6 Mountain Brothers for Christmas

“No. I was just about to go inside and make some.”

“No need. Why don’t you hop on in? I was planning on getting breakfast in town anyway.”

“You sure that’s okay?” she asked.

It pained me that she even had to ask.

“Of course, it’s okay,” I said. “Go drop the paper off and hop on in. The truck’s already warm.”

The smile that crossed her face warmed my chest. She scampered off and tossed the paper inside before closing her front door. Then she ran back and jumped into my truck. We rode into town and hit up this little diner the seven of us always frequented during the summer. We sat down in the corner we all used to take up while we pissed off the workers by only ordering drinks.

“Have you thought any more about your ex’s offer?” I asked.

“I have,” she said. “I’ve got until Christmas to make a decision.”

“He gave you a deadline?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said, snickering.

“Sounds like a winner,” I said.

She shot me a look and I shook my head and sighed.

“Sorry,” I said. “But you can’t blame me. You deserve the best, Kyra. You always have.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you know what always helped me?” I asked. “In the military, we learned to make decisions by drawing up a list of pros and cons.”

“You’re joking, right?” she asked.

“Not one bit. It helped us to visually see all the good and bad that could come from a certain decision. You gotta remember, the military takes men as young as eighteen. Most of those guys don’t even know how to parallel park, much less make important decisions on their own. That’s how the military taught us.”

“I can’t even imagine what you went through in the military, Chance,” she said.

I took a deep breath as the memories bombarded my mind but I tried to keep them at bay as I leaned back and stretched.

“Well, I’m also a realist, so the list rings especially true for me. So, make a list with me.”

“Wait, what?” she asked.

“Start with the cons and make a list. What are the cons going back to…?”

“Landon,” she said.

“Landon. What are the cons of going back?”

“Well, he wants to change me.”

“Okay,” I said.

“He doesn’t think much of my job as a teacher.”

“Two,” I said.

“He most certainly doesn’t support my idea of an online video channel for relationship advice,” she said.

“Wait, he doesn’t?” I asked. “That’s a perfect gig for you. You’re a natural at helping people.”