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“As the baby of the family, I think yes,” Merry said grimly.
“Funny, I’m the baby of my family and my parents didn’t care where I was,” Clark mused.
“You’re all hilarious, except Clark who’s kind of sad,” Holly said. “And by the way, Clark, your buddy wrapped my car like a Christmas present today, so don’t try to play like he’s the innocent victim in this prank war. He’s having as much fun as I am. In fact, since he’s coming, I’ve got an idea.”
Clark pointed at Holly. “This is why I’m scared of her and not you. That look on her face is pure diabolical evil.”
“When Declan leaves, I’m going to sit in the back seat and let off one of those poppers Mom bought for New Year’s Eve and scare the heck out of him. Merry, you want to record? I probably won’t post it, but I want to relive the laugh when he jumps two feet in the air.”
“Kids, get in here and help me set out the food. It’s not fair that Noel, Jace, and I are the only ones doing any work,” Victoria called, carrying a large salad bowl to the table.
“Hey, we decorated the tree,” Merry said.
Noel arched an eyebrow as she carried several bottles of various salad dressings to the table. “Funny how it took four of you for that, meanwhile your mom and I have been running around like chickens with their heads cut off.”
“Wah, wah, wah,” Holly sang, and Noel reached out to yank a strand of her hair. “Oh, you want to hair pull now? Let’s take this outside, sis.”
Nick put his arm around Noel, steering her toward the living room. “Come away from the crazy sister, babe. She bites.”
“I’m in charge of the pizzas,” Jace said, carrying a lidless box with a browned pepperoni pizza inside. “This one’s mine.”
Clark chuckled, ruffling his son’s hair. “I don’t think so, little man.”
“Where is everyone?” Victoria asked.
Merry looked over at the clock and shared a bewildered look with Holly. “You told people to be here at seven and it is six-forty-five.”
“I’m wrong for thinking that people should be early?”
“Yes, because no one wants to be the nerd who is first to a party,” Holly said.
The doorbell rang, and Butch, the Winters’ elderly bloodhound, howled from the back room. A second round of deep, booming barks joined the mournful sound and Jace took a step down the hall. “Can I let the dogs out, please?”
“After we’re done eating,” Victoria said. “Daisy has a bad habit of stealing food when my back is turned. Holly, can you grab that?”
Holly went to answer the door, calling over her shoulder, “Speaking of nerds, this is probably Pike and Anthony with a thirty-pack for Nick and a couple of cases of fruity drinks for Merry and me. At least we won’t run out of alcohol.”
Holly pulled the door open mid-laugh and froze that way with her mouth hanging open and all sound died. Declan stood on her parents’ front step in a pressed button-down shirt and jeans with four packages in hand, but that wasn’t the startling part.
“You shaved your beard,” Holly said softly, her gaze following the lines of his jaw to the adorable butt chin. It drew attention to the angle of his cheekbones, and the fading bruise under his eye from the incident with the rooftop Santa was more noticeable, but it made his green eyes pop brighter. With the soup catcher he was hot in a man-who-lives-in-the-woods kind of way, but with his full lips on display and no mustache to hide them?
The man was freaking gorgeous.
“Yeah, I thought it was time for a change,” he said, holding the packages out to her. “I wasn’t sure what to bring.”
It was hard to believe this was the same man who dropped snakes on her a few days ago. He seemed almost shy, like all the confidence and anger came with the beard, and without it he was a completely different person.
“Are you going to let me in or did I drive fifteen minutes out here to get the door slammed in my face?”
Holly stepped back, giving him room to pass. “Sorry, I’m used to you looking like Gollum from The Lord of the Rings instead of an elf.”
“I’m too tall to be Gollum,” he said, leaning closer to whisper, “Elf.”
The affectionate way he spoke that single word rippled down her spine like a shiver.
“Declan!” Holly’s dad called, getting up from his recliner and extending his hand to the newcomer. “How are you doing? How’s the head?”
“Hard as ever, sir.”
