Elf Against the Wall: A Holiday Romantic Comedy (The Wynter Brothers Book 2)
Elf Against the Wall: Chapter 56

“Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up.” I rubbed my arms as Snowball sniffed around a frozen bush in the park off the town square.

She suddenly put her hackles up and growled.

“No, Snowball!”

She took off down the path, and I raced after her.

For a second, my heart leaped. Maybe it was Anderson. Maybe he’d come back.

“Evie.”

Snowball parked herself between me and Braeden. He swung a foot at her. I screamed, but Snowball was ready and tore a hole in his leather shoe.

“Damn dog,” Braeden said.

“Are you stalking me?” I demanded.

“Of course you’re going to make this all about you.” Braeden shifted his weight to take a step toward me then thought better of it when Snowball growled. “You ruin my life, and then you sic your dog on me?”

“I ruined your life?” I shrieked. “You lied. You said you loved me. You told my family I was crazy. You blacklisted me around town.”

“I never lied. I did love you. I do love you. Felicity didn’t mean anything to me. You and I were always meant to be together.” Braeden grabbed me. “You don’t have any options, Evie. You alienated your whole family. I heard what happened. I’m your only chance. Now, I’m willing to be generous. You can live with me rent-free, but you need to be a good girlfriend—clean, cook, do my laundry, and make sure you keep yourself pretty so I have something to look forward to, if you know what I mean.”

“Translation from fuckboy to English is that you’ll let me stay with you if I’ll be your bang maid.” I wrenched my arm away from him. “I’d rather live under a bridge than live with you.”

“You won’t last a day before you’re begging me to take you back.”

“Get the fuck away from my sister!” Henry yelled, running up, Ian and Declan close behind him. He bodychecked Braeden.

“Fuck off, Henry,” Braeden snarled. “This is between me and Evie. I heard you got disowned. I knew you were huffing your own shit. You’re not going to do anything to me.”

“Really?” Henry drawled. “’Cause from where I’m standing, I got nothing to lose. I’ll gladly spend Christmas in jail if it means I get to break your fucking jaw.”

My brothers crowded in front of me, Declan and Ian on either side of Henry.

Braeden took an apprehensive step back then another. “Fuck you, Murphys.”

Declan pelted Braeden’s retreating back with a snowball. “And stay out!”

“What are you doing here, Declan?” I asked when he gave me a happy smile. “What about your wife? What about Christmas dinner?”

“Funny,” Declan said as we trooped back to the town square. “About that. Raegan hates Murphy family functions. The only reason we went as much as we did was because she felt sorry for you.”

“Why would she care about me?” I protested. “She’s got the first grandbaby, a high-paying career, and a nice house. She’s like a celebrity. I’m not even on her radar.”

“Seriously, Evie?” Declan stopped abruptly, and Henry almost crashed into him. “You literally lived at our house for like four months.”

“Err, yeah, sorry about that. I didn’t realize it had been that long.”

“Raegan said you were the only reason she felt like she made it through.” Declan cocked his head. “You cooked and did laundry and took care of the baby at night.”

“I was up anyway, doom scrolling social media.”

“You actually helped,” Declan said. “Everyone else showed up to hold the baby. You cleaned our bathroom, like, daily. You’re her favorite Murphy, probably even above me.”

“Oh, I—well.”

“Raegan says she not going to any more Murphy family functions since you quit the family.”

“Yikes. I bet Mom’s not happy.” Ian made a face.

“I have not dropped that bomb yet,” Declan admitted.

“Evie!”

I wheezed as my three sisters threw themselves at me.

“Ian says we’re going drinking.”

“But not at the place where the bartender quit,” Sawyer clarified, coming up behind them. “I want to go to that raw bar.”

“No, I want french fries,” Declan said.

“Evie can pick,” Alana said. “I’m paying. Got some Christmas money.”

“Everyone was so trashed at the Christmas Eve party,” Alexis added. “Great-Aunt Evelyn got confused and thought we were quintuplets and not triplets.”

“So here’s your cut.” Alissa stuffed a wad of cash into my jacket pocket. “But we’re still paying.”

“Don’t you want to stay with the family?” I asked them, confused at why my sisters wanted to crash a Murphy Misfits evening of wallowing in your alcohol.

The triplets all talked at once.

“Aunt J was going to come,” Alana said.

“We were going to try the strip club again because the last time we went, Alexis wouldn’t uncover her eyes,” Alissa complained.

“I told her she can’t be in pharmaceutical testing if she can’t handle the naked body.” Alexis pointed a finger at Alana.

“You said you vomited in your mouth when that guy took off his jock strap,” her sister reminded her.

“Aren’t you, like, twelve?” Henry frowned. “Why were you at a strip club?”

“Granny Doyle,” they chorused.

“But she couldn’t come out tonight. She’s trying to convince Uncle Jaime that he should totally move on with Aunt J.”

“Grandma Shirley is not having it.”

“She been calling Aunt Bianca, trying to get her to come back,” Alexis said as we walked down Main Street.

“Aunt Virginia said if that woman steps in the house, she’s going to take out her kneecap.”

“Aunt V can play hockey. You know she’s not lying,” Sawyer stated as we stood outside of the upscale pub, Mistletoe & Mug.

I turned to the triplets. “I appreciate the dinner offer, but you should probably go back to Mom and Dad’s. You don’t want to be contaminated by us.” I pointed at the Murphy Misfits.

“Oh.” Alana sagged. “You don’t want us here. That’s okay. We can go.”

Her sisters looked sad.

“No, I mean, I just didn’t think you’d want to hang out with us lame Murphys,” I said in a rush.

“What?” the triplets cried. “Lame?”

“You’re so cool.”

“You have a dog.”

“And you always have a boyfriend.”

“‘Boyfriend’ is a strong word,” Sawyer said.

“You know how to cook and waitress and tend bar and craft,” the triplets chattered.

“You live in Manhattan.”

“Your life is so exciting.”

“My life is a mess!” I cried. “I can’t do anything right.”

“No way. You dance to the beat of your own drum.” Alana did a dance move.

“Ugh, stop, you’re embarrassing us.” Her sister pushed her.

“You can actually dance,” Alexis added.

“She cannot.” Ian sniffed.

“We saw you with Anderson.”

“Swoon!”

“So epic.”

“You don’t give a fuck what Mom and Dad think.”

“You live your own life.”

“Yeah, you three”—Alana pointed at me, Ian, and Sawyer—“are always doing cool stuff together.”

“I’m so jelly of your lives.”

“Seriously?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“It’s so exciting!”

“Ooh, you should come to Harrogate with us! We can all be roommates.” Alexis threw her arm around me.

“What? No! Mom and Dad coddle them,” Declan whined to me. “They need to learn to be independent. I have a baby. I need the help.”

“So long as you don’t become a surrogate for fuckin’ Gabe.” Henry scowled as we piled into the restaurant. “I’ll be supportive of all your choices.”

“Can we please order some french fries?” Declan begged.

“You should have the lobster roll, Evie,” Alana said.

“Many people at this table are unemployed or underemployed, so let’s be mindful with our choices!” Sawyer said.

“I told you, we’re paying.”

“Aunt J helped us sign up for credit cards.”

“You gotta be careful with those things,” I warned them. “Pro tip: they do expect you to pay them back eventually.”

Snowball, who I’d snuck into the restaurant, popped her head out of my coat.

“Just stay, Snowball. Snowball!”

The Pomeranian took off and sprinted through the pub.

“Dammit.” I raced after her, dodging a waitress.

“Just going to the bathroom,” I called, like she didn’t see the contraband dog trying to get to…

“Anderson.”

The little white dog showered the huge man with doggie kisses, her wagging tail a blur as Anderson gave her happy pets and greetings.

Those silvery eyes fixed on me. The smile fell from his face.

Anderson sure seemed a lot happier to see Snowball than me.

I really had lost him forever.