2. Wyatt

2

wyatt

“ W elcome to Strawberry Hollow’s seventy-fifth annual Christmas tree lighting!”

Lucy is nearly vibrating with excitement in front of me, bouncing on the tips of her toes as she peers up at Mayor Davis, standing in the middle of the brightly lit gazebo wearing a red suit with a matching Santa hat.

The white columns of the gazebo are wrapped in thick, fresh strands of pine garland that have red and green twinkling lights entwined within them. Dozens of gold, red, and green ornaments are strung from the arch, seemingly suspended in midair, along with deep red bows and tinsel.

It’s just one of the many Christmas-covered spots in town, and they’ve somehow managed to fit as much shit on it as they possibly could.

Everything about Christmas in Strawberry Hollow is a… production. And if I had it my way, I’d skip all of it altogether.

But it makes my daughter happy, and she deserves happiness. So if that means that I’ve gotta attend every over-the-top festivity this damn town puts on to make her smile, I’ll do it.

I’d do anything for Lucy.

That’s the only reason that I’m standing in the middle of Town Square, freezing my balls off, watching the town literally plug in a damn Christmas tree when I’ve got a thousand things around the ranch that need to be done.

“Daddy, it’s… it’s amazing .” Lucy’s voice is a whispered reverence, the twinkling lights strung along the tree shining in her green eyes. Those eyes could get me to do just about anything, and most of the time, she knows exactly how to use them to her advantage. To stay up past her bedtime, to eat candy before dinner. To get me to build her a tree house in the backyard. To buy her a new dress even though she has more than she could ever possibly wear.

“ You’re amazing, Lucy bug,” I respond as I gaze down at her. “You know, I was just thinking… it’s going to be pretty hard to beat this tree with the one we’re putting up at home.”

She turns to me with a dramatic eye roll as her hand flies to her hip. “Daddy, a tree that big inside our cabin would not be practical.”

A gruff chuckle vibrates from my chest. Getting a lecture from my daughter about what’s practical sounds about right.

She’s barely three feet tall and only five years old, but make no mistake, she’s the boss. And she knows it.

“Oh! Daddy, look… there’s Miss Josie!” Lucy exclaims, pointing a few feet in front of us into the crowd closer to the gazebo.

Josie Pearce.

It’s been over a week, and I still haven’t stopped thinking about her.

Imagine my surprise when I walked into Lucy’s classroom and saw that her new teacher was the girl who would always be the one that got away, even if it was my own stupidity that let her go.

It felt like my heart fell out of my fucking chest seeing her standing there, gazing down at my daughter with the sweetest smile and eyes that I used to lose myself in.

Logically, I knew we would run into each other at some point. Strawberry Hollow’s the definition of a small town. I just didn’t expect to see her… yet. I thought I’d have more time to prepare.

I sure as hell never thought she’d somehow end up being my daughter’s teacher. And of course, Lucy’s obsessed with her new teacher, our past unbeknownst to her.

It’s been years since I’ve seen Josie, but it did nothing to lessen the effect she’s always had on me.

My gaze moves over Josie’s small frame, the tight green sweater that’s molded perfectly to her body, and the dark jeans that hug her heart-shaped ass. She’s talking with someone, her fuzzy-gloved hand placed on his forearm. Suddenly, she throws her head back and laughs, and my heart squeezes inside my chest.

I miss that laugh. I missed her.

I just didn’t realize how much until I saw her standing there without being able to touch her, kiss her, pull her to me the way that I used to.

I lost that right when I left Strawberry Hollow.

When I left her.

“Yeah, it is,” I say. “I think the whole town’s probably here, Lu.”

She nods before lifting her eyes to mine. “Could we go say hello?” When I hesitate, she puts her fuzzy pink-gloved hands together in front of her and pleads, “Please, Daddy? I want to tell her that I love her sweater!”

It’s not that I’m actively trying to… avoid Josie. I’m just trying to figure out how in the hell we’re supposed to exist together in this town. It’s not something we’ve had to do before without being a couple, and that was a long time ago. We were teenagers back then. Now, there’s an awkward tension that I haven’t quite yet figured out how to navigate.

Finally, I nod, heaving a heavy sigh. “Sure, bug, we can go say hi.”

Lucy’s eyes widen as her face lights up, and in a split second, she’s bounding through the crowd in Josie’s direction.

Shit.

I take off after her, my strides cut short by the crowd that’s gathered in front of the gazebo. It was easy for Lucy to push through because she’s so small, but I’m six foot three, and I’m having to shoulder my way through people, barely able to keep my eyes on her.

Her strawberry blonde pigtails bounce behind her, the bright red bows she insisted we tie at the bottoms catching the wind as she runs.

“Lucy.” I blow out a slightly winded breath once I make it to her, staring down at her with a stern look. She knows not to take off where I can’t see her. She’s standing next to Josie now, her small hand tangled in hers as she looks up at me with wide, puppy dog eyes.

“Hi, Josie,” I say.

Josie’s red lips curve into a small smile, and she nods. “Hi, Wyatt.”

Before I can tell her that it was Lucy who insisted on coming over, Mayor Davis taps the microphone before addressing the crowd. “I hope everyone is having a wonderful night. I am so pleased to be here, celebrating yet another holiday season here in Strawberry Hollow. Now, it’s time to announce our seventy-fifth-year Christmas List competition!”

Josie and Lucy look at each other, and Lucy’s eyes are wide with excitement dancing in her irises.

“As you all know, this is one of our town’s most favorite festivities, and this year, we have so many exciting, merry things planned. In case you don’t know the history of the list, it started as a way to help cultivate holiday spirit here in Strawberry Hollow, a simple list of fun things our community could do in town to enjoy the season. But over the years, it has evolved into so much more. The activities help make our small town more beautiful and festive and give back to the community in so many ways. And of course, it’s also evolved into a friendly competition. And this year, we have the best list yet!” He pauses when applause rings out in the crowd, chuckling at how excited they seem to be.

“Now, a few rules before we get started. Teams must be a minimum of three people to participate, with a maximum of seven. The goal of the competition is to complete all items on the list—in your most festive fashion!” The mayor smiles, lifting his hand and shaking it in the air, causing the bundle of jingle bells around his suit sleeve to sound. “For every item on the list that’s completed, your team will be awarded a point. And you’ll have additional chances to be awarded points whether your team has completed a task that’s fit the theme and overall festiveness. That’s right, we can’t do anything halfway here in Strawberry Hollow.”

The crowd laughs, and he continues. “Now, you can pick up your official competition document here at the town hall, which includes the Christmas List activities, and I guess I should announce what this year’s prize will be as well?” He pauses for dramatic effect before laughing heartily into the microphone. “This year, the winning team will get to ride on Santa’s sleigh float with none other than the big guy himself to bring Christmas to town in the annual parade!”

My daughter shrieks, bouncing up and down excitedly, clapping. She turns to me with the most serious expression I’ve ever seen her wear. “Daddy… we have to compete. Please, please, please. I have to ride with Santa!”

“Lucy, I?—”

Mayor Davis continues. “Remember, one of the only rules of the competition is that you must have a minimum of three people to participate, and above all… have fun! We want Strawberry Hollow to be the most merry, festive place to spend the holidays, and it’s up to our residents to make that happen. Merry Christmas, everyone!”

Soft tunes of Christmas music replace him as he steps off the stage, and Lucy turns to me once more. “I’ll do anything, Daddy! Please. It would be the best Christmas gift in the whole, whole, whole world!”

Fucking hell.

“Bug, I’m not sure we could pull it off. Grams is busy helping Papa get around the house, and this competition sounds like a lot of work. We wouldn’t even have enough people to participate and?—”

She whips those puppy dog eyes up to Josie, cutting me off. “Miss Josie, could you be on our team? It would be so much fun, and I promise my dad won’t be grumpy to you. I’ll make sure of it. I promise.”

My brow furrows. I’m not grumpy… Okay, I’m a little grumpy sometimes, but still.

Josie’s warm brown eyes flick to mine as she pulls her plump, red-coated lip between her teeth. Shit, is she really considering this?

I shove my hands in the pockets of my jeans and swallow roughly.

“Oh please, Miss Josie! It would make me so happy. You’re the queen of Christmas, remember? We couldn’t lose if we had the queen. Pleaseeeeeee .” Lucy’s sweet pleading is absolutely wearing down Josie’s resolve, and I watch her shoulder dip. I get it because I live with the girl every day, and I’m still not immune to it.

“Well, my family usually participates, but with my brother’s wedding this year, they decided not to, so… I guess I can? But I’m not sure if your dad is up for that?” she says, looking up at me through her thick, dark lashes, asking a silent question once more.

Heavy tension fills the air between us, overpowering the chill. Her eyes hold mine intently as she shifts on her feet.

This is probably not a great idea, I know it, and I’m sure she does too, but she’s so fucking beautiful that my brain seems to short-circuit, and any sense of self-preservation that I have leaves with it.

“I’m okay with it. I mean… if you are? I’m sure you’re busy too, so please don’t feel obliged,” I say gruffly, shrugging. I have no doubt that I’m going to regret agreeing to this, but whatever makes Lucy happy.

And I’d be lying if I said I’m not partially agreeing to it so I can spend time with Josie. Even though I’m well aware that it’s not a good idea.

Because honestly, my life’s complicated right now. A happy one, but still.

I can think of more than one reason not to agree to this. I’ve got my hands full with running the ranch while Papa is down. Raising my daughter alone, trying to be a good father and teach her how to be a good, kind human while giving her the love and attention that she needs. Trying to figure out what I want my life to look like here, once again back home in Strawberry Hollow.

There are a hundred reasons why I shouldn’t spend time with Josie Pearce, and yet every single one of them I’ve got an excuse for. I’d be lying to myself if I said I didn’t want to spend time with her, and most of all, I just want to make Lucy happy.

“So… we’re doing it? We’re going to be a team?” Lucy asks.

Josie looks at me again, and after a beat of tense staring, she nods. I glance down to my daughter, my lip tugging into a grin, and agree. “Yeah, Luce, we can participate.”

She jumps up and down, squealing and punching the air like she’s already won the competition, causing both me and Josie to laugh as we watch her. Damn, I’ve missed that laugh.

Nerves churn heavily in my gut, but I push them down, instead drinking in my daughter’s joy. I’ll figure out the rest later, including the fact that I’m clearly not over Josie Pearce.

And I’m not sure how I thought I ever was.

All those old feelings have already begun to resurface, and I’ve barely even seen her. I don’t know how the hell I’m going to pretend they’re not there when we’re forced to spend the next few weeks together.

Fuck.

’Tis the season.