Annihilate Me: Holiday Edition by Christina Ross

know.”
    “I
might have an idea.”
    “You
know I want them to be together.”
    “I
feel the same way.”
    I
leaned toward him and kissed him on the lips.   “You know, should they need their
privacy, we can always send them to a certain no-tell motel.”
    “That
we could.”
    “It
would be an act of kindness.”
    He
grinned at that, and those dimples of his that I loved so much appeared amidst
the stubble.   “You’re killing me.”
    “You
know what I can’t wait for?”
    “I
think I have an idea.   It’s probably
the same thing I’m eager to share.”
    “It
is.   Telling everyone tonight the
date of our wedding.   Asking Lisa if
she’ll be my matron of honor.   And
you asking Tank if he’ll be your best man.   Tonight is going to be epic.”
    “The
rest of our lives is going to be epic,” he said.  

 
 
    *   *   *  

 
 
    It
wasn’t until after lunch that I was able to steal Lisa away.   While Tank and Alex were watching a
football game in the living room, she was in the kitchen with Blackwell and the
girls while they made their chocolate cream pie.
    “Come
and help me find something to wear tonight?” I asked her.  
    “Sure.”
    “Tonight
will be dressy, don’t you think?” I asked Blackwell.
    “It’s
Christmas Eve, for God’s sake.   Of
course, it will be dressy.   I’m
wearing Dior.   The girls will be
wearing couture.   I expect nothing
less from the rest of you.   Tonight,
we all turn it out.   I might even
join you in a martini because, you know—no carbs.”
    “Dressy
it is, but now I need help deciding between two dresses.”   I looked at Lisa.   “Let’s go upstairs so I can show you the
options.”
    “And
so you can get the deets,” Daniella said.
    “Daniella.”
    “That’s
what they’re going to do.   Hello.   Captain Obvi.”
    “You
really have no filter, do you?” Alexa said.
    “Why
should I?”
    “Anyway,”
I said to Lisa.   “Let me show you
what I have in mind.”
    We
went upstairs to the master bedroom.   I closed the door behind us, sat on the bed, and looked at her.   “Give it all to me,” I said.
    “Apparently,
you already know pretty much everything.   I can see it on your face.   And by the way, how do you
know?”
    “Daniella,
Alexa and Blackwell might have heard you.”
    “Oh,
God.”
    “Don’t
worry about it.   They’re unfazed and
happy for you.”
    “We
tried to keep it down, but Tank?   Let’s just say that he’s anatomically correct to the tenth power.   There was a moment there when I thought
that there was no way that thing was going to fit inside of me.   It was like a baby’s arm holding out an
apple.”
    “There’s
an image.”
    “Well,
it’s true.   And he was
wonderful.   He knew exactly what he
was doing.   He knew just how to
prepare me.   And everything worked out—or
in and out, in this case—just fine.”
    “That’s
all well and good, but regardless of what I might have heard second hand, I
still don’t know what led up to the big moment.”
    “You’re
so needy.”
    “Actually,
I’m so happy.”
    She
sat beside me on the bed.   “OK, so
it was fantastic.   I’ve written
about the zombie apocalypse, but last night it was all about the love
apocalypse.”
    “Who
made the first move?”
    “You’re
getting ahead of me.   Let me talk.”
    “So
talk.   But get to it.”
    “Our
plan worked.   After we limited Tank
to one glass of beer and filled him full of protein last night—have you
ever seen a man eat so much cheese?—we all went to bed.   You know that part.   Here’s what you don’t know.   When we went downstairs, I did what you
told me to do.   I put on that sexy
red neglige that I bought that day at Saks.   It’s super cute and super saucy.   I think my nipples were rock hard the
moment I put it on, which was helpful.”
    “I
believe your nipples were rock hard the first time you met Tank.”
    “Whatever.   Anyway, Tank was in his bedroom.