Page 54

Framily Book Club Christmas party

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I can’t believe I’m here. And by here, I mean sitting in the living room of the house Abby and I bought down the street from my brother and Hannah.

But not only am I sitting in the living room of that house, but I’m sitting in the living room wearing matching freaking christmas pajamas with a damn elf hat on my head, it has ears.

Bloody. Freaking. Ears! I’m also sporting elf slippers that jingle when I walk.

JINGLE. Do you know what this would do to my street cred if anyone on my team saw me like this?

Apart from Zeke, who is sitting across from me dressed as Santa.

Apparently, it was in our Marriage Terms and Conditions that I have to partake in stupid shit like this.

But I lost all of my fight when Abby came out of the bathroom earlier with tears in her eyes.

Her pajamas are skin tight, they look like they could be painted on her.

The panic I felt quickly gave way to amusement when she started laughing, and I realized she was enjoying this, not sad.

“This was the best idea Hannah and I have ever had,” she said through a fit of giggles.

And now, here we are. Reading a Christmas novella about a cowgirl stranded in a snowstorm, and the only person still in town is the broody older man, who also happens to be the town's mechanic. Who doesn’t love an age gap?

“Mr. Neilson, I can’t thank you enough for pullin’ my car into the shop,” Hannah says in her most southern accent .

“Darlin, you don’t got to thank me for doing my job,” Abby reads in her “manly” voice.

“‘Oh, but I do,’ I say as I trail my finger down the middle of his chest, his hand wrapping around my own. The sheer size difference between them should be enough to make me pause. But this man has been the star of my dreams for years, ever since he changed my tire when I was fresh out of college. ‘I could think of lots of ways I could thank you that don’t require talkin'.’”

Monroe lets out a holler. “Get 'em girlie!” And boy does she, props to the cowgirl for taking what she wanted.

Kinda reminds me of someone else. My eyes move toward Abby, who still sits between Monroe and Reed on book club nights.

Monroe brought Scarlett with him, and I know both Abby and Hannah are over the moon about it.

Scarlett is the newest addition to the friend group.

She owns a bar called The Tipsy Sparrow, and it seems that she met Lucas and Abby within weeks of each other.

She fit in with both of them like she’s been around for years.

And of course, Hannah welcomed her with open arms, and with their approval, she had that of everyone who mattered.

I know Abby’s hurting for him, and I don’t like it when my wife is hurting.

I would have drug him here by his stupid man bun if I had to.

He’s checked out for the rest of the chapter, not even realizing we’ve stopped reading when everyone piles out of our living room and heads to the kitchen. Well, everyone but him, me, and Abby.

“You good, Monroe?” I ask. It must shock him because his head snaps in my direction, his eyebrows pulling tight against his hairline. Abby braided his chin-length hair into braids that match hers, a pair of conspiring twins, these two .

He looks between me and my wife as he tries to figure out what to say. He finally sighs, as he leans forward on his knees. “I...” He runs a hand along his jaw, plopping back in his spot. “No.”

Abby’s eyes soften as she takes in his defeated form. “What’s going on?”

His cheeks turn a light shade of pink, his usual easygoing smile nowhere to be found.

“I...” He swallows hard, voice thick with regret.

“I don’t want to feel like this anymore, but I don’t know how to pull myself out of it.

” His head shakes as he puts his finger through the ring that hangs on his neck, moving it back and forth across the chain.

“Scarlett’s helping so much, but I feel like I put so many expectations on her in my head. If she lets me down, even unintentionally, I’m going to lose myself completely.” The humorless chuckle he lets out sounds so wrong coming from him.

“The weight of this entire situation is suffocating,” he sighs, running a hand through his hair, “ None of it can be undone. And her?” His entire face brightens as soon as his eyes land on the woman in question, “She’s my north star, and she doesn’t even know it.”

He lets out a shaky breath, “Could I have done something differently? Would it have even made a difference in the end? What happens if she leaves, too?” His head falls forward, shaking slightly.

“God, the regret is eating me alive. The what-ifs.

.. I'm allergic to planet bullshit. I want off this ride.”

My wife’s eyes narrow on the side of his face, even when he’s down, he’s got some ridiculous saying .

“Monroe...” She’s on the floor in front of him before he can open his mouth.

“There was nothing you could have done; you did everything right for years.” Her hand brushes against his cheek in a move that would piss me the hell off if it was anyone else.

“This isn’t your fault, but you know as well as anyone else that we all have our demons.

You’ve danced with yours, alone, for a long time. Let us help you carry it.”

Her soft, watery smile brings tears to my eyes.

She loves Monroe like he’s another one of her brothers, seeing her hurt for him, hell, all of us are hurting for him, it makes me want to wrap them both up in a hug.

“It's okay to reinvent yourself, Monroe. But this ,” her hand motions to him, “this isn’t you. You are to everyone else what Lettie is to you. She cares enough to help you get better. Let her. She’s been a good friend to all of us, and you’ve been happier since she’s been around.

I know you’re scared, but you can’t keep people out forever.

You deserve the love you give everyone else. ”

He smiles softly at her before pulling her in for a hug, “Thanks, Knighty,” he whispers.

“It’s Wilder,” I grunt, causing them to break apart and aim their villainous smiles in my direction. I don’t mind it, actually. It’s the first time I’ve seen him smile for real since October.

“Right, sorry. Thanks, Wildey,” he corrects, sending a wink to me over Abby’s head. He stands and walks into the kitchen, hopefully to get some food. The guy hasn’t eaten anything since he got here; he’s usually on plate five or six by now .

Abby takes her spot back on the couch across from me, and I smile.

Just because we’re married doesn’t mean I can’t give her a hard time.

“Wait, you’re older than me... Does that make you a cougar, Tink?

” Her eyes harden before she throws a pillow across the coffee table at me, smacking me directly in the face.

But I don’t care, she can do whatever she wants to me.

The smile on my face has become permanent in her presence.

Greyson’s teammates, heck my teammates, gave me crap for it for a few weeks.

But once they realized I wasn’t as asshole-ish as I let them believe, they let it go.

And now, I don’t even remember how to be that guy.

She killed the grump in me. I was tired, broken, cynical, yet she loved me anyway.

Everything good in me was brought to life and protected by her love.

I never had to wonder, even when I deflected and acted like a complete fool, I didn’t question her love for me.

Now here, in the middle of this awful themed party, her eyes catch mine, a sparkle promising she’ll “thank me for this later” shines bright.

There would be no me without her. My heart would still be locked inside its cage, and I would be going through the motions, trying my hardest to keep up the facade that I don’t care who sticks around.

But here, in our living room, my thoughts settle on the fact that I am, in fact, wild for this woman.

It’s a love so pure, so giving, so unconditional that it feels like breathing.

Loving her is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.

Loving her is my life's greatest accomplishment.

Her eyes meet mine across the room, a smile blooming like the flowers in the spring. “I love you, Sunshine.”

I hum. “I love you too, Terrifying Little Pixie.”

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The end