She’d taken blame For enough things during her life. For her mother’s problems. For her father leaving. For Chase finding her lacking. For Chase leaving her. She refused to take blame any more for not being what someone thought she should be.
“Because I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be with you. I didn’t from the beginning but I got caught up in this fairy-tale you tried to create. Well, guess what, Riley? Fairy-tales don’t exist. They don’t come true. Not everyone gets a Prince Charming or a happily-ever-after or even a pair of pink hightops. The whole concept of happily-ever-after is as fake as…as Santa Claus himself.”
“You really believe that?”
She nodded, saw the look of disgust in his eyes, the disappointment. No doubt she’d been one big disappointment for him. From last night through today.
“I also believe that I don’t want to see you any more. Just leave me alone, please. We’re finished.” She shoved past him and got into her car.
This time he didn’t try to stop her.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THROUGH HER TEAR-CRAZED haze, Trinity realized she’d left her cat at Riley’s. How could she have forgotten Casper?
Then again, she couldn’t exactly be faulted for not thinking rationally. She’d just had a crazy few hours.
She’d had sex, amazing sex that had proved at least on one count Chase had been wrong. She wasn’t frigid. She might not be a dynamo in bed, but she at least now knew what all the fuss was about.
She’d met Riley’s family. She’d liked them, regretted that she’d probably never see again the wonderful women she’d come to know.
She’d realized she was in love with Riley and then proceeded to fight with him all day.
Christmas. What a blasted day! A day when everything seemed to always go wrong. Only could she really blame everything that had gone wrong today on the holiday?
She’d expected everything to go wrong and had pretty much rejected his sweet, thoughtful gifts. He was right.
She’d been the problem.
How could she have been so blind?
How could she have dirtied something so good? Because Riley was good to her. Good for her. He’d genuinely liked her. Genuinely wanted her. Thinking back to how he’d looked at her, how he’d held her and touched her, she had to wonder if maybe he genuinely loved her.
She’d acted immature, scared, prickly. All because she’d fallen in love and didn’t want to be hurt again. In the process she’d been the catalyst that had set the disastrous domino effect into play.
Today she’d been a one-woman demolition crew.
She would see him again. He had her cat. They worked together.
But before she saw him again, she needed to get her head straight. Needed to figure out who she was and what she wanted.
She went up to her apartment, still lost in thought about what she needed to do next. Was she woman enough to trust Riley? To trust in him? Because if she wasn’t, then she just needed to let him go, let this be the end rather than continually looking for problems and dragging him down in the process.
If she was woman enough to trust him, if he’d forgive her for today, which was questionable, then what? Where did they go from there?
Distracted, she unlocked her apartment door and stepped inside, only to rub her eyes in disbelief at what she saw.
A nine-foot tree dominated her living room.
A gorgeous tree decorated with twinkling white lights and silver and glass ornaments.
Perhaps he’d meant the angel ornament he’d given her at breakfast to go at the top, but she didn’t see how as the tree was amazingly decorated. At the top, brushing against her ceiling, was the silver star they’d seen at the shopping mall. The one that was so reminiscent of the one from her childhood classroom when Christmas had been magical to her.
Riley paid attention to details.
She walked over, touched a clear plastic ornament. A princess ornament. The entire tree was decorated with various princess paraphernalia. Cartoon princesses. A pumpkin coach. Tiny glass slippers. A magic wand. A crown.
A single medium-sized package was under the tree.
How had he done this?
When had he done this?
Last night. When she’d woken up and he hadn’t been there. He’d been here. At her house. Decorating. Trying to bring the magic of Christmas into her life.
He’d played Santa.
A tear slid down her cheek.
She plopped down on the floor, picked up the package. A tag read, “Don’t open until December 25th”.
Being careful not to tear the paper, she undid piece of tape after piece of tape. A shiny silver box was inside. She lifted the lid, moved away white tissue paper.
Her eyes widened at what she saw. “Wow.”