Page 85 of Playing Mr. Perfect

“Your Christmas present to your siblings was a hand turkey?” I laugh.

“The hand turkey was my gift of choice for many years, but we don’t celebrate Christmas. My parents adopted celebrations of family and friends instead of religious holidays because we lived among so many different cultures when we were growing up.”

“I love that idea. It’s like the Wall of Love. Holidays that are inclusive, without divisions or boundaries. I think I’d like your parents.”

He cocks his head, his eyes narrowing. “Now you’re just trying to get to my heart, aren’t you?”

I have a feeling my cheeks are going to hurt a lot from this man making me smile. “You are crafty. You spin everything into what you want to hear.”

“When your parents make elaborate treasure maps that you have to decipher with your brothers and sister in order to find your holiday gifts, you learn many different types of craftiness.”

“Seriously? What a great way to teach your kids to work together. Did they really do that?”

He sips his wine. “They did, and they still do. I look forward to it every year.”

“That’s amazing, although I’m sure it takes a lot of work to coordinate all those maps.”

“Play your cards right, and I’ll let you go on the treasure hunt with me this year.”

Is he for real? “How about we make it through a weekend before thinking about holiday plans?”

He leans in and kisses me. “We’re going to make it through much more than this weekend.” He sits back. “But I have to warn you, deciphering the maps is complicated, since my brothers and sister and I don’t all live in the same place. And if one of us or my grandparents or parents are traveling, then that’s usually where we’re going to end up. So you’ll have to clear your schedule ahead of time.”

“I’ll make note of that.” I drink my wine.

“I’m serious. Last year we surprised Flynn on Silver Island where his fiancée, Sutton, is from. You’d love Silver Island.” He tells me about the small towns there, and then he tells me about Flynn and Sutton and how they work together at Discovery Hour, producing documentaries.

“I guess boss-subordinate romance is a family trend. Do Flynn and Sutton still work together? I can’t imagine working with a romantic partner.”

“They still work together, and they make a great team. Their newest series is called Heart Stories, and it’s launching in February. We’re all going to surprise them at my parents’ house.”

“Your family sounds very connected. I love that. Are any of your other siblings engaged?”

“No. Vic was married to a great guy, Harvey Bauer. He was her boss, and sixteen years older than her.”

“Wow, that’s a big age gap.”

“It was. She fell hard and fast for Harvey and went after him relentlessly. It worked out well. They had a shared love for the business, and they were really happy. Unfortunately, we lost him several years ago to a heart attack.”

“That’s awful. Your poor sister.” My heart hurts for her. “The grief must have been unimaginable for her.”

“I think it still is. After he died, she took over Blank Space Entertainment and threw herself into work with that same relentless determination she’d had when she was trying to get his attention, and she’s never slowed down.”

“Burying yourself in work is an easy way to hide from what you’re missing.”

“Is that what you do?” He holds my gaze.

There’s something about Clay that makes me want to tell him all my secrets. I take a drink, considering my response, and decide not to go that deep. “Don’t we all?” I hope it sounds off the cuff and go for a quick change in subject. “It sounds like relentlessness runs in your family.”

“You have no idea how right you are.” Clay tells me about his other relentless siblings, Seth, a business mogul with a serious side who was named Forbes’s Most Eligible Bachelor twice, and Noah, a marine biologist with a love of all things female who runs an exploratory park for kids. “Needless to say, you’re not going anywhere near Noah.”

“So…Seth is fair game?” I tease.

He scowls and pokes my ribs, making me laugh.

“Don’t worry. One relentless Braden in my life is more than enough.”

“Damn right.” He kisses me. “How did we go from hobbies and holidays to you and my brothers?”