NO SUCH LUCK with the weather the next day. It snowed the entire drive back to Wiltshire, which took six hours instead of the usual four. Luckily, I was carpooling with Holly, since her family lived a couple of doors down from mine.

“Can I just say again that I’m so, so sorry I made you leave last night. If I’d known you saw dreamy mall guy again—”

“Aiden,” I interjected.

“Right, Aiden. If I’d known he was there, I would’ve just walked myself home.”

“Downtown? In the middle of the night? By yourself?”

“Okay, so maybe I would’ve just hidden in the bathroom all night.”

I gave her the side-eye and flipped on my blinker to exit the freeway. Only a few more miles and we’d be home. I was ready to stretch my legs and steal a few cookies I knew would be waiting for me on Mom’s kitchen counter.

“It’s fine, Holls. Zack knows him, so I’m sure I’ll see him again.” Especially after that kiss. I barely slept last night, reliving it over and over.

“I bet he tracks you down and calls you.”

“Yeah, okay,” I said, but inside I thrilled at the possibility. I could still feel the way my insides had completely flipped over on themselves when he looked at me, not to mention the way I’d melted when his lips had pressed against mine.

“Stop doing that,” Holly said, and shoved me in the arm.

“What?”

“Doubting yourself. I can hear it in your voice. Did I or did I not tell you that you were looking cuter and cuter these days, Miles? I’m telling you, he will call.”

I sure hoped so. But as much as I wanted to leave it up to Aiden’s precious fate, I knew the second the holidays were over I’d be on the phone with Zack tracking down that man’s number.

“Okay, enough about that,” I said. “You know I have to mentally prepare myself for holidays with the family, so stop distracting me and help me focus.”

Holly grinned, her beautiful, bright smile lighting her entire face as she no doubt recalled some of the past mayhem that had taken place at the McAllister household. “Especially with Rick back home this year.”

Rick had been deployed overseas last year and things just hadn’t felt the same without him. But having him back with us this year would certainly bring back the chaos we were all used to when he was around.

“God help us. But at least my parents will likely focus on him instead of harassing Beth about freezing her eggs.”

“That’s too much pressure. If I were Beth, I’d tell them to mind their own business.”

I snorted. “Sure you would.”

“Okay, well I’d definitely be thinking it.”

The familiar sign for the Twelve Oaks neighborhood came into view, and as I turned onto the street we’d grown up on, the rush of nostalgia hit, as it always did when I came back for a visit. Not much had changed since my last trip home, although it would be hard to tell if it had due to the blanket of fresh snow covering everything in sight. Tonight, most of the houses here would be lit up with twinkling lights, my family’s included.

I turned into the Clarks’ driveway and popped the trunk before getting out to help unload Holly’s bag. She came around the car at the same time as me, and together we heaved her thousand-pound suitcase out of the trunk. Honest to God, it was like she packed bricks instead of clothes.

“Thanks for driving,” she said, giving me a hug. “I’ll come by later. Tell your parents I said hi and to lay off Beth.”

“Hah, yeah, right. Let your mom know I’ll be by to steal some rocky road.”

“Will do.”

She waved as I got back in the car and drove down to my parents’ driveway a couple of doors down. Looked like I was the last to arrive, as Rick’s truck, and Beth’s apparently new car took up the spots behind Mom and Dad’s, leaving mine to squeak in almost onto the street.

I’d barely gotten my small rolling suitcase out when the front door opened and I heard my mom squeal.

“Hey, baby boy,” she called out, waving her arms. “Do you need some help?”

“Nah, I got it. Stay inside.” It was cold out, and the wind was beginning to pick up. I wrapped my scarf around my neck and tucked my head into it as I strode up the sidewalk.

“You made it,” Mom said, pulling me in for an embrace before I’d even gotten my bag onto the porch. I steadied it beside me and wrapped my arms around her waist, breathing in the scent of sugar that always reminded me of her and served as proof there would indeed be her famous chocolate minty melt cookies waiting inside. “How was the drive?”

“Not too bad. I drove slow, promise.”

“That’s my boy,” she said, stepping back so she could get a good look at me. “Oh dear. You’re looking too thin. Get inside. I made a plate of minty melts just for you.”

“You love me. You really love me,” I said, grinning and rolling my suitcase inside.

It never ceased to amaze me how all-out my parents went for the holidays. Fresh garland wound its way around the banister leading upstairs and also flowed down from the fireplace mantel and basically everywhere it possibly could. Mom’s massive collection of nutcrackers were featured around the living room in special niches she’d made just for them as though they lived there year-round, and off in the back corner of the space stood the eight-foot spruce Christmas tree.

“The place looks wonderful, Mom,” I said as I let go of my bag and unwound my scarf. She turned to look at the living room where the five stockings we had made years ago when we were children were hanging neatly in a row off the fireplace.

“It does, doesn’t it? It’s only missing one thing, but we’re working on that now.”

I frowned as she took my hand, leading me inside toward the tree. “I don’t know. It looks perfect to me.” Really, the place could be in a magazine, it was so festive.

“No, no,” she said as she patted my hand. “The lights on the tree went out just a few minutes ago, and you can’t have a Christmas tree without lights. But lucky for us, Beth’s boyfriend is checking it out.”

I stopped in my tracks to look down at my mom, and raised an eyebrow. “Beth’s boyfriend? I didn’t even know she had a boyfriend.”

Mom beamed at me and nodded. “Neither did I. That girl, she’s so tight-lipped about these things.”

“Maybe she just wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, it’s a lovely surprise. He’s just a dream. Why don’t you come in here and I’ll introduce you?”

As we walked into the living room, I spotted my brother sitting on the couch, his phone in hand, texting away to someone, and as we came up behind him, he quickly shoved it down beside his leg.

“’Bout time you finally got here, brother,” Rick said as he got to his feet. An inch or so shorter than me, Rick was built like a bull—muscles upon muscles. His hair was still shaved close to his head, true military style, and when Mom let me go so I could hug him, I didn’t even care that it felt like he was gonna crush every bone in my body. It was just so good to see him.

“Yeah, it took a little longer thanks to this awesome weather. Really, it couldn’t have waited one more day.”

“No shit. I have a feeling we’ll be getting a few good workouts over the next few days shoveling the walkway for Mom.”

Ugh. That was so not a chore I enjoyed. It was right behind chopping firewood.

“I promise to make it worth your while by feeding you afterwards. How’s that for a deal?” Mom said. Then she brought her hands to her chest and sighed. “Ah, it’s so good to have my boys back under the same roof again.”

Right about the time I thought my mom was going to cry, Beth walked in from the kitchen carrying a plate of those minty melts I could smell. Dressed in Uggs, black leggings, a fuzzy red sweater, and matching beanie, Beth looked beautiful and festive as usual. Her chestnut-colored hair bounced over her shoulders as she came into the room.

“Don’t you look handsome today,” Beth said as she kissed my cheek. She ran a hand down my navy-blue puffer vest as I eyed her plate of cookies.

“Just today? Thanks a lot, sis.”

“Aww, you always look cute. But I don’t know, there’s something else going on that’s different.” She leaned back to take a look at my boots, hunter-green corduroy pants, and plaid shirt, then she grinned and said, “Maybe it’s the hair.”

That was her polite way of saying it definitely wasn’t my outfit.

“Could be. It’s a little longer than I usually wear it.”

She nodded and then reached up to flick a piece that had fallen down over my forehead. “That has to be it. Looks good.”

“So do you. But I think that’s due to this wonderful accessory.” I reached out and stole a melt off her plate, and she laughed.

“Mhmm,” she said, and then offered one to Rick. “Better get one now before this one eats them all. You know how he is about anything chocolate and mint.”

As I popped the melt into my mouth, I moaned as the flavor hit my taste buds. “So where is he? I heard you brought someone home this weekend.”

Beth’s cheeks flushed almost the same shade as her sweater, and Rick, being Rick, didn’t let her get away with it.

“Ahh,” Rick said as he wrapped an arm around our sister’s shoulders. “Look at her getting all flustered about her new boyfrieeend.”

Beth glanced behind her toward the tree, and then back to the two of us. “Would you keep your voices down? What are we, twelve?”

“No,” I said as I stole another melt. “But we’re your brothers and it’s our job to give you shit. Where is he? Come on. You got him hiding in the kitchen?”

“Shut up,” she said, and slapped me in the arm.

“Ow.” I rubbed my abused bicep. “Mom, make her stop.”

“Why would I do that?” Mom said. “You deserve it. Especially since Beth’s gentleman friend is kindly trying to fix our tree.”

I looked over Beth’s head toward the tree that was covered in decorations from our childhood, and some new ones Mom had added this year. And as we moved closer, I noticed someone down on his knees at the back of the large spruce. He’d moved several of the wrapped gifts out of his way to get right in behind the tree, and just as we got there, my mom let go of my hand and walked over to the kneeling man.

“How are you going down there, dear?”

There was some rustling around and then the man’s muffled reply: “Just fine, I think I almost—”

The tree lit up like a shining star, and my mom gasped. “Oh, you did it!”

Instant points for Beth’s boyfriend right there. Whoever he was, he’d just saved my mom’s tree and therefore would likely be written into the family will.

Beth went over to him as he got to his feet, and then she took his hand in hers and brought him out from around the tree.

“Miles, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Sean,” she said, and as the man beside her came into view, my stomach dropped and my heart sank. Like a deer in headlights, I froze, staring at the tall, dark-haired man who held my sister’s hand.

Sean? That was what Beth called him, but that wasn’t who stood in front of me, looking as shocked as I felt. Aiden was the name he’d given me last night when he’d kissed me under the mistletoe. And as fantasy and reality collided, I realized that oh my God…

I’d kissed my sister’s boyfriend.