Page 125 of Done with You

“No shit,” Rayma murmured.

“Anyway, please know that we love you all. And even if we don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye on everything, that doesn’t change that we love you.” He smiled. “Tattoos and all.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Rayma said, her voice stiff, posture even stiffer. Aiden focused on Oona. She was a little more relaxed than Rayma, but not much. She was also watching their mother. Yanna was quiet and her back was straight as a board.

“Mom?” Oona said. “You have anything you’d like to add?”

Yanna sucked in a deep breath through her nose, held it a moment, then released it. “I love my daughters. I just don’t understand them. And I’m not sure I ever will. But I’m proud and … I did the best I could.” She smiled grimly, then turned to the door. “We should go, Pasha is expecting us.”

Mr. Young nodded and they turned to go. “We will see you at Joy and Grant’s later this afternoon.”

“Oh, you’re going?” Rayma asked.

“We were invited,” their mother said. “And we were unable to reschedule our flights until the twenty-sixth, so, yes, we’re going.”

“All right, well, we’ll see you there, then,” Rayma said, following her parents to the door. She held it open for them. “Thanks for stopping by.”

She closed the door and turned to face Oona, Aiden, and Jordan, inflating her cheeks with air, then blowing it out as her eyes went buggy.

“What the fuck was that?” she asked.

“An olive branch?” Oona asked.

“Shortest, weirdest fucking olive branch I’ve ever seen,” Rayma said, shaking her head. “Big Lassie, make that coffee Irish, please.”

“On it,” Aiden said, pouring a healthy dollop of Bailey’s into a mug before topping it up with coffee. He snagged Oona’s eyes and hoisted his brows up. “Am I making your tea Irish, too?”

“I think you better,” Rayma said before Oona could reply.

Oona grinned and nodded. “Thank you.”

Rayma yanked off the toque from her parents and put on the one from Aiden again. “This one is so much nicer. The other one itches like crazy.”

Aiden smirked. He fucking knew it.

Jordan had already removed his toque and his hair stuck out in every direction. Oona wasn’t wearing her toque, but she had the scarf he gave her around her neck. She wandered into the kitchen and around the island, bumping her hip against Aiden’s. “Thank you for my present. It was unnecessary.”

“So was you forgiving me, so thank you.”

She grinned up at him. He reached down and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, but kept his hand there and cupped her cheek. “Merry Christmas, Oona. I’m really glad I’m spending it with you. With my brother and not alone in my apartment with nothing but my anger and bad attitude.”

Placing her hand over his on her face, she leaned deeper into his touch and blinked up at him. “I’m really glad you’re not alone on Christmas, either.”

“You guys …” Rayma sung behind Aiden. “Look up.”

Not moving from where they were, they both glanced upward to see a sprig of mistletoe dangling from a piece of string which was attached to a broom handle. Rayma was holding the broom, exceptionally pleased with herself.

Oona rolled her eyes but smiled at Aiden. “We can wait and start things after you’ve done the work once we get back to Montreal. But for now,” she wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him down so his lips hovered over hers, “I think we’ve earned this.”

Then she kissed him, on Christmas, under the mistletoe and it was the best fucking kiss of his life.

Epilogue

Four and a half LONG months later …

Aiden pulled up to the red brick building just as the light from the setting sun started to fade in the sky. It was mid April, and finally the days were getting longer again. The air held less of a nip to it than it had a few weeks ago and there wasn’t frost on his windshield every morning anymore.

The cherry blossoms were still a few weeks away from decorating the city with their lacy petals, but spring was definitely in the air.

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