Chapter 16
Sixteen
AIDYN
One Day until Christmas
Garrett has an enormous dining room table, but even it’s not big enough to hold fifteen people. Instead, people are making their plates and spreading out in the living room. I think Garrett’s eye has started twitching.
“What about my carpet?”
“At least there aren’t any kids. Well, other than Lanie, and she knows to be careful.”
He stomps away muttering something about twelve-year-olds. The stress might be getting to him.
And for the most part, there isn’t any drama. Until Jonah arrives. Garrett leads him in to introduce him to everyone. When he gets to Vivian, he turns to Garrett. “What is he doing here?”
“Do you know each other?” Garrett asks, looking from one to the other. Neither of them looks happy.
“Unfortunately,” Vivian huffs. “Hard to forget the guy who tried to get me fired.”
“Too bad it didn’t work.”
“Fuck—”
“Stop. It’s Christmas. And you’re both guests here. So either get along or get out.” I point my finger at the doorway. Maybe I’ll get lucky, and they’ll leave.
“This is Garrett’s house,” Jonah says, crossing his arms. Is he showing off his muscles? Probably. I catch Vivian looking him over. “He invited me.”
“I was also invited.”
“Stop fucking aground.” Garrett glares at them both. “Aidyn’s right. If you can’t get along, you can either take it outside or go somewhere else.”
I smirk at them because I can be petty, and they might as well learn that about me.
Jonah doesn’t back down. “I’m not the one who starts it.”
Garrett rubs his forehead. “Jonah, stop.”
“Let’s open presents,” Jane says, jumping to her feet.
“Wait, Daddy.” Simon tugs on Isaac’s shirt. “Don’t forget Justine.”
Zye groans but smiles when Simon looks at him. “Great idea!”
Miles goes to the barn to get Justine, and Garrett’s mother pulls a hat from her bag of wool. This isn’t a knitted hat. It’s the hat he’s been trying to avoid. “Why do I have to play Santa?”
“Santa is busy getting ready for tomorrow,” Simon says as if it’s obvious.
“Garrett, you’re the host.”
He accepts the hat from his mother and jams it on his head. He looks so cute that I waggle my eyebrows and grin. I’ve got plans for that hat. Maybe I can get Santa to sit on my lap later.
Garrett shakes his head, but not like he’s opposed to my lascivious thoughts. More like he’s trying not to smile.
Simon and Lanie are the big winners. Most of the presents are for them.
Garrett, Lanie, and I are exchanging gifts on Christmas, but we have presents for the others.
Justine ignores her balsa wood blocks and tries to go after all the sparkly presents.
Simon laughs and looks so happy surrounded by his mom, his dad, and Adrian. And, of course, Reginald.
“This is for you, Reggie,” he says, handing him a present that I hadn’t gotten to yet.
“You’re supposed to wait, bud.” Isaac gives me an apologetic look, but I wave him off.
“The lad’s fine.”
It’s a bracelet Simon made out of gold and green pipe cleaners. Reginald looks flabbergasted. “Thank you, Master Simon.” He hugs Simon, and I notice even Garrett looks a little emotional.
It’s a nice moment until Garrett jumps to his feet. Is he going after Justine? She’s pecking at his mom’s shoes, so maybe not. He checks his phone and hands Miles the hat. “Can you take over for me? Just for a few minutes?”
“Sure, no problem.”
Since I do have a problem, I weave through the group and catch Garrett as he heads into his office.
“What do you need?” he says into the phone, and his no-nonsense tone tells me it’s work. But I already suspected that. I dart in front of him, and he almost runs into me. “Oh. Aidyn.” His free hand goes to my bicep.
“What’s going on?” I ask, planting my feet.
Nat’s voice comes through the phone. “Is that Christy? Let me talk to him.”
“Not happening,” he says into the phone. He smiles at me. Wistfully? Sadly? Hard to tell. “This won’t take long.”
“You said that earlier as well. In fact, you said you wouldn’t work at all today.” I gesture at Jonah. “But your work followed you home.”
“I explained that.”
“You did.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he says in a low voice so no one can hear. But from the kissy sounds Nat is making, I assume she can hear and already knows about us. “I won’t be long.”
As he talks, Garrett leads me into his office and shuts the door. The sounds of the party are muffled, so only a squawk from Justine and a cheer from Simon can be heard. He puts the phone behind his back and kisses me. “I’ll be back before the presents are even finished.”
I want to argue with him. A week without work interfering is impossible when you own your own business. But it’s one day. If he can’t commit to this, can I really expect him to commit to spending our lives together?
He kisses me again, this time lingering on my mouth. “Can you keep everyone happy for just a few minutes? Please?”
I nod and leave his office. As he closes the door, Nat says, “Next time, let’s do a video chat.”
“No.”
Shaking my head, I return to the living room. Things are a bit out of hand. Simon is chasing Justine, and I’m not sure why until I see the bracelet he made for Reginald hanging from the emu’s beak. Then just as fast, Justine is chasing Simon, and he’s squealing and laughing.
“This bird needs to go.” Garrett’s mother waves her hand, and Justine dives for the shiny bracelet on her wrist. Mrs. Bishop jumps on the couch. “David, do something!”
Garrett’s dad shakes his head.
“He’s not just a bird,” Miles grumbles as he grabs Justine.
“How is it my fault?” The outburst comes from Vivian. He and Jonah are off to the side, arguing.
I take a few steps toward the men when Lanie squeals and knocks into the end table in her attempt to get away from Justine.
I change course to help my daughter when the sound of glass breaking has me jerking around.
The glass that was on the end table is now on the floor.
The wine glass is in pieces as red wine spreads across Garrett’s cream carpet.
“Uncle Garrett is going to kill me.” Lanie stares at the mess, her lips trembling and her eyes big.
“No, lass. We can clean it up.” I’m not sure we can keep red wine from staining the carpet, but we have to try. Garrett loves these carpets. But the pressing issue is the glass.
“On it,” Isaac says.
Reginald lifts his hand. “I can take care of this, sir— I mean, Isaac.” He nods at Adrian and leaves the room.
“Come here, Justine,” the prince says, shaking a shiny piece of wrapping paper. The emu squawks and follows him toward the doorway.
“Aidyn? What are you doing?”
My heart stops at the sound of Emily’s voice.
I twist around. And there on Garrett’s seventy-five-inch television is my sweet Emily laughing and smiling at a much younger me. A Christmas tree in the background. How long ago was this?
“Sorry, Aid— Christy. Lanie wanted to watch it.” Zye gives me a weak smile and then does a full twirl.
But it barely registers. Emily stares at me with love in her eyes. Her beautiful smile. I can almost smell the lavender. I choke back a sob.
“Sorry, Da.” Lanie sounds like she’s about to cry.
I clear my throat. “It’s fine, darlin’.” But I can’t stop the tears flowing down my face. I touch my chest where the ring is hanging around my neck.
“Fuck off!”
“I’m just trying to be nice,” Jonah snaps, and they both start screaming over each other.
Jesus, Joseph, and Mary. What else can go wrong?
“I’ll go,” Chad says, leaving the room.
Justine hisses and breaks out of Miles’s hold on her as she lunges herself at— Oh God, no. Not the tree.
I yell as I try to intercept her. Justine flaps her wings against the tree branches and then puts her entire body into it as she tries to escape through the branches.
The tree falls, and I gasp. Lanie screams. But the tree’s stopped by the bookcase.
Crystal trees fall to the ground, and the sudden whiff of poop suggests Justine’s thoughts on the matter.
“Shit on me. See how it turns out for you,” Miles says as he grabs the emu. Simon screams, trying to get out of the way.
“What the fuck is going on out here?” Garrett asks as he storms into the room.
Everything stops. Almost everything. Vivian and Jonah stop arguing.
Reginald stops cleaning, holding the stem of the broken wine glass as the towel covering the mess is stained red.
The cream carpet visible under the towel is now a pinkish color.
Miles stops with Justine still flapping in his hands, and Simon stops screaming.
Lanie and her grandmother are still standing on the couches.
Garrett scans the room, taking in the scene. His eyes land on me, and I’m reminded of his simple request. “Can you keep everyone happy for just a few minutes?”
I failed. Utterly.
Garrett opens his mouth to yell—I have no doubt that he’s going to do it—when the television un-pauses. “I love you, Aidyn, you big goof,” Emily says, and the me on the television kisses her.
Garrett jerks his head toward the screen and stares. His mouth falls open. Maybe it’s the pain evident on Garrett’s face that has Isaac scrambling for the remote, which must have fallen somewhere near the tree.
Everyone watches as a younger me bares my heart to Emily. “I love you more than anything or anyone in this world.”
Garrett makes a choked sound.
“Isaac,” I whisper frantically. My heart is breaking again, but this time it’s not about losing Emily. I remember this Christmas. The last one Garrett spent with us. The Christmas I proposed.