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“Holy shit!” Clarissa hollers, doing a happy dance and dropping the phone back in Lainey’s hands. Lainey’s breathing heavy, her hair askew.
“You fight dirty,” she murmurs, typing something out on her phone before punching Clarissa in the arm.
“Sure the fuck do,” Clarissa quips, dropping onto a barstool and picking her drink back up and taking a sip, like she didn’t just find out some juicy details.
“Tell us!” Avery shouts and Clarissa rolls her eyes.
“Nope,” she says, popping the p, “not my story to tell. Though I do feel better now that I know.”
Lainey narrows her eyes at her and sits down on the stool next to her.
“Think about who Polly lives next door to, y’all.” Lex says, realization lighting up her face. “That old house next to her sat empty for years until he bought it.”
“Oh my god, fine. Y’all are so nosy.” Lainey exclaims, “it’s Zander. Zander lives next door.” She drops her head to the bar top with a thunk and Avery squeals excitedly.
“Oh my god, Zander James is F-I-N-E, fine girl. Holy shit.” Avery says and I murmur in agreement because she isn’t wrong.
“He really is. And he’s so sweet,” I say. Zander and I were the same age in school, grew up and graduated together. He was always one of the nice guys. Then he left for basic training and disappeared into Special Forces, only coming home occasionally between jobs. He just recently settled back into life here in Monroeville when he left his job and moved back after a mission went so bad, he was nearly killed.
“He’s got a lot of baggage,” Clarissa says, because we all know what years of the military can do to good people.
Lainey shrugs her shoulders. “I’ve got a lot of baggage too,” she says. “You just have to decide if you love someone enough to help them unpack.”
December 23rd
Dean
“No, there.” I move my hand over an inch while she cocks her head to the left and right, opening and closing one eye.
“No, that’s not right. Switch it with the silver.” I heave out a sigh.
“How fuckin’ long are we gonna be doin’ this, babe? Cos I gotta say, no one gives a shit where these damn bulbs are hung on this tree,” I make the mistake of saying out loud, causing Whit to narrow her eyes at me.
“I give a shit, Dean!” She snaps. “This is our first Christmas together since you’ve been back. We’re engaged and we’re going to have our families here on Christmas eve. I need the tree to be symmetrical!” She shouts hysterically and I’ve had enough. I chuck the bulb into the tree and she gasps dramatically. I roll my eyes and stride towards her, backing her up against the wall.
“Move!” She snaps, slapping her hands against my chest and shoving. I chuckle, not affected at all whatsoever by her shove.
“Baby,” I cough out, sliding my arm around her waist and pulling her flush against me. I look down into her eyes. “I promise, it doesn’t matter whether we hang the silver or red. The tree looks amazing, the house smells incredible, and you look fuckin’ fantastic in this red dress with these heels.” I bunch her dress in my hands, rucking it up an inch. Her breath hitches and I grin.
“I just want everything to be perfect,” she says, toying with the button on my shirt. Tonight is Christmas at Ford’s with all our friends and tomorrow, our families are coming here for Christmas Eve dinner and she’s been worrying herself sick about it, making sure everything is perfect.
“It will be perfect, sweetheart.” I swoop down and press a kiss just as the doorbell rings. I lightly punch the wall with my hand and growl into her mouth. She laughs, pushing me away and heading to the door, Ranger hot on her heels. I already know who it is. She comes back into the living room with Zander trailing behind her, an excited Ranger dancing at his feet. He bends down and scratches the dog’s head.
“Good to see you back in town, Z,” I say as we all get ready to leave.
“Good to be back, man. Ready to slow it down a little, maybe meet a real pretty lady,” he shoots a grin at Whit who rolls her eyes.
“I know all your moves, Zander Sinatra. Don’t think you can charm me,” she sasses at him and he laughs.
“You fellas ready?” She drops down on her haunches and baby-talks the dog, giving him no less than seven kisses and telling him how good of a boy he is. We lock the house up and climb into Zander’s Chevy truck.
“Thanks for pickin’ us up,” Whitley says, buckling herself in the backseat as I climb in beside her. Zander’s truck rumbles to a start as he steers us towards town. He’s taken to not drinking these days, so he offered to drive us to and from Ford and Lex’s Christmas party.
“Happy to do it, just please, no sex in my backseat,” he narrows his eyes at me and Whit’s cheeks pinken from the memory. We once banged in the backseat of the pickup he drove back in high school while he was passed out drunk at a house party. I chuckle.
“I can control myself, but I’m not sure about my fiancé,” I chide, and she pinches my side. It’s not long before he’s steering us onto their dead-end street and parking his truck at the curb. Once we’re inside and hellos are passed out, Whitley breaks off to find the girls and Zander and I settle in with the guys that are gathered around the island in their kitche
n.
