Taking Chances (BYC #3)

7. Anne

7

ANNE

W ork’s been slow, but Christmas came in a blur of crying and feeling sorry for myself. I’m not even sure if I miss Bryce or if I miss having some romance in my life.

It’s Christmas morning and I’m standing next to Matt and Natalie in my Christmas pjs with a coat over it and a giant bowl of extra-spiked eggnog. They picked me up since I don’t own a car.

“Merry Christmas!” Rina squeals, opening their front door. Connor grabs the bowl of eggnog while Rina crushes me in a hug.

“Merry Christmas, Rins.”

Christmas brunch has been a tradition she and Natalie started when Eric was born. I joined them after I started working with the BYC, and Connor and Matt joined after Rina and Connor started dating. Each year, the Christmas brunch gets bigger, and I love it.

In the afternoon, I’ll celebrate Christmas with my father and sister, but it’s too formal and stuck up for my liking.

Here, all my closest friends show up wearing their pjs, and we exchange thoughtful and funny gifts before stuffing ourselves with food.

I take off my jacket to show off my adorable pink reindeer motif onesie and head to the kitchen to say ‘Hi’ to the rest. Eric jumps into my arms, almost knocking me off my feet.

“Merry Christmas, Anne,” he says with a toothless smile.

“Merry Christmas, E. You’re getting way too big, aren’t you? Next Christmas I won’t be able to hold you up.” He giggles, loving when I notice how tall he’s gotten.

Next, I hug Noah and Alex in their matching candy cane pjs. Alex’s light skin is a stark contrast to Noah’s dark one, but their smiles are almost identical.

Noah and Alex have been a situationship for years, and they made their relationship official a few months ago. Our reaction was more relieved than surprised when we found out, because it was obvious Noah was crazy about them for a while.

“How’d you get him to do this?” I ask Alex, gesturing to the matching pajamas.

“It was his idea, in fact.” They smirk. Alex is nonbinary, which Noah’s parents struggled to understand, but they’ve blended into our little group amazingly.

Rina, Connor, and Eric are also wearing matching pajamas, and I feel a lump in my throat. I want to wear matching Christmas pjs with my better half. Last year, Bryce shut down my idea as soon as I said it. He wasn’t interested in wearing cute, couply things.

The only couple not matching are Matt and Natalie. Natalie, as always, marches to the beat of her own drum, so she’s wearing a dark-red silk nightie, with a Santa hat on her head. Matt, in his classic red and green striped pjs, can hardly keep his eyes off her.

A warm sensation floods my stomach when I realize how lucky I am to call these people my friends. Just as tears start to prick behind my eyelids, a doorbell rings. Isn’t everyone already here?

“I’m so glad you made it,” I hear Rina saying from the hallway. “Let me take your jacket.” Hmm. I guess they invited someone else as well.

My breath catches in my throat as the newcomer enters the living room. The fluffy onesie is suddenly scorching as I size up the man in the black and red plaid pajamas.

“Merry Christmas, everyone,” he says with an awkward wave. Naturally, his top had to be short sleeved, so it showcases his tattooed biceps.

“Good to have you here, Lennox.” Matt shakes Lennox’s hand while I’m still too stunned to speak.

He grew out a beard since I last saw him, and the only thing my depraved mind can think about is how that beard would feel between my legs.

Not that I’m actually attracted to him. He’s the opposite of what I’m looking for in a man, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that the man is freaking gorgeous.

He offers me a polite smile and it’s enough to snap me out of my trance and make me remember all the embarrassing things I told this man. Great, now my face’s the same color as my onesie.

Luckily, Eric takes the opportunity to announce we’re starting with the presents. We always do presents first, food later, respecting Eric’s immediate need to find out what he got.

After two rounds of presents, it’s Eric’s turn to open one again.

It’s a small, neatly wrapped package that he tears through in a second. He pulls out a tiny matching Christmas onesie, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Natalie gasps as the tears that prick my eyelids overflow and start free falling.

Eric is still confused before Connor blurts out, “You’re going to be a big brother.”

“Really? I’m really going to be a big brother?” Eric pleads, and Rina nods enthusiastically.

Natalie and I pull Rina into a crushing hug.

“I’m so happy for you guys,” I say, my voice breaking.

“Auntie Nats is on a mission again.” Natalie pumps her fist in the air.

Lennox pulls Connor into one of those man hugs.

“I’m glad you could be here for this,” Connor tells him, but Lennox just shrugs, looking uncomfortable.

We toast with eggnog—everyone except for Eric and Rina, and get back to opening the presents.

Eric gets a new Lego set that he opens immediately, and I sit down next to him to help him build it.

“You know I can build them myself?” he asks, making me chuckle.

“I do. But let me at least pretend to help.”

We finish building the set before sitting down to eat.

“This is really good,” Lennox mumbles, his mouth half-full, and I can’t help but smile. “What is it?”

“It’s cod spread. An essential part of every Croatian holiday.”

The Christmas spread is a mix of Rina’s home country and American Christmas foods. We stuff ourselves with food until it’s time to leave.

“I’m honestly so, so happy for you, Rins,” I repeat as I’m saying goodbye.

And I am. Even though I’d love to be the one announcing my pregnancy with the love of my life, I’m ecstatic for them. They deserve all the happiness in the world.

“I know you are. Love you.” She purses her lips.

I get into the backseat of Matt’s car, noticing Lennox pulling on his helmet and getting on a bike. A groan slips out of me.

“What was that?” Matt asks from the driver’s seat.

Oops. Was that aloud? Of course, he looks hot getting on the motorcycle. He probably has a fictional character checklist and works on checking every single item because there’s no way it’s a coincidence.

“Nothing. I’m just really stuffed.” He nods and I release a relieved breath.

My dad swirls his thousand-dollar-a-bottle glass of red wine. “Your sister informed me of the fact that Bryce and you broke up,” he says.

The upscale restaurant enclosed in glass walls sits on the seventy-fifth floor of a famous Seattle building. The only sign that it’s Christmas today is the sparkling silver metal installation vaguely resembling a Christmas tree in the middle of a restaurant.

It gives more of a contemporary art museum vibe than a cozy Christmas one, but that’s Bailey Christmas for you. It’s been one cold, fake holiday after the other ever since my mom died.

“Annie?” He snaps me out of my thoughts using the name I hate. Mom used to call me that. I loved it then. Now, it’s like a reminder they think of me as a little girl, not able to make her own decisions.

“Yes. You were informed correctly,” I respond through my teeth.

“That’s a shame. I really admired his business acumen.” His brows scrunch, which is an expression reserved only for me. Jack Bailey rarely shows his emotions, and when he does, it’s usually disappointment.

“Yup. Me, too. In fact, I think his business acumen is the thing I miss the most about him.” I roll my eyes internally, because it’s something that’s definitely not allowed.

“This is what I meant when I said her behavior has been getting out of hand,” my sister bites out, faking a polite smile for anyone that might be looking. “It’s probably the reason he broke up with her.”

Though my mind is not surprised to hear it, my heart breaks in two with the statement. I stand there, dumbfounded as my cup overfills. Shame and anger swirl inside of me, mixing into an explosive combo.

“Yes, sarcasm is certainly not an appealing trait in women.” My father sizes me up with disdain, and I can’t take it anymore.

“You know what? I’ve been listening to you two tell me how I’m not good enough for over twenty years. And I think I’m done with that. Bryce was a jerk.” My father flinches at my outburst. “He broke my heart. And it had nothing to do with me or my unladylike behavior .” I take a giant sip of my wine before continuing. “So, if you have a problem with me, feel free to call him and his new girlfriend for the next family gathering, but you can forget about calling me. Merry Christmas.”

I get up and stomp out of the restaurant, leaving a shocked father, sister, and brother-in-law behind. Maddie is with Kaitlyn’s in-laws, thank God. I’d hate for her to witness this.

A sense of pride mixes with other emotions in my stomach and I finally feel I can take a deep breath. As soon as the oxygen fills my lungs, my eyes start to burn. Hello tears, I haven’t felt you in three whole hours.

I don’t want to go home and be alone right now. And I really don’t want to ruin my friends’ Christmas, so in a last-minute decision, I tell my Uber driver to take me to Factory.