Page 62 of All I Want for Christmas
“Sure is.” Max grabbed for the ring, missed it, and pitched forward just as the front door opened. Holden caught Max and righted him.
“Alright there, son?” he said, glancing at Max’s face.
Max just scowled, straightened his shoulders. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Landon handed Holden the keys and bag. “Nice to see you, Mr. Brody. Your house looks really festive.” Wide boughs of greenery wrapped around the marble posts that flanked the home’s porch, with white lights poking in and out of the boughs, casting a warm glow. Two large nutcracker soldiers stood guard at the front door, surrounded by swaths of cotton batten meant to look like fresh snow.
“Thank you kindly, Landon,” Holden replied. Max was surprised that his father remembered Landon’s name. That wasn’t really his style, to pay attention to details that didn’t immediatelyconcern him. “I really appreciate you bringing my boy home. Do you need a ride home yourself?”
“I’ll call an Uber,” Landon said as he retreated down the front porch’s stairs.
“Nonsense,” Holden said. “We’ll get you a ride. Just let me get Max inside, alright?”
Once Holden shut the door behind them and arranged a ride for Landon, he turned to Max. “This isn’t how we handle things, son.”
Max knew then that Bobbi had already called his dad, which he should have expected. Bobbi had managed Holden’s career, and had taken over Max’s at Holden’s request.
“Speak for yourself, old man,” Max said, giving a scoff and hiccup simultaneously.
Holden paused, watching his son, then took off his Stetson and hung it on the coatrack by the front door. “Max, I don’t want you making the same mistakes I did, alright?”
“Oh, don’t you worry about that. I’mnothinglike you, Dad.”
Holden sighed and grabbed Max. “Let’s get you to bed, so you can sleep this off. Trust me, things will look a hell of a lot brighter by morning.”
Max ripped his arm out of Holden’s hands. “I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can, Max.” Holden’s voice was soft. “You always have.”
Max pointed a finger at Holden. “No thanks to you, I might add.”
“No thanks to me.” Holden nodded. “Come on now. Let’s get you a prairie oyster.”
A “prairie oyster” was a drink made of tomato juice, oneraw egg, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and a shake of Tabasco, meant to cure a hangover or stop one from happening. It was as disgusting as it sounded, and Max was a pro at making them—having done so many times as a kid when Holden came down for breakfast, still drunk from the night before.
“I don’t need anything from you, Dad. Can’t everyone just leave me the hell alone?”
With that Max made his way up the staircase—clumsily, slowly, as his fingers got caught in the pine garland and twinkle lights that were wrapped around the railing. He checked his phone to see if Sadie had called back, hazily remembering the message he had left her, before collapsing on his bed, letting sleep take over him.
22
Sadie
Nashville, Tennessee
December 22
Sadie stepped inside the studio building and looked around, hoping to see Max already there, waiting, ready to work. The night before, after their heart-to-heart, Tasha had insisted she was going to call Max. Sadie hadn’t heard anything from her yet and had a sinking feeling the call hadn’t gone well. But she was here, even if Max wasn’t going to be. She wasn’t giving up yet.
Her phone pinged. It was a text message from her mom. They had gone shopping two days before, but Sadie hadn’t seen her since. She juggled her phone with the two coffees she was carrying, one for her and one for Max—because it was his birthday, and even though things weren’t good with them, she wasn’t going to let the day go by without acknowledging it. Sheglanced down at the message.Hi, honey, I’m sorry we missed each other for dinner last night. Just wanted to say I hope you have a good day!
No mention of any of the tabloid furor, which Lynn must have seen. Sadie quickly texted back,It’s a busy day for me but I’ll call you later, and felt the customary guilt. Her mother was now in the same city she was, and Sadie was still avoiding her. But there was only so much she could deal with at once.One bite at a time, she reminded herself. Lynn had insisted on remaining at her hotel, and seemed to be enjoying herself as a tourist in Nashville. She seemed to understand how busy Sadie was and had told Sadie she was looking forward to attending the holiday extravaganza at the Grand Ole Opry the next day. Lynn didn’t have to know the show might not be happening, Sadie told herself. These were all problems she had to take care of on her own.
The studio’s lobby was empty except for Yasmin, who was sitting behind her reception desk wearing a Santa hat.
“Cruz is upstairs, waiting for you,” Yasmin said.
“Any sign of Max?” Sadie tried to make her voice sound natural when she said his name, but heard the waver in it—and the hope. Maybe he was already there. Maybe Tasha was right, he cared about her as much as she cared about him—no matter how much baggage the two of them were carrying around.
