Page 19 of His Christmas Gift

I tightened my jaw, keeping sharp words at bay. Somehow, they’re going to pin the gym’s failure on me. I didn’t even know that the gym was doing badly until Aunt Lisa dropped the news on me.

“She’s turning it around,” Dean broke in. His fingertips rested on my hip as he sat up straighter. Just like that, he took charge of the room. It was as natural as breathing to him. “Her yoga classes draw in the most engagement, and she’s been head of the renovation of the entire gym.”

My parents didn’t say anything at first. They merely nodded as they listened.

I was surprised that Dean didn’t say anything about his company taking over Aunt Lisa’s gym or about being my boss. I was grateful for that. I was grateful for everything that he was doing for me right now.

“We both stay busy, but we still make time for each other,” I replied, smiling at Dean. “We were lucky to find enough time to come down for the holidays.”

“I’m sure you can take time off from running a gym,” my father chuckled stiffly. “I’m sure it’s hard for you to step away from a huge company. Isn’t it, Dean?”

“It was only easy for her to take off because she hasn’t taken off at all for the entire year. This one is constantly working. I couldn’t be prouder,” Dean said, ignoring my father’s question. He was working double time to stand up for me.

My face burned slightly when Dean said that he was proud of me. I hardly ever heard those words, and they certainly didn’t come from my parents.

“Thanks, honey. I’m proud of you too,” I told him. Maybe part of me meant it too. He was a success story from a small town. That was a tough feat, and he did it with stride. When his eyes met mine, I couldn’t help myself. I leaned forward and pressed the gentlest kiss against his lips.

Dean’s eyes widened for a millisecond as he registered the kiss. Then, he kissed me back, pressing his lips harder against mine before we pulled away. Something glinted in his eyes before he looked toward my parents.

“Thank you for being so accommodating and getting us a hotel room,” he told them, drawing back on his defensive attitude.

“Of course. We want you to be comfortable. We’d hate to scare you away,” my mother laughed.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Dean replied, giving my hip a light squeeze. “You’ve raised an amazing woman.”

“We worked hard to raise her right. Hard work is essential,” my father replied, soaking up the praise. “We wanted her to go to law school.”

“Instead, she took off to the city after college,” my mother added, not sounding all that impressed with my choices.

“I believe that miserable people don’t succeed. You have to do something that inspires you,” Dean told them.

“But lawyers are respected and successful,” my father said.

“You mean rich,” I commented, crossing my arms over my chest. All he cared about was money and recognition. Wasn’t there more to life? I was surprised that Dean had the mindset that he did in choosing a career. Maybe he wasn’t as pompous as I originally thought he was.

“No, I wasn’t just meaning that,” my father replied, giving me a pointed look. He didn’t like when I gave him any sort of attitude. He demanded respect, but he never showed it. Unless someone’s wallet was lined with money.

“So, what’s planned for the holidays?” Dean asked, swooping in to stop an argument from happening.

“Tomorrow, we’ll all attend the annual Christmas festival with some other family members,” my mother replied with a toothy smile on her face. She then turned to me. “Dress well. Behave well.”

I narrowed my eyes slightly. I heard those words so much growing up. I always had to be on my best behavior, even when it was just me and my parents. I couldn’t relax around them or make any sort of mistake. I was tired of walking on eggshells around them.

“I’m not a child,” I reminded her.

My mother stared hard at me. I swore that her eye started twitching. The last thing that she wanted was to be shown up in front of Dean.

“I’m aware. You’re a bride-to-be. Have you started planning the wedding? Your father and I will be happy to provide some money,” my mother said in a falsely sweet voice.

I knew for a fact that if I brought someone home that wasn’t as successful and charming as Dean that they wouldn’t offer to give us any money for the wedding. They were just happy that I landed someone like Dean, who would support me and raise my social status in their eyes.

“You don’t have to worry about that. We have it covered,” I replied. Plus, if they put money into the wedding, which wouldn’t happen in the first place, they would try to control every aspect of it.

“We’ll revisit it at another time,” my mother told me, not taking no for an answer. In some way, she would try to enforce her opinion.

I withheld a groan. This was pure torture. At every opportunity, they tried to land a hit on me. For the first time, I had somewhat of a shield.

“Well, we don’t want to keep you. We had a long flight, so we’re probably going to turn in early tonight,” I said as I rose to my feet, needing to get out of here before I exploded. I couldn’t believe I had to deal with this for a week and a half.

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