The Christmas Pact(7)

Oh shit. It had been that long. The warning lights were flashing so bright, they should’ve blinded me. But all I could see was her pretty face. Not to mention, hearing that no man had planted his flag on planet Riley in a very long time made me a little crazy.

“I’ll tell you what, Riley. What if I sweetened the pot a little?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll go home with you for your party. I’ll even let you set the ground rules for what we’ll tell people at your mother’s. And then I’ll pay for the dress that you wear to the wedding that you’re going to with me.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

“It’s not such a big deal. My mom owns a bridal boutique in Rochester. She’s got a store filled with gowns. It won’t cost me much at her price anyway.”

“Oh wow.” She nibbled on her lip like she was seriously considering it for the first time since last night. So I went big to seal the deal.

“And shoes. She’s got all those red-soled shoes women love, too.”

That got her attention. I could see the wheels in her head turning. Giving her a minute before I pushed again, I looked out the window. I was pretty shocked at what I saw.

“Hey, Riles.”

“Hmmm?”

“Did you even notice we’re in the air?”

Her brows drew together and then she leaned forward and looked out the window. She blinked a few times, and her eyes grew wide. “How is that possible?”

“You were distracted and forgot you were supposed to stress. Your mom’s party can be just like that, if you agree.”

Riley looked into my eyes. This woman wore her entire heart on her sleeve. She’d better not ever play poker. I read her fears, every reservation she had about lying, and if I wasn’t mistaken, there was even a little attraction thrown in there. It was a good thing I was a hell of a better poker player than she was. Because while she was deliberating over lying, I was wondering how the hell I was going to get through two nights of pretending to be her boyfriend without biting those pink pouty lips. And I wondered what those big baby blues might do if I did—would they go hard with disgust or soft with desire?

I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. “So what’s it going to be, Riley? You in, or are you too chicken to have a little fun?”

She squinted at me. “Why are you doing all this? You could easily go to a wedding stag. I’m sure you could even turn on the charm and pick up some drunk, unsuspecting bridesmaid if you tried hard enough.”

“For the same reason you’re going to pretend you have a handsome boyfriend—to get my family off my back.”

“Your family is on your back too, huh?”

I nodded once wihout elaborating further. I wasn’t about to get into my fucked-up mess with her. Hell, I wasn’t even sure why the hell I’d decided to go home now. But I looked her in the eyes and told her something my gut thought she could relate to. “We all have reasons we do the things we do, don’t we, Riley?”

She swallowed, and for a millisecond that I could’ve missed if I’d blinked, her eyes dropped to my lips. “Fine. I’m in.”





“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I know. I told you, my mother tends to go overboard with Christmas.”

We pulled up to a stately, two-story brick colonial that looked like Christmas had thrown up on it. There had to be a few hundred moving decorations all over the snow-covered lawn, lights flashed even though it was daytime, and “The Little Drummer Boy” blared from outdoor speakers. Riley’s mother’s house was one of those weird Christmas homes that people took their kids to visit.

“This is more than overboard. This is…” I shook my head. “Nuts. That’s what it is.”

Her face fell. “I know. But Christmas was my dad’s favorite time of year. When he got sick, she started doing a little extra decorating to cheer him up. And then after he died…she just kept adding things.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize your father died.”

She nodded. “Seven years ago now. Colon cancer. Mom has a collection box at the corner of the driveway. People come by the carload at night to see the Christmas display, and a lot of people leave a donation to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance while they’re here. It makes her feel better. But I know it’s a little weird.”

“No.” I shook my head. “It’s not weird. It’s cool. I shouldn’t have judged without knowing the facts.”

She smiled at me. “You mean, sort of like you did when you read my letter to Dear Ida? Well, you’re about to meet my family and understand all those facts firsthand. I think you might have a different perspective after spending all day with my mom and then being at the party tonight.”

“Maybe. We’ll see.”

We got out of the car and stood at the curb with our bags. Light snow had started to fall during the ride from the airport, and the snowflakes seemed to double in size in the last few minutes. Though Riley didn’t seem like she was in a rush to go inside. I looked over at her as she stared up at the house. She was definitely nervous. I put a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped.

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m just a little on edge.”