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“Have you heard anything else about Eric?” Everleigh asks Gemma as Tyler takes Scarlett and the diaper bag to Everleigh’s room.
Eric is a name I’m familiar with as someone from Tyler’s past. Tyler told me what happened and his connections to the mafia in Vegas, but I honestly didn’t think he still spoke to any of those people, considering that’s what put him in prison in the first place.
“They still don’t know who murdered him, and it’s been months,” Gemma tells her. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if you became a person of interest, considering you slept together.”
Everleigh laughs it off, but I feel my body heat with jealousy.
She slept with Eric? And then he was murdered?
I wasn’t aware, but I wouldn’t even know how to bring it up to get the backstory. They continue chatting as Tyler returns.
“They can suspect me all they want. The only crime I’m guilty of is sleeping with a married man who didn’t mention he had a wife. That isnotmy fault. ”
“I didn’t know, and neither did Tyler,” Gemma adds.
“Don’t bring me into this conversation,” he sternly says. “I warned you not to get involved, especially since he was only staying here temporarily.”
He gives me a look, and the message is clear.
Everleigh is off-limits.
Tyler comes over and helps me wrap the strings of white lights around the tree.
“I’m sorry to hear about Eric,” I offer. “How long ago?”
“Two months. It’s still being investigated. It was tragic and unexpected. I considered him a really close friend, and he helped me in a time of need.”
“Sorry to hear that, man. I hope they find whoever killed him.”
The room grows quiet other than “Silent Night” playing in the background.
I try to change the subject. “Should we have checked these strands first?”
“Shit.” Tyler stops what he’s doing and plugs them in. Thankfully, none of the bulbs are burned out.
“Whew, thank goodness.”
“Come have some cookies.” Everleigh waves us over with a mouthful. “They’re so good!”
We go to the kitchen and find trays of gingerbread cookies along with what I think are wreaths.
“Okay, don’t judge the way they look.” She snickers when I eye her decorating skills.
We all snag one, and Everleigh holds her cookie in the air. “To family,” she says, and we all tap them together. Though they’re still warm, I nearly inhale it. When I look down at the tray, I burst into laughter.
“What?” Tyler asks.
“Do these gingerbread men have dicks?”
Everleigh smiles proudly. “I was waiting for one of you to notice!”
“Oh my God, I was too busy making the wreaths to notice,” Gemma admits with laughter. “I totally didn’t see their little ding-a-lings.”
“Poor guy just hanging out with his junk out,” I muse. Everleigh’s kind eyes gaze at me, and I watch as her bottom lip gets stuck between her teeth. Her warmth radiates off her, and I can’t remember the last time I felt so happy and welcomed.
After we’ve filled ourselves with cookies, we hang the garland, then move on to the ornaments. Everleigh has a huge Santa Claus set up in the corner of the room that sings and shakes his hips when the sensor is set off.
After a couple of hours of listening to Everleigh’s Christmas playlist, Tyler and Gemma call it a night. We walk them outside and say our goodbyes. Everleigh hugs them both and kisses Scarlett, who’s fast asleep.
