Page 56 of Wild Heart

Secret Santa.

Every year since, they’d made Christmas Eve the day they did a Secret Santa gift exchange. Initially, it had just been the two of them, so there wasn’t much about it that remained a secret. But apparently, the fun came in when Evelyn always stuck to the budget they collectively set beforehand, and Malcolm always broke it.

Once they had children, the kids were pulled into the mix. And now, it had become a long-standing Westwood family tradition.

I loved that they insisted on including me in it, and I’d never want to miss it for anything.

But the other reason I couldn’t justify skipping the festivities was because my avoidance of Tate for the time being was just that—temporary. It wasn’t a long-term play. I could never expect to maintain healthy relationships with the Westwood family without eventually getting to a better place with Tate. I simply wanted a bit more time to move on from him before I put myself in a position to be pulled right back into the same never-ending circle of longing, devotion, and despair.

So, it was my hope that I could attend the festivities tonight and tomorrow, bank on the fact that there’d be plenty of people around, and my chances of being left alone with Tate would be near impossible.

It was on that thought when I pulled into the driveway at the Westwood estate. I was relieved to see Cooper and Skye just getting out of their vehicle, Wyatt and Rhea already walking in through the front door, and Liam pulling in behind me. The vehicles that were already parked in the driveway with their owners not around them belonged to Tate, Ivy, and Jules.

Cooper and Skye waved at me as I came to a stop, and when I got out of my car, somehow, Liam was already making his way toward me.

“Merry Christmas, Liam,” I said, offering a hug.

He hugged me back. “Merry Christmas, Ava. How are you doing?”

I shrugged. “I’m okay. And you?”

“The same. Do you need help carrying anything?”

“Well, I could try to juggle this all on my own, but I’d risk something breaking. If you don’t mind, would you take my Secret Santa gift?”

“Sure. You didn’t get me this year, did you? Am I carrying my own gift?”

I shook my head, a smile playing at my lips. “No. Skye was my pick.” I glanced down at the gift already in his hand. “Is that for me?”

He let out a laugh. “Cooper.”

Grinning, I handed him the gift for Skye and recalled the relief I felt when Evelyn approached me two days after I’d gotten home and held a mason jar filled with folded pieces of paper out to me.

“What’s this?” I asked her.

“Names for this year’s Secret Santa.”

“You mean, you didn’t already do this at Thanksgiving, like usual?”

Evelyn shook her head, but she was ecstatic. “I decided to wait a little later to distribute names. Something kept telling me to hold off on it, just in case. I think it’s because I was desperately hoping you’d come back to celebrate with us.”

Tate wasn’t the only one I’d fallen in love with in this family. What I’d felt for him went much deeper and was different than what I felt for the rest of them, but I still adored each member of this family, and I was glad to be here this year to enjoy this tradition with them.

Once I’d gotten the vase of flowers and store-bought mini cheesecakes out of my car, Liam and I made our way to the front door, where he allowed me to step inside ahead of him.

“Will you put that gift under the tree for me?” I asked Liam. “I’m going to take these cheesecakes and flowers out to the kitchen.”

“No problem. I’ve got it.”

Malcolm and Evelyn had more than one tree in their house, but only one was the gift-giving tree. Liam took off in that direction while I cautiously made my way toward the kitchen.

Moments later, I entered the kitchen, and the quivering, twitchy feeling in my belly was magnified. Because in addition to Evelyn, Rhea, Skye, Cooper, and Ivy, Tate was also there. They were gathered around the island, talking and laughing with one another.

Before anyone else noticed I was there, Tate’s eyes landed on me. It had been almost immediate. I held his stare for no more than two or three seconds before looking away and stepping deeper into the kitchen, my feet carrying me toward the opposite side of where Tate was.

That’s when Rhea spotted me. “Hey, Ava. Merry Christmas.”

“Thanks, Rhea. Merry Christmas to you as well.”