Brie glanced to me as if I had all the answers. Since I was the one who’d put us in this position, I supposed her expectation wasn’t completely unwarranted.
I dabbed at my mouth with my napkin, trying to buy myself some time. “A few months.”
“You sneaky devil,” her dad said, not at all displeased. I knew her parents loved me like a son. I just hoped they wouldn’t hate me when they discovered I’d lied to them.
“We, um, we didn’t want to tell you until we were sure,” I said, digging a deeper hole.
Fuck. What was I doing? I loved Brie’s family like my own, and here I was, lying to their faces, pretending I was dating their daughter.
But it was worth it. I’d have done anything to erase the shocked look on Brie’s face earlier. I still couldn’t believe her sister was not only dating her ex but engaged to him. The guy was a douche, and he’d never been good enough for Brie. No one was.
Brie nudged me with her leg, and I realized everyone was looking at me expectantly. I cleared my throat. “What was that?”
“I asked what finally made you realize you wanted more than friendship?” her mom asked, her tone conveying that she’d been expecting this all along.
In all likelihood, she had. Our friends had always teased Brie and me about our relationship. Everyone doubted there was nothing more than friendship. And while I’d often wanted more, the timing hadn’t been right or I’d been more concerned about the repercussions if things hadn’t worked out. Now that I’d put us on this path, I couldn’t say I was upset about it, even if it was all for show.
Thankfully, I’d just shoved a big bite of food into my mouth. I chewed slowly, using the time to consider my words carefully.
“I’ve always thought Brie was beautiful. I’ve always cared about her.” I turned to look at her, ignoring the way Mrs. C’s eyes glistened with tears of joy. I knew Brie well enough to know she was freaking out, and I wanted nothing more than to put her at ease. “But the timing was never right.”
Brie’s eyes went wide as I lifted my hand to cup her cheek. I leaned in and nuzzled my nose against hers before pressing a kiss to her forehead. It was something I’d wanted to do a thousand times. That, and so much more. When I released her, I wasn’t sure who was more flustered by that simple touch—her or me.
Her mom clapped her hands together, and Brie glanced away, breaking our contact.
“You two are so freaking adorable.” Mrs. C grinned. “And it’s a good thing you’re dating because we have some news of our own.”
Mr. C leaned back, resting his arm on the back of his wife’s chair. “That’s right. Your mom and I cleaned out the guest room,” he said, referring to the room where I usually stayed over the holidays. “It’s now your mom’s Dame Dungeon.”
Brie spewed her wine across the table. “Her what?”
I patted her on the back, biting my tongue so I wouldn’t make an inappropriate comment. “You okay, sweetie?” She turned and glared at me, but she looked more like an adorable kitten than a lion.
“Dame Dungeon.” Mrs. C straightened, flashing us a proud smile. “You’ll have to come see it.”
“Yeah, Brie.” I waggled my eyebrows. “Who knows? You might want one yourself.”
Brie placed her hand on my thigh and pinched me through my slacks. I leaned down to whisper in her ear. “You’re going to pay for that.”
“Oh yeah.” She arched an eyebrow, her lips barely moving as the conversation continued around us. Did she even realize how sexy she was? How much I wanted her? Had always wanted her?
Mrs. C was telling everyone about the special shelving Mr. C had installed. Based on the description, it was really a glorified reading nook where she could escape and work on her sewing projects or read.
“So, where’s Justin going to sleep?” Brie finally asked.
“With you, of course.” Mrs. C grinned. “Silly.”
“Oh.” Brie let out a nervous laugh. “Right. Because we’re dating now.” She cut her eyes to me when no one was looking.
“So…” Violet said, and I was grateful to have the attention off of us for a moment. “Evan and I were thinking a summer wedding.”
Conversation turned to the newly engaged couple, but Brie mostly remained silent. She was quiet all throughout dinner, only responding when directly addressed. She volunteered to do the dishes, and I wondered if she was avoiding me, her family, or both. As everyone decorated the tree, her lips were pressed together in a firm line. She wasn’t singing along to Christmas carols, wasn’t talking, wasn’t smiling.
When it came time to watch Miracle on 34th Street, I scooted closer, holding her in my arms. She was stiff at first, but the longer we watched, the more she relaxed into my touch. I paid more attention to her than the movie, soaking in the feeling of her in my arms, all the while wondering how pissed she was.
It wasn’t until we were alone in her room that she finally asked, “So…are we going to talk about this?”
“What about it?” I feigned nonchalance as I dug through my bag, searching for my pajama pants.
“Well—I mean, you’re the one who announced that we’re dating,” she whisper-hissed. “Surely, you have a plan.”
Yeah. Right. A plan. I stared in my bag, my attention focused on the contents. “Are you upset?” I asked, trying to get a read on her emotions.
“About the fact that my sister is marrying my ex or…us?”
“Both. Either,” I said.
“I can’t believe my sister’s marrying him. And not just because he’s my ex, though that makes it even worse. I mean, talk about ick factor.” She adjusted her shirt, and I tried to ignore the red lace of her bra peeking out from beneath.
“Evan’s a douche.”
“Um, yeah. Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Do you wish it were you?”
I knew how serious her relationship with Evan had been. Two years was a long time, and though I’d been secretly relieved when they’d broken up, I hated to see my best friend hurting.
She scoffed, pushing some of her hair away from her face. “Oh, hell no. At least, if your question is do I wish I were marrying him.”
I laughed, feeling a little lighter. “And us?” I swallowed, the words thick on my tongue.
“I think…” She sank down on the bed and let out a deep sigh. “I hate lying to my family. And they’re going to be really disappointed when they discover we aren’t actually dating. They seemed so happy.”
“So happy,” I echoed, feeling both elated and guilty. “Probably because I’m the number one son,” I teased, referring to her family’s nickname for me. I’d been as much a part of their family as mine for as long as I could remember.
“Yeah. Yeah.” She laughed, the sound putting my soul at ease. “But really…” Her tone was more serious. “What are we going to do? You put us on this path, and I don’t want to lie, but I also don’t want to ruin Christmas.”
I leaned across the bed and placed my hand over hers. “We’ll see it through.”