Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Before I’d landed, I made an order from the local Target for a shit ton of Christmas lights, a tree, decorations, extension cords, and a ladder, complete with delivery.
Now, after getting dropped off at Whitt’s house, I had to hope like hell I didn’t get arrested, that no one saw the brown guy sneaking around Whitt’s property and called the police.
Clearly, that was a legitimate concern.
But then, they’d also probably think I was someone he had hired.
Good thing I’d watched as he’d typed the code in last time I was here and made sure to remember it.
It was 5:30, and my flight left again at 9:30, so this was going to have to be really fucking quick. I decorated the best I could, using all multicolored lights on his house, porch, and in his yard. I was able to get those lights that looked like a blanket to go over the shrubs. I twisted lights up the bottom half of trees and strung them through the branches and the lower part of his home. I’d wanted inflatables, but those were all gone, but I did get reindeer, candy canes, and a Santa Claus.
I put the Christmas tree on the porch, with extra strands of colored lights and bright bulbs without any pattern or professional-looking skill that his parents’ house had when I saw it last year. This whole thing was gaudy, over-the-top, and fucking perfect.
I even hung stockings by his door, one with a P and one with an M, then set up Santa’s mailbox decoration beside it.
I was really fucking sweet…
He was worthy of more.
Patrick,
You deserve colorful Christmas lights. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.
—M
I put the note in an envelope and stuck it in Santa’s mailbox, then stood on the street, looking at what I’d created while I waited for a car to pick me up.
As proud as I was, it didn’t feel like enough.
I reluctantly climbed into the car, wishing I could take Patrick with me back to Florida.
It was a long-ass day. At nearly six in the morning, I tried to sneak back into Mom’s house, hoping like hell everyone was still asleep, but there Mom was, sitting on the couch. She cocked a brow, holding a mug of coffee in her hand, and I knew I was fucked.
“Where were you?” she asked when I sat beside her.
“California.”
“Excuse me?” Mom spit out, but I mean, could I blame her? “You left yesterday, went to California, and came back home?”
“Couldn’t miss Christmas.”
She placed her hand on my thigh, her red-painted nails looking pretty against her dark brown skin. “Who is she?”
“He,” I admitted, and shit, I’d just come out to my mom, hadn’t I?
“Oh…thank you for telling me. Who is he?”
“The last damn person I should be falling for.”
She squeezed my leg. “That’s what people said about your stepdad, too. I had two kids. I wasn’t supposed to be looking to settle down with a man who didn’t have any, especially someone younger than me. I was told to focus on you and Kayla, but when I met him…I knew. Actually, that’s not true. I hated him at first.”
That made me grin. “Really?”
“Yeah. I thought he was an asshole. He used to struggle to let people in, but he didn’t with me. Not after a little while, at least.”
Jesus, what were the odds that we had such a similar situation? I laid my head on her shoulder. “I hated him, too.”
“And now you love him?”
Love? I wasn’t sure I’d go there, I didn’t think. But… “Now, it’s different. Now I like him a lot. He’s not what I thought he was, but like I said, it’s difficult.”
It meant the world to me that she didn’t ask specifics, that she didn’t ask names or try to get me to explain the situation. She knew I would tell her when I was ready. “Malik Tucker…you’ve never met a challenge you couldn’t handle. If anyone can make it work, it’s you.”
I didn’t even know what I wanted from Patrick…or what he would ever be willing to give, but I couldn’t pretend I didn’t want something. Once I figured it out, I damn sure planned to get it.
“Come on. Let’s make breakfast, and then we’ll wake the girls up.”
We still acted like we were kids on Christmas morning, getting up early to open our gifts.
Mom and I went into the kitchen and started the bacon, eggs, hash browns, and grits. As if they smelled the food, Savanna, Kayla, and Zuri woke up, making their way into the room with us.
“Merry Christmas.” Kayla hugged me.
“You too, sis.” I hugged her back, then did the same with my other two sisters.
The five of us ate breakfast together, laughing and just enjoying each other. Afterward, we made our way into the living room, all of us sitting on the carpet, opening presents together.