Mistletoe Between Friends Read online

  Good manners prevailed, and he walked over and quietly excused his interruption. “I’m going to head up,” he said to Lily. The Cavanaughs looked around and noticed everyone else had turned in.

  “Are we the last ones up?” Lily asked, and Cam nodded.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just wanted to say good night to you,” he said to Mary and Jack, “and to tell you I’ll see you upstairs,” he told Lily. He kept his tone light and hoped her parents were still able to see him as Cam, the boy they’d always known, rather than Cameron, the man who was sleeping with their daughter. Without checking to see their expressions, Cam leaned down and kissed the top of Lily’s head and turned to walk away.

  “Wait,” she said as she stood and stretched. “I’ll see you both in the morning.” Lily turned and kissed both of her parents good night and then walked over to catch up with Cam. Her gait was a bit lazy, and she hadn’t realized how tired she was until she got up from her comfortable position by the fire. Taking Cam’s hand in hers, she walked into the house with him and up to their room.

  As soon as her hand slid into his, Cam was certain he knew what a ticking time bomb sounded like.

  Chapter 8

  Cam quietly closed the door to their room, leaned against it, and watched as Lily walked around, settling in. She took off her earrings and placed them on the dresser, then opened a drawer and pulled out what he guessed were her pajamas. With a sleepy smile, Lily went into the bathroom and closed the door, and Cam finally let himself breathe.

  “This is ridiculous,” he muttered as he did his best to settle in. Kicking off his shoes and putting them near his side of the bed, Cam sat and wondered what he was supposed to do. In the grand scheme of things, this situation was nothing new. They had shared a bed in New York for four nights, so he knew they could do it.

  They’d even managed to sleep that first night.

  The problem with the current situation was that Cam didn’t want to sleep. He and Lily were supposed to be laying the groundwork for their breakup, and making love was not going to be help make them believable. “This is why I hang out in a lab all day,” he said quietly, rising to get his own pajamas from the dresser. “I should have just made the move overseas, and none of this would be happening.”

  “Are you back to moving overseas?” Lily asked around a big yawn as she stepped out of the bathroom. As in New York, she had on a pair of red flannel boxers—this time with snowflakes on them—and a green cami.

  “Very festive,” he said, motioning to her attire.

  “Thanks. It came with a Santa hat, but that just seemed like overkill.” Lily trudged over to her side of the bed and began the task of moving the mountain of decorative pillows off it and pulling the blankets back so she could crawl in.

  Cam took that as his cue to take his turn getting ready for bed. With any luck, Lily would be asleep by the time he came out, and all of his worries would have been for nothing. He worked slowly and went through every nighttime hygiene chore he had ever been taught. Confident he had wasted enough time, he shut off the light and quietly opened the door to the bedroom.

  And there sat Lily with her tablet, playing solitaire.

  “Seriously,” he said with a chuckle as he walked toward the bed, “you have a problem.”

  Lily looked up from the screen and smiled at his green flannel pajama pants and white T-shirt. “Are you sure you don’t want to add a hat and gloves to that getup?” she teased.

  “We’re in the mountains, Lil,” he said blandly as he climbed into the bed. “We have no idea how well the heat works in this house.”

  She shot him a look of utter disbelief. “Really? That’s what you’re going with? Poor heating in the luxury house?” With a tsking sound, she went back to her electronic card game. After a moment, she spoke. “I’m a little disappointed in you, Cameron.”

  “Me? Why?”

  Lowering her tablet to her lap, Lily turned her head to look at him. “We’ve known each other our entire lives, and you’re tiptoeing around here like I’m a land mine or something. It’s painfully obvious you’re uncomfortable with this whole situation, and I don’t understand why.”

  How could he tell her he wasn’t as much uncomfortable as he was turned on? Was there a delicate way to say he wanted to lose himself in her arms and her body that wouldn’t come off sounding crude?

  “For crying out loud, Cam,” she sighed. “I can hear you thinking from here.” Lily twisted around to place her tablet on her nightstand and turned off the bedside light, leaving the room dimly lit by the lone lamp on Cam’s side of the bed. “Fine. Don’t tell me what’s going on.” She flopped down and turned on her side, her back to him. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Staring at the ceiling, Cam tried to think of something to say to break the tension, but he had a feeling that no matter what he said right now, it would only serve to anger Lily. With a sigh of defeat, he reached over and turned off his own bedside lamp and then simply lay there in the dark, wide awake and still staring at the ceiling.

  He could hear her breathing and could smell the soap she’d used to wash her face before she came to bed. Even though it shouldn’t have been sexy, it was. Cam inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, savoring the scent. He let out his breath slowly and was surprised when Lily rolled over toward him.

  “Want to watch a movie?” she asked quietly. “We have that ginormous TV at our disposal. I’m sure we could find something.” As she spoke, she managed to curl up beside him, and Cam lifted his arm so her head could rest on his shoulder and her hand could touch his chest.

  “I thought you were tired,” he said softly, his hand playing with her long, silky hair.

  Lily shrugged. “You know I’m a night owl. I always want to go to sleep, but sometimes…” She sighed. “Sometimes it’s hard to just unwind and relax.”

  “And a movie will help you with that?”

  She was taking a huge risk. Thoughts of their earlier time in this room came back to her. She may very well regret what she was going to do, but for now, Lily didn’t have the strength to care. “No,” she said huskily as her hand wound up Cam’s neck and into his hair to pull him toward her. “But this would.” And then she kissed him.

  In a heartbeat, Cam had Lily beneath him and cursed his excessive attire. If he had just worn boxers like he usually did, he’d be feeling Lily’s silky skin as she wrapped her legs around him and her soft hands as they raked up and down his back. They had all night, and yet right now he was desperate for the feel of her. His mouth left hers briefly to rain kisses along her cheek and her jaw, and then along her throat until he reached the swell of her breasts right above the lacy edge of the cami she wore.

  “Are you mad at me?” Lily asked as she writhed beneath him.

  “Mad?” he asked between kisses. “Why would you even ask that?”

  “Your rules,” she said breathlessly. “I’m making you break your rules. I know how you hate that.”

  “To hell with the rules,” Cam growled as he worked his way back up to her lips. He felt her smile against his own. “I need to break the rules more often.”

  “I don’t know,” she said as she pulled Cam’s shirt over his head. “I think I’ve become a very bad influence on you.”

  As soon as his shirt was off, he returned the favor and rid Lily of hers. “I don’t look at it that way at all,” he said as he reverently ran a hand over her breasts and heard her sigh of pleasure. “You’re finally freeing me to live.”

  And that was the end of that.

  * * *

  Christmas Eve dawned like something on a Christmas card. Snow was falling, and the house smelled of freshly baked cakes, cookies, and pies as Christmas carols played on the sound system. Lily skipped down the stairs—in her Santa hat—with a grin from ear to ear. When she entered the kitchen, she found her mother and Angela hard at work on th
e preparations for the evening meal.

  Clapping her hands together, Lily asked, “Okay, what can I do to help?” Both women looked up and gave her knowing smiles. “What? What’s with the creepy smiles?”

  “Look at you,” her mother said. “You’ve got a spring in your step and a smile and glow on your face. Cam is good for you.”

  “Eeww, Mom, please…”

  Angela nodded. “And you’re perfect for him. I always knew that. When I see him being affectionate with you, it just makes my heart smile. Cameron’s always been a bit…standoffish, and yet with you, he just seems…lighter. Happier. It’s just so obvious he loves you.” She came around the counter and hugged Lily. “I am so happy for the two of you. You’ve given us the best Christmas present ever.”

  Lily felt majorly uncomfortable. She hated lying to her parents and the Greenes, but if she had her way, this wouldn’t be a lie for much longer. She and Cam had made love all through the night. And despite how he had talked about rules and them not doing that again, the scout in him had come prepared.

  She loved that about him.

  A blush crept across her cheeks, and both women laughed and hugged her again. “It’s good to see you so happy too, Lily,” her mother said. “Maybe with Cam’s guidance, you’ll finally be able to settle down and find a career.”

  And there it was. Lily knew last night had been too good to be true. She’d had such a wonderful time just sitting with her parents and talking about current events and topics that interested her without them making snarky comments on how she lived her life, but clearly Mary Cavanaugh could only keep her opinion to herself for so long.

  “I don’t think Lily needs any such guidance,” Cam said as he walked into the kitchen. He walked straight to Lily and kissed her, leaving no doubt in her mind that he wanted more of what they had shared last night. When he finally stepped back, he smiled as his mother handed him a cup of coffee with a sappy grin on her face. “Good morning to you too, Mom,” he said and kissed her cheek.

  He took a sip of the hot beverage before returning his attention to Mary. “You know, Mary, not everyone has to define themselves by a nine-to-five job. I love that Lily is out there exploring the things she enjoys. When she finds the one she wants to stick with, maybe she’ll make a career out of it. In the meantime, you should be proud she has so many talents.”

  “Well, I realize she has always been creative, but she’s easily distracted and I think that’s why—”

  “Maybe it’s not that she gets distracted, but that she doesn’t get encouragement or support from the people around her to make her want to stay with any one job or position. Every time somebody shoots down or dismisses what she does, maybe Lily takes that as her cue to move on to something else in order to please you. Have you ever considered that?” His words weren’t harsh, but they were truthful. Cam had always felt that part of Lily’s inability to choose a career was because her parents always disapproved of what she did.

  In his heart, Cam knew Lily wasn’t a typical career woman. She would never be happy sitting in an office or a cubicle. She was too carefree for that. When he pictured Lily, he saw her working with kids or with animals, doing something that allowed her to nurture and be creative.

  Lately he pictured her being the mother of his children, but he wasn’t going to say that in front of their mothers because they had been on their best behavior and not gone overboard talking about planning for weddings and grandchildren. No need to encourage the crazy ideas already in their heads.

  Mary put down the spoon she was using to whip up another batch of cookie dough and walked around the counter to hug Cam. Taking his face in his hands, she forced him to look her in the eye. “I always knew you were the one for Lily, Cameron. When you remind me of how often I forget how gifted my daughter is, it just reinforces the fact I was right about you. I’ll never have to worry about Lily as long as she has you.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  Then she turned to Lily. “I know saying I’m sorry doesn’t make up for all of the times I’ve belittled the things you do,” she began as tears welled up in her eyes. “But I want you to know that not a day goes by that I’m not proud of you. You’re a beautiful, independent woman. Believe it or not, I envy your ability to try new and different things. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel inferior. I’m so sorry.” She wrapped Lily in her arms as the two of them cried.

  Angela looked over at her son as her own tears began to fall. Cam rolled his eyes as he put his mug on the granite countertop and pulled his mother into his embrace. “You’re quite a fine young man, Cameron,” Angela said as she held her only son tight. “I am so proud of you, and I love seeing this new side of you. I knew Lily would be the one to bring it out in you, if the two of you only gave one another a chance.”

  He didn’t know how to respond to that, so he simply held on to his mother until she was ready to let him go. “How about some breakfast?” Angela finally asked when she stepped away from Cam and wiped at her eyes. “I could whip up some pancakes if you’re interested.”

  Picking up his mug, Cam smiled at her. “You know they’re my favorite.” Turning, he saw that Mary and Lily had moved to sit at the large kitchen table, and he continued to smile. He had done some good here. Even if he was forced to go back to just being Lily’s friend, Cam knew that during their short time as fake boyfriend and girlfriend and real lovers, he’d helped Lily and her mother repair a broken relationship.

  Just as Lily was repairing a part of him that hadn’t been whole for far too long.

  * * *

  They ate dinner in the massive dining room, which could easily have housed another two dozen people. They talked endlessly about previous Christmases and their hopes for the New Year. Cam was puzzled by how much the focus on his relationship with Lily had lessened. It was almost as if their parents had some insight on what he and Lily had talked about and were purposely pulling back so they wouldn’t have anything to argue about.

  Everyone helped with the cleanup, and then Richard called them all into the family room to hand out a small part of the pile of presents under the tree. As was tradition, each child (and he used the term lightly) got to open one present on Christmas Eve. They could each decide if they wanted to give any presents that evening as well. Richard reminded them all to make sure something was left under the tree for everyone to open on Christmas morning.

  In keeping with tradition, Lily and Beth both received new Christmas pajamas. “Seriously, Mom,” Beth said. “Aren’t we getting a little old for this?” Her tone was light, but it had been an ongoing argument for years. “How do you know I even wear pajamas?” she teased and watched as both of her parents blushed.

  Lily joined in the laughter with her sister. It was the first time in recent memory that the two of them had seemed to be on the same page about anything. While Beth’s pajamas had been of a tailored, two-piece design, Lily’s were far more risqué. “Mom!” she said with embarrassment as she pulled the slinky, green silk from its wrapping. There were hoots and hollers all around, and she saw Cam grinning from ear to ear.

  “What?” he said. “You don’t think I’m going to complain and tell her to stop, do you?”

  “That’s my boy.” Mary beamed at him. “Consider it a gift for the both of you.”

  Cam shifted in his seat, more than a little uncomfortable with that thought, but he smiled and thanked Mary anyway. Lily quickly put the garment back in the box, put on the lid, and inquired who was opening the next gift.

  The Greenes didn’t quite have the same tradition, but each of their children received their practical gifts on Christmas Eve. Cam was expecting a new shaving kit or a robe or something of that nature, so he nearly choked when he saw green silk that looked suspiciously like it matched what Lily had just received. “Um…” he began and looked up to see everyone grinning at him.

  “Whatcha got there?” Li
ly said teasingly as she nudged his shoulder with hers. “It’s not fun when the shoe is on the other foot, now is it?” Cam mumbled his thanks and quickly put the lid on the box and placed it on top of Lily’s as he glared at her.

  “What?” she asked innocently. “You don’t think I’m going to tell her to stop, do you?” The entire room erupted with laughter as a blush crept up Cam’s face. Leaning over, Lily kissed him on the cheek and whispered for his ears only, “I can’t wait for the fashion show when we get upstairs.”

  Before he had a chance to respond, more gifts were exchanged and then everyone headed back into the dining room for dessert. Once they were all around the table, Cam’s father stood and addressed them. “I want you to know how much it means to me that you were all willing to come and spend Christmas here with us. I know there are in-laws who are missing you right now, but when the opportunity came to rent this house, I just couldn’t pass it up. So I thank each of you for indulging me.”

  Taking a moment to compose his thoughts, Richard looked at his wife and smiled. “We have so much to be thankful for. You kids are such a blessing to me and your mother. We’re so proud of each of you, and it does my heart good to see you all doing so well.” He turned to the Cavanaughs. “Jack, Mary,” he began, “you’ve always been more like family to us than friends, and Angela and I are so thankful you wanted to spend Christmas with us like this. We’ve been friends for a long time, and your friendship is the greatest gift we could ever ask for.”

  With a final nod, he turned toward Cam and Lily. “We realize we all went a little overboard when you first announced you were dating, and you both were obviously uncomfortable with all of the attention. We’re trying to tone it down, but it was the greatest surprise when you announced you were a couple. We don’t want to put any pressure on you because you’re still in the early stages of your relationship, but nothing would give us more pleasure than seeing the two of you build a life together. You’ve always been the best of friends, and that is the single greatest component to a successful marriage. So we promise to do our best to stand back a little and give you space to explore your relationship—but just know,” he said with a laugh as he looked to his wife and his friends, “that we would not be opposed to some grandchildren.” Holding up his wineglass, he toasted the group and sat down.