Holly Garland on Santa's Lap [COMPLETE]

CHAPTER 15 ~On the road again~

Jamie finally decides to spill it.

"Well... let's just say... after you left last night, we all got a little cocky and decided to play for cash, and Nick totally cleaned Chris out at poker. So, you know, Chris wasn't exactly thrilled. Add in the late hour with a little too much whiskey, and... things got a little outta hand."

"A little?" Maddy, wide-eyed, chimes in next to him. "That's the understatement of the year!"

"Right?!" Debbie joins in. "Nick and Chris went at it, like, big time!"

"Seriously?" I ask, stunned.

"Seriously. But hilarious, too!" Becca says, laughing. "When Nick told Chris 'Since it's Christmas, I think it's time to crack some nuts', I almost lost it!"

"Yeah... and he knocked him out faster than we could even say 'Ho ho ho!'," Lizzie adds with a deadpan look. "I bet Chris is rockin' a pretty nice shiner right about now."

"Ouch!" I wince, squinting. "I'm so sorry, Drew," I say, genuinely apologetic as I glance over at him with a cringe. "If it'd help patch things up, I'll personally apologize to him."

"Don't waste your time, Holly. That guy's not really a friend of mine, and honestly, after what he did, I regret even introducing him to my little sister."

"What he did?" I ask, confused.

"Yeah, we heard them arguing, and it all came out," Jamie explains. "Not just that he tried to get you drunk with, um... intentions, but that he even tried to kiss you."

"That dirtbag didn't even try to deny it. He straight-up bragged about it!" Trevor says, disgusted. "If Nick hadn't hit him, I would've."

"Or one of the four of us would've," Luke agrees. "Dude broke the code!"

What even is this code?

The legal code? Building code? Medical ethics code?

"Uh... could you clarify for the clueless here?" I ask.

"It's like... an unwritten code of honor between guys," Luke says.

"Yeah," Trevor adds. "Like, 'Touch my sister, you get decked.'"

"Or, 'You don't mess with my girl unless you wanna get wrecked,'" Drew jumps in.

"Exactly!" Jamie confirms. "And if you don't respect the code, you're a total lowlife with zero honor. That's the code."

"Uh-huh, I get it," I say. "Basically, it's a macho, sexist guy thing."

"No, Holly!" Lizzie exclaims. "It's way more than that!"

"It's just their protective instinct."

"Or maybe... like, proof of love?"

"And family solidarity!" my sisters-in-law add, one by one.

"True," Luke says. "If anyone tried something like that with Lizzie, I'd do exactly what Nick did. And Nick's part of the family now, so we had Chris pack his bags. Pulling what he did was disrespecting all of us."

Now that's what I call a wake-up call.

This Christmas weekend started like all the ones I've had in the past—with some disaster hitting me, then my family piling on, making me feel like the absolute worst, until I ended up feeling like total garbage.

But this time, instead of things snowballing, everything's just gotten better, simpler, and, well... actually enjoyable.

And for the first time, I feel something new. I feel supported and loved.