{ 15 }
Christmas Day
I feel surprisingly relaxed walking up to my parents’ door, Josh by my side. Our rented Toyota is parked amongst the BMWs and Mercedes and Uncle Tim’s Cadillac.
The last few days have been magical. Josh is … Wow. That’s what I think when I look at him and when he tells me with his gaze that he’s completely into me. I don’t care that he’s not very ambitious or that he’s more interested in saving the planet than making millions. I love that about him.
He’s had some good ideas for my act 3, too.
The wreath on my parents’ front door is so big that we have no choice but to ring the bell. Before he does, I stop him. “Thanks for coming.”
“Thanks for inviting me. Finally!”
He kisses me swiftly, a promise of more to come, and then I ring the bell and the door opens.
I take big breath and prepare for battle.
“Merry Christmas, Darling,” my mother says, folding me into a perfume-heavy hug.
“Merry Christmas, Mom. This is—“ I don’t even get the rest of the introduction out. Behind my mother my cousin Trevor appears with a rum and eggnog in his hand. His other extended. “Josh, buddy. You made it.” He glances between Josh and me. “I see you two hooked up after all.”
I stand there with my mouth hanging open, the bag of presents slipping from my grasp as Josh shakes Trevor’s hand and they do the man slapping, hugging, thing.
My father removes the bag of presents from my grasp before they hit the ground. He hugs me, too, pulling me into the foyer, but I can barely manage to get Merry Christmas out of my mouth.
I’m reeling.
Josh finally introduces himself to my parents and then sends me a look of such laughing amusement that I nearly hit him.
Mom says, “When Lucy said she was bringing someone, we had no idea it was you.”
“Josh,” I say. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
Before he can reply I grab his hand and drag him down the hallway to my dad’s study.
I shut the door. We stand facing each other. He’s still wearing that ‘gotcha’ expression on his smug face.
“Are you – can you possibly be—“ I can’t even finish the sentence. It’s too ridiculous.
“Your cousin Trevor’s friend? Yeah. I’m that guy.”
“The one he wanted to set me up with?”
“That’s right. He gave me your number. I called you. I think you thought I was one of your online dates, but I didn’t know that then.”
Fun4U, right.
But I don’t want to be sidetracked by all that. Not yet.
“This friend of Trevor’s is some bazillionaire entrepreneur.”
“I don’t think ‘bazillion’ is actually a monetary term.” He’s enjoying himself way too much.
“Don’t play games with me.” I cross my arms across my chest. Which seems to be rising and falling pretty fast. “Are you some hot shot software developer?”
“I had a lot of luck and great people working with me.”
“And you’re worth a fortune.”
“Yes.”
“You lied to me.”
He shakes his head. “Not once. I let you believe what you wanted to believe. I didn’t argue with your assumptions.”
“You said you were unemployed.”
“I told you was between projects. It’s true. I am. I sold my company. Now I’m trying to figure out what I want to do next.”
Snow is beginning to fall outside the study window in big, fat flakes. It’s going to be a white Christmas. “But why didn’t you tell me?”
“Two reasons. One’s as old as wealth. As old as fairy tales. I wanted you to love me for myself. Not because I have a few bucks in my pocket. And two: I needed you to figure out that you don’t need a fake profile or a fake boyfriend. You’re amazing exactly the way you are.”
It’s hard to hold a mad on when you’ve just discovered your pauper is, in fact, a prince. And when he looks at you as though you are the most special woman in the world.
I did my best, though. “Stop trying to butter me up. You could have told me before we got here. I nearly wet myself out there in front of my entire family.”
“I could have. But it was so much more fun watching your face when you figured out I was the guy you’ve been trying to avoid.”
“I should be mad,” I say.
He moves closer. “But you’re not.”
He kisses me, long and sweet.
I think about it. “Not very.”
Hi kisses me again, harder this time. “Merry Christmas, Lucy.”
{ The End }