Page 28 of You Make It Feel like Christmas

S HE WAS STILL IN bed when her phone rang but she’d been awake for a while. Sitting up against the pillows, Maisie swiped the screen and accepted Lexi’s FaceTime.

“Merry Christmas Eve,” Lexi said when both of them were on the screen.

Her friend’s pretty, dark hair was pulled up in a bun that sat on her head, tendrils falling out, her face makeup-free.

She’d only been with her fiancé for a few months but Maisie swore her happiness in that short period of time made her friend seem younger.

Not that either of them were very old but Lexi carried a lot of emotional weight for both herself and her mom.

It was taxing and there’d been more than a few times over the last few years Maisie wondered how much more her friend could take.

And then fate planted Will in Lexi’s section during her awkwardly awful stint as Seattle’s worst waitress.

It gave Maisie a reckless hope that something more could come from these few days with Nick.

He’d laughed more, lowered his guard a little, despite his anxiety hovering.

She’d seen a few holes in his cinderblock walls.

“You still asleep or what?” Lexi asked.

Maisie laughed, shook her head, clearing out the Nick-shaped cobwebs. “Sorry. Haven’t had coffee yet.”

“What do you have planned for everyone today?” Lexi asked.

“You know, I’m a photographer, not an event planner, so I don’t know why everyone keeps asking me that.”

Lexi grinned and tapped her chin with her index finger. The gorgeously bright diamond solitaire glimmered on the screen. “Maybe because you like to organize activities when there’s more than two people in your presence? Pictionary , cookie making, wreath making, a themed party? Ring any bells?”

Maisie held back a yawn and thought about the day.

Did she have ideas? Sure. She’d like to crawl into Nick’s bed and wish him a very Merry Christmas and then hide from her mother for the entire day.

She’d like to pretend she wasn’t worried about what happened between her and Nick when they left here.

She’d be fine with ignoring the sting of disappointment she felt when her mother looked at her.

“Hey,” Lexi said softly. “What’s going on, Maze?”

Maisie blinked, felt so much bubbling up inside of her, and even though she didn’t plan to share it, everything tumbled out of her in the longest run-on sentence ever.

From the night with Nick in June to accepting the university job, wanting to do a gallery showing and put herself out there more, her sister having a baby, wondering if it would ever be her turn, and her mother’s obvious disappointment in Maisie’s life choices.

When she finished, only a few tears had fallen and her friend was staring, her mouth open, her eyes wide. Maisie let out a long, shuddery breath. Her body felt lighter.

“How did you hold all of that in? Why did you hold all of that in?” Lexi asked, the hurt in her tone adding another hole to Maisie’s already punctured heart.

“It was too much. That night with Nick was supposed to mean nothing. I went into it wanting it to be nothing. Something fun and sexy and spur-of-the-moment, just for me. But right from the first kiss it was so much more than I expected it could be. Then, for months, I’ve thought it meant nothing to him.

When I found out who he was I googled him and felt like an idiot for thinking some big-league athlete would fall for a random woman he met at a wedding. ”

“Excuse me,” Lexi interrupted with a severe tone. “You are no random woman and any guy, I don’t care who he is or what he does, would be lucky to have you.”

“Agreed,” Will’s voice sounded through the phone, making Maisie smile.

“Thanks. I know you guys mean that but at the time, I was telling myself anything I could to get over the hurt of him being gone when I woke up. I’ve been trying to put him out of my mind for months.

I’ve been busy with work, everything that happened with you and your mom, and I didn’t even realize I wanted a family and a marriage and a partner so badly until I got here and saw how happy my entire family is with their own significant others.

Even Ellie, Nick’s sister. She just went through a divorce but she’s got Asher and is happy with her new business and life.

And me? I take photographs.” Throwing back the covers, she swung her legs to the floor.

If she was going to sit here and whine to her best friend, she could at least pick her outfit for the day.

“Maisie, look at me,” Lexi said.

Maisie stopped, steadied the phone so she was looking at her best friend.

“You don’t just take photographs. You’re a stunning photographer.

An artist. Your work has won awards and if you wanted to, you could be working in Hollywood still.

Or New York with fashion houses. You chose what you’re doing, running your own business in the town you love, because it’s what you want.

Don’t you dare let anyone make you think less of yourself. ”

The certainty in her friend’s voice cheered her up, reminding her of how Nick had chimed in the night before.

He’d had her back, just like her siblings.

She was selling herself short and she knew it.

Her mom might think she wasn’t pushing herself hard enough, but applying for the university gig was a huge step for her, and trying to get her photos into the gallery showing would be next.

“I love what I do. I don’t want the grueling hours of movie sets or runways. But I’m starting to think I want more outside of my career.”

Lexi grinned, leaned closer. “You know I’m the first person to admit I never thought I’d have it all but everyone’s ‘all’ is different. It only has to be enough for you. And sometimes you find it in the most unexpected places.”

There was truth to her friend’s words. She’d gone to Hailey and Wes’s wedding to celebrate her friend. It wasn’t supposed to change her life.

She chatted a little longer with Lexi, wished her a Merry Christmas, and promised she’d spend the day with her and Will on the twenty-seventh. Then she changed, made the bed, stacked up the presents she wanted to put under the tree, and got them ready to take downstairs.

All the while, she told herself to just focus on the day, put everything with her mom aside. She came here to enjoy Christmas with her family and that’s exactly what she was going to do. With a side of Nick King. How could it be anything other than great?

“Y OU OKAY?” N AT, STANDING next to her at the long, farm-style dining table, nudged her with her hip.

“I’m good.” Maisie turned her head to look at her sister who wore a cute green shirt that pointed to her belly and said B ABY E LF ON B OARD . Nat gave her a skeptical look. “What?”

“You’re quiet. Mom’s being annoying and the sparks between you and Nick are singeing my eyebrows.” Her sister waggled her perfectly groomed brows for emphasis, making Maisie snort laugh then laugh again because of it.

“Stop.”

Nat mimed zipping her lips shut. Maisie was confident it wouldn’t last.

Maisie finished arranging the table and then wiped her hands on the holiday apron she wore.

They’d set up the long table with cookie decorating stations and would simply decorate their own.

With how much tension she and her mom had created the evening before, it was the simpler choice. Just some wholesome family fun.

“Hey,” Natalie said, leaning her head against Maisie’s shoulder.

“You know that we love you, right? Please don’t let mom get in your head.

She doesn’t get to decide what works for your life.

You’re a kick-ass photographer. You did my wedding photos.

Jake’s. We love them. You could work anywhere in the world.

She doesn’t have to understand or accept what makes you happy. ”

Tears welled in Maisie’s eyes. She leaned her head on Nat’s. “Thanks.”

“Thank me by sharing some spicy details about the hot hockey player,” Nat whispered.

Maisie pulled away with a laugh just as Jake walked in. “Look who I found.”

Their dad walked in behind Jacob, followed by their mom, Colt, and Kyle.

Excitement filled the room as Nat hugged her dad first and then he wrapped his arms around Maisie.

“There’s my other girl. How are you, honey?” Her dad pulled away, keeping his hands on her shoulders while he gave her an assessing once-over.

“I’m good, Dad. You look great. I’m so glad you’re here but I thought you were going to be at least another day.” Maisie leaned back in for another hug.

He rubbed a hand up and down her back. “Me too. We were able to wrap things up early though so I took the next flight I could find.”

The next little bit was a whirlwind as their dad, Peter, was introduced to Ellie, Asher, and Nick and they all spent some time chatting and catching up.

Nick kept finding reasons to stand close to her and it kept Maisie’s senses on high alert.

Asher grew impatient, wanting to start decorating the cookies so they could move on to eating them.

The plan was, once they finished, Maisie and her family would open gifts while Nick took his sister and Asher to town to share some of the cookies with local businesses.

The next morning, they’d all agreed Asher should be the focus, so they’d get up, watch him revel in what Santa left, and then have breakfast.

A perfect, storybook Christmas.

Gathering the group, they all settled around the table with piles of cookies in front of them, icing in various colors, toppings, warm drinks, and music playing in the background.

It was like a scene from a freaking Hallmark movie and Maisie knew she ought to grab her camera and commemorate the moment.

But instead, she tried to just soak up every second of sitting next to Nick, hearing him laugh, watching her brother and Colton tease each other.

She stared as Kyle checked on Natalie, asking if she was sure she was comfortable and could he get her anything.

Ellie stroked Asher’s hair back from his face, kissed his cheek.

Maisie’s mom showed her dad the cookie she’d decorated and her dad laughed and took a bite of it.

She was so busy taking it all in, trying to pack the memories into her brain so she wouldn’t feel lonely when she said goodbye to her family, she didn’t realize Nick had leaned in until she felt his breath on her ear.

“Mine looks weird,” he whispered. He held up a cookie with what she guessed was supposed to be a reindeer. She’d shown them all how to use outlines and the various tips on the icing bags.

“Why does he have five legs?” She narrowed her gaze.

“That’s his tail,” Nick said, sounding somewhat put out.

Maisie met his gaze, ignoring the flash of heat. “It appears to be between his legs.”

Nick looked at it again, studying it quietly. “It’s a long tail.”

“I’ll say,” Maisie muttered.

Nick laughed loudly and the others looked their way.

“Uh-oh. Did you make something X-rated?” Ellie leaned across Asher to check.

“Not on purpose. It’s a reindeer. Maisie’s the one making it inappropriate,” Nick said.

The others laughed when he showed them his reindeer cookie. Maisie swung her leg sideways and kicked his calf with her foot.

“I like it, Uncle Nicky. It’s okay if he has five legs. Bob has a three-legged cat.”

“Who’s Bob?” her dad asked.

“The tree boss,” Colton said.

“Maybe that one stays in the keeper pile,” her dad suggested.

When Maisie looked over at her dad, he winked at her.

Every bit as successful as her mother, every bit as driven, he’d always pushed her to find her passion and live it.

Though he’d wanted her to pursue her degree and master’s as well, he backed off when Maisie made it clear that wasn’t her path.

He was gone a lot more than their mother was, even now.

She worked close to home and he constantly traveled to share and teach at other hospitals.

Maybe if he were home more, he would have shared her mom’s disappointment. Nick nudged her knee again. She looked at him and he nodded toward his cookie. He’d messily scrawled Maisie’s name and put a heart next to it.

Luckily, she didn’t melt on the spot. But she did lean closer and breathe in the scent she knew she’d recognize anywhere.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want more; she just didn’t want her mother’s version of it.

Maisie realized, looking at Nick, his thigh pressed to hers, that she could spend her life trying to gain her mom’s approval.

Or, she could just live her life and enjoy what was right in front of her. Literally.