by Wendy Knight
Chuckling to himself, he grabbed his own bag out of the truck and followed them. “Mama to the rescue.”
It was like the storm had waited for them to arrive safely. As soon as he came into the house, the wind howled and the snow beyond the windows fell in sheets. It was a complete white out. He wouldn’t have even been able to see. “Ruben!” Lila was bellowing, despite the communication system in almost every room in the house. “Ruben, Crew’s home and he brought the most adorable girl with him!”
“Mom,” Crew said, laughing as he reached for Azura’s bag. She relinquished it with a shaking hand. “You’re embarrassing her.”
Lila blinked up at Azura, noticed her furious blush, and patted her cheek. “I’m so sorry. I figured you were used to being told you were beautiful. Are you not? Is my Crew failing at this?”
“She doesn’t let me tell her she’s beautiful, Mama.” Crew kissed his mom’s cheek and slung the bags over his shoulder.
“Oh yes. Take those upstairs. We have the green room ready for her, next to Katrina’s. Garrett is here too. His parents will be here tomorrow night. Grandma and Grandpa are here already. They’re so excited to see you.”
Ruben, Crew’s dad, came down the huge, winding staircase, wearing a ratty old bathrobe and sweatpants. He’d never been one for designer anything and went for comfort before style unless Lila dictated otherwise. He was tall, but not as tall as Crew—Crew got his height from his grandfather. “Hey, kid. We were worried about you. Lila, stop yelling. People three states away are still trying to sleep.”
Lila waved a hand at him, shaking her head in mock anger. “Stop, Ru. This is Azura. She’s Crew’s guest, but he never tells her she’s beautiful.”
“She tells me I’m beautiful all the time though,” Crew said and Azura gasped, her face draining of all color. Laughing, he hugged his dad. “It’s usually on accident.”
“I—I—”
“My son is a tease. We’ll get him back. Tomorrow. We’ll conspire.” Lila winked up at Azura. “As we dream by the fire.”
“Dad, this is Azura. Azura, this is my dad, Ruben.”
His dad held out his hand and Azura reached for it, visibly shaking. Crew ached for her, and clearly, teasing her wasn’t the way to go. Instead of making her relax, she’d pulled in on herself even more. “Nice—nice to meet you. Your—your house is beautiful.”
Crew glanced around them. Every square inch was decorated and most rooms had Christmas trees. Elves hid in every nook and cranny, crystal snowflakes hung from the vaulted ceilings, and candy canes and giant nut crackers waited at the entrance to each room. They stood in the kitchen that opened up to the living room and beyond, the grand staircase that led upstairs.
“Holly would love it here,” Crew said.
Azura visibly relaxed at the mention of her friend, a smile briefly flitting across her face. “She definitely would.”
“Did you text her and let her know we got here safe?”
Azura had promised before Holly had left for the airport.
“Oh. No. I’ll do that now.” Azura dug her phone out of her pocket and tapped quickly, the shaking in her hands dying once she had something to do with them.
Lila fidgeted around the kitchen. “Are you hungry? Did you eat? Would you like some hot cocoa?”
“It’s after midnight, Lila.” Ruben slid an arm around her shoulders, holding her in place—not an easy feat. To Azura, he said, “Did he bother to feed you?”
Azura glanced at Crew, a wicked glint in her eye. “I ordered food. He ate most of it though. He does that a lot.”
Lila gasped in mock outrage and Ruben shook his head, saying, “Always stealing food, that one.”
“What?” Crew growled. “I—she steals my fries. Every time. She thinks I don’t notice and she—I’ve never stolen her food!”
Azura smiled.
“Well, I think you need to eat. Let me make you something.” Lila escaped Ruben’s arm and bustled around the kitchen, clucking under her tongue.
Azura put a hand out, resting it on Lila’s arm. “We did eat. I was teasing. He fed me very well and we had snacks in the car. But thank you so much for your hospitality.”
“See?” Crew said to his dad. “I don’t always steal food.”
“Give it time,” Ruben muttered.
“We are exhausted though. It’s been a long day. Do you mind if we head to bed and we’ll catch up in the morning?” Crew adjusted the bags on his shoulder. He had two days with Azura on his home turf before he sent her home on the train. He didn’t want to waste it all by sleeping in.
“Crew’s been up since four,” Azura added shyly. “And he drove the whole way.”
Lila’s eyes glinted mischievously as she looked from one to the other of them. Crew hid a smile. She was in matchmaking mode, already summing up how perfect Azura was for him.
Crew could only agree.
Somehow, he had to convince Azura of that.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Crew’s house was amazing. It was bigger than Azura’s high school, and so, so beautiful. Crew had been right—Holly would have loved it.
What surprised her the most was how much she loved it. It was like a fairytale house and probably impossible not to love—despite the decorations literally everywhere. What really surprised her were his parents.
She’d grown up believing the super wealthy were terrible people. She’d been expecting haughty arrogance and barely concealed disdain from both of them. Growing up, she’d never been welcomed into anyone’s home—even her own—with as much warmth as Crew’s mother had welcomed her now.
And suddenly, she could see where Crew got his kindness from, and also his charisma. They were the most charming people she’d ever met.
Besides him, of course.
“Coming, Butterfly? Or are you going to stand on the stairs and admire the Christmas decorations all night?” Crew glanced over his shoulder when he realized she wasn’t following him, a teasing smile playing at the corner of his mouth. He was so tired. She could see the circles under his eyes, and his usually tan skin was paler than normal after being awake for almost twenty-four hours. And yet, he was as flawless as ever, hefting her bag over his shoulder like Santa’s pack.
“Coming. Do you want me to carry that?”
He snickered. “Yeah, because I’m not a great big football player who can carry two small duffel bags.”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you bring that up every time anyone mentions lifting anything on purpose, or is it just always right there on the tip of your tongue, waiting to be offered?”
Crew laughed this time, and even exhausted, his laugh was infectious. She watched him and forgot to carefully watch each and every step she took.
So she fell, of course.
Luckily, she fell forward and only banged her knees and not backward because there were like twenty steps behind her, and she would have landed at the feet of Crew’s parents, which would have been super awkward. As it was, they both gasped her name and started up the stairs after her. Crew dropped the bags and was at her side before she could even push herself back up to her feet. “It’s fine,” she said with a sigh. “I’m fine.” To Crew’s parents, who had made it up those stairs in record time, she said, “I do this all the time. It’s fine.”
“It’s the curse,” Crew said solemnly. “We’re hoping she’ll stop when we get that fourth kiss.”
“We? Are you planning to kiss Carter, too?” Lila batted her eyelashes innocently and Crew growled under his breath.
“It’s a group effort,” he finally said, dropping a kiss on his tiny mother’s head. “Go to bed. Your sass is out of control tonight.”
Lila laughed, shooing Crew away so she and Ruben could help Azura the rest of the way up the stairs. “I am so intrigued by this curse. We should write a feature. The perils of Mistletoe. Mistletoe Mayhem. Curse of the Mistletoe.” She paused. “I’ll keep thinking.”
They made it to the top of the stairs and Az
ura only tripped once more, but for a tiny woman, Lila was freakishly strong, and Ruben held her up on the other side, so Azura didn’t even fall. They went quietly down a long hall, lit by tiny night lights in the floorboards every few feet. “This one is Katrina’s room,” Lila whispered. “Garrett and Crew’s rooms are down the hall.” She pointed back the way they came. “This one is yours. For as long as you’d like to stay with us.” Lila beamed and Ruben winked.
Crew swung the door open and trudged in, setting her bag in the corner by the huge armoire. A fire roared in the fireplace, and the room was snuggly warm despite its huge size. The bed alone was as big as her entire bedroom back at school. They’d called it the green room, and she’d been expecting green walls, floor, ceiling...honestly she’d been a little nervous. But the room was beautiful, like the rest of the house. Light grey walls, dark carpet, white furniture, with green bedding and green accent pillows in the window seat. A bookshelf with all green books, and green decor.
No Christmas anything, anywhere, although she’d seen it everywhere else, and by the looks of imprint in the thick carpet, there had been.
They’d undecorated.
For her.
She almost cried at their thoughtfulness.
“It’s gorgeous,” she murmured instead.
“We’ll leave you two to get settled and see you in the morning.” Lila patted Azura on the cheek and scurried over to kiss Crew before she disappeared out the door, Ruben on her heels.
“They’re amazing,” Azura said. “You said they were gone a lot and I assumed—”
Crew smiled, watching the storm out of the huge bay window. “They were gone a lot, but they made the most of the time we had.” Shrugging, he said, “We didn’t go on fancy vacations, but we made cookies in the kitchen and played board games every Sunday. They watched my football games via FaceTime a lot, but they were there in spirit.”
Azura nodded, unsure what else to say. Crew needed to go to bed, but she suddenly didn’t want him to go.
Weird.
She joined him at the window. “That storm is crazy.”
Crew nodded, glancing down at her.
And all she could do was stare up at him.
“It was nice of you to bring me here,” she finally whispered. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“I’m glad you came,” he said softly. “I honestly thought you’d jump out of the truck and run when you saw the giant Christmas tree in the courtyard.” Crew reached out, tucking a stray curl behind her ear and she almost leaned into his hand. Almost, but caught herself at the last minute.
She didn’t belong here, not permanently. Crew teased her, but that was all it ever was. Teasing. He was playful and kind and perfect, and she had to not fall for him because it would hurt so much when he was gone.
It was going to hurt so much already. When the curse ended, Crew would go with it. The only reason he was in her life was to help her track down and get her four kisses before Christmas. When the curse ended, he’d move on too. The thought of him not being in her life hurt.
Hurt so much, she felt like her soul crushed a little bit. She swallowed hard and looked away.
“Right. I’ll go. Do you need anything?” Crew backed away, seeming to sense her sudden shift in mood.
Azura shook her head. “No.” Yes.
“No horror movies? Stephen King bedtime stories? A Halloween soundtrack to drift off to sleep to?” Crew gave her a lopsided smile. “Candy cane?”
She motioned toward the door. “The howling of the wind is terrifying enough. Perfect for my morbid little brain.”
Crew laughed and caught her fingers, brushing his lips against her knuckles. “Good night, Azura. I’m at the end of the hall if you need anything. Or text, if you’re scared. Those nutcrackers downstairs, they come to life when the lights go out.”
And then he winked and was gone.
The room, that had felt so warm and friendly when he’d been in it, was huge and lonely now, and something crazy in her almost went after him. But what would she say? Stay. Please stay.
Yeah. No.
She leaned her forehead against the closed door, breathing hard. What was wrong with her? What about stability? What about her plans?
Firmly, she dragged her bag to the bed and dug out her pajamas and toothbrush. She brushed her teeth and washed her makeup off and changed and told herself over and over that she could not go after Crew, no matter how good it would feel to sleep with her head on his chest.
He probably snored anyway.
Her pajamas felt like a mockery against the soft silk sheets. Even still, the bed was the most comfortable she’d ever been in and despite her hollow heart, she fell asleep as the light faded in the hall.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Crew shut the door behind him and leaned back against it, his hand still on the knob, breathing hard. Don’t go back in. Don’t go back in. She’s not ready. Not yet. Not yet.
Instead, he stared at the ceiling and begged for strength from some higher power.
“You got it bad,” Garrett said conversationally, like it wasn’t almost two in the morning and he hadn’t snuck through the darkness like one of Marley’s ghosts. “So bad.”
“I don’t.” I do.
So bad.
“Why don’t you just go in there, kiss her, tell her you loooove her, and sweep her off her feet? Why is this so hard for you? You, who, if I remember correctly, has had three different women begging for a proposal—at once? I think at once.” Garrett grinned smugly. “This one,” he motioned toward the door Crew leaned against. “This one you can’t even tell her you’re interested? How is that a thing?”
“Because she’ll run. She’ll panic and she’ll run, and I’ll lose her. She said no relationships during the holidays,” Crew whispered harshly. “If I bide my time—”
“She’ll get bored or one of these other guys she’s kissing will spark and you’ll lose her anyway.”
Crew pushed away from the door. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have, these words that he’d fought with himself over for too long now. “I’ve only known her for a few weeks. You don’t fall in love with someone in a few weeks. Do I like her a lot? Sure. Do I think she’s probably the most amazing woman on the planet? Yes. That’s all.”
That’s all.
Garrett snorted. “That’s all.”
“Go to bed. I’m tired. Why are you even up?” Crew snapped, but there was no heat in it. It was practically impossible to be angry at Garrett.
Garrett shrugged, motioning toward the floor to ceiling windows at the end of the hall. “Storms bug me.”
That was an understatement, and Crew knew it. Garrett had nearly died in a snowstorm when he’d been little. He and his parents had been stranded for almost two days. The love of Garrett’s life, a girl who had grown into a beautiful woman, had found them and gone for help.
She was a firefighter now and Garrett never saw her because they lived in different towns.
Which was fuel for Crew’s fire. He paused outside Garrett’s room. “Like you can talk, anyway. How’d it go telling Isabella that you want to marry her and have all her babies?”
Garrett frowned. “I don’t think it works like that.”
Shrugging, Crew turned into his room, dropping his bag on the bed. “We’ll never know, will we? Not unless you say something next time you’re in town—wait a minute, here we are. In the same town as Isabella. At Christmastime. Interesting.”
Garrett muttered under his breath. “You tell yours and I’ll tell mine. How about that?” He shut his own door firmly behind him before Crew could respond. Garrett had been in love with Isabella since he was nine. That was a long time to want someone and not say anything.
Still snickering, Crew got ready and fell into bed, but sleep didn’t come. He watched the storm, wondering if Garrett was right. If Crew himself was right when he worried that Azura might find someone else, or that he would lose her anyway, even after being so
careful. She was stunningly beautiful. Everywhere they went, heads turned. She didn’t notice. Even with her bruises and her healing face and her clumsiness and her constant accidents, she was still the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Anyone could swoop in and just—
He would lose her.
Except he’d come to know her pretty well, and his little green-eyed beauty did not allow anyone to swoop in without her permission. She didn’t let anyone close. She pushed away and only the most stubborn could surmount that.
Him. He was stubborn. His mama had been saying it for years.
He had two days with Azura in his hometown. He had the home field advantage. He’d change her mind.
He had to.
THE smell of bacon and coffee woke Crew just after nine. He looked at the clock and swore—he hadn’t slept past six in years. Of course, he slept in on the one morning he had Azura in his house.
Well, one of two mornings, but by tomorrow, she’d be getting ready to go home.
He got out of bed and jumped in the shower, relishing the hot water across his sore shoulders and back. Being so tense the night before while he drove for two and a half hours in a snowstorm had done a number on his muscles and everything hurt when he moved.
It didn’t matter. He had to find Carter and get Azura that last kiss. That was his one and only goal.
Oh, and shopping for his Christmas Cares family. That had to happen too, since they were delivering it the next day.
He was still finger-combing his hair as he jogged down the stairs. His whole family—sister, cousin, grandparents, and parents, were sitting around the kitchen table.
Azura was trapped right in the middle of it all.
She didn’t look trapped though. She was smiling at something his dad had said, leaning close to hear him over the chaos of everyone else. Her dark hair was braided back away from her face, falling all the way down her back, except for that one curl that always escaped right next to her temple. She looked up when he came down the stairs and smiled.