My Favorite Holidate: A Standalone Holiday Romance
My Favorite Holidate: Chapter 26

Fable

There’s no snow in San Francisco, but that’s not a problem here in Evergreen Falls, mere hours and mountains away. As we turn off the main road, a blanket of snow-covered trees welcomes us to the cabins, almost as if the town has conspired with Mother Nature herself to look its best for the Christmas competition.

My eyes widen at the sight before us. Elegant cabins dot the snowy hillside like an advertisement for rustic sophistication. “They’re chalets,” I say proudly, then look at the man driving the car. “You should be seriously proud of what you’ve built. I know I’m proud of you.”

“Well, I didn’t actually build them. I just own the resort.”

I tilt my head. While I love his dry humor, I mean it. “You made this possible with hard work and focus,” I say earnestly as he pulls into the gravel lot.

“Thank you. It was Bibi’s idea first, but now I love it too. I like to host everyone here during the holidays. Friends and family,” he says, and that’s generous—giving up the revenue from potential customers at this time of year to use the space for family and friends instead. “I hope you enjoy it.”

He sounds so earnest, like it’s truly important for me to have a good time. But I have been, and I will, even with my ex in the background. Wilder is the best company, I’m learning. He’s attentive, interesting, and clever. He’s always got my back. The more time I spend with him, the more I enjoy spending time with him.

And that’s not even considering his talented hands. They really are magic.

But honestly, so was that mini road trip. It was like we were in our own little world, especially when he opened up about his father. He’s normally so, well, bossy and precise. Clever and deliciously powerful. But in that moment he was vulnerable in a whole new way. I felt closer to him then than I ever have. That makes me think maybe we can even be friends after this ends.

I don’t like the thought of this ending. At least not right now—not while we’re in the thick of it. This is where I need to be on my game—the best fake girlfriend ever. I have to give the holiday performance of a lifetime, but it shouldn’t be hard here in Evergreen Falls. This place is lovely.

It’s serene and peaceful in exactly the way I’d imagined, with snow blanketing the grounds and evergreens rising tall and proud, flanking the cluster of cabins he owns.

The ones he reserved for us connect to a main dwelling with a living area the families can share if they want. But the couples have their own mini chalets. Ours is a two-bedroom so there’s plenty of space and privacy. And bless him—he told his assistant to put Brady and Iris in a cabin off by itself. One that doesn’t connect to the main house.

I could kiss him for that flex alone. I mean, kissing him is no hardship. The man’s mouth is magic too.

He parks the car in the gravel lot and gets out, then comes around to my side to open the door. I step out and look around more. The cabins are nestled in the foothills, their roofs dusted with shimmering snow that glitters in the afternoon sun. Each building is a picture-perfect postcard from a Christmas village, with stone chimneys and colorful lights that will no doubt be twinkling in the windows when evening falls. The air is crisp and clean, carrying the scent of pine and wood smoke.

A few seconds later, the main door swings open and Bibi stands at the entrance, dressed in a fluffy white parka with a Santa hat I haven’t seen before perched on her head—this one is the color of red wine, with gray strands in the faux white fur. She sweeps her arm out to the side. “Fable, you’re going to love it here. I just know it,” Bibi gushes, heading out in her snow boots to greet us.

“You’re right. I already do,” I say. I didn’t know I was looking for a relaxing getaway from the city, but I’m getting one and I don’t mind at all.

“Oh, good. It’s going to be such a great week,” she says, squeezing my arm. “For you and my wild child.”

She pinches Wilder’s cheek. “You haven’t done that since I was ten,” Wilder says, amused but surprised too.

“That was short-sighted of me. It’s awfully fun.”

Hmm. Someone is over the top right now and it’s not Wilder and me. But I’m not sure what to make of Bibi’s hostess enthusiasm. Except, Wilder did note at Thanksgiving how much she enjoyed the holidays. Bibi and her late husband used to host the whole family here, he told me. This must be her way of carrying on that tradition. My chest warms at the thought that she’s including me in it.

Then chills when I remember the reason—we’re faking it.

But I push those thoughts aside as she leads us through the snow-covered pathway toward the entrance. “I have something special just for the two of you. I can’t wait,” she says.

Intrigued, I arch a brow Wilder’s way. He shrugs lightly, then carries our bags up the wooden porch. A wreath hangs on the door, adorned with bright red ribbons and pine cones. Bibi gestures for us to enter and…whoa.

We’re not alone. My mom is here with her husband, Julio, but not my dad, which is good. The guests of honor are cuddly as can be on the love seat, with Leo’s arm draped around Charlotte’s shoulder. Wilder’s sister, Caroline, is here with her wife, and Mom’s brother Uncle Rick is here too, with his girlfriend and his kids. Wesley and Josie are here as well. So are Everly, Max, and Maeve. They’re all lounging on the huge couch in front of the crackling fireplace.

Thankfully, Brady and Iris haven’t been invited to this little living room get-together. As Wilder greets his best friend, Charlotte pulls me aside and tells me Brady had car trouble, so they caught a bus in and then made tracks straight for their cabin early this morning to check out the sweet digs, as my ex apparently called them in his best stockbroker bro voice.

“The best man and maid of honor finally made it,” Leo teases after I introduce Wilder to my mom.

“We were placing bets on when you’d show up,” Wesley teases, since the guys on the hockey team love to bet—or so I’m told by Josie and Everly.

“We weren’t sure if you needed an engraved invitation or not,” Max puts in.

“But we can make one for you if you need it,” Maeve adds. “You can help since you’re crafty.”

It’s not like we’re late. But maybe everyone came up earlier than we did.

“I didn’t realize everyone would be here already,” Wilder says curiously, and that’s odd for him to forget.

Bibi flings her hand to her chest. “I didn’t tell you? The town switched up the schedule and moved some things around, and we don’t want to miss a single event. We were all aiming for a morning arrival. And everyone made it,” she says, and I’m pretty sure Wilder told me mid-afternoon was the plan, but I’m not going to point that out. “But you’re here now, and I have good news.”

“Okay,” Wilder says, seeming wary of his aunt.

I am too. It feels like she’s doing this on purpose. Like Wilder was right to be concerned about her…machinations. Maybe she wanted us to be the last ones to arrive.

Bibi gestures behind her toward a sliding glass door that leads to a deck that boasts a view of the hills and the next cabin. The one with—is that a heart on its door? “For some reason, I was given the honeymoon cabin. The one with the cozy bedroom with the fireplace and the sleigh bed. A hot tub too. But that’s silly. You young lovers deserve it.”

And I was right. She is up to something. But that knowledge doesn’t change my reaction. My throat goes dry. My brain short-circuits. The honeymoon cabin can’t possibly have two bedrooms, can it? It has to have one. Which means…one bed. Confused, I turn to Wilder. How is he going to handle this…proximity?

He’s more stoic than I’ve ever seen him but a vein pulses in his neck. “The honeymoon cabin?” It’s a question paved with gravel.

Bibi’s grin is supersized. “Yes. Isn’t that perfect? With its one cozy, intimate room.”

“What about Leo and Charlotte?” I ask because I don’t want to be rude to the bride and groom.

“Of course we have one too,” my sister says, clearly enthused that I’ll get a cabin just like hers.

One room. One bed. Five nights. And an admission hanging over us that the one time in his office can’t happen again.

My stomach tips upside down. I’m not sure how we’re going to handle the sleeping arrangements. But this honeymoon suite mix-up feels like an early test in the competition, and dammit, I’m not going to let us lose. I grab Wilder’s strong arm and tug my Christmas boyfriend against me, his hard body snug against my side. No idea if I’m winning or losing our private naughty or nice contest, but in for a penny, in for a pound. “Sounds great. Right, hun?”

I tip my face upward, then dust a kiss to his cheek.

His breath catches, then he says, “Yes.”

Like this is all he’s wanted.

Take that, Bibi.