Page 22 of The Holiday Exchange

He huffs out a laugh. “I’m being too good a boyfriend?”

I glance at him. “I think you’re just being you, and that’s what makes you special.”

“Stop it.” He playfully nudges me. “It’s not hard to be nice to your family. They’re great people.”

“I can tell how much they enjoy having you here. Thanks for ruining all future boyfriends for me,” I tease.

“Ditto. I mean, where can I get another boyfriend with a hometown straight out of a Hallmark movie? Nothing else will compare.”

I inhale a sharp breath, my skin tingling, even knowing this is simply banter.

“Too much?” he says. “Laying it on too thick?”

God, he always knows what to say. “You’re just trying to get an early invite for next year.”

We laugh as we pull up to the pizza parlor. I hop out to retrieve our order, and then we’re heading home, trading yawns the whole way there.

After dinner, we share a bottle of wine while seated around the fireplace. Dad has shadows under his eyes, and I wonder if he’s getting too old for all this. Guilt prickles in my stomach. “We drove through the apple grove the other day. Are they bearing any fruit?”

“They didn’t this year. Maybe next fall.”

“Certainly hope so,” Mom says. “It’ll be nice to add some bushels to the harvest.”

“You sure you’re not doing too much? You already have a lot on your plate.”

Dad’s gaze swings to me, his forehead wrinkling. “You know how it gets around the holiday. Soon enough it’ll be three months of frozen ground, and business will come to a screeching halt. There’ll be time for rest then.”

“You’re right, of course. I just worry that?—”

Mom taps my hand and meets my eye. “We’ve got plenty of years left in us.”

Dawson remains silent, which I appreciate, and he doesn’t look uncomfortable to be privy to the conversation. Just invested and sympathetic.

Once we’re showered and in bed with the lights out, we lie on our backs, staring at the ceiling. “It’s obvious how much your parents love their business. It’s a lifeline for them, and that’s something I can relate to. But your concern for their well-being makes sense, especially as they grow older.”

“Thanks.” I blow out a breath, glad he gets it. “Soon enough plans will need to be made, but that’s a discussion for another day.”

“Oh, at least another few years.”

“I sure hope so.”

He grows quiet, his breaths evening out, but I can’t seem to stop the thoughts swirling in my head. The clouds moving across the third quarter of the moon create shadows on the walls as I whisper, “Dawson?”

“Hmm?” he replies in a sleepy voice.

I turn toward him with my hands beneath my head on the pillow. “What you said in the diner…about noticing me…”

“All true.” He adjusts his body to mirror mine, and we’re so close, I can feel his rapid breaths on my cheek. “I was drawn to your energy. I knew you were a good person, and seeing you always brightened my day.”

My heart thumps harder. “I was drawn to you too,” I confess. “I made a point of stopping in for an afternoon boost just so I could talk to you. You make it ridiculously easy, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know you.”

His lips are centimeters away, and it would be so easy to close the distance between us. But I have no idea if that would ruin this—us. Our budding friendship.

“When you started seeing my brother, I knew he wasn’t right for you. I hate saying that about my twin. He’s welcome to live his life however he sees fit, but I just…hated seeing him with you.” He shakes his head. “But who was I to meddle in your dating life? Maybe I was just projecting because…” He stops,then says, “Never mind. I just knew there was a chance I could be wrong.”

Obviously not. Though the idea of Nathan being here with me now no longer sits right in my gut. It’s like it needed to be Dawson all along.

“You helped me see things differently,” I murmur. “Figure out what I really want.”