After the Christmas Party(158)

She and her cat could mope over him together when he was gone.

Her gaze fell on the brightly wrapped present next to her plate. “I don’t have your present with me.”

“You got me a present?”

Embarrassed, she nodded. “It’s not anything big. Just a little something that you will probably think silly.”

“Not a problem. We’ll go by your place on the way to my mother’s. I figure you will need to shower and change anyway.”

“Actually, I have a bag in my car and could grab a quick shower here if that’s okay.” Because if she went home, he might not prise her back outside the door to go to his mother’s. She might be a coward, but she wasn’t a liar. She’d told him she’d go, so she would go. If he still wanted her to. “I keep a change of clothes in my car because of never knowing when I’m going to get off work.”

“Whatever is fine. Can I get it for you?”

She shook her head. “Sit down. You’ve obviously worked hard this morning getting all this together. The least I can do is co-operate.”

She could tell he was disappointed. By her words and her actions.

She just wanted this day over.

“Will you please open your presents?”

Glancing at the package, she nodded. Really, how could she say no?

With shaky hands she unwrapped the present, her breath catching at what was inside. An angel tree-topper.

“Thank you.” She didn’t point out that she didn’t have a tree.

“You’re welcome.” He sounded as awkward as she did.

That the packages inside her stocking contained various Christmas ornaments didn’t surprise her. Not really. What an optimist he was.

Part of her knew she’d treasure the gifts always. Another part wondered if she’d ever be able to look at them without remembering that the day he’d given them to her had been the beginning of the end.

Apparently, he was going to fail at giving Trinity a magical day. Not that he wasn’t trying, but he could only do so much when she wouldn’t look him in the eye and even her smile was fake.

Maybe he should have just taken her home instead of torturing himself with failure for the remainder of the day.

He didn’t deal well with failure.

Especially when he didn’t know why he was failing. He loved this woman and wanted to make her day special. Why was everything coming out wrong?

Because he was the wrong Prince Charming?

“You can take me home if you’ve changed your mind about wanting me with you today.”

“Hell, no,” he snapped, knowing he sounded harsh, but seriously, if that was her game and she’d purposely been aloof all morning to get out of spending Christmas with him, she could think again.

“Fine, but just remember that I did offer.”

He tried to hold her hand as they walked around the car, but she pulled away under the pretense of helping him carry packages. He frowned but figured that her refusing to hold his hand was par for the course today.

Fine. She could act all weird if that’s what she wanted, but today was Christmas and he was going to enjoy the day if it killed him.

His mother’s house was in chaos as usual, being Christmas Day. There were easily more than thirty people present. They all looked to be having a great time and happy to be there. Except Trinity didn’t want to be there and was doing a poor job of hiding that fact. Several times on the trip from the car to the house he’d thought she might make a run for it.

“Please, don’t make me do this.”

Frustrated beyond belief, he stopped walking to glare at her. “You act as if being here is making you a martyr.”

She winced. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I—”

“Uncle Riley is here!” Timmy, his sister’s oldest, screamed, and came racing toward him. The seven-year-old launched himself at Riley, cutting off whatever Trinity had been going to say. “Did you bring presents?”

“Have I ever come to Christmas without presents?” he snapped, and regretted it even before Timmy’s face fell. “Sorry, bud,” he apologized to his favorite nephew, who stared at him as if aliens must have invaded his body. Riley sighed, gave the kid a hug, then sat him down on the pavement. “There are more in the car if you want to round up a posse to help unload.”

Still looking at him as if trying to figure out what was up, Timmy and several of his other nephews, who seemed to appear out of thin air, ran towards his car.

Setting down the presents that he held, he turned to face Trinity. “I know you don’t want to be here, but Christmas is special to my family and I don’t want the day ruined for my mother. She’s been through a lot. Try to at least pretend you want to be here with me, okay?”