Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86828 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86828 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
He still doesn’t realize my shudders that night had nothing to do with the bulbs blowing.
The blame for them going on the fritz solely belongs on Zane’s shoulders.
With my past about to collide with my present, I try to lessen the brutality of the impact. My father put on a brave front when I was told how my parents met, but even a pair of eyes as loved-up as his couldn’t hide his sadness when it was revealed how close he came to not meeting my mother at all.
They’d met by chance, but my father is adamant more than luck was on his side that day.
In his twenties, he was as paranoid about a stalking Santa as Zane is now.
I twist to face Zane, who is being admired by teenage girls far too young to place him on their Christmas wish list. “We forgot to grab candy canes for the tree. I think I saw some in the decoration section.”
“I’ll grab them,” he offers. “Mint or candy apple flavored?” He doesn’t wait for me to answer him. “Mint. Always mint.”
He presses his lips to the edge of my mouth and then darts back into the department store brimming with last-minute Christmas shoppers. He disappears amongst the crowd just as Peter notices me standing on the sidewalk.
“Hey.” While bridging the gap between us, he takes his time scanning my face and body. He forever saw me in corporate wear, so my Christmas sweater and yoga pants would seem odd to him. “You look different.” When my scoff comes out louder than intended, he nervously shuffles from foot to foot. “Good different. It’s giving me naughty elf vibes.”
“Thanks. Ah…” Never one for small talk, I blurt out, “What are you doing here?” Even confident I never want to witness his heavy make-out sessions again, I peer past his shoulder, seeking the person who almost had me wanting to hate Christmas. “Is Noelle with you?”
“No.” I loathe the joyful tap dance my insides do from the disappointment in his tone. Even more so when he adds, “She’s back home, finalizing preparations for our…” His throat works hard to swallow. “You know.”
“Oh, I do. But why aren’t you there?”
My brows furrow when he nudges his head to the jewelry store we’re standing next to. They’re not known for high-end designs and reputability. The owner’s reputation is so shady he should shack up with Rochelle in her grinchy cave.
Peter acts like he isn’t mere days from a massive payday. “Their synthetic diamonds are the best in the country. I couldn’t pass them up.” I stop glaring at him as if I despise him when he says, “Noelle doesn’t care that you won’t cough up the goods. She’d happily wear a diamond-less ring, but Ma is pretty upset. That ring has been in her family for decades.”
“Then you should have been more cautious about who you offered it to.”
He scoffs at me like I don’t have the right to be upset as well. “Come on, Kels. Not all the blame belongs on my shoulders. You could have said no.”
“You promised to try harder!”
He scrubs at the back of his neck when my shouted words gain the attention of people wanting to keep the vibe Christmassy. “Then I realized it shouldn’t have been that hard. Loving someone shouldn’t be a fucking chore you have to force yourself to do day in and day out.”
Ouch. Knowing he saw me as a chore hurts.
It hurts more than walking in on him fingering the baker on the same bench our wedding cake was to be made on, and it hurts too much for me to hold my tongue anymore.
I did that for a week. I refuse to do it for a second longer.
“You’re right. Love shouldn’t be hard. But that doesn’t give you the right to cheat. You should have left first. You should have told me it wasn’t working.” I thrust my hand like Noelle is standing at our right. “You should have let her pick her own damn tree instead of stealing mine.”
“Is that what this is about? Is that why you’re holding my mother’s ring hostage? Because you’re angry we picked up your tree!” His words get louder with each one he shouts. “You weren’t going to pick it up, Kels. You were too busy moping in your room.”
“Because my fiancé cheated on me with the baker hired to make our wedding cake.”
I whack into him with a bagful of Christmas lights until I’m exhausted, and then I dart in the opposite direction of where he came from.
Just as I whizz past the department store, Zane exits it. “They only had one box of mint, so I got—” He stops talking when he notices how red my cheeks are. “Kelsey…” He slings his eyes in the direction Peter is still standing before following me into the cab I slip into even with the line being two blocks long.