Page 54 of Bad Boy Bachelor Christmas
He cocked his head to the side. “Losing people? Like your dad?”
I nodded. “My parents had me a bit later in life. My dad is already sixty-four. It’s always been very clear to me that I might not have enough time to get the future all my friends are going to have with their younger dads. Having them walk them down the aisle, become a grandfather… you know, that sort of thing?”
He nodded slowly. “And not using three of the cutting boards is what, a way to save a part of him?”
My eyes burned and I suddenly missed my father very much. “It’s silly.”
“I don’t think so.”
I sniffled and wiped quickly at the corners of my eyes before tears fell free. “My dad means the world to me. I just… I don’t know how many years we have left. I don’t even know if we have ten. He’s healthy and takes care of himself, but there’s heart disease in his family and…” I trailed off and shook my head. “Sorry, I’m not being the best dinner date, crying over something that might not happen.”
North studied me. “He must be an incredible man.”
“The best,” I whispered before clearing my throat and taking a mouthful of wine like it could wash away how much I missed my dad. “Anyway, enough of that. What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?”
North didn’t even hesitate. “The company.”
“Really?”
“I’ve never wanted anything more. It was like a rite of passage when my father told me I was ready to step into it and start learning. I was only a kid, sixteen, but his approval meant the world to me. My mother thought I was too young. She tried to guard what little childhood I had left, but I wanted to be out in the fields cutting down trees and spending evenings learning the business side of things. Some of my studies might have suffered, but in the grand scheme of things, algebra and physics didn’t matter compared to my family’s legacy.”
“It must have meant a lot to your dad that you wanted it so badly. Not all kids want to fill their parents’ shoes.”
“I’d dreamed of it since I was a tyke. I used to watch my father cut down trees, and he seemed like a superhero to me. The strength, the determination? I wanted that for myself.”
“And the worst gift?”
He snorted, which made me giggle.
“That bad?” I asked.
“Oh, it was bad. When I was twelve, I got a pair of ice skates from my uncle.”
“What’s wrong with ice skates?”
He lifted his chin and tugged the collar of his shirt down, revealing his swollen chest and dark hair. I tried not to gulp as I got a good look at his muscles in the light. Up until now, I’d only seen his body in bad lighting.
“The first time I took them out for a skate, I took a bad fall and took my uncle’s skate right here.” He pressed a finger to the skin beneath his collarbone, where I made out a silver, pale scar. “Blood everywhere. Not the kind of red mothers like to see right after Christmas, I’ll tell you that much.”
“Ouch.”
“Twelve stitches and no fun and games for me for two weeks. I had to stare at all my fun new toys and stuff while I was laid up on the couch feeling sorry for myself.”
I grimaced. “That sounds terrible. I’ve never had a stitch in my life. Or a broken bone.”
“I knew the scar one.”
“How?”
He smirked and his eyes grew hooded as they wandered down to the hemline of my sweater, where just the top of my cleavage showed. “I looked the other night.”
Blushing, I fanned his attention away with my napkin. “Stop that.”
“Can’t help it. What about you? Worst gift you ever got?”
“Maybe it’s the cutting boards too because they always make me sad.” I laughed.
“Nah, a good gift can make you sad. Go on, what’s the worst one?”
