“Stop!” My grandmother shrieked.
I nearly stumbled into a halt, the only thing keeping me upright were Law’s reflexes. Must’ve been the dad in him.
“Mistletoe!” Tristan yelled gleefully, pointing over my head.
I slowly turned to look up, horrified at the realization. Law’s eyes widened, too, as his gaze met mine.
“Don’t worry, boys; it’s just for hugs,” Grams said, laughing a little. “It’s not for the other reason.”
“’S not for kissing,” Tristan provided helpfully.
I rolled my eyes. “Fine.” Then I looked back at Law, who gave me this grin.
“Well?” he asked, opening his arms.
I sighed, trying to sound put out while my heart picked up speed. I stepped into him, feeling his arms go around me.
Within a second, tension leached out of me as if someone turned a valve, and I might’ve flopped onto the floor if Law hadn’t been squeezing me. The feeling of safety that washed over me was intoxicating, and I made a little sound I wasn’t proud of.
Law slowly let go, so I had to scramble to do the same. I turned to Grams and Tristan. “You happy now?”
They high fived each other and I rolled my eyes again. Those two would be so much trouble.
“They’re going to be trouble, aren’t they?” Law echoed my thoughts quietly, smiling and shaking his head.
“Oh yeah. Welcome to the Mulligan way, I guess.” I grinned, but I couldn’t quite meet his gaze.
Instead, I awkwardly searched for familiar faces in our little crowd, and went to Loreena and Felix. They had commandeered a table by the window, and Felix had a little step stool in front of him, resting his leg on it.
“Bad pain day?” I made an educated guess, grimacing a little.
He lifted his hand, palm down, and did the so-so motion.
“Loreena?” Grams called from the kitchen doorway.
“Will you excuse me, gents,” she said and bustled away.
“I feel like the female population of this crowd would be capable of taking over the country, if not the world,” Felix mused as he watched Harper steer Tristan away from the decorations he was trying to touch and Nic making Gramps laugh his butt off about something she’d said by the bar.
I hummed. “I’m not gonna argue that. Add Aunt Regan and they’ll do it with pastries. Not that they’re a lady but, you know.”
Felix smiled a little, then glanced at the door. Law was walking in with Uncle Teague.
“So, that was some hug,” Felix said quietly, then raised a brow at me in a way that told me he was teasing.
“Shut up.”
“I didn’t even say anything!” He took a sip of his bottle of beer and smirked.
“You didn’t need to, you meanie.”
“What’s my bestie doing now?” Uncle Teague asked as he and Law joined us.
“I was just telling Oak how I’m sure he won’t be getting any presents this year, given what I heard him singing while workingthe other day when I came by to drop off some paintings for the rooms.”
“Oh, tell us more?” Uncle Teague asked, immediately interested in material to tease me with.
“Hey, we don’t talk about that,” I told Felix. And blushed. Because of course I did.
