Page 18 of His Christmas Gift

AUTUMN

After my finger pressed the doorbell of my parents’ two-story, brick house, my heart stopped for a moment.

I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to have to lie just for my parents to be proud of me. What choice did I have, though? I put myself into this situation, and it was my job to get myself out of it. Luckily, I had some help.

Dean gave my hand a comforting squeeze as we stood on the white-painted, wooden porch together.

“Relax. You’re too stiff,” he told me.

“Eat me,” I muttered beneath my breath right before the wood and glass front door swung open.

My mother and father stood in the doorway, wearing expensive sweaters and polished shoes. They looked like they were about to go to an interview or a photo shoot instead of just welcoming their daughter home for the holidays. They weren’t trying to impress me. They were trying to set the standard.

Obviously, my red sweater with a collared white shirt underneath paired with a black skirt and black boots wasn’t going to suffice. Of course, Dean pulled out all the stops with a black suit, looking like he was about to go to the biggest meeting of his life. He would score all of the points with my parents. I had no chance.

“Wow, is this the fiancé you’ve been hiding from us?” my mother asked with wide, pleased eyes as she looked Dean up and down.

It took everything in my power for me to not roll my eyes at her. I was always an afterthought unless they were criticizing me. They didn’t care to pay attention to me at any other time.

“This is Dean Everard,” I introduced him, my eyes briefly meeting his. I hoped that we could pull this off.

Dean put a dazzling grin on his face as he stepped forward with his hand outstretched.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Miller,” he told them, shaking their hands with a firm grip for my father and a respectful hold for my mother.

“Everard? We know your parents really well. Good people,” my father said with a nod. “Aren’t you in the fitness business?”

“Yes, sir. I own HyperFit and all of its gym locations and products,” Dean replied, lifting his chin slightly in a confident manner. He had plenty to boast about, and he knew how to dance with other accomplished people. It was a constant rotation of boasting.

“We’ll talk business later, Greg. Come inside, please,” my mother spoke, taking Dean’s arm and leading him inside.

As they all piled inside the house, I lingered out on the porch for a moment, sighing to myself.

“I’m good too. Thanks,” I muttered beneath my breath. I stepped inside, hearing all of their voices coming from the living room. My father sat on a brown leather loveseat, while Dean sat on the leather sofa, a fire crackling quietly in the fireplace. When he patted the space next to him, I sat next to him, feeling his arm wind around my waist to pull me closer. My breath hitched at first as our eyes met. For a second, I forgot that we were acting.

“Doing okay?” Dean murmured to me. What confused me was that he sounded genuinely curious.

“Yeah,” I said with a nod, feeling my parents’ eyes on us. I swallowed hard before leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek, feeling his stubble against my lips. Leaning so close to him, I could smell the bold, forest-like cologne. I had to urge myself to pull back and settle against his side.

“So, how did you two meet?” my mother asked as she carried in a tray with wine glasses and a plate of expensive cheeses and crackers stacked on top. She placed it down on the glass coffee table in front of us, handing everyone a glass of red wine.

“We met while out on the same walking trail,” I replied in a casual manner, not wanting to delve too deeply into the details of a story that didn’t happen. Before we came here, Dean and I went over some fake memories to tell to my parents, and one of those was how we met. I made sure Dean knew that plenty of questions would be thrown our way. My parents were nosy people.

“She caught my eye immediately,” Dean joined in, continuing the story for me. He could feel how tense I was in his hold. “When she dropped her water bottle, I just had to take the opportunity to talk to her. We hit it off from there.”

“How sweet,” my mother said, crossing her legs as she sat next to my father. “I was hoping that Autumn would find a successful, caring man.”

“I’m lucky to have found a successful, beautiful woman,” Dean replied, turning to smile at me.

I felt my heart flutter as our eyes met. Maybe he didn’t actually mean his words, but they were still kind. Plus, it was nice having him stand by my side against my parents. They couldn’t wrap their minds around me being able to stand on my own two feet. To them, I had to have support from a man. I wanted to be with someone because we loved each other, not to have him baby me.

“Oh, really? What are you doing career-wise, Autumn? I hope you’ve moved on from Lisa’s gym. I heard she’s selling it,” my father said, screwing up his face slightly.

I could hear the disdain in his voice toward his own sister. It made my stomach twist. If anyone was lower than them, they treated them as such.

“I helped her co-manage the gym, and I’ve been helping the new owner settle in,” I replied, trying not to sound defensive. I had done a lot of work for the gym.

“So, you were in charge when the gym was failing?” my mother asked.

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