The Christmas Pact by Vi Keeland

Riley

Instinctively, I pushed back away from Kennedy. “Mom!” I forced a smile, hoping she didn’t notice how frazzled I was.

My mother looked between us, a tentative smile curving her lips. “Riley, you didn’t tell me you were bringing someone.”

Kennedy shrugged. “Surprise?”

“Well, yes, but a wonderful surprise! Let’s get you two inside where it’s warmer.”

As we entered the house, Mom insisted that we stop in the foyer so Kennedy could admire her decorations. She had really gone all out with the garland and red bows this year. A battery-operated Santa playing “Jingle Bell Rock”was shaking its hips in the corner.

“Who is this handsome man, Riley?”

Kennedy extended his hand to her. “Kennedy Riley. Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Kennedy.”

“Did I hear correctly? Your name is…Kennedy...Riley?”

“Yes, indeed.”

“What a crazy coincidence.”

“Is it?” Kennedy grinned and looked down at me. His face went soft as he said, “Or maybe meeting your daughter was written in the stars. I like to believe the latter.”

My mother’s eyes gleamed as she turned to me. “Charming one, he is. And how long have you been dating my daughter, Kennedy?”

“A few months now. But it seems like forever in some ways. I’ve been really enjoying getting to know your wonderful daughter.”

Determined to stay in character, I beamed at him before turning my attention back to my mother. “I’m sorry I never mentioned it, Mom.”

“Despite the fact that you know little about me, Mrs. Kennedy, Riley has certainly told me so much about you.”

“All good things, I hope.”

“Of course.”

My mother waved her hand, prompting us to move into the living room. “Well, come meet everyone, then.” As we followed her, she said, “Unfortunately, Kyle didn’t make it home this year. He’s doing much more important things in Africa.”

I felt Kennedy’s eyes on me, but I just kept walking.

My sister, Abby, was practically being attacked by her two-year-old twin girls, Naomi and Nina, when we entered the room.

When she spotted me, she wiped her hand on her dress before standing up to greet us. “Welcome home, Riley! You didn’t tell me you were dating someone.”

“Well, now you know,” I said as I hugged her. She gave me a look that said you’d better fill me in later.

“Great to meet you, Abby,” Kennedy said as he shook her hand. “How are things at the Philharmonic? What instrument is it again that you play?”

It impressed me that he’d remembered.

“Cello,” she said, lifting her chin proudly.

“Fantastic. I’d love to go see a performance.” He pulled me into his side again. “We’ll have to go sometime.”

My sister Olivia snuck up behind us.“Hey, Riley.”

While Abby and I were one year apart, Olivia was nine years younger.

I squeezed her. “How’s my little sister?”

“Good.” She looked toward Kennedy. “Who’s this?”

“This is my…er, boyfriend, Kennedy.”

She laughed. “Kennedy? Seriously?”

“And his last name is Riley!” Mom added with a girlish giggle. Kennedy was definitely winning her over.

“What? Riley, seriously? That’s crazy.” My sister cracked up.

Abby added, “So, if you get married, your name would be Riley Riley?”

Oh God.That was the first time I’d thought of that. Reason enough to be happy that this relationship wasn’t real.

“Or Riley Kennedy-Riley, with a hyphen.” Kennedy winked.

My mother left to set up a drink station with warm cider and hot cocoa.

And then upon her return came the moment I’d been dreading.

Mom joined us by the fireplace and the inquisition began. “So, Kennedy. What is it that you do?”

He looked over at me before answering.

Here we go.

“Actually, I’m entering training to become an astronaut. I’ll be heading down to Houston soon.”

I let out an instinctive cough.

Jesus.

Astronaut?

Couldn’t he have picked something more…practical?

I thought about the name Kennedy Space Center and laughed under my breath. Is that how this ludicrous idea started in his mind? Now, I regretted not getting our stories straight before we got here.

Totally buying into it, my mother beamed with pride as she looked at me. “Riley! An astronaut! How could you have not mentioned a word of this to me?”

Gritting my teeth, I smiled. “Yes, I’m…dating an astronaut. Literally out of this world.”

She turned back to him. “I’ve never met an actual astronaut before.”

“Well, I’m not there yet. But I will be. The hard work and perseverance will pay off. It’s a two-year intensive program. But then I’ll hopefully be selected for a flight when all is said and done.”

“How does one even become an astronaut? How do they select you?” Mom asked, hanging on his every word.

He was digging himself into an even deeper hole. I expected him to flub up, but he kept answering the questions without breaking a sweat. I couldn’t decide if I was impressed or horrified by his ability to lie so naturally.

“Well, there’s a minimum education requirement, of course. My major was biology. They tend to like science or engineering majors. But of course, you also have to pass a rigorous physical exam as well. But a majority of the decision is based on a long interview process.”

“Well, I can certainly see why they were charmed by you.”

“Thank you, ma’am. They want to not only be sure that someone has the physical prowess for the job, but that they can mentally handle it as well. I have no doubt I’m ready.”

Mom wasn’t finished yet. “It could be tough, too, if you’re selected for a mission, right? How long are you in orbit?”

“The average time in space is about six months. But the personal sacrifice is worth it. Anything in the name of science. There’s so much yet to be learned.”

My mother seriously looked like she was about to cry tears of joy. “Wow. Fascinating. Truly.”She probably wished she could have written an addendum to the annual Christmas letter. It didn’t even matter what I was doing with my life now that I was allegedly dating the modern-day Neil Armstrong.

“Honey, will you be following Kennedy to Houston?”

“We haven’t gotten that far.”

He took my hand, looping his fingers in with mine as he gazed into my eyes. “We’re taking it one day at a time, but she knows she means more to me than the moon and the stars.”

Okay. Now I wanted to barf.

My mother sighed. She had completely bought it.

Kennedy continued to answer more questions about the space program as if he seriously worked for NASA. When everyone left the living room and headed to the buffet in the dining room, he and I were alone for the first time since our arrival. The flames from the fireplace crackled in the silence.

“That was some pretty amazing bullshit you fed her. How do you know so much about the space program anyway?” I whispered.

“Because I actually got accepted into it.”

My eyes widened. “Really?”

“Really. ”

“Wow. What happened?”

His expression grew solemn. “I fell in love. She couldn’t, or wouldn’t, move to Houston with me, so I turned it down.”

Whoa. What?

“You gave up your dream for a woman?”

He shook his head. “It wasn’t my dream, really. I just love a good challenge. My father bet me that I couldn’t get in.”

“Your father bet against you?”

“Sure did. So I wanted to prove him wrong. When I was accepted into the program, I seriously considered going. But the fact that I’d met someone at the time who couldn’t move with me made the decision to decline easier.”

I asked the inevitable question. “Whatever happened to her?”

He hesitated. “We eventually broke up.”

Footsteps crept around the corner toward us, preventing me from getting more dirt on Kennedy’s lost love. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close right before my mother entered the room.

“Why are you two lovebirds still over here? Brunch is getting cold.”

Kennedy kissed me on the cheek. “Great. I’m starving.”

Every time he touched me, I tingled inside. It seemed my body needed a reminder that this was all a sham.

The table was decked out for Christmas Eve, my mother’s signature fruitcake serving as the centerpiece. A life-sized Santa and Mrs. Claus were swaying from side to side at the window. Honestly, you’d think my mother had robbed the window display at Macy’s.

As we moved away from where Mom and her friend were standing in the dining room, I immediately saw Kennedy’s eyes land on a collage of photos on the wall. The fact that there were several of me and the same guy must have intrigued him. He strolled over to get a closer look and I followed.

“Who’s the guy with you in all these photos?” he asked.

Ugh.

I took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. “He was my boyfriend.”

“I figured that. But why does your mother have pictures of him hanging all over the house? That’s kind of creepy.”

“Especially when he’s dead, right?”

Kennedy’s expression darkened. “Shit, Riley. What happened?”

“Frankie was a passenger in a car driven by another guy. His friend lost control, and the car veered off the road. It was the summer before Frankie’s senior year of college. Three guys died, including Frankie. We’d been together since high school. I found out after he passed that he was going to ask me to marry him right after he graduated.”

He closed his eyes briefly. “I’m so sorry.”

“My mother loved him. He was like a son to her. She never really got over it. Between Frankie dying and then my dad...she went a little loony. Started throwing herself into things like Christmas. Anything to deflect from the perpetual sadness.”

Kennedy looked into my eyes and I couldn’t look away. It was like he was seeing me for the first time, like he’d finally found the missing piece of my puzzle and things suddenly made sense.

“What?” I finally asked.

He shook his head. “Nothing. I’m just...sorry that happened to you.”

We somehow managed to survive the annual Kennedy family Christmas Eve brunch. The conversation was lively, there was lots of laughter, and through it all Kennedy continued to bullshit his way through NASA talk whenever my mom or one of my sisters would ask him about it.

When we were done eating, Kennedy insisted that I sit and catch up with my sisters while he helped my mom clean up. Afterwards, he snuck up behind me while I was looking out a window at the backyard. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his warm body tight against my back.

“Your mother told me to call her Evelyn instead of Mrs. Kennedy, but I’m pretty sure she’ll have me calling her Mom by the end of the night,” he chuckled. “I like your mom. I suppose eventually she won’t think quite so highly of me, though.”

“Does that bother you?”

The silence that ensued was very telling. Mr. Noseybody had a conscience. Who knew?

“I just want you to be able to work out your stuff with your family. It’s not good to let things fester.”

I got the feeling he was speaking from experience. But I didn’t push. Instead, I smiled. “Well, you certainly have won her over. You’ve been laying on the charm pretty thick there, Neil Armstrong.”

He chuckled softly. “See? You were worried about nothing. This was a piece of cake.”

I turned to face him. Kennedy made no attempt to back up. “A piece of cake, huh? I wouldn’t be so cocky just yet. You haven’t met Mom’s squad.”

Kennedy’s brows drew together. “Her squad?”

“Mom plays Mahjong. Tonight at the open house, you’ll meet the three ladies she plays with. And they’re going to eat you alive.”

He laughed because he had no idea. Of course, I’d failed to mention that my dad had been a career military man and that Mom’s squad were all veterans who had served with him.

“Pretty sure I can handle three card-playing ladies at a Christmas party,”

I nodded and grinned. “We’ll see.”