’t wait to go.”
“I already said I would show you around.” When I glanced at Melody and saw her looking at us with a raised eyebrow, I cleared my throat. “Or you could take Winnie.”
“But how will I know all the good spots to get photos? I’m excited not to be stuck with only a Polaroid.”
“You had a Polaroid?” Melody asked. “Did you get any good pictures? I would love to see them.”
“Let me pick the best ones out, Mom. You know I’m a perfectionist.”
“And which ones are appropriate.”
Stella laughed awkwardly. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, who knows what could happen when you’re stuck in snow.” A smile crossed her face, and she’d never looked more like Amma.
Oh boy. How much longer did we have untileveryonefigured it out?
Even Nick seemed to have an idea.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him watching us again. Instead of my usual guilt, there was a spark of annoyance.
Stella was a smart woman. Why did it matter so much to him who she dated? Why did he not trust her?
I didn’t have siblings, so maybe I didn’t get it, but I wasn’t a terrible person for her—or at least I didn’t think so.
It hit me just how wrong he had been to tell me I couldn’t date her all of those years ago, and if he did it again, he’d still be wrong.
I was done suffering in the name of friendship. Love didn’t have to come with pain.
“I’m so happy to see you getting along,” Melody said. “You two were always so close.”
“It just took us getting stuck together to get it right,” Stella said, and her eyes went to the Christmas tree. “Oh, geez. Amma is climbing the ladder. Alden, hold my drink.”
She shoved it into my hands without another thought.
“Something happened while you were stuck together, didn’t it?”
“N-no.”
“Okay, whatever you say. I think you’d be cute together, though. I’ve rooted for you two ever since she insisted she was gonna marry you someday.”
My eyes went wide. “When did she say that?”
“It was maybe six months after Nick met you and you started coming by the house more. Of course, both of you were too young then. But I thought that something would happen when she went off to college. Little did I know I’d have to wait.”
“So you’re fine with us being together?”
“More than fine,” she said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I ... I don’t know. I guess I thought I wasn’t good enough for her.”
She gently smacked the back of my head. “Alden Canes, you’re a good kid. Don’t let anyone tell you any differently.”
I rubbed the spot but nodded. My anxiety lifted even further. More people would be on my side than I thought.
After Amma finished the tree, we opened the few presents we did get before the party started to wind down. I hadn’t gotten Stella anything, something I regretted now that she was my whole world.
But if things went my way, I’d have plenty more holidays to spoil her on.