Colt busted out laughing, and so did my dad.

Daddy turned to my mother. “Ells, baby, go take a shower. She’s already breathing better. Grams, will you get some ice? It looks like she’s been stung three times, and that’s it.”

I looked at my father. “That’s it? Like three times wasn’t enough?”

“I know, baby. Let’s get you some ibuprofen, and I think once you lie down for a bit, you’ll feel better.”

I nodded my head and glanced over to Colt. He had been so worried, but now, the little bastard was laughing his ass off.

“Colt, get out of here, you ass!” I barely shouted.

He held up his hands and made his way into the kitchen.

An hour later, after my parents had made sure I wasn’t going to stop breathing, I made my way upstairs to my room with my mom following behind me.

Some Christmas this is turning out to be.

“Don’t let me sleep for long. I want to be up when everyone starts getting here,” I said.

My mother helped me get comfortable enough to rest, and then she put the ice under my ass and leg.

I shook my head. “I can’t believe it. My ass. Why my ass?”

My mother giggled, but then she quickly stopped when I shot her a dirty look.

“I’ll wake you up in a bit, Alex. Just rest.”

As I lay there in bed, I tried to relax, but all I could think of was the pain. I was almost positive the pain in my heart outweighed the pain in my ass. I giggled at my thoughts. I closed my eyes and pictured Will. I made myself believe that when I woke up, he would be here just in time for Christmas. I opened my eyes and felt my tears running down my face.

Worst. Christmas. Ever.

I opened my eyes and stretched at the same time. I reached behind me and felt the cold bag of water. I pulled it away and sat up. At least my ass wasn’t in so much pain. I stood up and walked to the mirror. My face looked normal, except for the dried streaks on my cheeks from where I’d cried myself to sleep. I walked into my bathroom and splashed my face with water.

That was when I heard Libby yell out something.

I walked back into my room and looked at the clock on my nightstand next to my bed.

“Damn it, Mom! I didn’t want to miss everyone getting here,” I said to myself.

I started making my way down the steps, and I could hear everyone going on and on about something. I rounded the landing, and Grace was about to start running up the stairs.

“Hey, Merry Christmas,” I said with a smile.

Her smile grew bigger on her face as she looked at me. Then, she looked into the living room, and I followed her eyes. That was when I saw him. Heather was hugging him while Libby stood next to him. He was smiling. When he looked up, our eyes met, and his smile faded.

“Will?” I whispered.

He smiled slightly and looked back down at his mother when she pulled away.

“You’re so lucky you came home, young man. Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you?”

Will chuckled as his dad gave him a quick hug. Everyone else stood up and hugged him or shook his hand.

My father was last. “You missed all the action earlier, Will. Alex was stung three times by some scorpions.”

Will’s head snapped around, and he looked at me. “Are you okay?”

I smiled and nodded my head. “Yes,” I barely said above a whisper.

My mother looked between Will and me. She slapped her hands together and said, “It’s time to eat now that Alex is up and moving around. Shall we all head into the dining room?”

I started to make my way down the stairs and over to Will. He looked like he wanted to turn and walk away, but he didn’t.

I stopped right in front of him and smiled. “Hi,” I whispered.

He smiled back as his eyes moved everywhere on my face. “Are you okay, Lex?”

The moment he called me Lex, I felt like I could breathe again. “I am now.”

He closed his eyes and then opened them to look me in the eyes. He went to say something, but my mother called for us.

“Alex, Will, dinner is being served.”

I looked into the dining room and then quickly back at Will. “Can we talk later?”

He nodded his head and reached his hand around me. He placed it on the small of my back. My heart started racing as he led me into our dining room. He walked me up to my chair and pulled it out for me. This wasn’t anything new. Will did it all the time, and so did Luke and Colt. Our fathers had raised them to be gentlemen, and that they were.

Everyone laughed and talked during dinner. Maegan talked about how much she loved Baylor. Grace whispered to me that Maegan loved it so much because she had a new fleet of men to sleep with. I wasn’t so sure Maegan was as sexually active as she’d claimed to be. Libby talked about loving A&M, and Grace talked about hating UT. Luke didn’t speak much at all. Something was going on with him, and I was bound and determined to find out what in the hell was bothering him. I did notice that every time Libby wasn’t looking, Luke was staring at her.