A Very Merry Mess

Sometimes the holidays are messy…Christmas is the season of joy, mistletoe, and, unfortunately for Ryanne, the pressure of bringing home a date. When she vents to Elliott, her best friend and co-manager at the small-town office supply store, he impulsively grabs her phone and texts her mother that they're dating.

Date. Ing.

Ryanne:
I'm utterly speechless.

Elliott Hutson, the man who knows all my secrets, the one who's never been serious with anyone, and the picture of Male Perfection that makes my pulse leap and frog, has now dived headfirst into my family drama. And as much as I pretend to be annoyed, I can't deny the flutter in my heart.

I've never had a fake boyfriend before—getting a real one is hard enough—but Elliott makes everything look so easy. And I'm absolutely positive the twinkling lights and Justin Bieber Christmas tunes are influencing the way he keeps dropping his gaze to my mouth.

Or maybe I'm not absolutely positive. Maybe The Biebs really does make true love happen.

As we navigate the slippery slope of fake dating, the lines between pretend and reality blur. Our stolen glances over family meals become lingering looks. Our playful banter near sprigs of mistletoe turns into something charged with real emotion.

Suddenly, the festive chaos around us isn't the only thing that's messy.

Our feelings are too.

And as the countdown to Christmas ticks on, I start to wonder if this holiday ruse might lead to the most unexpected gift of all — true love.

Will this façade end with the holiday season, or can we unwrap a future together we never saw coming?

Maybe at Christmastime, the most unexpected love story can unfold.