Once he knew that he was going to see Carolyn on Christmas Eve, Tobias’s whole world brightened. He even started smiling at the tourists he took on their flights along the coastline. Not even the honeymooners irritated him the way they used to. So what if they held hands the entire time and took selfies of each other kissing? They were in love. It made sense. Love finally made sense to him, because if he had Caro next to him, he wouldn't let her hand go, not for a second.

Unless she pulled some kind of karate move to get rid of him.

Aiden came home a few days before Christmas and slept for three solid days. Tobias looked for opportunities to tell him about Carolyn coming, but never found a chance. His ex-girlfriend, Daisy, came over on the first day he stumbled out of his bedroom.

She took one look at his groggy, sleep-puffy face and announced she was taking him to Stargazer Beach for a winter swim and then to the Milky Way for pancakes and no one better try to stop her.

They'd been joined at the hip ever since. The two of them were looking at each other the way they used to. They'd been best friends, then sweethearts, then back to friends when Aiden left for college. And now?

Who knew?

Tobias, Ben and Will made a pact to keep their mouths shut so they didn't scare Aiden off with their teasing. They all loved Daisy. She'd been in and out of their lives for years now, and it was good to have her back. At least for now.

Tobias was especially happy about it. With Daisy around, maybe Aiden would barely notice when Carolyn arrived for dinner on Christmas Eve.

When that moment came, Tobias forgot about Aiden, Daisy, and every other human being in the old farmhouse. He hadn't seen Carolyn for almost two months, and he'd forgotten how goddamn beautiful she was.

Even in the crowd of family and guests, she stood out like a living ray of sunlight. She wore a dress made from soft bronze wool that draped gracefully over her slender curves. She'd curled her hair so it fell in loose blond waves over her shoulders, held back with a pin adorned with bright holly. She carried a big pink cake box from everyone's favorite local bakery, Pie in the Sky.

Merry skipped forward to greet her. "You came! I'm so happy!"

She threw her arms around Carolyn and the two friends hugged. Tobias wondered if he could get away with the same kind of embrace. Probably not, since officially they barely knew each other.

Merry kept a hold of Carolyn's hand as she raised her voice over the chattering of the crowd. "Everyone, this is one of my besties, Carolyn. She just got done with a long drive, so be extra nice and pass the eggnog. Carolyn, just to keep it simple, this is the Knight family, some of the staff from the News-Gazette, various members of law enforcement, and most importantly, my mother, Gabriela Joao Warren."

Merry's mother, a gorgeous Brazilian woman with a wild afro and a magnetic smile, surrounded Carolyn in another embrace. Merry barely managed to rescue the pink bakery box before it got smushed.

"Meu amor, I've heard so much about you. All friends of Merriweather are my friends."

Looking dazed, Carolyn smiled warmly back at Gabriela, then waved at the rest of the group.

"I'll take this cake into the kitchen," said Merry. "And by the way, watch out for the mistletoe over the kitchen door. It seems to be extra powerful, Will's already kissed me like, five times. I'm considering sending someone else in the next time I need something from the kitchen." With one of her infectious, dazzling smiles, she headed for the kitchen.

"That's my cue," said Will, heading after her in hot pursuit.

And Carolyn finally spotted Tobias. A shock of happiness passed through him as their eyes met. The reality of seeing her in the flesh after all those texts and phone calls nearly knocked him off his feet. She looked beyond beautiful to him, practically luminescent. Her blue-gray eyes held a soft glow, as if lit by candles.

He wasn't the only one who noticed.

Ben started to move toward her, but Tobias stepped in front of him and cut him off.

"Hi Carolyn. Nice to see you again. Happy Christmas Eve."

"Same to you." As they formally shook hands, Tobias felt something in his heart expand. Her presence, her golden glow, that secret light in her eyes just for him, made everything else fade away.

Ben shouldered past him. "Hi there. I'm Ben Knight, the handsome brother."

Carolyn's soft lips curved in a smile. He'd come so close to kissing her back in Evergreen. Why had he let anything stop him? He should have followed the invitation in her eyes and shoved her up against the counter and plundered her sweet mouth the way he'd wanted.

Where was that mistletoe again?

"Nice to meet you, Ben," Carolyn said politely. "Thanks for including me in your Christmas."

"You are welcome any time. Any holiday. New Year's Eve, Martin Luther King Day, what's after that? Groundhog Day? You're welcome to that one over and over again."

She laughed. Tobias ground his teeth together. Did fucking Ben have to be so damn charming? All the girls thought he was cute and funny, but they didn't know that his heart was walled off and couldn't be touched. He ought to have a "damaged goods" sticker plastered across his chest.

Funny that he had to contend with Ben, not his other brother. In fact, he couldn't even see Aiden in the crowd. Maybe he was off somewhere with Daisy.

That was what he wanted—to be off somewhere with Carolyn. Alone.

He elbowed Ben aside. "Would you like a tour of the house, Carolyn?"

"Why would she want a tour?" Ben scoffed. "She's here for dinner, not real estate."

"I'd love to see the house," Caro said quickly. "This area used to have so many of these old Victorian farmhouses, but most have been torn down."

“Are you a fan of local architecture?” Ben asked in surprise.

"She's a professor. They know things," Tobias growled as he took Caro's arm.

“Adjunct professor,” she explained. “I don’t have my PhD yet, let alone tenure—“

“Excuse us." God, was she going to tell Ben her whole life story? Tobias guided Carolyn toward a side door, away from his nosy and flirtatious brother. "How about if I show you the outside first? There's a classic old barn we use as a gym."

"Sure, sounds good. A gym. How interesting." She slid a sidelong glance along his chest, her eyes brimming with mirth.

He couldn't help it—he touched her shoulder. Her feather soft hair brushed against the back of his hand. He ached to slide his hand along the satin curve of her cheek. The light floral fragrance she wore drifted into his nostrils, so intoxicating he felt drunk from the sweet combination of nutmeg and cinnamon and flowers.

He leaned his head closer, forgetting where he was and who might be watching. She tilted her head up and he saw that her eyes had gone a deep storm-blue, her pupils widening with the same adrenalized desire that ran through his veins.

Oh man. This was freaking combustible. How was he going to get through an entire party without giving away how much he wanted her?

"Tobias," came a young, angry voice. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

He snapped back to reality. Aiden. Sweet Jesus, he'd nearly forgotten about Aiden and the real reason he should have nothing to do with Carolyn.

Guilt flooded through him. "Uh, sure. Carolyn, if you'd like a drink, there's mulled wine and spiced apple cider over there, and I can join you in a minute."

She nodded, offering Aiden a tentative smile. "Hi Aiden. I'm glad to see you survived finals week."

Aiden's return smile looked more like a snarl. "Hi Professor Moore. I really need to talk to my brother for a second."

"Of course." With a narrow-eyed glance at Tobias, she headed in the direction of the bar Merry had set up on an old mahogany side table. He could guess what that look meant. Why the hell didn't you tell Aiden I was going to be here? If he's upset, I'm leaving.

Damn it.

He followed Aiden into the first floor guest bedroom, which was being used as a coatroom, the bed piled with winter coats and scarves. "Listen, Aiden, I'm really sorry I didn't—"

"What's going on between you and Professor Moore?" Aiden folded his arms across his chest and glared at Tobias.

"I wasn't…there isn't…it's not what you think…" Good lord, was he stammering? He sounded like a kid busted for breaking curfew.

"Don't bother to defend yourself," Aiden continued in that severe voice. "I get it. She's attractive. She's beautiful. She's smart."

Oh hell. Did Aiden still have a crush on her after all? "I know she is. And I'm sorry I didn't warn you she was com—"

"But don't be fooled, T. She's not how she seems."

Tobias snapped his mouth shut. That didn't sound like a boy with a crush.

"She smokes," Aiden said, horror in his voice. "And she has a tattoo. Like a really tacky one, not a cool one. At first I thought she was amazing, really kind and intelligent. But that is completely not how she is. You should stay far away from her."

"Well." Tobias cleared his throat. "Thanks for the warning. Maybe I can convince her to quit smoking."

"That would be a start. But she still wouldn't deserve you. She doesn't like dogs. What kind of person doesn't like dogs? No one you can trust, that's for sure."

"Maybe she's more of a cat person," Tobias ventured.

"A cat person? Like that would be better? You're making excuses for her. Seriously, learn from my experience, Tobias."

"I'm more than ten years older than you," he pointed out. "I've been to war."

"Yes, but love is a lot harder than war."

Now wasn't that the damn truth. "That's…uh…thanks for the warning, Aiden. Got it."

But Aiden wasn't through yet. "Do you promise to stay away from her?" he demanded.

"What?" Tobias scowled at his little brother. "That's taking it too far, bro."

"Is it? Really? Why?"

"Because I can handle my own life. You don't have to get in the middle of it."

Suddenly all the hostility vanished from Aiden's face, replaced by a big grin. He formed the shape of a gun with his fingers and pointed at Tobias. "Exactly." He pretended to blow the smoke from the gun. "Gotcha."

Tobias shook his head, bewildered by his sudden switch in attitude. "What are you talking about, gotcha?"

"You came to Evergreen to interfere with my love life, and now you know how it feels. It sucks."

"That's different." Frustrated, Tobias ran a hand across his scalp, feeling the thick new growth of hair. "You're young, you lost your head over an older woman. I didn't want anyone to take advantage of you. I was trying to keep you from screwing up your life."

"Which is the only reason why I'm still speaking to you."

Tobias closed his eyes, inwardly cursing himself. Yeah, maybe he'd been a little overbearing. A little too 'brother knows best.' "Sorry, dude. Point taken. No more interfering. Daisy's awesome, by the way. But you know that."

"Yeah, I know." Aiden adjusted the cuffs of his cable-knit sweater. "By the way, there's something else you might want to know about Professor Moore."

Tobias’s heart sank. If Aiden was this antagonistic to Carolyn, how could he justify getting involved with her? He couldn't. "What's that?"

"I never had a crush on her."