6 Mountain Brothers for Christmas

My stomach tightened, and I felt my face flush. Our eyes were locked on each other’s, and I knew I couldn’t fucking resist her for another second.

“Emily,” I breathed. She moved closer to me, and suddenly, we were kissing.

Her lips were soft and gentle against mine. I didn’t intend to kiss her, but I wasn’t surprised that the urge overtook me. What surprised me the most was that she kissed me back. Her lips were eager against mine, and soon, our kiss turned more insistent.

I wrapped my hand around the back of Emily’s head and pulled her harder against my mouth. She moaned and kicked her leg over so she was sitting in my lap. I kissed her harder, my lips devouring hers. She tangled her fingers in my hair while I held her hips.

“Emily,” Sarah said softly.

We jumped apart quickly and both turned to the stairs. Thankfully, Sarah was nowhere in sight. Emily hurried to the foot of the stairs and looked up.

“Can I have some water?” Sarah asked.

“Sure,” Emily said. She hurried into the kitchen and then went upstairs with the water in her hand. I heard her footsteps as she led Sarah back to bed and tucked her in.

I listened carefully, waiting for a sign that Emily would return. Instead, I heard her bedroom door open and close with a soft click.

CHAPTER TEN - EMILY

It was Tommy’s idea to go to dinner on Monday night. He said we needed to celebrate my return and that we should go to the best restaurant in town. I was flattered by his insistence, but one look at Sean told me he didn’t feel the same way.

Ever since our kiss the other night, he’d barely spoken two words to me. I didn’t know what to do or say. After Sarah interrupted us, I was afraid of being caught so I just went to bed, thinking Sean and I would talk in the morning. We didn’t.

All day Sunday and most of Monday was spent in silence. I talked to the kids. We played games, and I cooked them meals. I put them to bed on Sunday night, and when I went downstairs, Sean was already locked away in his room. I thought about knocking on the door, but I resisted the urge, knowing he would talk to me when he was ready.

Still, it was hard not knowing how he felt. We kissed, and now it may as well have never happened. From the way Sean was acting, I couldn’t help but think he wished it hadn’t.

I tried to tell Tommy a celebratory dinner wasn’t necessary, but he dug his heels in, the way only a seven-year-old can. Eventually, Sean stepped in and said it was a great idea.

“There’s a nice Italian place I wanted to try,” he said. “Have you been?”

“Riggazzonis?” I asked.

“I think so.” Sean nodded.

“It’s wonderful,” I said.

“Perfect!” Tommy said with excitement. “That’s where we’ll go then.”

Tommy was bouncing up and down with excitement as we left the house, but both Sarah and Sean were quiet. I looked from one to the other, wondering if Sarah saw more that night than I thought she had. I couldn’t imagine she did. She was at the top of the stairs, and we were on the couch. It wasn’t possible for her to know, was it?

I remained preoccupied all through dinner. The kids both ate most of their food, but Sarah didn’t talk much during dinner. Tommy was chattier than ever. I loved how much he was opening up to me and coming out of his shell, but I couldn’t keep my attention on him. My eyes kept returning to Sarah’s face. I worried about her, but I didn’t know how to ask her what was wrong.

Sean ordered dessert for everyone. When it arrived, he raised his glass, and we all followed his lead.

“To Emily,” he said formally.

“To Emily!” Tommy said.

“Thank you,” I said softly, taking a sip of my water.

Sean’s toast was nice but seemed obligatory. He barely met my eye when he said the words, and he immediately looked away after. I didn’t know what was going on with him. How could he kiss me and then treat me this way? How could we go from making out on the couch to ignoring each other?

It didn’t make sense, and I was tired of the confusion. I wanted to demand answers right there at the dinner table, but I knew that would be a mistake. Besides, Sarah’s face was still turned down in an obvious frown, and she hadn’t so much as touched her chocolate cake.

“Aren’t you hungry?” I asked her softly.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I have to go to the bathroom.”