UNDER THE WRONG MISTLETOE.

LINE

of the oven!" Mom's voice echo

nds. The oven heat rushed against my face, warm and suffocating, kind of like tonight's pressure. I pulled

zed into the kitchen, hair pinned, dress neat,

pping a knife into my hand like I had no choice

ight? Today's Betty's night. She's meeting her fiancé for

disappointed line she'd mastered over the years. "Maddie... you know how your s

. I know exactl

e didn't give me time to reply before walking out of the ki

bed the knife and started slicing the onions, blinking rapidly as the

sister was getting

at she had t

un Ha

is name made my

d me from a bully that year, while he was just visiting here for the holidays. I remembered crying, clutching my bleedin

ting?

-year-old me? I

y who ever looked a

ts' home. They missed us during the year, so we always spent the holiday

veryone - came here for the holidays. This house always overflowed

he Halstons firs

ly powerful Halstons...owners of half the state, pol

special. We weren't poor, but

o an "average" family. Not too powerful, not too influential - just

uess

picke

ely... they

no idea. When I eventually heard about it, I felt sic

ster. And by the time I found out, it was already too late.

. I swallowe

hat would

the

visibl

nalize everything - wedding preparations, gue

ing of age," apparentl

I didn't even know what t

The house was buzzing downstairs - footsteps, murmurs, hurried movements -

ything in here belonged to her - the clothes, the perfumes, the decorations, the gi

ink dress, petals of embroidered flowers around the waist, with long white gloves that g

e she belonged

Maddie," Betty said witho

, and began tying it neatly. Her reflection look

utiful, Beth,

asually. "Someone has to be pre

e sarcastic kind that

onfident. Blunt.

She was marrying the governor's son. Ev

Even though I already knew how painfully handsome Calhoun was - dark

Halstons own half the territories in this state. I'

mall laugh. "L

he took my hands into hers, and her eyes so

hard for you,"

"Hard for me? Why wo

smile she wore like jewelry. "

d instantly. "

om downstairs. "Come down

xcitedly and adj

t

art s

sl

stut

op

we

as h

boy who grew into a man everyone wanted. The boy

would see

addie, the g

who crushed on

would see

ter's

t harder than anyth