16. Bastian

BASTIAN

The last thing on earth I wanted to do was go to the parade, but Lonnie had been insistent, and I felt so guilty about how their perfect Christmas was beginning to unravel that I couldn’t help but go.

Unfortunately, Lonnie wasn’t the only one being insistent about the parade.

“Of course I’m coming with you,” Sterling said, rummaging through my suitcase and stacking on just about every layer of clothing I had brought with me. “If you’re in no hurry to sweep me away to some exotic locale, then forgive me for trying to claw a little sparkle out of this catastrophic Christmas.”

“You don’t have to come. You can stay here. Rest. Relax. Sit by the fireplace and fix yourself a drink.”

“Is it top shelf?”

“It’s the Larson house. There’s nothing top shelf here. That’s how they like it. That’s who they are.”

“Then thank you, but no. I’m coming with you. Besides, I’m sensing that Benji is needier than I ever realized. I get the feeling he’s never gotten over you. Is that true?”

“No. Maybe.”

“It’s seems obvious to me. Honestly, I’m beginning to wonder why the hell I let you wander off so you could spend Christmas with him.”

“I told you, I didn’t come to spend Christmas with Benji. I came to spend it with the Larsons.”

He gave me a dubious look. “Keep telling yourself that. But I know what I see.”

By the time he was done layering up, the only sweater left was the one he refused to touch—the YMCA Elves.

Secretly I smiled to myself as I slid the sweater over my head.

So much about this Christmas felt so wrong… but wearing that sweater somehow started to make things feel right again.