Chapter Twenty-Four

Various crumpled pieces of wrapping paper littered the floor of the Frosts’ living room, and happiness abounded, the Christmas spirit nice and strong.

As far as gifts went, Julie was beyond happy with her new items. One in particular, and her fingers sought out the serotonin charm hanging from the necklace Gavin had gifted her with last night. He hadn’t said much as everyone had been unwrapping, chatting, and grinning their faces off at them, seated side by side on the loveseat—no surprise, Darlene, Mom, Grams, and Granny Frost had moved around the room so the two of them could take the loveseat.

“Was that the last present?” Rashad glanced around the room at everyone with their new fuzzy socks, jewelry, and countless other treasures.

“Not counting the Frost Christmas Card, which is the gift that keeps on giving,” Dad snarked, raising his mug of coffee in the air. Everyone chuckled, and Rashad wrapped his arm around his wife and pressed a kiss to one of her pinkening cheeks. It’d taken a while, but she was now able to see the humor in the situation.

The familial camaraderie was extra strong this Christmas, and Julie marveled at how blessed they were to have one another. How amazing was it that all because two sets of couples fell in love and became the closest of friends, they’d formed an exponential family with enough people to pack a room.

“What do you think?” Granny Frost asked Grams as she ran her fingers down her new, extra colorful scarf. The turquoise and pink highlighted her flawless umber skin, suiting her the way jewel tones always did. Seventy years old, and nary a gray hair in sight.

“It’s as beautiful on you as I knew it would be,” Grams said, and the two women embraced, causing more happiness to billow up inside of Julie.

Rashad and Nikita were discussing the merits of Nike socks, with Rashad claiming he might have to steal a pair, even though hers would never fit his large feet. Pots and pans clanged in the kitchen, signaling that Darlene and Mom were about to start cooking their Christmas feast. While a lot of their families’ staples were the same, the main difference was the sweet potato pie.

The Frosts had brought it into their lives, and she couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into a piece.

“Do you ever think about moving back to Crystal Springs?” Julie asked Gavin, resting her head against his shoulder. “Not anytime soon, of course. I like my life in Arizona, but then I come here, and I think about how I want to see my kids onstage in the pageant someday, how nice it was to have so many grandparents around, and I want to give that to them, too. It was one of my favorite parts of growing up.”

Gavin had tensed at some point, and the resounding silence had her straightening and studying the guy at her side. His expression was blank, his shoulders slumped, and tension radiated off him.

Julie placed her hand on his knee. “Is everything okay? You don’t seem to be shining with the same Christmas spirit as everyone else.”

He ran his fingers over his forehead, bunching and smoothing the skin. “I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Well, tell it to take a backseat. This day comes only once a year.”

“Every day comes only once a year,” he retorted, and she frowned at him. She also did her best to stifle the sting his snippiness caused. As she began to pull away, he covered her hand with his. “I’m sorry, Jules. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. Maybe I’m just hungry. I’m gonna grab some breakfast and see if that helps.”

Unsure what else to do, Julie nodded. Last night they’d grown closer than ever, so why did he suddenly feel so far away? Her eyes burned, and if they dared to tear up, she’d stab them right out, Oedipus style.

Eyeballs were super cool to dissect, though, and if she did stab hers out, she’d never get to cut up anything to analyze again.

Two steps toward the kitchen and Gavin abruptly spun back around. She sucked in a breath, and with any luck, the tears vacuumed themselves back into their ducts. Even though nothing in the laws of science made that possible.

“Do you want me to grab you anything? I never did let you eat your plate of food last night.”

If the others wouldn’t overhear, she’d make a joke about being hungry for something else. Surely they’d have time to do it once more before his flight tonight, because as satisfying as it’d been, she doubted she’d ever get her fill. “Thanks, but I ate half the candy in my stocking, so I’m already regretting that. Don’t worry, I’ll forget about the regret in a few hours and eat too much all over again.”

And then we’ll burn it off the fun way.

The right side of his mouth lifted, but the other side didn’t get in on the smile, leaving it less brilliant than usual.

Before she could fixate too much on the flip in his mood, Niki plunked herself in the spot he’d abandoned. “Did you like the present I gave you two last night? All that time to yourselves, and it sounds like you made the most of it.”

“Oh, you wanna hear all about your brother being naked? Perhaps some details regarding how big a certain anatomical part is?”

She pulled a face. “Ew, no. Just let me enjoy the part I played.”

“What do you mean the part you played? Does this have to do with the parent trap comment your mom made?”

“Reverse parent trap,” Niki corrected, as if that were the most important part of the question.

Julie arched her eyebrows. “Explain.”

“I didn’t get it at first. Then mom told me about this old movie, where two girls discovered they were twins. After their parents divorced, each parent took one of them and they were young enough they didn’t remember, or find out about it until they ended up at the same camp.”

“That’s disturbing.”

“Yeah, flawed logic at best. But I made my roommates watch it, and the twins switch places and basically force their parents together. It’s rocky at the beginning, but then”—Niki clasped her hands to her chest—”they realize they’re still in love.”

“Sounds mighty convenient.”

“Maybe a little, but love’s never really convenient, you know?”

Unfortunately, she did. Because ever since waking up this morning, she’d look at Gavin and experience this intense heart-squeeze that spoke to more than friendly feelings, and more than her body enjoying his. Thanks to the madness of the day, they hadn’t had the chance to even have a private conversation.

Not that it’d change anything.

Would it? Last night there’d been talk of future “beeping,” claiming her breasts with flags, and he’d said it was amazing for him, too. Fucking incredible, that was, and along with a flare of heat, Julie’s heart swelled as she replayed the words.

“Girl, that face is proof enough that you get it.”

“It’s just my face, Nik,” Julie automatically said, and then she glanced around the room to ensure no one was eavesdropping. Least of all Gavin, who was obviously not in the mood to discuss any of this with his family. So she quickly turned the tables. “You haven’t mentioned much about the guys at college. Anyone catch your interest?”

“I wish. College guys are so immature. I thought it’d be better once I graduated high school, but nope. If I could choose my sexual orientation, I would go for pretty much any other option. Female, robot, alien—whatever.”

Julie gave a sympathetic laugh. “I’m so sorry. But I get what you mean.”

“Don’t get me started on how they react when I tell them I play basketball.” Her upper lip curled, packing a whole lot of disgust for such a tiny movement. “They’ll say things like ‘oh, that’s so cute.’ Ummmm, no it’s fucking not. I’m a certified badass.”

“Hear, hear.” Julie held up her palm for a high-five, and Nikita’s smack verified her statement.

“The other thing I get asked is if that’s how I ended up at such a good college, as if I don’t belong there. Or some guys get competitive and challenge me to a game, and then they turn into literal crying babies when I wipe the court with them.”

A whorl of anger rose on Nikita’s behalf. “Dude, that’s so wrong. People assuming you’re not smart enough, or you don’t belong, and as for those guys you beat playing ball? They should be impressed.”

“Right?” Niki sank farther into the loveseat and put her feet up on the glass table Darlene was constantly wiping clean.

Out of the corner of her eye, Julie caught sight of Gavin. He and his dad headed in the opposite direction, holding a bag of charcoal. “Not that I’ve had a lot of experience, and I’ve dated my share of jerks—”

“Like Brad the Bastard?”

Julie tugged her gaze off Gavin’s backside and returned her attention to Niki. “I see Gavin told you about the super nice nickname he gave Brad.”

“Yeah, and I agree with him. That guy was the worst.”

A pang darted around Julie’s rib cage, and she sat up straighter. “Wait. Did Gavin tell you about how…” Hmm, now that she’d gotten herself into this pickle, how did she ask without revealing too much? The thought of having to repeat it, or of everyone feeling sorry for poor unexciting Julie, left her throat too tight. “About the boring thing?”

“Gavin never mentioned how boring the guy was, but it doesn’t surprise me.”

“I mean how when he dumped me, he told me it was because I was boring.”

The line of Niki’s jaw went rigid. “He said what now?” She cracked her knuckles. “Sounds like I need to have a little chat with the guy.”

“Funny enough, your brother felt the same way.” And probably still did. “But honestly, it’s okay. This trip has helped me realize our breakup was for the best. Now that I’m not paranoid that every story I tell about work will be met with disdain, I feel more myself. It was suffocating to be editing everything I wanted to say all day every day.”

The confession hit her, along with the truthfulness of the statement. Why would she stifle who she was for someone else? While most everyone had work stories that could be considered boring, when you cared about someone, they didn’t shame you over the things you were passionate about.

Since this conversation was supposed to be about Niki and had kind of veered off track, Julie attempted to bring it back around. “Anyway, my original point was that you have to wade through a lot of frogs to find your prince.”

“Ick. Gotta say, kissing them sounds like more fun.”

“Not if they’re slimy, unsatisfying, and give you warts,” Julie said, and then she and Niki both burst into laughter as they shuddered over the disturbing images she’d conjured.

Granny Frost popped up her head and peered at them from over the top of her glasses. “Are you two behaving over there?”

“Nah. Behaving is boring.” Niki jabbed her elbow into Julie’s side, and then Granny Frost lifted a hand to the side of her mouth and stage-whispered that her granddaughters were wise beyond their years, and to never let anyone tell them otherwise.

Julie supposed it might be weird to other people that she referred to Gavin’s grandmother and grandfather as hers as well, the same way he did to both sets of her grandparents, plus their parents on both sides. But they’d been in one another’s lives for so long, they’d been a giant, mishmashed family for as long as she could remember.

It was fairly obvious they weren’t all related, but she loved that their family went beyond skin color and blood. Wasn’t that the goal, even if it took years of dating and even marriage to get there?

Again, her thoughts went to Gavin and how easy things were with him. Easy yet exhilarating. Comfortable yet charged. It was the best of both worlds, so why wouldn’t she at least try to find a way to have it all?

Every day in her lab, Julie got specimens outside the norm. She’d seen patients and diseases baffle medical experts and defy survival percentage rates. Scientists and doctors found new methods to take care of old issues every single day. Chemistry had the ability to change one matter into another substance entirely, and the more she thought about the possibilities she hadn’t let herself consider, the more apparent it became that she was onto something.

So what if maintaining a long-distance relationship wasn’t exactly convenient and they had the odds stacked against them? They were Gavin and Julie. Ride or freakin’ die.

Adrenaline coursed through Julie in a steady stream, along with the zing of a good challenge. She’d use the scientific method to draw out plans and find wiggle room that she could chip away at over time, until the pathway revealed itself.

She and Gavin had an undeniable connection, along with proof it carried over to the bedroom—so check off that part as done already. Although for the record, she was totally open to further experimentation.

Whether it required a bit of sacrifice and a whole lot of travel, shifting their ideas of what a steady relationship looked like, and video chats that involved little to no clothing—with Gavin, she’d feel comfortable enough to put herself out there that way.

As Niki said, love was never really convenient.

And only a fool would walk away from a shot at total happiness without giving it a try.