Better Not Pout (Mistletoe Falls)

by Maren Moore

“All my siblings are coupled up, most with kids. And I’m just tired as fuck of the questions about when I’m getting married and when grandkids are coming. It’s exhausting, and if I bring a date, I’m hoping that’ll get everyone to chill out about my personal life. Appease my mom that I’m on the path to being settled down.”

“My grandparents, as much as I love them, are way too involved in trying to hook me up with any and every single man in this town.”

“Then you know what I go through every single Christmas. It would be nice to not have to worry about it, and it works because we could help each other out. It’s a win-win. You help me, I help you.”

Fake holi-dating sounds absolutely ridiculous, but also, I have to admit… it’s not that bad of an idea. Yeah, it’s a little crazy and feels like something out of a book, but then again, it could totally work.

Holi-dating: The Game Plan

if Wells wants a fake girlfriend, I guess he’s getting a fake dog child too. We’re a package deal.

“Want some pizza?” My stomach lurches at the thought of eating pizza in front of this stupidly hot man. Eating anything, really. That’s a level of comfort that we’re not at yet. I know that’s my trauma talking, and therapy has helped with the fact that food is sustenance, and no one will judge me for doing something as simple as keeping my body alive, but still, the insecurity remains. I hate it.

“So, the plan,”

“That’s what I’m here for, right? Let’s figure out a game plan before I change my mind.”

“Alright, well, the only way we’re going to convince my mother that this is real is if we do a damn good job of it. The woman has a sixth sense. Ever since we were kids, she’s always been able to call us on our shit. She always knows when we’re lying. Which means we’ve got to put on a hell of a performance.”

“And you thought now would be the time to tell me this? Jesus, Wells. Maybe this is a horrible idea after all. If that’s the case, then I don’t think we’re going to be able to pull this off.”

“Nah, we’re good. It’ll be fine. We don’t need to complicate it. All we need to do is come up with a story about how we met and learn some basic things about each other. No one is going to interrogate us on our relationship, Rosalie. I’m a big boy.”

Her quick wit, that smart little mouth, or the fact that she takes not a single ounce of my shit. No matter how much I give her.

played professional hockey for eight seasons, but I retired early because of a shoulder injury,”

“Most days. It still bothers me when I push myself too far when I’m working, or sometimes it aches when it rains. I had surgery, and they were able to repair a lot of the damage. Most of it was from old injuries that never properly healed, so when the last happened, that was it. My career was done. All those years, just… gone.”

“Yeah, it was… rough. But I learned that sometimes life deals you a hand that you’ll never be ready for, and I guess it all worked out because injuring my shoulder is the reason that I ended up here in Mistletoe Falls and opening Well + Good. My family has always had the cabin in Cedar Ridge, so it made sense to come here when I was ready to leave Vancouver and try to get on with my future. I figured this was a good place to start. Collin was already here. We’ve known each other since we were kids. We met when we first started to come to Cedar Ridge, and now I have the bar. My house. I’ve just been trying to figure out who I am without hockey.”

“Speaking of, we should probably talk about how we want the… physical aspect of this to go?”

mean, um, we’re going to have to behave like a couple, Wells,”

“Couples kiss and hug and hold hands. That’s probably going to be so uncomfortable to do that. I mean, I know I’m just some random girl wh⁠—”

“Any guy would be the luckiest motherfucker on this planet to be able to touch you, and if he says otherwise, he’s a liar.” We’re so close I can feel the soft puff of air that escapes between her lips as she sucks in a breath. “So no, having to touch you, kiss you, hold your hand when we’re in public isn’t going to make me feel uncomfortable. Even if it’s fake.”

Fuck, I want to kiss her. But then there’s a loud series of woofs from Penny and Frankie, and she startles, pulling back, the moment suddenly broken by our apparently cockblocking weenies. Where’s the fucking irony in that?

Yeah, I’m in some real fucking trouble when it comes to Rosalie Sullivan.

Save a Horse, Ride My Fake Boyfriend

I have to admit that I am beginning to have a teeny, tiny, minuscule crush on my new fake boyfriend.

And sex complicates everything. But… No, Rosalie, my God. No orgasm is worth the headache that it’ll bring afterward.

“I’m far too tired to interrogate you about why you’re at my door at 6:00 a.m. with my favorite coffee, so I’ll just take this and say thank you very much.” I moan after taking a sip, letting it fuel my veins. Wait… “You know my coffee order?” He shrugs nonchalantly. “I pay attention.” He. Pays. Attention? To me?

“Thank you again for the coffee. But also, what are you doing here? I mean, it’s a very sweet, boyfriendy thing to do, but no one is here to see it.”

“I figured the coffee would lessen the blow that we’re going to have to move this fake date thing up a bit. I got a call from my brother this morning that he’s coming into town early this weekend, and he can’t wait to meet my new girl.”

“Just so you know, I brought you coffee this morning because if we’re convincing everyone you are my girl, then she’d need it after I kept her up all night, exhausting her body until she couldn’t move. Gotta take care of her. After all, optics are everything right now, yeah?”

“That might be a possibility. But… only if you tell me why it is that you’re calling me Sugar.”

“When I first met you, I thought you were fucking fiery. All sassy and mouthy. But everything around you is so goddamn sweet. From the candy at your shop to your cup of sugar coffee from Frosty’s. I thought there was no way that everything you touched was so sweet, yet you were the total, complete opposite.”

“But I’m starting to realize just how wrong I am about you. Now, all I want is to find out if you taste as sweet as I’ve imagined, Rosalie Sullivan.”

When my lips touch hers, a trembling sigh pushes past her lips as she winds her fingers tightly into the fabric of my shirt. Her lips move against mine, soft and sweet, hesitant at first. But when I slide my hands along her jaw, holding her in my palms, her lips part, and I sweep my tongue through her waiting lips, tasting her for the very first time. It’s fucking indescribable. The sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted.

But as I’m kissing my fake girlfriend in the middle of my barely renovated bar, it feels like the most right thing I’ve ever done. Like all of the shit that I’ve been through in the last couple of years has led me straight here. Straight to her.

She looks like she just got the fuck kissed out of her. Even more so… Rosalie Sullivan looks like mine. Even if it’s only for now.

Of course, our first “public” outing would be during Mistletoe Magic, one of the town’s busiest nights of the year, which practically every person in Mistletoe Falls attends.

“Only thing sweeter than this is you.” My cheeks heat, and before I can respond, he says, “Would you look at that?”

The kiss begins soft, unhurried. Wells moves his lips against mine like he’s memorizing the shape, the feel, the taste of me, but then it turns heated. His tongue sweeps into my mouth as he curves his hand around my nape, tugging me even closer, kissing me until I forget that we’re standing in the middle of Town Square and the entire town is likely watching.

“I know that us dating is fake and that we each have our own reasons for doing it, but obviously, we’re attracted to each other. Our chemistry clearly isn’t fake. So why don’t we just enjoy it while we’re doing the fake dates?”

What I don’t say to her is that I know that this is supposed to be fake, that we’re performing just as we said we would, but that kissing her feels too fucking good.

But I understand her hesitations, and I’m not jeopardizing what we’ve got going on right now. I’m not sure she’s even on the same page as I am yet. Rosalie smiles cheekily at me, tangling her fingers in the front of my jacket. “I guess kissing you isn’t so bad either.”

“You always see the good in things. I’m thankful for my family, and as much as I was honestly dreading coming here today, I had fun too. It was nice to step away from the bar and from the bustle of everyday life, but I guess it’s something that I take for granted. Having them always be here, having things like traditions that we carry over from the years. Creating new ones together as our family expands. It’s all stuff that you don’t even really think about until it’s put into perspective.”

“I’ve just always been a glass-half-full kind of girl, I guess. I do try to see the bright side in most things, and if I can’t… I make one. It’s kind of why my friendship with Kennedy is so perfect. She’s a failed optimist, as I like to say.”

“Failed optimist?” “Yeah. She’s just got so much hope and overpowering emotions that when something disappoints her, it’s the end of the world. And sometimes, instead of letting that just temporarily disappoint her, she chooses to believe the worst. I’m the opposite. I’m the levelheaded friend, calm and steady. Always think things through and make a measured decision. I know you probably thought I was insane when we first met that day at the bar, and honestly? I was kind of acting that way.” She laughs lightly and shakes her head. “Admittedly, you kind of flustered me that day. I’m not used to that. You threw me off-kilter, and I… was just behaving very unlike myself. I’m sorry about that.”

“No apology necessary. I thought you were fucking beautiful from the moment I saw you, and I loved that you were standing toe to toe with me, ready to give me the same shit I was giving you. It just made me want to...

“It’s okay. I didn’t really want to say all of this on the carriage ride, but let’s just say that… Bradley made me feel like I was never enough. He made me constantly question my self-worth by the end of our relationship. The comments about my… body, my weight, how I carried myself, what I wore. It was so much worse than I even realized when I was still in the relationship. I didn’t realize how badly it affected me until it was over.”

“I’ve always been a bigger girl. I was made fun of growing up, and it seemed like Bradley simply played heavily into insecurities that were deep-rooted and already there. Sometimes I couldn’t even believe that he chose me. I always felt like he was way too attractive to be with a girl like me.”

“That fucker never deserved to lay a single goddamn finger on you, Rosalie. It’s you that was too good for him. And you know what? It’s good that he fucked up and lost you because then I never would’ve had the chance to make you mine, Sugar. You are beautiful. The most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Without a doubt, without question. I love your body.”

“You are perfect. Every inch of you. And if you’ll let me, I want you to give me the chance to prove it to you.”

“I don’t say anything that I don’t mean. I’m telling you that I am so fucking attracted to you, and I’ve wanted you… this. The things I want to do to your delectable, perfect body since the first day I saw you, Rosalie. The only reason I haven’t is because I don’t want to do anything you aren’t ready for.”