HOLLY'S HOLIDAY SURPRISE: A BWWM ROMANCE Read online

  HOLLY’S HOLIDAY SURPRISE

  A GLACIER HOLLOW CHRISTMAS ROMANCE

  CASSIE VERANO

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  THIS EBOOK IS A WORK of fiction. Names, characters, places, and situations are complete creative works of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

  Resemblance to actual events or persons is entirely coincidental.

  Any unauthorized reprint or use of this book or any portion thereof is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher.

  Copyright © 2020 Cassie Verano

  All Rights Reserved

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  Printed in the United States of America

  Contents

  1 – SANTA BABY

  2 – GOOD DEEDS

  3 – SLEIGH RIDE

  4 – GRIND TIME

  5 – SWEET ADDICTION

  6 – SNOWSTORM

  7 – A LITTLE HOLLY

  8 – ICE COLD

  9 – IN THE MORNING

  10 - CHIMNEY SWEEP

  11 – TURTLENECKS

  12 – THE SWIRL

  13 – ‘O CHRISTMAS TREE

  14 – SANTA’S LITTLE HELPER

  15 – MICK’S

  16 – KARMA

  17 – BABY, IT’S COLD

  18 – ELFIN’ MAGIC

  19 - RETURN HOME

  20 – HOLIDAY TEA

  21 – HOLIDAY PITY PARTY

  22 – SPECIAL DELIVERY

  23 – NO BETTER CHRISTMAS

  SNEAK PEEK AMARYLLIS’ HOLIDAY HOPE

  OTHER BOOKS BY CASSIE VERANO

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  1 – SANTA BABY

  “...I’ll wait up for you dear. Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight. Think of all the fun I’ve missed. Think of all the fellas I haven’t kissed. Aighhh!!!”

  “I WOULDN’T MIND RECEIVING a kiss.”

  The metal spoon I’d been singing into clattered to the floor with a loud bang. The strawberry cake mix that covered the spoon now splattered onto my legs, the cabinet doors, the bottom of the stove, the floor, and my toes.

  My heart pounded in my chest, and my mouth went dry. I squeezed my palms closed, my nails biting into them; I bit my bottom lip and squeezed my eyes tight.

  Opening them once more, I freaked when I realized my current status hadn’t changed.

  “Holly, are you okay?”

  “Gaige?” I barely gasped.

  The years had been very kind to the man. Those hazel eyes just as beautiful as ever looked even sexier with all the hair he’d grown on his face. A full, dark brown mustache and beard that matched the thick hairs on his head made me want to run my fingers across them.

  The muscles of his youth now toned into perfection from years of athleticism mixed with that beautiful natural progression of being a full, whole grown-ass man now. Shoulders and arms so broad and well-defined with roped muscle and veins standing out on his arm made me want to hide away in the safety of his arms.

  The sprinkling of fine hair on his chest and forearms made me want to lick him... down to that patch peeking above his towel.

  Within a couple of strides, he’d made it to where I stood by the stove. I backed up a couple of steps before my hip banged against the oven door handle.

  “Oww, shit!” I exclaimed, rubbing the spot that I knew would be immensely sore later.

  “Are you okay?” he asked again, advancing towards me.

  I knew that he was talking about my hip this time, but I shook my head, “no.”

  Because truthfully, I wasn’t. I hadn’t expected to see Gaige anytime soon, and not under these circumstances. That golden body wrapped in a towel, looking so sexy and bringing back sweet memories. My va-jay-jay ready to jump him right now and forget about the past. No, I wasn’t prepared for this.

  “Stop! What’re you doing here?” I asked, finally gathering my wits as I held my hand up to stop his advancement in my direction.

  Gaige kept coming towards me in that damned royal blue towel that hung loosely around his hips.

  Biting my bottom lip, I could see his junk swinging side to side up under there.

  “Hey, watch where you’re swinging that thing!” I said, still holding my hand up and grabbing a wooden spoon and sticking it out towards him as if it were a weapon.

  “Hey, slow up! It’s me, Gaige!”

  “I know who the hell you are. What I don’t know is what’re you doing here? And wearing that!” I said, flicking my spoon at his towel again and quickly averting my eyes.

  Laughing, he said, “It’s not like you aren’t familiar with him.”

  “That’s the problem...you and your ganja dick stay over there.”

  “Ganja dick?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

  “Yes, I don’t trust that thing. What the hell are you doing here?” I repeated on the verge of hysteria.

  “Umm...I live here.”

  “You live here?” I asked in disbelief.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s impossible. You live in California! Playing grown men games.”

  Scoffing, he shook his head. “It’s called hockey. It’s an adult sport that happens to pay very well.”

  “Yeah, whatever. But it doesn’t explain why you’re here in Vermont. In Glacier Hollow. At this address. Three thousand miles away. Wearing a towel.”

  Chuckling, he pulled his hand through his brown hair. “As I said before,...I live here.”

  “What does that even mean, Gaige? You live here?” I asked in exasperation, throwing my hands in the air and dropping them at my side.

  He moved just a bit, and I instantly shoved the spoon out in front of me again. Gaige threw his hands in the air backing up just a bit.

  “I’ve relocated from L.A. to back home. Here. Glacier Hollow.”

  “For good?”

  “Yes, for good, Holly.”

  Groaning, I pulled a hand down my face.

  “Is that a problem?”

  “Well, I can’t tell you where to live.”

  “Guess I’d better thank my lucky stars for that, huh?”

  “But what the hell are you doing here in this house?”

  “Sam told me that I could stay here until I found something,” he said, shrugging. “So, I’m here. But why are you here? I thought she said you bought the old Kensington house on Amsterdam and Walnut Streets.”

  Rolling my eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder why Sam shared anything with Gaige. He needed to know nothing about my personal life.

  “It’s under renovation, and Sam told me that I could stay here for the three weeks it’ll take to become habitable again,” I said.

  The mood I’d been in upon my arrival was quickly changing. I had moved my things in three days ago and had been staying in this house perfectly fine with no problem.

  Peace. Quiet. Cooking. Those were at the top of my list.

  I’d just returned from a morning grocery shopping trip and began baking about an hour ago. I hadn’t heard Gaige enter the house. That was a concern.

  “When did you arrive?” he asked, shifting positions that seemed to bring him closer to me.

  “Boy, if you don’t quit moving like that, I swear I’ll have the cops to charge you with assault with a deadly weapon,” I hissed.

  “Deadly, Holly?”

  “Yes! That thing has cost more than enough lives.”

  “Baby, maybe I’ve broken a heart or two, but
I’ve never killed anyone,” he muttered with a smirk.

  I didn’t bother to tell him how many women I’d mentally killed off because of his dick. Instead, I refocused the conversation.

  “When did you get here, Gaige?”

  “Three hours ago. When I got here, no one was here. I took a nap and just woke up and showered,” Gaige said, shrugging.

  “I was out shopping at the farmer’s market and the bakery,” I explained.

  “I can’t believe we’re here...together at the same time. Must be fate, darling,” he chuckled.

  “Well, you’re going to have to figure out something else. Because you can’t stay here, Gaige.”

  Frowning, he crossed his arms over his bare chest. “What do you mean I can’t stay here?”

  “Obviously, there’s been some sort of mix-up. There’s no way that Sam would have told you that you could stay here, knowing that I was staying here. I refuse to believe that!” I exploded

  “Look, let’s just straighten this out with a simple phone call, okay? I mean, we’re talking about a three-bedroom house here. There’s plenty of room for the two of us to move around here without getting in each other’s way. Besides, you’re upstairs, and I’m downstairs,” he said, moving towards the house phone.

  He grabbed it and dialed a number.

  “You’ll see. You’re wrong. I think you just took advantage and came down here of your own free will. It’s no secret that Sam is in Rhode Island for a one-week business trip and flying out from there to Cancun for a two-week early Christmas vacation with Chris.”

  “I know that, but...hey, here she is,” he said, moving the phone away from his ear and placing it on the speakerphone.

  “Sam,” we both said at the same time.

  Rolling my eyes, I stepped closer to the phone before stopping when Gaige moved closer to me. That damn towel was still swinging the way that it was.

  “Hey!” Sam’s cheery voice came back over the line.

  “Sam, it’s me. I’m here with Holly, and she seems to think—”

  “Ohhh! Hol! I’m so sorry, honey. I completely forgot.”

  My eyes widened, and I lifted an eyebrow as I reached for the phone. Gaige shook his head and held onto the phone.

  “You forgot what, Sam?” I asked through clenched teeth.

  “That Gaige was moving back. I mean, I knew he was returning, but I forgot that it was so soon. And you know how Gaige is. He’s always saying something and doing something entirely different. Like, the times he kept saying that he was coming home, and he didn’t. Or that he was going backpacking through Europe for that summer, but he spent it in Greece and Spain? Things like that.”

  “Hey!” he called out, a frown marring his beautiful sand-colored, tawny complexion.

  “I’m right here. Would you please quit speaking about me as if I weren’t?” Gaige asked.

  “Sorry,” Sam apologized in a sing-song voice. “But you know how flaky you can sometimes be. I truly forgot about it and wondered if you’d really come back home this time.”

  “So, what are you saying, Sam?” I asked.

  “I’m saying that it was an honest mix-up. But since the two of you are there...there’s plenty of room in the house for you to share the space. I won’t be back for almost three weeks. Maybe...maybe you two could resolve your differences?” she suggested in a tiny voice.

  “Not a chance in hell!” I said, stomping off and heading for the stairs.

  “Holly!” Sam and Gaige called simultaneously.

  2 – GOOD DEEDS

  “AND SHE HASN’T COME out of her room since?” Logan asked, cleaning out the coffee pot.

  “Nope! Unless she’s out now that I’m gone,” I said with a shrug.

  “Dude! You really shouldn’t be surprised, you know,” he said, as he turned back to face me.

  “Logan, it’s been what? Ten years now?”

  Shrugging, he replied, “Some people can forgive, but it doesn’t mean they forget. Aaand...you don’t have the best reputation either.”

  “I’ve changed,” I insisted.

  If I were having this hard of a time convincing my best friend, how in the hell would I convince Holly?

  “Maybe. But you have to see it from her point of view. She hasn’t seen you in a decade, and the guy she remembers was a badass. You stayed in trouble throughout high school, was suspended from college during your sophomore year. You got your ass kicked out of the MLB for constantly fighting. Nobody wanted to sign your ass after that six-game suspension at the end of your contract. You drifted around the world for two years, trying to find yourself. And then your ass ends up in hockey, of all sports, where you all make a habit of kicking each other’s asses. How’s she supposed to take that?”

  Pulling a hand down my face, I breathed out a sigh. “You’ve got a major point there. But in my defense, I’ve been the one keeping the peace on my team these last two years.”

  Logan snickered as he put the coffee pot away. “Give it some time, dude. I’m sure you’ll fit right in there with them.”

  “Not really,” I said.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, leaning on the counter.

  Logan Rhodes was my best friend and the owner of Grind Time Café, the only coffee house in town. He knew me like no one else. Yet, I hadn’t shared this piece of news with anyone, including him. At least no one but Sam.

  “I’m retired.”

  “You’re what?” he asked, a smile hovering on his lips as his blue eyes pinned me into place.

  “Retired. At thirty-four, man, there’s only so much more this body can take. I’m pulling out now while I can. Besides, I gave hockey five years of my life. Five good years,” I added.

  “Welp! That’s one more year than you gave baseball, and at least you’re leaving on your terms.”

  I lifted an eyebrow and smiled. That was a good thing. There had been a time when I wasn’t sure how any of my sports careers would end.

  “You are leaving on your terms, aren’t you, Gaige?”

  “Yeah, of course, I am.”

  “So what’s the hesitation about?”

  “Just proud that I’ve come this far, you know? Lots of people didn’t believe in me. Except for my parents and my sister, Sam.”

  “What the hell am I? Chopped liver?”

  Punching him in the arm, I said, “You had no choice. You’re like a brother, man. You’ve always had to have my back.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I hear you,” he smirked as he headed to turn off the lights.

  I’d stopped by his coffee shop after leaving the local barbershop to get a haircut and picking up a few supplies at the local drug store.

  It had been quite some time since I’d been home, and I knew that I’d have to get accustomed to small-town living again. It wasn’t out of the normal for me to hire someone to run my errands while I was living in L.A. Now, I had to do everything on my own.

  But a problem that Glacier Hollow was lacking that L.A. wasn’t was the constant bombardment I received from fans wanting pictures and autographs. Being back home, I was just Gaige Duncan, Beth and Steve’s son.

  “So, what’s your plan?” Logan asked as we stepped out into the wintry night onto the snow-covered sidewalks.

  I shoved my hands into my coat pockets and looked at him, tilting my head to the side.

  “Plan?”

  “Yeah. You know? What’s your game plan for making it through? What’d you say? Three weeks with her?”

  Lifting my shoulders and dropping them, I released a hopeless sigh. “I have no clue what to do. I mean, you should’ve seen her, Logan. She was all happy and full of holiday cheer. Singing and cooking and talking about all the guys she hasn’t kissed.”

  “What?”

  Waving his question off, I shook my head. “Some song about Santa. But as soon as she saw me, it was like she’d seen a ghost or something. And then she kept threatening me with a metal spoon if I came closer, warning me and my ganja dick
...off.”

  Logan spat the coffee he’d just taken a sip of all over the ground as laughter spilled forth.

  “What the fuck, dude?”

  “That’s what I’m saying. Like I have no idea why she’s comparing my dick to weed.”

  “Sounds like an addiction to me. And Holly compared it to a potent one, I might add,” Logan said.

  “And you’d know this how?”

  “Don’t worry about that. But I don’t wanna keep talking about your dick either. You’ve got to come up with a plan to get her on your side again. Get her to forgive you for all the shallow and irresponsible shit you did as a teen and young adult. Really show her you’ve grown up and changed.”

  “That’s just it; I’m not sure what that would be.”

  Slapping me on the shoulder, he said, “Stay consistent about being the man you’ve grown to be. Other than that, I’m sure you’ll come up with something to regain her attention.”

  “Speaking of....,” I said, looking across the street and down the sidewalk.

  Logan turned and looked in the direction that I was looking. A smirk came across his face.

  “Proceed with caution, old buddy,” he warned.

  I jogged across the freshly snow plowed street and down the sidewalk about three shops down.

  “Hey, you need some help with that?” I asked.

  Holly’s head jerked back in surprise. She had three bags on one shoulder, two on another, and two large boxes in her hands.

  “Uh...no thanks, I’ve got it,” she said, scowling at me.

  “Holly, there’s snow all over the ground. Your arms are burdened down with all these packages. I’m free. I believe we’re heading in the same direction, and my arms are available,” I said, holding them out at my sides.

  “Why?”

  Shrugging, I said, “Just doing a good deed. It’s the holidays.”

  Looking around, she blew a breath of air, causing a wisp of her long, dark hair that escaped her hat to flutter up and fall over her eye again.

  “Yeah, whatever, I guess,” she said, handing the two boxes to me. “I’m parked around back.”

  I followed behind her watching the sway of her hips in those tight dark blue jeans. Her coat rested at the top of the curve of her ass, outlining the roundness.