Chapter 6
Joy
“Well, I certainly can’t blame you for picking him.” My grandmother handed me back my phone.
We were in our own corner of the living room at my parents’ holiday party.
I’d just finished showing Grandma some of the doctored photos Nolan had been posting after telling her the story of my holiday-card fiasco.
Grandma and I had a very honest relationship, and she was the only person here I felt comfortable admitting everything to.
“Why did you stop responding to him?” she asked. “Seems like he’s been trying hard to get your attention.”
I sighed. “I feel like he’s just having fun and is not really interested in more with me. Plus, he’s dating someone else. So why bother entertaining anything when I’ll only end up disappointed?” I shook my head. “I regret even starting this whole thing.”
My grandmother sipped her spiked eggnog.
“You know, before I lost your granddad, I always thought I’d need a man to be happy.
And while I miss him like crazy, I wouldn’t dream of dealing with anyone else now.
I’m happy being by myself, enjoying my life without having to answer to anyone.
I know you’re in a much different place than an eighty-year-old woman, but one day, maybe after you have kids and a family of your own, you might look back at this time in your life and miss the independence.
So make the most of it. Be proud of it.” She lifted her cup in a salute.
“Screw these guys.” She chuckled. “Okay, maybe only Davis. Fuck Davis. The other one seems to be funny and a sweetheart.”
I cackled. When my grandmother said the F-word, you knew it was serious.
Grandma had never liked my ex, never believed he was good enough for me.
He was, in her words, “a tool.” Her feelings had only escalated when she’d found out he was dating someone from the office.
Her advice tonight, though, had shed light on the reality of the situation.
Being attached to someone else isn’t what gives a person value.
And you don’t need to rely on another person to find happiness.
“You’re so right. I’m a successful woman. I’m healthy. I don’t have to lie about my life to make it seem better—not to Davis or to anyone else. As long as I’m happy, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.”
“Learning not to give a fuck comes with age, baby. It’s okay if you make mistakes along the way. You’re still young.”
“Thanks for the kick in the ass, Grandma.” I lifted my eggnog. “Fuck Davis!”
My grandmother and I were both laughing when my phone chimed a moment later.
Davis: Merry Christmas. Hope you’re having a good night. Tell Nolan I said hello.
I cracked up again. He must’ve sensed us talking about him.
I couldn’t type fast enough.
Joy: Merry Christmas! Nolan and I broke up.
The three dots moved around as he responded.
Davis: Gosh. Really? At Christmas time, too. I’m so sorry to hear that.
Joy: Don’t be sorry. I’m happier than I’ve ever been. That’s been the case ever since our breakup, to be honest. Don’t take it personally. I’m happy you’re happy now too. Everything has happened the way it was meant to.
Davis: Well, I’m glad for you then.
Joy: You have a good Christmas Eve with Hailey.
Davis: Thank you. You have a good one as well.
It felt so freeing to have “broken up” with Nolan, thus ridding myself of the lie I’d created.
There was only one problem. While I now realized I no longer needed a boyfriend for appearances, I did miss talking to Nolan for no other reason than he made me smile.
And he certainly wasn’t bad to look at, either.
I wished he and I had met under different circumstances.
It would’ve also been nice if he weren’t dating someone.
But it was Christmas Eve, and I didn’t want to spend the rest of this night looking back at all of the things I regretted in the past year.
I vowed to do better in the new year and truly embrace the freedom I had now to do whatever I wanted.
Go wherever I wanted. Maybe a cat café in Tokyo—but for real this time. The world was my oyster!
Later, I was preparing a plate of food for myself at the buffet table when I heard a commotion over by the front door.
The next thing I knew, my grandmother came traipsing toward me in her ugly Christmas sweater holding a handsome man’s hand. Not any man. My man. Well, my fake man.
Oh my God.
I nearly dropped my food.
“Stolen Nolan is just as handsome in person!” Grandma announced.
I felt my face heat as I set my plate down. What is he doing here?
“What…how?” I asked as Nolan stood in front of me, smelling like heaven mixed with the cold air outside. It felt like there was a spotlight on us as my entire family gawked.
“I ran into Isla. She gave me your address.” Nolan smiled. “Can we go somewhere and talk?”
“Sure. Follow me.”
I led him to a room at the back of the house where my mother mostly stored her sewing supplies.
After I closed the door behind us, he said, “Why did you stop responding to my messages?”
“I didn’t think you cared all that much.” I tilted my head. “Aren’t you dating someone?”
“I went on a couple of dates with a woman, but that’s over.”
My heartbeat sped up a little. “Oh.”
“The truth is, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, Joy. I’ve just been apprehensive to bite the bullet because I thought you were still hung up on Davis. But after talking to Isla tonight, I no longer believe that.”
Not sure what the hell my friend said, but I needed to thank her big time.
“The only man I’ve been hung up on lately is the real one behind my fake boyfriend,” I admitted.
He inched closer. “You know, I’ve imagined us doing a lot of things together, but there’s one thing I’d like more than anything.”
“What?”
Nolan placed his hands around my face, bringing me in for a kiss.
It was everything I remembered—firm and powerful.
As he slipped his tongue into my mouth, I began to dig my fingers into his beautiful mane of dark hair.
My nerve endings lit up like a Christmas tree.
The sounds coming from the party faded into the distance as we continued to kiss passionately, getting lost in each other.
When Nolan and I finally emerged from the back room, his hair was tousled. I took a few moments to brush through it with my fingers before we reappeared in the living room.
I had no choice but to formally introduce him to my curious family.
Clearing my throat, I said, “Everyone, this is Nolan, my…” I hesitated. What is he exactly?
Nolan finished my sentence. “Joy and I just started dating a few minutes ago, but I swear it feels more like a year.”
I shrugged. Seemed an accurate description to me.
Nolan spent the next several minutes meeting my parents and relatives. And Grandma gave him the official seal of approval. It was a strange first date, but our entire history had been strange thus far. We’d been through a lot virtually together, but this was truly the beginning.
After the introductions were over, we stole a private moment by the Christmas tree.
Nolan took out his camera and snapped a selfie of us.
He winked. “For next year’s Christmas card.”