Page 26 of Accidentally in Love

“It was my idea,” Gemma explained. “Nolan was so grumpy about it, but Declan always likes my ideas, and he’s still handling the marketing.”

“Nolan hates Christmas, that’s why,” I said as I tried to eat some of my potatoes.

I loved mashed potatoes, and Aunt Karen made them so good. Mine were usually okay but had lots of lumps. Aunt Karen’s were always perfect, and it pissed me off my pregnancy wasn’t letting me enjoy all the tasty food we made together.

“Such a Grinch,” my sister agreed with the shake of her head.

“When is that?” Dad asked.

“Saturday,” Gemma and I said in unison. We always went to the tree lighting ceremony together, but she was probably working if the brewery had a booth.

“That’s kinda soon to put up the tree, isn’t it?” Aunt Karen asked.

Gemma laughed. “Not for Avery! She usually puts her tree up after Halloween.”

I ignored her and the rest of my family while I took out my phone and texted Nolan.

ME: Congrats on the tree lighting ceremony.

NOLAN: I didn’t want to do it.

ME: You just didn’t want me to drag you to it again.

NOLAN: I’ll see you there, tho, right?

ME: You know it!

I put my phone away and tried to eat more of my dinner.

“You okay, honey?” my aunt asked.

I nodded and gave her a fake smile. “Just tired.”

“Don’t worry, Avs, we’ll do the clean-up,” my dad said as he took a sip of his beer. “I really like this holiday beer.”

I was glad my dad thought I was tired from mine and Aunt Karen’s work in the kitchen today.

“You want a beer, Avs?” my cousin Mason asked as he got up to grab another Holiday Hops from the fridge.

“Nah, too hoppy for me,” I told him.

Luckily, I could use that excuse because my dad didn’t have any of the MacGregor beers I liked in his fridge. Gemma got her taste for hoppy beers from him, but he usually kept some lager in the fridge for me. When we got here this morning before Aunt Karen arrived, Gemma found all of those and hid them in the extra fridge in dad’s garage.

“It’s so good!” Gemma argued. “Avs is such a basic bitch.”

We shared a conspiratorial look, but no one noticed when she and Mason were teasing me mercilessly. I was grateful she hid those beers, and I’d rather endure the teasing than have to admit to the rest of my family the real reason I wasn’t drinking.

After dinner, I scraped my food into the garbage disposal, which didn’t go unnoticed by my aunt. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, just exhausted. School has been busy lately.”

She peered at me and studied my face. “You sure that’s it?”

I nodded.

She squeezed my arm. “Okay, Avery, but you know you can talk to me, right?”

“I know. Thanks, Aunt Karen.”