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I cup her cheeks between my hands, rubbing my thumbs over her cold skin.

She leans into my palms.

And I kiss the tip of her nose.

“Better?”

“Marginally.”

“Tough crowd.”

She smiles. There she is. The girl who's been giving me hell since we were kids. The woman I can't imagine my life without. I rest my forehead against hers.

“I'm going to tell him, Laney.”

“I know.”

“I mean it.”

She pulls back enough to meet my eyes. “I believe you.”

A door creaks behind us. “Well, aren't you two cozy.”

We turn.

Mrs. B stands in the doorway, one hand braced against the frame.

Delaney starts to move off my lap.

Mrs. B waves her off. “Oh, relax. I'm not the one you need to worry about.”

I laugh.

Delaney groans. “Mom.”

“What? I'm just letting you know Declan's headed this way. Apparently, it's time for the annual Christmas movie, and he's decided we're all watching Home Alone.”

“Again?” Delaney asks.

“Your brother's a creature of habit.”

She glances at me. There's something in her expression I haven't seen before. Relief, maybe. Or the satisfaction of knowing something the rest of us are only just figuring out.

“Come inside before you freeze,” she says. Then she disappears into the kitchen.

Delaney looks at me.

I look at her.

“Pretty sure your mom knows how I feel about you.”

She laughs softly. “Bishop, she's known how I feel about you for a lot longer.”

“Yeah?”

“She's a mom. They know everything.”

I shake my head. “Apparently.”