Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 108636 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108636 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
I grab a glass of champagne from my dad’s tray and hand it to June before grabbing a glass of neat whiskey for myself. My fingers itch to pull her closer to me, to feel the warmth of her body pressed against mine, but I take a seat in one of the chairs beside the fireplace to keep myself from misbehaving. If I sit on the couch with June, I’ll be running my hands all over her legs without even realizing it, trying to find the skin under her sexy, thigh-high boots.
Avery takes the seat next to June, and I focus on my dad as he stands in front of the mantel to make his traditional Christmas Eve toast. Our stockings hang behind him, the glow from the fireplace casting warm shadows over them, and I spot the one with Juniper written on it directly beside the one with Beau.
Internally, I smile, thinking back to the first Christmas my mom added a stocking for June. She was ten and I was fifteen, and the way her eyes brightened when she spotted her name on the mantel lit up the whole damn room.
My eyes move back to June, taking in the way her long red hair hangs down her shoulders and the way her mouth turns up into an adorable grin when Avery whispers something to her.
She looks happy and carefree, but I know today, just like every other holiday, is hard for her. Knowing her parents’ house is just down the street from here, empty while her dad travels the world without her, wouldn’t be easy on anyone.
“Welcome, everyone,” my dad announces, his face curling up in a genuine smile. “Diane and I, as always, are so grateful to have all of you to call family and love spending this special day with you. Chef Stone has prepared a special Christmas Eve feast for us tonight,” he says, extending a hand toward the kitchen and prompting all of us to turn in that direction and raise our glasses toward the chef, “and we can’t wait to share it with you. You…all of you…make our lives so much better, and we don’t know what we’d do without you.” He lifts his glass, and we do the same, taking a drink before he turns to each of us individually. “Mom, Dad, I appreciate the sacrifices you made to put me in the position I am now.” My grandma Bev and grandpa Phil smile, and he turns to my mom’s parents then.
“Bill, Judy…I want to thank you for this amazing woman you raised. She’s my better half in every way, and without her, I would be lost. She keeps our lives running and gave me two beautiful children. I love you, Diane, with my whole heart, whole soul, whole being.”
My dad takes a moment to step over to my mom and press a little kiss to her lips. But their sweet moment is popped like a needle to a balloon when my sister chimes in.
“Ooh, do me now!” Avery demands, making us all laugh.
My dad’s smile only grows as he walks back over to the mantel, his eyes on Avery now. “My dearest daughter…you’re unequivocally you, and I pride myself on giving you the opportunity to be just that. I hope you don’t change and that people will give you the chance to show your kind spirit and giving heart like you show to me. I’m also unbelievably grateful for the shy little girl you brought home with you from Hollis Academy on that first September day, and for the opportunity to love her now.”
“Gosh, you guys are so lucky to have me,” Avery says, lifting her glass in the air for herself. “Cheers to me!”
My dad just chuckles as he turns to June, and I can’t help but turn to face her too, knowing this moment right here from my dad is all she’s ever wanted in this world from her own mother and father. “June, our little angel. God sure did bless us by bringing you into our lives. I’m proud of your sweet nature and your giving soul and your undeniable work ethic you’ve shown since joining the firm this fall. I’m so proud of you, if I could, I’d call you my daughter too.”
June licks her lips and nods, and I know when she looks down to her lap, she’s crying real tears.
One day, she’s going to have all the things she’s ever dreamed of. I’m going to make sure of it.
He turns to me then, and I have to sit up straighter in my seat to refocus myself on him. These days, I swear, I feel like I’m particles of myself, constantly scattered throughout the room and always hoping to get closer to June.
“Beau. Son. I’m so proud of the man you’re becoming and the care and attention you put into the business I built on my back,” my dad says, his smile big. “I know you’re dedicated to continuing the firm’s legacy long after I’m retired and gone, and the thought makes me incredibly proud. But more than all those things, I’m proud of who you are as a person. The integrity. The honesty. The unwavering dedication to doing the right thing.” My ears burn with a sudden wave of guilt over hiding what June and I are from not only my dad, but everyone in this room. My mom. My grandparents. Even my sister. She’s a pain in the ass on even the best of days, but she’d do anything for me or June at the drop of a hat. I don’t like that we’re still lying to them—in this moment, I’m starting to hate it, actually—and I hope beyond hope we figure out a way to break the news soon. “Beau, I know it hasn’t always been a smooth road for you, but you’ve risen above and come out on top.”