Page 28 of Christmas with Brother's Best Friends
Emma’s shoulders sink. “Are they going on a trip? Can’t they just include you?”
A bitter laugh leaves me. “No, they’re spending Christmas in the city. They just don’twantto include me. She actually said she forgot to invite me. Like I’m some random coworker, not her damn son.”
Josh scoffs. “Almost sounds like my parents. Except mine wouldn’t even call. I haven’t talked to them in years.”
Max and Emma share a sad look with each other, one of sympathy for Josh and me. They have good parents, even if Emma has complaints about hers. They still care about her and want to be around her.
“It fucking hurt,” I admit, my voice threatening to waver. “They’ve always been so closed off emotionally. They never told me that they were proud of me. I don’t remember the last time that my mom told me that she loved me. When she did, I don’t even think that she meant it. I just feel like… a burden. The kid they didn’t want but got stuck with.”
Emma places her hand on my arm as she moves closer to me. “I’m sorry. That’s terrible of them to treat you that way. You didn’t deserve that.”
“You’re right,” I say as our eyes lock. “I don’t deserve how they treat me, but it still stings. I hate it.”
“You took a risk and put your heart out there,” Max speaks up. “You tried to be the bigger person, and it didn’t pan out. You gotta give yourself some grace.”
If I could talk to the younger version of myself, I would tell him not to let his parents’ dismissiveness and coldness crush him on the outside. I would tell him not to believe the lies or cut himself off from those around him.
I would give him whatever advice I could to protect that damaged heart of his.
“He’s right,” Emma says. “You tried, despite how much they’ve hurt you. That says a lot about you.”
That says that I’m a damn fool for thinking my parents would choose me over anything else for once.
But instead of complaining and drowning in my sorrows, I hug her again, cradling the back of her head as she presses her face into my white button-down shirt. “Thank you. I like what you’ve done to my desk.”
Emma tilts her head back to cock an eyebrow at me. “Are you being honest or just trying to be nice?”
I smirk at the guys over her head. She truly doesn’t know how much she’s come to mean to all of us. Just her presence in this office with her daily Christmas-themed clothes gives me plenty of holiday spirit.
“I wouldn’t lie to you, Em,” I assure her.
Emma draws back and gives me a soft look, almost too quick to notice, before she points at each of us. “Remember, my parents will want you all over for Christmas. No one has to spend the holiday alone.”
Josh perks up. “Just like old times.”
Emma’s parents always kept an open door for the three of us, whether we wanted to celebrate a holiday, eat dinner, or spend the night. We’re like their extra children.
I always tell them “thank you” when I leave, but that never feels like enough to properly express just how much their kindness means to me. It’s so much more than what my family bothers to give me, even during the holidays.
“I’ll be there,” I say.
“Yep, bright and early for your mom’s killer Christmas breakfast,” Josh quips.
“Is your dad doing a ham for Christmas?” Max asks her with a hopeful look.
“Last year, he gave me a stacked plate of leftover ham. I ate on it for three days,” I tell him, laughter breaking from the four of us.
Emma rubs the back of my shoulder, drawing my eyes to her soft ones that promise so much comfort. “It’ll be a good Christmas. You’ll have all of us.”
“Poor bastard,” Josh says, his voice shaking with laughter.
I crack an amused grin and shake my head, lowering my eyes to the ground as a surge of warmth fills my chest. They’re the best friends I could’ve ever hoped to have, and Emma… she’s an angel through and through.
Vulnerable words build in my throat, but I force them down and clasp my hands together, ending a moment too intense for me to handle. “All right, let’s get to work so that we can actually enjoy the holiday.”
“Yes, sir,” Emma quips playfully, shooting a smile at me over her shoulder as she strides away.
I breathe out slowly, fighting the urge to pull her back to me. To show her how grateful I am for her since I can’t get the words out.
