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“Mitch! Jessica!” his mother said, noticing them. “Come on in.” She hurried toward them and gave them both a one-armed hug as she balanced her wineglass in the other hand.
“Sorry we’re late,” Mitch said, kissing his mother’s cheek.
“Nothing starts without you anyway,” Ally told her son.
Lia shot an exasperated look at her mother as she slowly approached. “Mitch? Jess?” She glanced back and forth between them. Her perceptive lawyer gaze burning a hole in Jess’s forehead as she made the connection. “You two are…?”
Mitch was nodding, so why was Jess shaking her head no? Must have been an instinctual defense mechanism.
Mitch nudged her and took a deep breath. “Yes. Jess and I are dating,” he told his sister confidently.
Ally tensed, watching and waiting, and Mitch’s father hung back, just outside the room. They were on their own for whatever Lia’s reaction would be.
Jess stilled and waited for the attack, the anger, the disbelief. But Lia just stood there, staring at them in surprise…then she smiled?
Was she actually smiling or was Jess passed out cold on the Jamesons’ floor from holding her breath so long?
“Oh my God, this is fantastic!” Lia said excitedly.
Jess’s mouth dropped. “It is?”
Mitch squeezed her hand. “Yes, it is,” he said teasingly, but she could hear relief in his tone as well. His shoulders had relaxed and a genuine smile had spread across his handsome face.
Jessica was still on edge, refusing to let her guard down so quickly. Lia approved? Hadn’t she been the one to warn Jess that Mitch had a fear of commitment? That he didn’t do so well with relationships? She cleared her throat. “You’re okay with this?”
Lia folded her arms across her chest and forced a stern look. “The keeping it a secret part? No. But the fact that you two are together? Yes. I’m not a monster,” she said, linking her arm through Jess’s. Leaning closer, she whispered, “I’ve always wanted a sister, and now maybe I might have a chance at getting to know my brother.”
Jess’s eyes widened. Wow, that was suddenly a lot of pressure she hadn’t been expecting. Maybe annoying Lia would have been easier.
“Drinks, you two?” his father asked, approaching with two wineglasses.
Drinks. Yes, good idea. The last thirty seconds had been one hell of a rollercoaster of emotions.
“Thanks, Dad,” Mitch said, accepting them and handing one to her.
“Welcome, Jessica, it’s so nice to have you here this year,” the older man said, and she heard the meaning in his voice. Her being there was helping their son enjoy the season.
And obviously Lia was seeing her brother’s new connection as a good sign as well. That maybe he was starting to be ready to settle down…be more committed to family?
“Thank you, Dr. Jameson.” It took all her concentration and energy to keep her hand steady and not spill the dark red liquid, as the unexpected weight of the family’s expectations combined with her own hopes about the future of their relationship.
“So, we thought we’d start with the most fun part—the gifts!” Ally said, clapping her hands together in excitement. Her flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes made her look so much younger.
But Jessica’s heart stopped for a quick second. Gifts. Mitch hadn’t said anything about gifts. Though she must be the dumbest person on the planet not to have thought to bring any. In her nervousness, she’d even forgotten the bottle of wine she’d meant to bring.
Mitch squeezed her hand and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Don’t worry. I put ‘from Mitch and Jessica’ on all of mine.”
Oh God! Now she was sure to melt into a big lovesick puddle. A man actually putting her name with his on presents for his family? How many holidays had she longed for joint gift-giving with a man in a steady, committed relationship? Mitch had practically just sealed the deal on her feelings for him.
In the living room, Ally sat next to the Christmas tree to hand out the gifts, and Jessica took a seat next to Mitch on the sofa. She took a deep, calming breath and sank into him, into this experience, into these overwhelming feelings. For the first year in a long time, she was celebrating Christmas with a man she adored and his amazing family.
As she watched them exchange gifts and thankfully accepted a beautiful hand-knit scarf and mitten set from his parents, her chest filled with happiness. Lia accepted them. His parents accepted them. Everything was perfect.
“I think that’s the last of them,” Ally said from somewhere buried beneath a large pile of discarded wrapping paper.
“I actually have one for Jess,” Mitch said, turning on the seat to face her.
Her eyes widened. “I thought we were exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve?” They’d discussed spending that last night together and exchanging presents then. She hadn’t brought one for him.
