Page 32 of Mine for the Holidays
“I’m sorry, Aunty Joan. I knew you had regrets about not getting married and having kids, but I didn’t understand that struggle quite as much as I do right now. And if it’s any consolation, I never looked at you for your money. I just thought you were fun and amazing, and I always wanted to be like you.”
“Oh, I know, sweet girl. That’s why you’ve always been my obvious favorite and why your brother thought he needed to discredit you like that. He had it in his head that I’d leave everything to you since I make it quite obvious that I like you so much. But, we setthatrecord straight just now, and he can go back to his room and lick his wounds until tomorrow morning when he’ll be required to eat his words and grovel once he realizes what the surprise I have for you all is. I love the boy, but my gosh, he’s always been a greedy little shit. He should have been a bank manager just so he could go and sit in the vault and smell the money for fun.”
I let out a giggle as I wipe my hands under my eyes, patting away all of my half-dried tears. “So you’re really not angry with me?” I ask. “For making Liam up and hiring Nate to play him?”
“No. Not at all. At first, I admit I was…confused. But Tommy pointed out that your mother and I have put a little too much focus on your marital status over the years. Plus, I could see how enamored you both were with each other. And I know I’m not supposed to print all of those pictures up, but I couldn’t help myself.” She turns away from me as she digs around in her bag. “You know, there’s a little store on the ship that makes photo books. So, I had them make a little love story in pictures from all the happy snaps I took of you both since Thanksgiving. Sometimes, I think it helps us to see ourselves how other people see us. And this is how I see you—happy and in love.” She pulls a wrapped square from her bag and hands it to me. “Happy Jolabokaflod.”
“Oh, Aunty Joan. This is so incredibly thoughtful,” I say as I tear open the paper and run my hand over the front cover. It’s a glossy image of Nate and me kissing at the waterslides. When I open the book, there’s a chronicle of secretly caught moments of us together, smiling, touching, gazing…I just love it, and I will treasure it always. “Thank you.”
“You’re so welcome,” she says with a happy sigh as she pats me on the knee. “Now, if you can take a short walk and possibly go and speak to your mother, then I’ll get that dashing man of yours in here and have a talk with him. Do you think you can do that for an old woman who loves you, dear?”
With a laugh, I lean in and embrace her. “Of course, Aunty Joan. Anything for you. And thank you again—for this talk, for understanding, and for the beautiful book.”
“Always. You’ll find your mother in the bar drinking daiquiris. She’s having a meltdown.” Aunty Joan is smirking when I turn back to her, and I sigh before heading for the door, resigned to having a much more difficult conversation with my mother than the one I just had with Aunty Joan.Maybe I should get Tommy to soften Mom too?
“She’s ready for you,” I say as I step into the hall and find Nate leaning against the opposite wall.
“Are we in shit?” he asks, his worried eyes meeting mine.
I shake my head and move toward him, sliding my arms around his waist. “Seems she’s a bit of a fan of yours, actually. I don’t think you and I really fooled anyone.”
“Not even each other.” He smiles as he bows his head and brushes his nose against mine. “I was head over heels for you the moment you tapped my shoulder in that coffee house.”
“And I couldn’t believe my lucky stars when I saw you. I thought, if I have to pay to have a boyfriend, please let him be this guy. And it was, and I’m so happy that this turned into something more. So, no matter how dramatic my mom is over this, I’ll never regret it for a moment because otherwise I would never have met you. You have my heart, Nate Charmers. And I never want you to give it back.”
Grinning, he touches his lips to mine before deepening the kiss and holding me tight, making me feel like I’ve won the boyfriend lottery. “I love you, Delaney,” he whispers as he releases me.
“I love you too,” I return, pressing my lips to his once more before I step back and gesture toward our cabin. “And good luck in there. She might be a sweet little lady most of the time, but she’s got a sharp tongue when she wants to.”
“I’ve no doubt,” Nate says. “Where are you off to now?”
“Mom’s in the bar drinking up a storm. Seems I’ve driven her to drink.”
“I’ll meet you up there after?”
“No. Wait for me here. I want to spend the rest of the night alone with you. No family. No drama. No clothes.”
He chuckles as he reaches for the door. “You’re on,” he says before he disappears inside, and I head up to the main deck to face the music. I imagine my mother won’t be anywhere near as understanding as Aunty Joan, but the one thing I’ve learned from the women in my life is to not have any regrets. And I don’t. I’m in love and I’m happy. I don’t have any regrets at all.
Nate
"And here he is. The man of the hour." Joan shifts to the side a little so I can fit beside her on the couch. "Seems you've caused a bit of a stir."
"That wasn't my intention," I say as I sit. "I just wanted to help out a friend of a friend. Delaney and I met through Liz who is the little sister of my college roommate. Things escalated from there."
"I see. So, pretending to be the significant other of successful women isn’t something you do on a regular basis?” I love how straight to the point this woman is. It’s refreshing.
Chuckling slightly, I shake my head. “No. I’ve been a stand-in a few times, but it’s a very rare occasion where I would escort a woman anywhere for a fee. There were…extenuating circumstances this time. And for what it’s worth, I won’t be taking any money now that we’ve become something more than just a job.”
“I wouldn’t have thought less of you if you did take the money. But I respect your decision. And your honesty. I hear your father passing away had a lot to do with your current situation. I’m sorry.”
“Alcoholism. Was it Delaney who told you?” I ask, and she nods. “Did she explain what happened?”
“Just that things were tense between the two of you before he left us. It’s not easy losing a loved one before you can reconcile.”
Nodding slowly, I wonder for a moment if I want to explain exactly what happened between Dad and me. But I decide to let sleeping dogs lie. The chain of events that came after that moment is what led me right here tothismoment. So I can’t stay angry at him for that. If he hadn’t damaged my career when he did, I may never have met the love of my life. In hindsight, he did me a favor.
“Let’s just say everything changed after he passed,” I say instead. “I felt the need to let go of my long-held dream and move my life in a different direction. Returning to San Francisco was the one thing that made sense. And now that I’ve met Delaney, I realize that’s because my heart was there waiting for me to pretend to be her boyfriend.”
