Page 198 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
“No,” I told her. “I’m heading home.”
I thought I wanted to drink with Allen to get my mind off Tiffany, but it was a bad idea. I would just go home, have some beers by myself, and head to bed. I could only hope tomorrow was better than today had turned out.
“Just one beer tonight?” Allen asked. He gave me a thumbs down. I grabbed some money out of my wallet as I stood up.
“Some of us have real jobs, Allen,” I said.
“Touché,” he said. “It was good seeing you, anyway. You’ll let me know about New Years’ Eve?”
I nodded, although we both already knew the answer. I would not be attending. I left the bar feeling worse than when I walked in. I didn’t want to talk about hooking up with random girls. I wanted Tiffany, even if she was acting weird. I thought about calling her, but I knew that I needed to give her space. I could not suffocate her.
I drove home, noticing how the city was decorated for Christmas. In Miami, everyone was in a good mood, but they were in a really good mood around the holidays. The Christmas lights dazzled and brought the city to life even more than usual. I was feeling good about the holidays, but now, I wasn’t so sure.
I walked into my apartment and grabbed a beer from the fridge. I thought about calling Sarah about my girl troubles but decided against it. I knew she would probably have some good advice, but I also knew I would have to rehash the fight that I had with Tiffany, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that.
I picked up the TV remote, desperate to find something to take my mind off Tiffany. Suddenly, the text alert on my phone went off. It was Allen, talking more about the New Years’ Eve party. I picked up my phone and was shocked to see who it was. Tiffany.
Is Austin there?
I was confused. Why was she asking where Austin was? We had just had our first big fight, and she was concerned about my son? Although I wasn’t sure why she wanted to know, I answered.
No – At my mom’s. Why?
The three little bubbles appeared, signaling that she was writing a response.
Can you open the door?
I got off the couch and walked to my front door. I opened it and there she was, standing in a long coat.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Can I come in?”
I nodded and opened the door wider. She walked in and handed me the six-pack of beer that was in her hands.
“Thank you,” I said, setting the beer down on the table. “What are you doing here?”
She sighed and ran her fingers through her dark hair. I could tell that she had been struggling with our fight as much as I had.
“I was a complete bitch earlier today,” she said. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just under a lot of stress, especially with the holidays. You didn’t deserve to get yelled at, and I’m sorry that I ruined last night.”
I felt the weight of the world ease off of my shoulders.
“It’s okay,” I told her. “I know that you’re under a lot of stress, and I know that Christmas isn’t your favorite time of year. I just wish you would tell me these things. If we want this to work, we both need to communicate.”
She nodded.
“I know,” she said. “I’m just so used to being alone that I didn’t think about your thoughts or feelings. I was lost in my head, and I was completely selfish. Do you forgive me?”
“Absolutely,” I said. “Would you like to take your coat off?”
She grinned devilishly at me.
CHAPTER 22
TIFFANY
“I thought you’d never ask,” I said, slowly unbuttoning each button on my coat. I maintained eye contact with Cayden as I did this. I couldn’t wait to see his reaction when he saw what I had underneath. After I had all of the buttons undone, I opened the coat to reveal what I had on.
Cayden’s reaction was what I had hoped. His eyes opened wide and he let out a whistle.
