“We’re telling you because we’ve realized it’s not fair to continue letting you all believe we hate each other’s guts.” Dad smiled wryly at Ian. “Sure, this guy makes me want to yank out my hair sometimes. Who serves mayo with french fries?” Much of the audience laughed. “But our friendship has grownthrough how we support Maplewood, just like our lives have been enriched by how you support us and our businesses.”
My eyes filled with tears as I listened to Dad lay it all out there. Soon, there would be no secrets weighing me down.
“Our grandfathers might have had a falling out, but we wanted to continue their work in our own way. We did what we thought was right,” Ian said.
Dad turned to me. “Except we didn’t realize we were hurting the people we cared about the most. This secret isn’t worth the pain it’s caused. No more secrets.”
No more secrets. Except the one that would devastate Dad, when I told him how I felt about the diner.
When I turned to gauge Amos’s reaction, I saw him rushing toward me. Before I could react, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a kiss. I barely registered the gasps that turned to cheers—with familiar shouts from my friends—because all my senses had zeroed in on Amos and how right I felt in his arms.
My head was fizzy and I probably wore the goofiest smile when he pulled back.
“That was unexpected,” I eventually managed.
“There was mistletoe. Them’s the rules.” He gave me that special, sweet smile I loved and looked up.
Sure enough, there was mistletoe.
A prickly sensation raced across my skin as I slowly realized that hundreds of pairs of eyes were trained on us.
“Guess the secret’s out?”
Amos laughed. “Sorry. I got swept up in the relief.”
“Get swept up anytime.” I gave him a quick kiss, then realized our families had clustered around us.
I shifted to stand next to Amos as we grasped hands, ready to face our families. Except there wasn’t anything to face. Each and every one of our family members smiled warmly at us with noounce of surprise on any of their faces. Had Dad told them what he’d seen?
“Excuse me,” Theresa said as she joined us with Mandeep and the camera operator standing close behind. “So…a lot just happened, and I’d like to make sure I understand.”
I couldn’t get a read on her. It wouldn’t surprise me if she was pissed since they’d spent all day capturing a story about a rivalry built on two feuding families that turned out to not hate each other after all.
“There’s been a multigenerational feud between two families. The same two families who have been secretly doing charity projects around town?” She looked at my dad, Amos’s dad, and both grandfathers.
Dad nodded. “That about sums it up.” His voice was friendly, but I could hear the defiant undertone.
When Theresa turned to me and Amos, he squeezed my hand reassuringly.
“And the two sons of the families are together? Secretly, I gather? Well, until about two minutes ago.”
I smiled at Amos before returning my attention to her. “Yes. We had never really talked until the planning for this event, but this dinner brought us together.”
Theresa whispered something to Mandeep, who nodded. When she turned back to us, she smiled with glee. “This is an even better story than we thought. A love story between rival diners? Two people falling for each other over the holidays? This is gold.” She leaned in. “Mind if we get a quick shot of you two kissing?”
In response, I hooked my arm around Amos’s waist and dipped him. He giggled into our kiss to the sound of hundreds of people cheering.
THIRTY-FIVE
MICKEY
“I feel like I could sleep for a week.” Amos hummed in pleasure as I massaged his scalp, teasing my fingers through his soft curls.
I leaned against one arm of my couch with my legs outstretched and spread for Amos to fit between them as he rested against my chest. We fit together like we’d done this a hundred times. My body wanted to go to bed, but my heart and brain weren’t ready for the day to end.
“Me too. Maybe a month. I’m so exhausted, but also exhilarated. Exhilerausted?”
His chuckle vibrated into my chest. “It’s like we lived several days crammed into one. Was filming at Sparky’s really this morning?”
