A Festive Feud (Strawberry Hollow, #2)

by Maren Moore

She’s more than beautiful. She’s the kind of beautiful that sucks out all the air in a room the moment she enters.

don’t like being the center of attention for any goddamn reason,

Fuck the feud, fuck the fact that we’re supposed to hate each other, fuck everything that isn’t right here, right now. I’ve always been attracted to her, even if she drives me insane like no other,

“Snowflake, there’s not a neighbor for fucking miles. Scream all you want—no one’s gonna hear you. Actually, better yet, let me give you an actual reason to scream.

Do I actually even like when he’s a gentleman though? Truly? Because I seem to love this rough, unruly version of him, even though I shouldn’t.

I constantly feel like I’m always falling short. My parents just have really high expectations for how I should act, and what I should wear, and how I should behave, and sometimes it just feels so heavy.

I never realized that Emma carried so much pressure on her shoulders. I spent all my life thinking she was an uptight, pretentious princess who was too good for anyone else, but now that I’ve gotten the chance to actually know her, I realize that I was wrong.

she’s a perfectionist. She wants everything to be organized and in order, but she’s also hardworking and passionate when she cares about something.

Jackson Pearce. He’s kind and compassionate.

“Beautiful,” he says, and I nod in agreement. “Breathtaking.” Except when I glance over, he’s not looking at the stars at all. He’s looking at me.

A man whom I might actually be starting to have real feelings for, but, oh wait, our families have been feuding for decades, and we were basically born hating each other.

“Let me get in the door first, woman. Jeez, I can feel you undressing me with those eyes,” he teases.

“And I fucking missed you, Emma.” My heart pounds in my chest as I nod. “I missed you too.”

I can spend the rest of the holidays doing all of the things that I love when it comes to Christmas. Knitting Christmas socks, spending nights by the fire with a mug of hot chocolate, and especially going to the tree lighting in Town Square.

Because that’s the thing—as close as I am to my family, I don’t owe them or anyone an explanation about what’s happening between Emma and me. Whatever we decide, whatever happens between us, is just that—between us.

“For the first time in my life, I’m doing something for me, without the scrutiny or expectations of anyone else. And I want you, Jackson Pearce. Even if we have no idea what the future holds or how we’re going to make this work with our family issues. For once, I’m not going to plan for something to go wrong or try to control everything. I’m going to follow my heart and hope that it’s not going to steer me wrong.”