Kissing Under the Mistletoe

“Is he in Seattle, too?”

“No, he’s living in London right now."

"I so wish I hadn’t fallen out of touch with all of you. What about everyone else?"

"Mom and Dad retired a ways back." Again, because Ian had pretty much forced them to. Not that they minded working in the garden and going out sailing with the club on one of Dylan’s boats.

"Are they still blissfully in love?"

From the way she asked the question, Rafe could guess that Brooke was a believer. Not only that love was possible...but that it could also last a lifetime. What would she think if he told her stories from his job about men and women who promised each other forever, and then split at the first sign of trouble?

Still, for all of his cynicism, Rafe had to admit, "They are."

She looked extremely pleased to hear it. "I can still remember the way they would walk down the beach holding hands and kiss when they thought no one was looking. And how they would sneak off to be alone while you guys were busy roasting marshmallows over the campfire. It was so romantic."

"What was romantic to you was gross to their own kids," he informed her, but he didn’t disguise the affection in his voice when he spoke about his parents.

She laughed at that, but said, "I never saw my parents kiss. The only time they ever seemed truly passionate around each other was when they were debating legal cases or supply-and-demand curves. I don’t think I would have minded seeing a little romance now and again. Speaking of romance," she said, before pausing for a moment in which her cheeks flushed slightly, "what about you and your siblings?" Her smile seemed a little too bright as she asked, "Are any of you married? Kids?"

"Well, Ian was married for a short while, but right now we’re all wild and free."

"Wild?" She almost seemed to choke on the word.

"Mia has half the men in Seattle wrapped around her little finger, and she doesn’t give a damn about any of them."

Brooke frowned. "But is she happy?"

"I think so." Although that flash of emotion in her eyes when she’d come to see him in his office the day before had made him wonder if that were true. "She’s the go-to person in Seattle for swanky estates."

"I’d love to see her again."

"As soon as I tell her you’re here, I’m sure she’ll drop everything to come visit."

Which, he figured, would be a really good thing. Because if his sister was here, then there was no way he could accidentally slip up with Brooke by stripping her clothes off and using them to tie her to her bedposts.

"What about Adam? No, wait," she said, "let me guess. Is he an architect?"

Rafe was amazed by how perceptive she was, especially considering she’d only been a child the last time she’d seen his family. "Close. He rehabs historic homes."

She nodded as if it made perfect sense. "He was always building things when we were kids. I’d find him working with Grandpa fixing a broken pipe or putting on a new section of siding or trying to make a canoe by hand."

"Good thing he’s better at fixing up houses than he is at building boats. That thing must still be at the bottom of the lake."

"Wasn’t he going steady with that girl from across the lake?"

Had Brooke had a crush on Adam when they were younger? And if she had, why did it matter? It wasn’t like Rafe was going to lay claim to her, regardless of how much the caveman inside of him wanted to do just that.

"He was, but that ended when we left the lake."

"All of you are so good looking, I just don’t get wh—" She seemed to realize what she was saying a beat too late, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I just mean that I would think women are beating down your doors, so..." Her flush deepened. "Ugh. I should stop talking already. I’m just making it worse."

Damn, she was cute. And sexy. Who knew that would be such an irresistible combination?

And the truth was that he was just as surprised about her. He’d have thought she’d be married by now to some perfectly nice guy, with one kid holding on to her leg and another, smaller one in her arms.

Strange how easy it was to see her with those kids, and to know what a great mother she’d be. The guy, on the other hand, he couldn’t quite picture. Not when he knew there weren’t many guys out there who would be good enough for Brooke.

"You remember my eight cousins in San Francisco?"

She grinned. "Boy, was that a crazy week when they all came to visit. I always thought it would be amazing to have all those other kids to play with—five in yours and eight in theirs."

Rafe sometimes forgot that everyone didn’t have a big family like he did. Brooke only had her parents and grandparents.

Knowing it would please her, he said, "Every last one of them is paired off now."

He’d never personally been with a woman he could fully trust, but he’d managed to suspend disbelief for his charmed cousins in San Francisco. Along with his parents, they were the exception. But at the same time, he couldn’t understand how they’d all decided to take such a massive risk. Because if there was anything he’d learned during the past seven years, it was that even if one person wanted to be steadfast, odds were the other person wouldn’t be. He sure as hell hoped his cousins could keep proving him wrong.

"All eight? That’s wonderful." Just as he’d expected, she looked extremely pleased by the thought of so many happy couples in one family. "What about Dylan?" She scrunched up her nose. "Although I’m still not sure I’ve forgiven him for making me go sailing with him that day when the winds were at twenty knots, and he told everyone I barfed over the side of the boat."