Twenty-Seven | Sean
Twenty-Seven
Sean
T he ballroom was already filled with people by the time I got there. Thankfully, Waldon’s didn’t force us to have a stuffy holiday party with a plated dinner and dress code. Everyone could wear what they wanted, sit where they wanted, and help themselves to the buffet and cash bar.
I found a seat at one of the tables in the back of the room and looked around, trying to see if Cassidy was already there. A few coworkers said hi as they passed by, but I hadn’t been there long enough to really make any friends outside of work.
Melissa was up at the front of the room, guiding everyone on where to put their Secret Santa gifts and handing out two drink tickets to those coming in. Cassidy walked in wearing a sparkly black dress that dipped low into her cleavage and had a slit up her thigh. Her black heels made her long legs look even longer, and all I could think about was how good they would feel wrapped around my neck.
I shifted in my seat, trying to force my thoughts elsewhere so I didn’t have to excuse myself to deal with the situation building down south.
She set her gift under the tree at the front of the room and then said hi to a few people as she made her way around the room. She glanced at me, and I could tell she wanted to look away, so I held her gaze, making sure she felt the heat from it.
Thankfully for me, the majority of the tables were already filled, leaving mine open for her to join me. She grabbed a glass of wine and came over, seeming unsure of where to sit.
I pulled my arm off the back of the chair next to me and nodded to it. She rubbed her lips together as if debating it, but when I saw the redness in her eyes, I jumped up from my seat and stood in front of her.
“Cassidy, what’s wrong?” I asked, gently holding her elbow to keep her from turning away from me.
“Nothing,” she whispered, looking everywhere but at me.
“Bullshit. You’ve been crying. Why?”
“No, I haven’t.” Her voice was a low hiss as she looked around the table to see if anyone was listening to us.
A few other people joined us, leaving the only open seat for Cassidy next to me.
I took her glass of wine and set it down for her, still concerned with why she was upset.
“I’m going to go get food,” she said, pulling away from me and heading for the buffet. Little did she know, she wasn’t going to get away from me that easily.
I reached for her elbow again, smiling as we darted in between people and said hello as we got in line for the buffet.
“What’s going on, Cassidy?” I asked again, my hand resting low on her back, trying to maintain a proper boundary so people didn’t get the wrong idea.
“I told you, it’s nothing.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and reached for a plate.
I followed her through the line, not bothering to pay attention to what I was putting on mine. Food was the least of my concerns right now. Cassidy was upset about something, and I was determined to find out what was wrong. Once we made our way through, I guided her back to the table and pulled out her seat for her.
Everyone was already engaged in conversation which made it easy for me to try to continue mine with Cassidy.
“You’re really starting to worry me,” I said softly, leaning in so I could keep my voice low.
“I’m fine. Really.”
She picked up her fork and knife, cutting into her chicken as she made it clear that the conversation wasn’t going to go any further.
Dinner was painfully long with not knowing what had Cassidy so upset when she first got there, but when she ordered a third glass of wine, I decided to put a stop to it. I knew she was staying at the hotel for the night, so she didn’t have to worry about driving, but I still didn’t want her trying to drink away whatever problem she was avoiding.
Melissa stood at the front of the room with Bruce while he gave a quick toast, thanking the employees for their hard work and dedication. I missed most of it, but I couldn’t focus as I struggled to keep from reaching for Cassidy’s hand underneath the table.
Everyone around us raised their glasses in the air and cheered. I lifted my water and absentmindedly clanked it against those around me. Melissa and Bruce worked on passing out the gifts, and I was surprised when I was handed the gift I had seen Cassidy come in with.
She held hers from me in her lap and played with the ribbon that I had tied around the box.
“You got me?” I asked, reading the tag again, just to make sure.
“Yeah. It’s funny how that worked, huh? That out of all the employees at Waldon’s, we would draw each other’s names.”
“Guess fate had plans for us.”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes or make them light up the way they looked when she was truly happy.
“You first,” she said, nodding to the large box I was holding.
“Nope. Ladies first.”
“Please?” It was the crack in her voice that killed me and made me open mine first.
Inside was a brand new ax, and I grinned, knowing Sam must have had a hand in this since he was the only one who knew mine was broken. In addition to the ax was a small box filled with some of my favorite snacks that we used to enjoy back when we were dating and would have our weekly movie night dates.
“Wow. Cass,” I sighed, trying to focus on what I was trying to say while being so overcome with emotion. “Thank you. For all of this. I really appreciate it.”
“I didn’t know what to get you,” she admitted, tapping her fingers along the top of the box she was holding on her lap. “I remembered how much you used to enjoy mixed nuts and Milk Duds back in the day, so I was hoping you still did.”
“Well, you were right. It’s still the perfect combination of salty and sweet. And thank you for the new ax. I actually needed one.”
“My brother told me,” she said, scrunching her nose in the most adorable way. “I’m sorry. I wanted to be a better gift giver, but I was coming up empty-handed.”
“Don’t be. These gifts are wonderful, Cassidy. I don’t expect you to know what to give someone you haven’t talked to in over a decade. People change. You know that.”
“True, but I like to think that I used to know you better than anyone.”
I didn’t want to get into any heavy conversations right now because I wanted to have them when we could fully focus on them and not have the distraction of liquored-up coworkers. I let her comment go and nodded to her box.
“Your turn.”
She smiled and pulled the ribbon off before lifting the lid and opening the box.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, covering her mouth with both hands as she stared inside at the copy of The Christmas Cabin I had found for her. “How did you...”
She didn’t have to complete her sentence for me to know what she was asking.
“I remembered you reading the book to me when we were younger, and then I overheard you and Rachel talking about it. I know it’s not the same as the one your grandma gave you, but at least now you have a copy of it.”
“Sean,” she breathed, wiping the corners of her eyes. “This is the sweetest gift anyone has ever given me. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.” I smiled when she took it out of the box and slowly flipped the pages.
“I still can’t believe you got one. How did you find it?” she asked softly, setting it back in the box.
“It took a little bit of work, but I got lucky.”
“Why did you go through all of that when I’ve been treating you so terribly?”
I shrugged and looked down at the table, ignoring the look she was giving me.
“Of course.” She lowered her head and shook it. “I should have known. I’m such an idiot.”
She put the box on the table, then got up and rushed out of the room.
I followed after her, needing to know what was going on.
“Cassidy, wait,” I called, rushing to catch up to her.
I grabbed her arm and spun her around to find tears spilling down her cheeks.
“What is going on?”
She wiped the tears away with the back of her hand and looked at me.
“Declan told me.”
My body tensed at the mention of my brother.
“Told you what? When did you talk to him?”
“Earlier, when I came to check into my room. He was in the lobby with his wife, and she made him tell me about what happened back in high school. How it wasn’t you that cheated on me. He was the one who cheated on his girlfriend but lied and said it was you.”
She sobbed and covered her mouth as the tears continued to flow.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, her body starting to tremble.
I scrubbed a hand down my face and stared at her.
“I tried. You didn’t want to believe me.”
“You should have tried harder,” she cried, allowing me to pull her into my chest.
“I knew you wouldn’t believe me until he came clean, Cassidy. And I didn’t want to continue a relationship with you as long as you believed I had cheated on you because that thought would always be in the back of your mind, and it would taint whatever we had together.”
“I can’t believe I’ve hated you this entire time for something you didn’t do.”
She pulled away and wiped at her eyes.
“It’s okay, Cass. I don’t blame you for it.”
“It’s not okay, Sean. It’s not okay that I’ve spent the last twelve years of my life hating you for something your brother did, yet you never stopped loving me. Don’t you see that?”
I nodded, not sure what to say. She was right. I never stopped loving her, even when it killed me to see how much she hated me at times.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I wish you would have known the truth sooner. But you’re right, Cass. I’ve never stopped loving you, and I don’t think I ever will.”
“I love you too, Sean. Even when I tried to hate you, I still loved you.”
She reached up and grabbed my face, pulling it to hers as our lips brushed against each other.
“I have a room,” she murmured, her lips and face smushed against mine.
“Is that an invite?” I teased, grabbing a handful of her ass and squeezing.
“No. It’s a demand.” She pulled away, giving me a look that made me weak in the knees. “Come to my room with me so I can show you all the ways I love you and make up for hating you for so long.”
I swallowed hard, my dick immediately hardening as her eyes darkened and she licked her lips.