Page 101 of All for Love

“The office Christmas party was great this year, wasn’t it? I, for one, had a lot of fun. It was nice to get back to the office and see all those familiar faces again after enjoying my time as a married man.” He reached out and squeezed Margaux’s forearm. “Those who haven’t yet are looking forward to meeting you.”

She smiled at him, but it seemed watered down. Even so, I was relieved when she covered his hand with her own and gave it a squeeze in return. “Well, they’ll be seeing plenty of me in the new year. Lunchtime dates at least twice a week.”

She said that last sentence to us to explain why they’d be seeing more of her, but then she lapsed back into the relative silence she’d been in all day. Kaden gave her a warm grin, leaning forward while he spoke in an obvious attempt to draw her out.

“So far, they love you. We told them you were responsible for the surprise gifts at the party and for our new policy of observing every holiday and special occasion from now on. Our decorating budget is going to be through the roof, but it’ll be worth it. We definitely ended the year with morale higher than it’s ever been.”

As far as I was concerned, it was a stretch attributing that to her. We’d always made a big deal of Christmas at Wagner Industries and our people were always happy after the party. Besides, it wasn’t like we were going to close the offices for a couple of weeks after St Patrick’s Day. Their upcoming break was what had caused the morale boost, not the decorations.

I didn’t say that either. In fact, I was quite proud of myself for behaving the way I was. Sure, I wasn’t saying much, but that was a blessing even if they didn’t know it.

Margaux finally started loosening up toward the end of dinner, the wine she’d been swigging obviously starting to do its job. “Dessert is being served later. Shall we go hang our stockings and let the food settle a bit before we come back for whatever this magnificent chef has planned for us next?”

Dad nodded and Kaden and Brooke pushed their chairs back. Mercedes had said even less than I had during dinner, but she got up and followed them out, and I sighed as I watched her go. Everyone seemed more than willing to let her call the shots and lead the new traditions, which was fine. She was the one who’d wanted to start them and I wasn’t about to intervene, but I also wasn’t quite going to be playing along the way they wanted me to.

Once they were gone, I got up and followed them into the living room. Dad was already hanging the stockings, smiling and laughing. Kaden, Brooke, and Margaux chatted about what they hoped would be in them later.

Mercedes wasn’t part of the fun either, staring at the flames dancing in the fireplace while the stockings were hung and sipping her drink quietly near the corner. I looked around the room, wondering how they weren’t noticing how fucking miserable we were—or if they had noticed and were simply choosing to pretend that it was no big deal.

Anger simmered in my gut and I tightened my grip on my glass. This was bullshit. Our breakup might’ve made them happy, but to my mind, that was the sick thing—not our relationship, but the fact that they were deriving pleasure from our pain.

Gee. Thanks, family.

I shook my head, and when everyone else started filling the stockings with tiny, wrapped parcels, I hung back. Kaden noticed first, turning to face me after he’d made his contribution. “Do you want to go grab your stuff from the car?”

“No, thank you.” I looked him right in the eyes. “I didn’t bring any stocking fillers. Or any gifts besides Mercedes’.”

His lips parted, but not a sound came out. Disappointment burned in his eyes, but I didn’t give a shit. I stepped up, shrugging as everyone stared at me. “What? It’s not like I didn’t get you anything. I did, in fact, get you all exactly what you wanted for Christmas—peace.”

Dad’s features hardened, but before he could say a word, the fury I’d been keeping such a tight leash on all night started churning in my stomach. “Don’t start with me. Mercedes and I bent to your will and gave you what you wanted. At the whopping cost of two broken hearts. If you ask me, that’s worth a hell of a lot more than whatever garbage you all wrapped up. Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Feliz Navidad. All that shit. Can we go get dessert now?”