Page 102 of Infatuated as They Come
“I’m sure you feel very, very out of place in this house. I mean, that’s just one of the reasons why you don’t belong here.”
My whole body was tensing up at his words. It seemed like he had been waiting to get me alone so he could rant to me. “Alright, great. I see things are exactly how they were before.”
A tiny smirk appeared on his face. “It’s funny you think I’d ever change my mind about you.”
“I think it’s funny that you thought Holly would change her mind about me,” I said, keeping my voice low. “I know you were banking on her meeting some rich trust fund frat boy and falling in love with him, but that didn’t happen, did it? And I know you wanted Nate to sweep her off her feet or something, but that didn’t exactly work out for you either. She still chose me, and I know that really pisses you off.”
The air was thick with too much tension, like it was growing and growing, like it was just seconds away from snapping. He gave me a slow nod, looking over his shoulder before turning back to me.
“You know,” he said, “we’ve watched that movie every Christmas since she was a baby and never had a problem. All of a sudden, it scares her.”
I gave him a lazy shrug. “It did get kinda crazy towards the end…”
“I suppose you’ll be sitting in on all my family’s traditions now.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“My daughter mentioned you wanting to start a new tradition with her. Which implies… you’ll be doing it again next year. And the year after that. And the year after that. Which means…”
“She doesn’t want me to go anywhere,” I said firmly.
“What are you planning on doing with her?” He laughed. “There’s nothing…low budgetto do in this part of town.”
“We’ll find something.”
“I saw that present you put under the tree for her.” He nodded to the side. “It’s just the one, correct?”
“Yeah, it’s just the one.”
“Can I ask what you got for her?”
“You’ll see it when she opens it.”
“There’s a lot of high-end stores in New York. Did you go to one of them?”
My head shook. “No. I made her something.”
“You got her a handmade gift?” He smiled. “Right, of course. That makes sense. I’m sure she’ll love it.”
“Yeah, I hope so.”
“There’s still time, you know?” he asked as he moved past me, shoulder bumping into mine.
“Time for what?”
“She’s gonna be spending another two and a half years around rich trust fund frat boys,” he called out. “I’m sure she’ll meet one that’s actually good enough for her.”
A sharp breath left me, not bothering to look over my shoulder at him. He didn’t like me before and he didn’t like me now and he wouldn’t like me tomorrow or the day after that. The sound of his footsteps faded, and I stood there as the silence settled around me. I hated that the feeling of doubt stayed strong in the air and in my chest. That all that warmth from earlier in the day had disappeared in seconds flat.
I moved down the hallway, trying to force that sensation out and replace it with the good feeling that had been there earlier. And when I’d go to bed tonight, I’d imagine that it was Holly in my arms, that I was holding her tight, and that we were living in a world where money didn’t mean a thing.
Chapter 25
Sawyer
The next morning, I found Holly sliding present after present under the hundred-foot Christmas tree, and I hoped to God they weren’t all for me.
She spotted me and sent me a smile over her shoulder before diving back into a bag to get more gifts out. They were all so neatly wrapped, the red and green paper looking crisp and smooth, all topped off with a gold bow.
