Nick and Noel's Christmas Playlist (Mistletoe Romance #1)(9)

Nick glared at Pike. They’d been friends since third grade, but their goals in life were polar opposites. Pike liked being single and planned on staying that way for the foreseeable future, while Nick always imagined settling down early and starting a family. And the differences spilled over into their outward appearances.

Pike was short and stocky, with a round face covered by a perfectly formed dark red beard. He kept his auburn hair shaved close on the sides and two inches of just-got-out-of-bed styled awesomeness stood on top of his head. Nick was a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy, while Pike had been known to sport funky bow ties when the mood stuck.

Pike threw up his hands as though to ward off Nick’s hostility. “Hey, I’m just being honest, pal. You’re twenty-six. No man should lock a woman down until he is well over thirty.”

Nick sat up and shot Anthony a hard look. “Can’t you control him?”

Anthony’s full lips pursed, as though he was fighting a smile. “I’ve tried, but he always slips his leash.” He scruffed Butch behind the ears, shooting Nick a pitying glance. “Besides, he’s not wrong. You shouldn’t be thinking of anything but what the hell you’re going to do now that you’re a civvy.”

“I already know what I’m doing. I have a job that I start on Monday and I need to buy a truck. I’m looking for an apartment. I had everything I wanted, but now…”

Pike jumped in, finishing his thought for him. Poorly. “Now you can take your time and have fun. You’ve spent eight years fighting the good fight. You deserve to come home and reap the benefits of being a hero.”

“I’m not a hero and I don’t want to date a bunch of random girls. I’m into a solid, in it until the end, monogamous relationship.”

“Why would you want that with Amber?” Pike asked.

Nick flopped back on the bed with a groan. “Not you too. My mom, Noel…did everyone hate Amber and just fail to mention it?”

Anthony grabbed his hand and hefted him back into a sitting position, his expression sheepish. “We figured you’d realize she wasn’t right for you once you got home.”

“Well, she beat me to the punch on that.”

The echo of the front door opening and closing and the tap of footsteps down the hall preceded Noel standing in his doorway. She had on a pair of painted-on jeans tucked into knee-high brown boots and a puffy white parka zipped halfway up her chest. Her dark brown hair perched atop her head in a high ponytail, swinging saucily as she glanced between each of them.

“What’s happening?”

Butch launched himself at her, burying his face between her legs and she slammed back into the door, gripping the dog’s head between her hands.

“Goddamn you, dog.”

Pike and Anthony burst out laughing while even Nick cracked a smile.

“Nice. Room full of so-called gentlemen and you all stand around, yucking it up while I’m assaulted by this fool.” Noel pushed Butch away gently and the hound sat back, staring up at her with his tongue lolling out but she ignored him. She wiped her hands off on her jeans and they finally settled on her hips as she studied him. “You don’t look as bad as I thought you would.”

“Thanks. That’s the nicest thing any of my friends have said to me.”

“You’re welcome.”

“How bad did you think he’d look?” Pike asked.

“Dawson-ugly-crying-on-the-dock bad.”

Pike chuckled. “You should have been here when we arrived. Listening to ‘Last Christmas,’ laying on his side with snot dripping from his nose.”

Nick glared at Pike.

“Glad I missed it.” She walked into the room and over to his closet. She pulled out a blue collared shirt and held it up in front of her. “Go put this on. We’re taking you out.”

Anthony tipped his Denver Broncos hat back, revealing his olive skin and sympathetic green eyes. “I don’t think he wants to go, sugar.”

“We do not care what he wants. Only what he needs.”

Nick smirked. “I need some alone time and a bottle of Crown.”

Noel threw the shirt at him. “I’ll buy you the Crown for later, but you are leaving this house. I’m not letting you spend your first night home moping. We are gonna show Amber that you don’t give a flying frickety frack about her.”

Pike came over next to her and put his head on her shoulder, gazing up at her adoringly. “Have I told you I find your made-up words adorable?”

Noel rolled her eyes. “Never gonna happen, Fish.”

Nick stood up, clutching the garment in his fist. “If I put this shirt on, will you all stay silent for ten minutes?”

“Maybe,” Noel said.

“I’ll take it.”





Chapter 4


NOEL

Noel leaned against her car in the Brews and Chews parking lot, frowning down at her phone. She’d texted Trip after her meeting earlier this afternoon, asking him if they could talk, but he’d said he was busy today. So, they’d set up dinner for tomorrow and she’d gone about her day of cleaning her apartment.

But when she’d taken a breather after her meeting and decided to scroll through Instagram, she’d noticed something interesting. Trip’s last post was a selfie of Jillian Groves sucking his neck on the lift chair. Struck dumb, Noel stared at his boyish grin and twinkling blue eyes under his brimmed black beanie, her heart constricting. Jillian’s perfectly contoured cheek, heavy fake lashes, and glossy lips didn’t need a filter. She was always camera-ready beautiful, while Noel’s Insta boasted pics of the things she loved like sunsets, BBQ pork sandwiches, and her friends instead of her usually makeup-free face.