Page 65 of His for the Holiday

30

SUTTON

On Wednesday afternoon, I helped my mom with Thanksgiving dinner preparations. Today had been Winnie’s last day of school before the break, and Calen had volunteered to pick her up and take her out after.

I hadn’t stopped worrying all day, but I was desperately trying not to let it show. Mom had a sixth sense for these things though, and she finally glanced at me as we were carrying dishes to the table.

“Should we set an extra plate for Calen?” she asked.

I sighed. “Yeah, we should. Even if the idea of having him here makes me want to go hide under the bed.”

Mom chuckled. “Between Hawk, his dad, and yours, they’re going to make him want to go hide under the bed, so don’t worry about it.”

I grinned. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all, but you don’t really think they’ll be rude to him, right?”

“Oh, honey. They’re definitely not going to be kind, if that’s what you’re asking.” She patted my arm and walked around the table, setting the dishes in place. “Calen should’ve known that was coming, though. I’m sure he’ll be able to take it.”

I shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t care if he can take it. As long as they don’t make Winnie uncomfortable, I’m here for the show.”

“I’m sure they’ll all be very aware that she’s listening,” Mom assured me.

As we headed back to the kitchen, the front door banged open and Winnie came sprinting inside, hyped up on sugar and carrying an armload of toys. “Mam! Look at this! Look what I got!”

I glanced at her, doing a double take at the amount of toys and the way she was practically trembling with the energy racing through her veins. Despite the pang of anger that rushed through me, I smiled at her and opened my arms for a hug. “That’s great, baby. Why don’t you go show Grandma and I’ll be back in a minute. I just need to have a quick word with your daddy.”

She jerked her head in a nod and raced away, just about bouncing off the walls. I pursed my lips and walked outside, fighting the urge to demand to know just what the fuck he thought he had been doing. I’d explicitly told him not to let her have too many sweets, but it wasn’t like he ever listened to me.

Calen was waiting for me on the porch. His eyes landed on mine as soon as I stepped outside. Red hair glinting in the late afternoon sunshine, his arms were crossed lightly over his chest as he leaned against a pillar.

When I shut the door behind me, he smiled and stepped away from it, his eyes surprisingly soft and intent on mine. “Hey, darling.”

“How many sweets did you let her eat?” I asked, taking a step back when he took a step closer.

When he frowned and lifted his arms like he’d wanted to come in for a hug, I narrowed my eyes, scoffing down a burst of incredulous laughter. Calen stopped short, sighing. He pressed his fingers into the front pockets of his jeans.

“So I let her have a treat, Sutt. It’s nae a crime.”

“No, maybe not, but that sugar rush isn’t just from one treat, Calen. How much?”

“An ice cream,” he drawled, those lips curved into a sheepish smile I knew was meant to be charming. “A couple little packets ‘o sweets and maybe a waffle. I was just tryna spoil her a bit. Don’t be mad.”

“Are you kidding me?” I seethed, but then I convinced myself that this wasn’t worth the argument. I wanted him to leave as soon as possible and the damage was already done.

Fighting about it wouldn’t make the sugar disappear from her body. The only thing it would achieve was to keep him here for longer. Even so, I couldn’t quite keep the annoyed anger out of my voice when I snapped at him again. “Are you coming to her play tonight?”

“Yeah, o’ course. I already told her I’d be there.” He leaned a little closer to me, a twinkle I was all too familiar with in his eyes. “What do you say about after the play, the two of us get together. We’ll talk and⁠—”

“Not a fucking chance,” I said flatly. “Just make sure that you’re there if you told her you would be, okay?”

“I’ll be theeeeere,” he replied easily, dragging out the last word. A slow smile spread on his lips. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and extended them toward me. “You can’t stay mad at me forever, darling. Just meet me after. One drink, yes?”

“No,” I repeated firmly. I couldn’t even believe that he had the nerve to flirt with me right now, but I also knew that he was.

Bringing his eyes to my lips, he even let them linger there for a moment. “Have one last drink with me, Sutton. For old times’ sake. We’ll drink, we’ll dance, and if they’ve got karaoke around here, we’ll sing. Have a good time. Like we used to.”

With that, he winked, tossed one hand up in a wave, and sauntered off the porch to his rental car. As he got in and sped away, I saw an unfamiliar woman sitting in the front seat. I scoffed, my head shaking as I walked back into my parents’ house.

Some things never change.