Page 7 of You Make It Feel like Christmas

M AISIE STARED AT THE ceiling thinking about how to approach the day when Natalie waltzed in without even knocking. Maisie startled and boosted herself up on her elbows.

“Looks like someone still wakes up with resting grumpy face,” Natalie said, flopping on the end of the mattress.

“Rude,” Maisie said around a laugh as she sat all the way up.

No more avoiding the day ahead. Or the broody hockey player next door.

He’d looked so sincere and so stupid hot, she’d spent all night thinking about him.

Too cowardly to face him again last night, she’d snuck down to the kitchen for a slice of cold pizza when the house was quiet.

Her stomach growled at the thought of food.

She should have pilfered some snacks for today but there was no way her family would let her hide without explanation. And she was not explaining Nick King.

“Not rude if it’s true. What’s on the agenda?” Natalie already had her hair neatly braided, was dressed, and looked suspiciously like she’d had at least one caffeinated drink. Unfair advantage.

Maisie sighed. “Why are you asking me?”

Jacob strolled into the room, also showered, dressed in jeans and a sweater, a cup in his grasp.

Maisie reached out her hands. “Gimme. If you two are going to barge into my room, I get the coffee…”

Jacob smiled, walked over to her but glanced at Natalie. “Someone still wakes up hella grouchy.”

Maisie accepted the mug and turned it to see it had a cartoonish reindeer in Christmas pajamas on it. She brought it to her lips and ignored her siblings for a couple of blissful seconds. Jacob sat in the chair, amusement in his gaze.

Lowering the mug, Maisie leaned against the headboard. “You know, when I used to come into your rooms, both of you would kick me out.”

“You were annoying,” Jacob teased.

Maisie took a long swallow of his coffee, pretending it didn’t burn, just to bug him.

Both of her siblings laughed and she reminded herself that this was why she came here. Time with her family. If her thoughts vacillated between how to avoid Nick or get him alone to see if his hands were every bit as skilled as she remembered, she could keep it to herself.

“What’s the plan for the day?” Natalie asked again as Jacob took his cup back and drank down the last of the coffee.

Maisie shrugged. “How would I know?”

Jacob snort laughed. “You’ve had a list of activities for us to do since you could print more than three words.”

“Hi, Maisie,” Asher said, appearing in the doorway. “What are you guys doing?”

Maisie smirked at her brother and sister before answering him. “My brother and sister were just bugging me because that’s what brothers and sisters do.”

Natalie and Jacob both said hello to the adorable, tousle-haired cutie who wore pajamas covered in what looked like tiny Darth Vaders in Santa hats.

“My mom says Uncle Nicky was a pain in her bottom,” Asher said seriously as he came into the room.

The three adults laughed but Maisie’s was cut short when Nick filled the doorway looking way too good for her brain to process. His Guardians T-shirt—a different one from the night before—hugged his chest, emphasizing his muscular arms. One of those arms scooped up Asher.

“Your mom was the pain. Just like you, you little monkey,” Nick said, making the little boy giggle. He curled his arm, bringing his nephew closer, nuzzling him.

The cuteness combined with Nick’s sexiness was almost too much to witness. When she forced herself to look away, she caught Natalie looking at her knowingly.

“Sorry about the interruption,” Nick said, looking anywhere but directly at Maisie. He didn’t sound sorry.

“No need to apologize,” Natalie said, her tone unsettling Maisie’s stomach.

She knew that tone. Growing up, it was the tone that meant she said something to a boy Maisie liked or borrowed clothing without asking or ate the last of the peanut butter chocolate cookies.

It never worked out in Maisie’s favor. Trying to kick her sister, to nudge her out of whatever she was about to do, her foot tangled in the sheets.

“We’re waiting for Maisie to tell us the plan for today. She loves to organize fun activities and has been bossing us around since she was your age, Asher.”

Maisie resisted the urge to scoot down under the covers. As if sitting there with bedhead in front of Nick wasn’t bad enough, her sister needed to make her sound like a holiday drill sergeant.

Asher, who was now perched on his uncle’s hip, nodded like he understood. “Mom says she’s the boss.” Then he looked at Maisie. “Can me and Uncle Nicky have plans with you? We can build a snowman.”

“Of course you can,” Jacob said happily, standing up.

“How about we let Maisie get out of bed?” Nick said gruffly, his voice deeper at the word “bed.” He backed out of the doorway, his gaze dancing over to her briefly.

She wasn’t sure if it was his gaze or the way he said her name that sent a bolt of electricity through her system. Either way, she needed to ignore it.

T HANKFULLY, M AISIE WAS ABLE to rush her sister and brother out of the room claiming she needed to catch up to everyone and get dressed.

She avoided Natalie’s gaze, knowing her sister was picking up on something, even if there was absolutely no way for her sister to guess.

Maisie wasn’t the one-night kind of girl and even if she caved and told Natalie, her sister wouldn’t believe her.

But she wasn’t telling anyone. Not Natalie.

Not Lexi. Because moving forward meant not looking back.

No matter how hot the past looked in a T-shirt and jeans.

Or nothing at all. Natalie doesn’t know.

But she suspected something. Maybe pregnancy gave her some sort of Spidey/romance senses.

When she came downstairs, the delicious smell of pancakes distracted her and almost made her drool. One piece of pizza hadn’t been enough.

“Hey, good morning,” Colton said, coming around the counter with a platter of pancakes in one hand. He wore a very bright and festive apron that read: S ORRY, S ANTA .

He curled an arm around Maisie’s shoulder and pressed a kiss to her temple. “How you doing?”

Maisie put one arm around him to return the affectionate squeeze while stealing a perfect pancake from the platter. “Better now.” She took a big bite, making Colton laugh.

They joined the others in the dining room and Maisie was grateful to see that the seats next to Nick were taken by his sister and Asher. Keeping her head down, she walked to a free spot next to Natalie.

“Your hair looks cute pinned back like that,” her sister said, picking up her glass of orange juice.

Cute? Gee, thanks, Nat. Nick had spent a lot of the night they were together telling her she had the prettiest eyes he’d ever seen.

So, had she made them a little more noticeable this morning by pinning the front of her hair back and adding some mascara?

Maybe. But she hadn’t been aiming for “cute.”

Nick glanced at her, his gaze unreadable.

“It feels weird to have someone making breakfast and serving it when I’m supposed to be hosting. I almost feel bad,” Ellie said as Colton and Jacob put the pancakes in the center of the table, which also had scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and bowls of fruit.

Colton leaned down and kissed the crown of Ellie’s head in such a sweet, brotherly way, Maisie wished she’d brought her camera downstairs. He grinned as he walked to his seat. “The good thing about lifelong friends is they know your weaknesses and love you anyway.”

Spying from beneath lowered lashes, Maisie watched Nick poke his sister before picking up the eggs and scooping some onto Asher’s plate. “What he’s saying is, no one wants to eat your cooking.”

Asher leaned his head on his mom’s shoulder. “I want to eat it, Mommy. I like your dino nuggets.”

Ellie closed her eyes with a laugh then grinned at her son, bopped him on the nose. “That’s my specialty.”

Something stirred in Maisie’s chest; a cross between wistfulness and craving. Since her best friend had recently fallen flat on her face in love, it’d created a strange sort of hopefulness inside of her. One she didn’t want to feel while in the same room with Nick.

Everyone dug in, chatting, laughing, talking over each other while enjoying fluffy pancakes and delicious sides. If Maisie could just smooth out the far-too-aware-of-Nick issue, she’d have a great time.

“We all know it’s coming, so Maze, why don’t you tell us some of the plans you have,” Jacob said. “Or are we waiting for Mom and Dad?”

She felt everyone looking at her but she felt Nick’s gaze the most. She set down the slice of bacon she’d picked up, wiped her hands on a napkin, and looked at Ellie without glancing at Nick.

“They’re just giving me a hard time because I like to organize activities. But, it’s your home.”

Ellie waved a hand through the air. “Please. My home is your home, especially if someone else is going to do the cooking and entertaining.”

Jacob grabbed the slice of bacon off her plate. “Since when don’t you want to be in charge of the activities?”

“I like being in charge,” Asher said, going up on his knees.

“So does Maisie,” Natalie said from across the table.

“I’ll say,” Nick muttered under his breath.

Maisie drew in a gasp but it seemed like only she had heard him.

Or maybe she was the only one who read into his words.

Their eyes locked again and that awareness became a simmering burn.

The kind that came with memories of him pressing her up against the door the minute she’d closed it.

His hands all over her, his mouth tugging at her sanity until she’d stepped back with a sultry smile and slipped off her heels, then her dress, and told him she was in charge.

Because even though she’d never had a one-night stand, she’d never in her life wanted a man the way she’d wanted him.

And apparently it made her brave. Until the next day, when his disappearing made her cry.