Chapter 9 #2
I shake my head, swallowing the emotion clogging my throat.
I’m not sure I can handle it. Seeing my sister happy and beautiful with—hold on—some guy I don’t know.
I take the album Mother is holding out. Emily is wearing a long gown.
But it’s red, not white. Her prom picture.
I sag in relief. But it’s short-lived. The wedding pictures are here. They just haven’t gotten to them yet.
As much as I don’t want to see them, I’m more worried about Aidyn. Is he up for this trip down memory lane? He already seems sad— I suck in a breath.
“What?” Jane asks, taking the album out of my hand. “Is something wrong?”
I can’t explain it. Not with Mother and Father listening.
The sudden realization that Aidyn has been sad.
Why didn’t I notice before? I assumed it was about us.
But maybe it’s not. I still struggle with the grief over losing my sister.
He lost his wife. You don’t just get over that. It’s always there. A part of you.
“Garrett?” Jane asks again in a concerned voice.
“It’s nothing.” I paste on a smile. “She looks beautiful. Who was her date?”
I don’t really care, but they argue back and forth over it, which gives me time to breathe.
At least until I hear the sound of Aidyn pulling in.
The muffler is old on his van and the sound is distinctive.
I glance out the window for confirmation, although it’s more about doing something.
Nervous energy runs through me. This is why I don’t do family get-togethers. They are fraught with drama and—
A hand on my arm stops my pacing. “Hey, bro. I need you to keep it together, okay? Don’t freak out on me.”
Behind the sparkle of amusement in Jane’s eyes, I can see the worry that this will go bad. I nod.
At the knock, I answer the door. Aidyn smiles at me, and for the thousandth time today, I wish I could kiss him without caring who might see.
I usher him in. Lanie is still walking toward the door, her texting slowing her down.
I leave the door open for her and head into the living room behind Aidyn.
He stops and darts a questioning glance back at me. I shrug. Not like I knew what was happening. But he quickly recovers. “Mr. and Mrs. Bishop. Good to see you again.”
Mother nods and Father shakes his hand. They’re stiff around Aidyn and barely cordial. It fucking irritates me. Aidyn ignores Jane and takes a seat in the chair closest to me.
“Christy,” Jane says, raising a brow.
His mouth opens and my heart rate spikes. Please don’t cuss my sister out.
Lanie squeals and rushes into the room. “Jane. You’re here!” She hugs her and then hugs her grandparents. “This is so cool.”
And bless her sweet forgiving heart, that’s all it takes. Aidyn still glares at Jane, but he won’t risk upsetting Lanie.
“I thought we were decorating,” Aidyn asks with a thread of concern in his voice. No one else seems to notice.
“We’re looking at pictures. It’s for the Christmas slideshow.”
What? I can’t believe no one told me until now. Did they assume I knew?
I watch Aidyn’s face as they sort through the albums for pictures they want to add, so I see the smile as soon as it happens.
“You were a wee lad, here.”
I move closer to see—and be nearer to him—and rest my hand on the back of his chair. In the picture, I’m hugging an inflatable reindeer. My hair is wild and I have a goofy grin on my face. “Oh my God.”
“You’re so cute.”
I shake my head. But the memory of that day pops up without my permission. I was seven and Emily was five. The next picture shows us grinning like we’d just gotten the best present ever. At the time, I thought we had.
As a kid, I wasn’t into superheroes. I was a nerdy boy who loved to read.
Things like The Lord of the Rings. The Dragonriders of Pern.
Fantasy mostly. I wanted to be in a brand-new world.
One where I fit in. But that was later, when I reached middle school.
In elementary school, I thought I had the best family ever.
I find another picture of Mother and me. Both laughing.
When had that changed?
“Garrett?”
I clear my throat and look at Aidyn. He’s standing behind his chair. “Yes?”
“Do you have tea?”
I nod, still feeling disoriented by the picture. By my world shifting. “It’s in the cabinet by the—”
“Can you show me?” he asks, sounding impatient.
Oh. “Of course.” I follow him into the kitchen and pull out the tea. He takes it out of my hand, sets it on the counter, and then proceeds to kiss me. I grab his shirt and cling to him. Another kiss, and he pulls away.
“Hey.”
I laugh. “Hey.” I realize this is my chance. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know Jane would be here.”
His hand circles my neck. His caressing thumb causes my body to take interest. “No worries, love. Are you okay?”
“Fine. It’s just weird going through those pictures. Are you okay?”
He grins. “I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.”
“Really?” I study his face. What am I missing?
“I finally have proof.”
“Proof of what?”
His gaze darts to the doorway, and then he kisses me. It’s slow and sweet and not fucking enough. “Those pictures prove you weren’t always a Grinch. You used to love Christmas.”