Grandma Trudy was anxiously awaiting their return, and as soon as they entered the kitchen, Darcy handed her the coveted ginger.
"Thank you, sweetie," Gammy gave her a hurried smile and added the spice to a waiting bowl.
"Can I help you with anything, Gammy?"
"No thanks, I'm just about ready to put the gingerbread in the oven for the decorating contest later. Looks like this might be your first year to have a partner other than me." Usually, her mother and father were on a team, Jacob and Lexi would decorate a house together, and she and Grandma Trudy typically made up the third team.
"You can still be on my team," she gave the elderly woman a hug.
"No...I'd rather judge anyway. You know how judgmental I can be," Trudy gave her a wink, and Darcy bit back a smile. "Now you go find Preston, and make sure he isn't getting into trouble."
Taking her grandmother's advice, she went to find Preston who was reclining on the living room couch watching 'Holiday Inn'. She took the seat beside him, and her heart leaped in her chest as he wrapped his arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder, and for the shortest moment wished all of this was not just an act. If only he really could care for me.
"So what do you want for Christmas, Love Bug?" His whispered words in her ear left her heart racing, and all possibility of reply vanished. She turned to look into his eyes which held currents of what, if she didn't know any better, she might mistake for tenderness.
Finally, she found her tongue, "The things I want can't be bought at a store," she thought of how the best things in life...the things that really mattered never wear a price tag.
"Like what?"
"Like a home for Hank, to make my parents proud...for moments like this to last forever," she regretted naming the last item on her list the moment it left her lips. "What do you want for Christmas, Schmoopy?" She hoped turning the focus on him would still her rapidly beating heart.
"I want some of the same things," her heart pounded as she looked down and found his lips just a breath away from hers. Closing her eyes in anticipation, she hoped this wasn't just something falling under the category of 'boyfriend things'. More than anything, she wanted this to be completely, totally, irreversibly real. His lips brushed hers, and she melted against his chest.
Ding dong! The shrill sound of the doorbell dispelled the magic of the moment leaving her looking up sheepishly into his eyes.
"I'm sorry," she stammered, cheeks ablaze.
"Don't blush, Chipmunk," his voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm your fake boyfriend; it's only natural you should want to be close to me."
Her heart plummeted downward and needles pricked her behind the eyes. Fake boyfriend. He doesn't really care; it's all just an act. How could I expect any different? I did kidnap him after all...not exactly a solid foundation for love.
***
As soon as the words sprang from his lips, he wished he could take them back. The hurt in her eyes was evidenced as the sparkle from moments earlier fizzled and died. A solid brick wall stood between them now, and he feared nothing he could do or say would tear it down.
"Darcy, I..." The words he wanted to say, needed to say were cut short by the appearance of two new faces.
Even before he was formally introduced, he knew they could be none other than Jacob and Lexi. Briefly, he performed an inspection of Darcy's brother to try and decipher what could be so fantastic about him to make him the favorite. Nothing drew his attention, and he quickly determined the stocky, dark-haired man before him was completely normal and un-extraordinary. Though he dressed well and his parents seemed to be making an undue fuss over him, he saw no visible proof any of the effusion of joy at his presence was at all merited.
Stealing a glance at Darcy, he noticed she was doing her best to look at everyone and everything to the exclusion of himself, and a well-placed dagger to the heart couldn't have caused him more pain. Unsure how to warm the coolness creating an icy cavern between them, he found her hand and twined her fingers with his own. Without hesitation, his hand was swatted away.
Why did I say 'fake boyfriend'? He berated himself.
"And this is Lexi." When Gammy introduced him to Jacob's fiancé, he forced his focus on the situation at hand, and away from the one he really needed to deal with.
Turning his eyes upward, he saw a lovely and somewhat familiar face. Lexi's dark eyes were framed by long, thick lashes. Her blonde hair lay in immaculate curls on her shoulders. A faint smile danced at the corners of her mouth.
I know I've seen her before...but where?
"Time to decorate some gingerbread houses!" Gammy clapped her hands.
He was given no more time to remember why Lexi looked so familiar. Everyone followed the silver-haired woman to the kitchen where three separate stations were set up.
Unsure just how this competition typically worked, he hung back. His eyes found Darcy who stood off by herself.
I should go to her. Leaving her alone is neither charming nor a boyfriend thing. He slipped beside her, but she didn't bother looking up at him.
"Okay, Jake and Lexi...you come over here," Grandma Trudy waved them over to a work station complete with gingerbread pieces, frosting, and a multitude of edible decorations.
"Vaughn and LuAnn, you're here." They obediently took their place.
"And Preston and Darcy," she waved them over. "You get this spot."
He took her hand, and once again she brushed him away and walked to their position behind the counter.
"Now I'm setting the timer for thirty minutes," the beep of the microwave timer could barely be heard above the happy chatter between the other two couples. "Whoever has the most creative gingerbread house when the timer beeps...well...they win," Gammy shrugged and smiled.
"Go!"
"I'll just warn you," Darcy turned to look at him for the first time since he blew it. "We don't have any chance of winning...I'm the absolute worst when it comes to anything creative."
"That can't be possible," he hoped to do a little bit of damage control. "I don't date girls who aren't creative."
She leaned in close, and his palms began to sweat. "Fake date...I think that's what you mean."
"That's not what I mean at all," he whispered in her ear hoping his voice relayed the deep feelings developing in his heart.
"It's a good thing we aren't really dating then," she sighed under her breath.
Great! I can't say anything right.
They worked to no avail to get the walls of their gingerbread house upright, but the icing kept giving way and one wall or another was in a state of constant decay and destruction. Looking up in frustration, Preston's attention was caught by Lexi. Suddenly he knew exactly where he had seen her before, and he grabbed Darcy's sticky hand and pulled her out into the hall by the dining room.
"What's going on with you?" Annoyance clouded her features and she folded her arms across her chest.
"You know how you said Lexi gives you a funny feeling?"
"Yeah? So?" Her voice was an aggravated whisper.
"Well...I think your gut might be right on track. I've seen her before." He placed a hand on each of her shoulders and waited until she dragged her gaze from the carpet up to him.
"Oh, really?" her tone was sharp as a razor blade. "Did you fake date her too?"
"Of course not!"
"What is it then?"
"She's been on America's Most Wanted."
"Like as the host?"
"No...like as someone the police are looking for. I think we should call and have someone check this out."
"Oh, do you now? That would be perfect, wouldn't it? Get a few police officers here, so you can tell them I kidnapped you, and they'll take me to jail." Her eyes filled with tears. "That's what you want, isn't it? To see me locked away for a long time."
"I don't want that at all," he wrapped his arms around her, but she struggled free.
"What's going on out here?" Gammy's voice quelled any further conversation. "We paused the timer and are waiting on you to finish the competition. Oh...I see what it is...you couldn't wait to take advantage of the mistletoe." The elderly woman's finger pointed to the spray of greenery dangling from the door frame above them a knowing smile brightening her eyes.
"It's not what you think," Darcy immediately tensed, and he was close enough to feel her bristle.
"There's no shame in it, Sweetie," Gammy shrugged and turned to him. "Well...go ahead and kiss her, so we can finish what we started in the kitchen. Go on! Don't be shy."
He looked at Darcy who appeared nearly as wary as she was annoyed. She turned her cheek to him, and he kissed it as warmly as he could before she pulled away.
"Well that was lame," Trudy shook her head and gave him a playful slap on the arm. "You've got to really kiss her...it's mistletoe. You can't fake it when mistletoe is involved."
Darcy looked at him and heaved a sigh of resignation. He swallowed hard and pulled her close. Cupping her chin with his hand, he captured her lips with his own. She tasted like frosting, ginger, and daydreams, and though he wasn't sure what she was thinking or feeling, his heart was close to pounding a hole in his chest. At first, the exchange was completely one-sided; Darcy stood like a statue, unmoved. Then, her muscles relaxed and she leaned against him. Her hands came to rest at the back of his neck, and she pulled him close deepening the kiss. In this moment, he could not imagine anything else feeling quite as perfect, quite as wonderfully right as holding her in his arms, kissing her under the mistletoe. He wanted every Christmas for the rest of his life to be spent like this...with Darcy.
"Ok, ok, don't overdo it just to prove a point," Gammy patted him on the back forcing him back to reality.
He looked down at Darcy who fit so perfectly in his arms and saw the beginnings of a blush creep slowly up her cheeks. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear. "Don't blush, Twinkie. I'm your boyfriend, it's only natural I should want to be close to you."
Her blue eyes softened and moisture pooled in her eyes.
"Why are you crying, Lady Bug?"
"I don't know," she croaked. "I just wish..." a long, empty silence grew between them.
"What do you wish?" He hoped he knew the answer.
"Never mind," she brushed a tear from her cheek and pulled herself from his embrace. "We can't have everything we wish for."
"Sometimes we can," he whispered.
"They're waiting on us in the kitchen," she sighed and he followed her back to the group of friendly faces.
Even though they finished their gingerbread house and Gammy named their shabby creation as the second place winner, his mind was busy with thoughts of how this holiday would end. He knew how he wished it would end. Does Darcy wish for the same thing I do? He licked some sweet icing from his thumb and remembered the way she kissed him. Surely it wasn't just an act to convince her family. Somewhere, deep down, she must care for him. Even though he only really knew this girl for a short time, the emotions, the love winding a path through his heart was more than real to him. He just hoped, prayed he could show her how much he cared before this fairytale Christmas was over and she moved on with her life...without him.