Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ivy
We’re here!” I yell into the house as Jace and I step through the front door of the charming historical home, gifts piled in his arms and his presence a steady protection behind me.
As we step into the entryway, yells and sounds of cheers and a “Get in here, you Christmas ornaments!” greet our ears.
There’s no doubt the last is from Lily. We’re here for our annual Birch Borough “crew meetup,” also known as the “four-friends celebration.” Sparrow, Lily, Grey, and I get together the day after Christmas every year to exchange gifts.
Now, that celebration (thankfully) includes all the men in our lives.
The foyer we’re standing in is beautiful.
We just walked into Lily’s childhood home.
Graham bought it for her as a surprise last year.
I remember visiting this place when we were kids; the old place had character, like most of the homes here, and a creaky floor.
Some of the original elements have been updated or changed, and it’s now a home that could be featured in a New England magazine.
As we take off our shoes and boots near the hallway bench, piling the gifts temporarily on top of it, my eyes catch sight of a framed picture hanging on the wall.
It’s a sort of collage with a picture of Lily and Graham taking a selfie and laughing on what must be their elopement day, given the attire.
Included in the collage is a page from Pride and Prejudice, with a quote highlighted on the page, which says, “I am the happiest creature in the world. Perhaps other people have said so before, but not one with such justice.”
I smile as Grey comes to greet us in the entryway. Her cheeks are flushed, and she looks the happiest I’ve seen her in months. Wrapping her arms around me, I laugh.
“Well, don’t you look radiant,” I tease her. She leans back and bites her lip as I see the reason for her happiness walking toward us with a smile. “Ahh, I see,” I whisper to Grey with a grin before turning my attention to her closest friend as he approaches.
“Boston!” I yell, noting his signature glasses in place and his disheveled hair whipping in all directions like it couldn’t decide which way to land.
He looks like a literary type, and standing beside Grey, the two of them look like they could be trapped in a library together for the rest of their lives and be happy about it.
“Hi, Ivy,” he says, giving me a warm hug. “Merry Christmas.”
“Same to you! Oh, this is Jace.” I step aside slightly to let Jace and Boston do the whole handshake thing.
To my delight, even though they are complete opposites and yet still wildly attractive in their own right, they’re quickly caught up in a discussion on something.
Jace smiles broadly. I smile too, shaking my head and turning back to Grey, knowing we only have a few moments before we’re wrapped up in the festivities that carry out to us from the other room.
“How long is he here?” I whisper.
Grey’s eyes dim slightly as she turns her attention to Boston. I take note of how open her posture is to him. It’s the same as she’s always looked when he’s around. Near Boston, my friend is the most comfortable version of herself.
“Just a week,” she murmurs. “But he might be back next summer.”
I give a nod, but my smile dims. It’s hard to see her wilt whenever he goes back to New York City, but seeing her so happy, I can hardly be mad at Boston. If I’ve learned anything from my experience with Jace, I have to believe that when it’s time for them to be more than friends, they’ll be ready.
“Where are all my people?” Lily calls from the direction of the main living area, though it sounds more like a yell. We stand at attention.
With a rush, Graham appears in the front hallway with a grin on his face and a shrug of his shoulders. “My love would enjoy it if you’d come into the other room.”
“Well, then, lead the way,” I say with a laugh.
Rafe and Lily are bantering like siblings, and their voices only get louder and louder as we round the corner into their open-concept kitchen and dining area.
Lily is sitting in a plush loveseat across the way in the living room with her hands on her stomach when we enter.
Her bump looks like it’s grown exponentially larger since I saw her just last week.
A chocolate wrapper shimmers on top of it like a star on a tree.
My eyes widen at the spread of pastries piled high on the dining room table.
It’s been so fully covered that I have to question if there used to be a table under there.
I catalog croissants with a cranberry swirl, plus tartlets, macarons, sugar cookies, madeleines, a variety of cream puffs, and an actual bowl full of decorated gingerbread men.
And in the kitchen, the counter space has a small feast of mashed potatoes, some sort of casserole, a ham, and a charcuterie board.
We can all clearly see where the priorities lie.
Jace lets out a low whistle and places a hand on my lower back to guide me toward the living room, where Sparrow is nestled in with Rafe.
The couple is sitting on the couch, tucked together like two birds in a nest, which is not surprising.
Graham resumes his seat next to Lily, who shifts so she can lean against him on the small loveseat.
There’s another couch, but given Jace’s size, I don’t see all of us fitting on it.
As if reading my mind, Grey grabs a few floor pillows from a basket in the corner, setting them near each other but not touching before she plops down, Boston following suit.
Jace and I move toward the remaining couch, but instead of sitting as close as the married couples in the room, we sit with the sides of our legs touching.
He extends one arm across the back of the couch, and I lean my head back, using it as a pillow.
I look up at him and grin, a dopey smile on my face, and he smiles down at me.
“Well, you two are adorable,” Sparrow says softly from her perch near Rafe, who gives Jace an enthusiastic head nod.
“My man,” he says with a grin, and it makes me laugh. “Joyeux Noel, you two!”
He’s so French and yet so American. I’m not sure how he carries both off so well, but he does.
He’s allowed more of his French side to emerge since he’s been with Sparrow.
Occasionally, his words hold more of an accent, but he still says modern American phrases like the boys I went to high school with.
“Merry Christmas, Rafe,” I say back, not even attempting the French. I don’t need to see his brow furrow like it does when he hears his native tongue being mispronounced. It’s ingrained in him to be appalled, no matter how authentic the attempt, so we don’t hold it against him.
Lily holds up her hand and moves her pointer finger between Jace and me, her eyes narrowed. “I called this. Don’t forget that.”
“Yes, Lily, you did.” I shake my head playfully. “And so did Gladys, so try not to say that too loudly if she’s in the vicinity, or you’ll never hear the end of it.”
Lily scoffs. “We already never hear the end of it. But wait, does this mean you’re truly done with the apps? This calls for more chocolate!”
I laugh again, something I think will be the theme of the evening. Graham is already halfway to the kitchen, returning with a towering chocolate cake with marshmallow creme and what looks like a peanut butter drizzle over the top.
“Fluffernutter and chocolate?” Grey asks almost reverently.
Lily grins. “It’s an upgrade from Graham’s favorite sandwiches and our story. Plus, it’s Christmastime, so clearly, we had to have it tonight.”
“No arguments here, even though my training regimen has been shot to pieces this season,” Jace adds beside me with a laugh. Lily nods approvingly.
“Where’s George?” Grey asks, and Graham looks up, even though Lily hasn’t used that nickname for him in a while. Instead, she named their dog George to keep the memory alive.
“Oh, he’s already asleep on our bed. I think he’s nesting.”
“Lils, that’s not a thing,” Sparrow says with a laugh.
“Well, tell him that Resin says hello,” I interject with a nod.
“Absolutely. Okay, enough with the pleasantries. Honey,” she says, looking at Graham, “will you please grab the gifts and bring them in?”
“I’ll help!” Rafe says, jumping to his feet and heading toward the door leading to the entryway. Sparrow looks at him like he’s all the gift she’ll ever need.
Jace’s arm moves from behind the couch so he can sit up straighter, his hand drifting to my leg.
His fingers wrap around my entire knee and a few inches above it, causing warmth to spread through my whole leg.
As if to completely melt me, the tips of his fingers begin making his signature move of aimless circles, the feeling of them through my tights enough to cause me both insomnia and the desire to want to curl up in his arms.
I move the arm closest to him behind his back and place it between his shoulder blades, rubbing the middle of his spine slowly and smoothly. His eyes flutter closed, and he makes a low hum that I feel through my own frame.
“Okay, you two are clearly having a moment,” Lily’s voice breaks through, “which I support, by the way. And you remind me of an episode I just saw of The Man is a Rake. I loved that one! Anyway, my party people, we need to give out gifts. This baby has me craving my bed more than Rafe craves maple croissants.”
At this, Rafe gasps. “C’est impossible!” His quiet affront has us all laughing.
“Then let’s get this moving before Lily passes out on the couch with a pyramid of chocolates around her,” Graham instructs.
“It’s happened before,” Lily confirms.
Piles of presents are brought to the living room and arranged between us, their tags addressed to each other. Jace shifts slightly in his seat next to me.
“Doing okay?” I whisper in his ear, the scent of him, all pine and sandalwood, like a dreamy walk in the woods.