“Oh, Cate, I don’t know. I think you see something that’s not there.”

“Nope. I disagree. I’ve seen it with you many times. You don’t have a mean bone in your body, Drew McKnight. You are too good for this world. And that’s the truth. I think you were sent here to make this world a better place.”

He slants his head and those intense blues of his pin me, right before his lips meet mine. “I think you were sent to make my world a better place, Cate Forbes.” His fingers weave with mine and we huddle together in our seats as our plane takes off. “I think this is going to be my best Christmas ever,” he says.

“Mine, too.”

Our parents are at the baggage claim waiting for us when we land. Drew’s parents know all about his feelings toward me. I haven’t exactly been wide open with mine. It’s not because I don’t want to. It’s just that my family isn’t like that. We’re not all huggy kissy like some families are. So I’ve decided to tell my mom over the holidays. But when it’s time to part ways in the parking lot, Drew grabs me and lays a major kiss on me, in front of everyone. And since it’s Drew, I do what I always do—turn into a boneless heap right there in his arms. I become oblivious to the fact that two sets of parents are witnessing this. When he finally, finally ends the kiss, and mind you I really don’t want him to, he tells me in front of everyone, “See you tomorrow, sweet thing. And I love you more than hockey.”

Without blinking an eye, I respond, “More than hockey?”

“More than anything.” And he lays another monstrous kiss on me!

“I love you, too.”

Then I turn around and see The Parents! Oh shit! His are grinning from ear to ear and mine have their mouths hanging open, jaws on the asphalt. So what do I do? What any girl in my shoes would do. I grab my parents by their arms and say, “Come on Mom and Dad, let’s go home. See you tomorrow Letty and Ray.” I give them all a little wave and we walk to my parents’ car.

“You’re in love?” my mom asks.

“That boy loves you?” my dad asks.

“Yes, now come on.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” Mom asks.

“I was going to tell you when I got home, but Drew beat me to the punch.”

Then I’m met with silence. Neither of them utters a word until we pull into the driveway and the garage door is going up. It’s my mom who speaks first, laughing, “Well, you could’ve done a lot worse.” And then my dad says, “And a doctor. Hmph. Just what I need. Did you pick him for me?”

“Yeah, Dad, just for you.”

“What kind of a doctor is he?” Dad asks.

“He’s going to be an oncologist. You know, a cancer specialist.”

“A cancer specialist! Why would he want to do that?” Mom asks, horrified.

“Because it’s his calling, Mom. That’s what drives him.”

“But they all die!”

“They do not all die. What century are you living in? They’ve made amazing strides in cancer therapies and Drew loves helping patients. Besides, it’s his career, not yours.”

“Well, I don’t see why he can’t be a doctor that does happy things.”

“Mom, he is a doctor that does happy things. How do you think the families of his patients feel when he cures them? I don’t think they feel sad, do you?”

“No, but that doesn’t happen all the time.”

“All doctors have to treat life threatening illnesses, not just oncologists. And I think we need to drop this subject because it’s not our choice anyway.” I need to shut her down or this will go on and on for hours. She’ll beat a dead horse into the ground it you let her.

My dad finally sticks his two cents in and says, “Well, I’m just glad to have a doctor in the house.” And I’m sure he is. Poor Drew.

By Christmas Eve, I’m ready to dive head first into the bottle of vodka and swim my way to oblivion. Drew only laughs at my complaints because when he visits, my parents, other than my dad and his unusual medical questions, are on their best behavior. I did have to pull my dad aside yesterday and warn him about getting into a discussion with Drew about his hemorrhoids. He kept bringing them up at breakfast, the perfect time to talk about them. So I told him if he even dared mention them, I would leave and never return home. He clamped his mouth shut and that was that. Thank god, he hasn’t mentioned them to Drew yet. Or at least I don’t think he has.

“So has Dad hit you up on all his ailments?”

A rumble of laughter shakes Drew. “Only a few.”

“What? What has he asked you? I warned him.” My scowl is fierce.

“Calm down there, oh feisty one. It’s okay. I don’t mind and I’m not sharing what we discussed.”

“Why not?”

“It’s private, that’s why. Now let’s talk about you.” He traps me against his chest and soon I’m lost in one of his kisses. But then I remember we’re at my parents’ house, and I start to push him away. “What’s wrong?”

“We can’t do this here,” I hiss.

“I’m only kissing you.”

“I know, but we don’t do public displays of affection in the Forbes family.”

“Is that a fact? Well, guess what?”

“What?”

He runs a finger under my chin and whispers against my lips, “That’s about to change, sweet Cate.” Then he captures my mouth in another kiss and I give up the fight. I really don’t care anymore. I’m in love with this man so why should I? He’s respectable and has nothing but good intentions toward me and we’re both adults. To hell with it. I feel him chuckling.

Pulling back, I look at him with narrowed eyes. “What’s so funny?”

“Not a thing. I’m just happy you see things my way.” As I get ready to plant another kiss on him, Shannon busts in the room, all giddy because Drew is here. She’s a different person around him.

“Hi Drew. Are you staying for dinner?”

“No, actually Cate is coming to my place for dinner with my family.”

“Ugh. Why can’t you eat with us?” she pouts.

“Shannon, Drew’s family has their big Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve. So I’m going there with him to celebrate.”

She has the nerve to flash me a nasty look, like I’m a piece of dirt not worthy of her time. Drew catches it and is not happy. What happens next is a shining moment for me.

“Hey kiddo. Do you have a problem with me or with your sister coming over to my house?”

She shakes her head.

“Then maybe you should apologize to her.”

Shannon wilts like a flower in the middle of the August heat. She looks at Drew with her big puppy eyes and says, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me. It’s Cate who deserves the apology.”

Then to my absolute shock, Shannon turns to me and says, “I’m sorry, Cate. I didn’t really mean it.”

I want to say, “Yes you did, you little brat.” But I don’t. I nod and smile instead. Shannon flashes me her perfect little grin that she uses on Mom and Dad all the time and turns it on Drew.

In a voice dipped in sugar, she asks, “So, Drew, will we get to see you tomorrow then?”

“Yeah, I’ll be here for dinner.”

“You will? Can I sit next to you?”

Oh, god. Not only do I have to worry about my hypochondriac dad, I now have my sister crushing after him, too.

“I think you need to check with your mom on that.”

“Yeah, okay, I’ll do that right now,” she says, as she skips out of the room.

Shaking my head, I say, “And the drama never ends in the Forbes household.”

“She is a bit much, isn’t she?”

“Uh, yeah. And my parents do nothing to contain that mess. It’s ridiculous the disrespect she shows them, too. Eric is fine. At least for now. All he knows and cares about are sports. My worry is that one day, he’ll wake up and it’ll be other things, and Mom and Dad will be oblivious to it. But Shannon sure responded to you.”

“It’s only because she thinks I’m cool. One day I’ll be a pain in her ass and I’ll have no effect at all.”

“Hey, I’ll take what I can get when I can get it.”

“Does that include another kiss?” He laughs.