Mistletoe Mischief (Falling in Mistletoe #2)

Chapter Forty-one

Pike had picked up Jo from his apartment and taken her over to his parents’ for a visit. After imbibing one too many glasses of his mother’s deadly eggnog, Pike crashed in his parents’ guest room.

When he woke up the following morning to his mother singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas , Pike was aware of two things. It was Christmas, and according to the time on his bedside alarm clock, Ryler was already gone.

Pike squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring Jo’s squirms against his side. Although he knew she probably had to pee, she seemed to sense his mood and hadn’t started whining yet. Pike couldn’t get last night with Ryler out of his mind, and he kicked himself over and over for not speaking up. For not telling her that he wanted her to stay with him, forever. He’d settle for being the guy at home waiting for her to return from every trip if that’s what she needed, but he wanted more. Pike wanted everything she could give and then some.

Only when he was faced with her beautiful brown eyes and her impending departure, Pike couldn’t do it. He couldn’t ask her to choose between the podcast she’d worked so hard for and him. Pike was a guy Ryler had known less than a month. How could he ask her to wager her future on such a short acquaintance?

There was a knock on the bedroom door, and he called out, “Yeah?”

His mom poked her head in. “Merry Christmas, honey. Do you want me to take Jo out so you can sleep?”

Pike sat up and picked the puppy up in his arms as he slid off the bed. “Nah, I got her. Thanks, though.” Pike paused to kiss her cheek as he passed. “Merry Christmas, Mom. ”

“I’ll be in the kitchen making breakfast when you’re done outside.”

Pike slipped on his boots and his jacket by the front door before he harnessed Jo up. He grabbed his phone from the wireless charger next to his dad’s chair and walked out, squinting against the bright morning sun. It had snowed a little last night, and the ground sparkled.

He let Jo down on his parents’ front lawn and scrolled through his phone, noting the merry Christmas texts already coming through and the social media tags. He clicked on an Instagram mention and found that Ryler had posted several times from the Excursions page. Pike tapped the first reel and watched Ryler stare into the camera. She wore light makeup and a red, cowl-neck sweater, her waves loose around her shoulders.

“I apologize that my Christmas gift to all of you this year is exposing a lie. I wish it were raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but it’s that I am human. I make mistakes, and I’ve been scared to own them until now.”

Ryler took a deep breath, staring into the camera with those brown doe eyes. “My name is Ryler Colby, and I’m the host of Excursions . My cousin, Alia, agreed to be the face of my podcast because I was scared that the internet wouldn’t be kind to someone like me. Someone so incredibly ordinary, who just loved to travel and wanted to share her passion with the world.

“Only, I’ve spent the last few weeks somewhere that to the rest of the world may view as ordinary to the extreme, but being there breathed life back into my soul. I realized that my passion had gotten lost in the beaches and the long plane rides. I’d let myself be controlled by others, by their money and influence, instead of being confident in what made Excursions such a blast to record in the first place: the destinations in America that no one else was exploring. Just me and my producer in a van, traveling around the U.S. and discovering hidden gems.

“That’s what Excursions started as, and in the new year, we’ll be going back to our roots, starting with a sneak peek of our newest episode, Adventures in Mistletoe. This little mountain town stole my heart, not just with its beautiful, craggy mountains and snow-covered trees, but with the people who pour their hearts and souls into making the holidays special. To the events that bring joy to people, especially the extravagant lights display at Evergreen Circle. And to the men at Adventures in Mistletoe, who take tourists out to explore all the fun that Mistletoe has to offer, who put on one heck of a winter games this year, including blow-up reindeer races, I want to thank you. You reminded me what made this podcast great.”

Jo scratched at Pike’s leg, and he stooped to pick her up without looking away from the screen, swiping to the last reel he was tagged in.

“My final thought before I leave you this Christmas morning is don’t go into the new year with fears and regrets. I told myself I was going to start saying what I mean. I was going to be honest and aware of myself, but I’ve already failed to follow through. You see, I didn’t just fall in love with the town of Mistletoe, but also the man who brought me there.” Pike sucked in a breath, his heart pounding so loudly he almost missed her next few words. “Pike Sutton, I love you. I don’t want to just come back and visit you. I want you to be my home. The place I belong, which is something I’ve been missing for nearly twenty years, but I found it with you. So, if you feel the same way, just drop a comment below. I’ll be waiting.”

Pike continued to walk as he scrolled, but when he stepped onto the sidewalk, his foot caught a patch of ice that sent him and Jo flying backward. He managed to bear the brunt of the fall, but his phone had sailed out of his hand.

“Fucking smooth, Pike,” he groaned, stretching away from Jo’s seeking tongue. Pike realized when he stood up that not only had his phone landed in the only yellow snow in the yard but that his butt was covered in Jo’s number two.

“Mom!” Pike yelled. Although he should have been concerned about waking up the neighbors, he had more pressing issues. He shuffled across the lawn to retrieve his phone, wiping the pee-soaked snow off on his jacket.

His mom and dad burst onto the porch, talking at once.

“Are you alright?”

“What’s all the hollering about?” his dad asked.

“Sorry, but I slipped on some ice and I have shit on my back and my phone landed in pee. Do you have some clothes I can change into and maybe a towel for my phone? I really need to use it.”

“Oh, yuck! Here, give me Jo,” his mom said, coming down the stairs and holding her arms out. “I’ll be back in a minute with a towel and some clothes. ”

When his mom disappeared inside, his dad grunted, “Hopefully you didn’t wake up all the neighbors. I’d hate for them to get a look at your goods while you’re changing out here.”

“Thanks for those nightmares, Dad,” Pike said, thinking about how long it would take him to clean up and hit the road.

When his mom returned, the first thing Pike did was strip down and change his clothes. He slipped his dirty ones into a bag his mother provided and went inside to put on fresh socks and his boots.

“Can you watch Jo for me? I’ll be back in a few hours, hopefully with a guest,” Pike said, smiling at the thought.

“Who are you talking about, Pike? And why do you suddenly have to go rushing off?” his mother asked.

“Because it finally happened, Mom. I found the love of my life, but I’ve got to catch her before she leaves.”

“This sounds like a bunch of overdramatic bullshit,” his dad grumbled, crossing the room to his favorite chair.

But his mom’s face lit up at the mention of love, and she waved him off. “You go on. Go get her. If she’s got you willing to run out the door and chase her down on Christmas, I can’t wait to meet her.”

Pike kissed her cheek, petted Jo’s head, and yelled, “I love you, Dad!” before slamming out the front door, avoiding the ice this time. Pike dialed Ryler first, but it went straight to voicemail, so he commented on the last reel, typing out in all caps, I LOVE YOU, TOO! DO NOT GET ON THAT PLANE!

Pike kept trying to call Ryler, but her phone was shut off. He tried Kit’s, too, but it was the same thing. By the time he pulled out in front of Anthony’s house, he was stress sweating his way through the I Heart Santa sweatshirt his mom had given his dad as a gag gift last year. He needed someone to drive so he could type and call. Hopefully, somehow, she would see either his texts or comments and call him back soon, but either way, he was heading to Boise. Even if he had to chase her back to California, he wasn’t spending another day away from her until she knew how he felt.

Pike called Anthony, and when he picked up on the second ring, he said, “Shouldn’t you be celebrating with your parents?”

“Listen, I need your help,” Pike said. “I know you’re with your brother, and normally I wouldn’t ask, but I’m in fucking love, and she’s about to leave the state. ”

“I’ll be out the door in twenty.”

“Can you make it two? I’m right outside.”

Anthony opened the front door a few seconds later and jogged out to the car. Pike got out, tossing Anthony the keys as he rounded the hood to get into the passenger seat.

“Where are we headed?” Anthony asked.

“Boise Airport,” Pike said, typing out the same all caps message on all of her reels from today.

Anthony took a left at the stop sign, heading back through Mistletoe toward the main highway.

“What exactly triggered this urgent need to catch her?” Anthony asked.

“She posted several reels this morning, admitting that she loved me.”

“Jeez, couldn’t you just be honest with each other without the dramatics?”

Pike laughed. “Come on, you know me! What is life without a little drama?”

Anthony shook his head but kept driving. Pike squeezed his shoulder. “Thanks for coming out, pal.”

“Friends to the end, right?” Anthony said, pressing down on the gas once they cleared the town limits.

“Right.”

Pike wasn’t sure exactly what he’d say when he reached her, but he had at least two hours to come up with something good. Of course, it didn’t matter what it cost. Even if he had to drive all the way to California, he’d do it. There was no way he’d be able to live without her knowing that he felt it, too, that he’d wanted to tell her for so long but had been scared, too.

They crested the hill outside of Mistletoe, and a familiar silver SUV passed by. Pike recognized Kit in the driver’s seat, and he spun around with a whoop.

“What?” Anthony asked, and Pike slapped his friend’s shoulder. “That’s them.”

Anthony pulled off and turned around, chasing after the SUV. Kit had pulled over on the other side, waiting for them.

Pike got out, his heart racing as Ryler opened her door. He had no idea what she was doing coming back to town, but he couldn’t let her leave without telling her everything. Despite all his precautions and fears about loving someone more and getting hurt, he didn’t care. Even if Ryler never felt what he did, Pike couldn’t lose her.

Before she could say anything, he had her in his arms. “I love you. Don’t go anywhere. Or if you have to go, I will follow you on every future trip. Or if I can’t, I’ll be here waiting for you to come home. We will make it work because you are my everything, Kitten.”

The seconds ticked by like hours as he held his breath, staring into her face and waiting for her to say something, anything. Ryler’s cheeks were pink and streaked with tears, but she was also grinning broadly. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she said, “Funny story. Kit and I agreed that Mistletoe is somewhere we both feel at home, and you’re a big part of that. I love you, Pike. I want to go all in with you.”

Pike hugged her hard, murmuring against the side of her neck. “You are the second best thing I got for Christmas this year.”

Ryler reeled back with a scowl. “What was the first?”

“Jo.”

Ryler laughed. “I knew you were going to fall in love with her.”

“And you? Did you know I was going to fall head over boots for you?”

“I hoped so, but I couldn’t be sure.”

Pike kissed her, pouring all of his love and happiness into their molding of lips. “And now?” he whispered. “Are you sure?”

“About being with you? Yes. I’ve never been surer.”