“She’s always been scrappy. And Kat, well. Kat has always been Kat.” I lowered my voice as we inched closer to where my family stood in the throes of the line. Axel had conned an elf into letting him wear one of their pointed hats, and he proudly danced a jig in the jingling green cap. Chloe videoed him, laughing, while Lydia tried to distract Ryan away from the scene with a store display of sports gear.
Nick wiped his eyes, still watering from his coughing fit, and chuckled. “Wow. I’ve got to hear more about that fight.”
“We got kicked out.” I grimaced. “I don’t think we ever tried to come back. All of us kids kind of knew not to ask.”
“Should I play lookout, then? Are we going to get booted?” Nick glanced over his shoulder at the uniformed mall cop, who posed on a Segway nearby, looking more bored than out to get anyone—especially us Sinclairs.
“I highly doubt it.” I ate another pecan before Nick could. “Looks like we’re stuck with this fun-filled Christmas experience today.”
“You’ve got to admit, itispretty fun to see the kids excited.” He gestured toward Janie, who was bouncing up and down in line behind Kat, who stood with one hand rubbing the middle of her back as she whispered with Olivia. Both kept a close eye on Mom, who was sharing a bag of nuts with Dad. Keeping her fed—good idea.
Dad saw me watching and shot me a subtle thumbs-up over his shoulder.
I grinned, then did a double take. Nick was returning his thumbs-up. I frowned. “What was that with you and my—”
“Look! There’s Santa!” Janie squealed and pointed up the lineof kids where a very realistic Santa, with a fancy long white beard and natural-looking belly, took his perch on a golden chair. The crowd cheered.
Mason sucked in his breath as he stood on tiptoe. “That’s him!”
Itwaspretty magical, especially through the eyes of a child. I knelt and attempted to see it all from Mason’s point of view. Red velvet ropes with dangling hand-cut snowflakes, each labeled with a different kid to sponsor for Christmas, separated Santa’s elves from the crowd of children eager to whisper their holiday wish to the big guy. A small train glided by on a portable track around a giant gingerbread house trimmed with plastic candy, before detouring past Santa’s chair and wrapping around a decorated tree that stood so tall, the pointed star skimmed the skylights of the ceiling.
For a moment, I could feel it. The excitement. The joy. The wonder.
Mason bounced like Janie before he caught himself. He puffed his chest out a little instead. “Uncle Nick, do you see him? Do you see Santa?”
Uncle Nick?
Nick shot me a cautious look before giving Mason a fist bump. “Sure do, kiddo.”
Janie popped her thumb in her mouth, which was immediately swatted away by Olivia. Unfazed, Janie met my gaze and grinned. “I’m asking for the doll.”
Mason elbowed his sister, his eyes laser-focused as his voice dropped to a panicked hiss. “Remember what else we’re asking for.” Then he straightened quickly and turned to face the front.
Hmm. Looked like someone else in the family had a secret. I angled away from the kids and leaned in toward Nick. “Are you okay with him calling you that?”
“I’m fine with it. Mason’s great.” Nick winced. “But I kind ofwonder what that’s gonna mean after…you know. After the holidays.”
Meaning, of course, when Nick didn’t come back for the next family gathering.
“Right.” My stomach clenched and I drew in a tight breath. I hadn’t thought this through—as Piper would be quick to remind me. Revenge on Ryan had been so at the forefront, I hadn’t prepared for the consequences of the truth emerging later. Of course, I fully planned to fess up to the family at some point—it wasn’t like I intended to stage a fake breakup after New Year’s. Thatalwaysbackfired in the movies.
But I hadn’t anticipated the kids getting swept up in my game. What if they’d seen us kiss? I didn’t want Mason thinking Nick was going to be around forever.
Not to mention my own heart was going to need time to process that.
I pressed my fingertips to my suddenly flaming cheeks. “Should we scale it back a little?”
“What do you mean?” Nick matched my whisper.
“Revisit our rules of engagement.” I couldn’t say theK-word. I just couldn’t. Nick probably couldn’t either, which is why we hadn’t discussed it yet—
“Kissing?” Nick raised an eyebrow.
Okay, so hecouldsay it. But I definitelycouldn’task him if our kiss had affected him the way it had me. It didn’t seem to, gauging by his casual attitude now.
Maybe he’d simply taken the operation to the next level.
I could ask him. I squinted. But if his answer was yes, that’s all it was to him, and I let on that it was more for me…I swallowed.
