The children were put to bed, and Kent escorted her toward the spare bedroom. She was on the floor below him.
Her suitcases were on the bed. “My family adore you, Lana. You’re an Anderson now.”
“I’m not.”
He cupped her cheek and forced her to look at him. “You are.” Kent dropped down and kissed her lips. “I’ll see you when you’re done. It’s not bed time. There is still time for a late night drink.” He stroked her lip and then closed her door behind him.
She stared at the space he’d vacated. Her lips tingled from the small touch.
What was going on? Kent kept confusing her. She knew he’d stopped sleeping around and that he spent more time with her than he did with any other woman.
Stop thinking about it and enjoy Christmas.
****
Kent moved to his room, but Tonya was standing in front of his door. Her arms were folded across her chest as she waited for him.
“You took long enough,” she said.
“What do you want?” he asked, moving around her. Tonya followed him into his room without an invitation. “I asked what you wanted. I didn’t give you permission to come into my room.”
She shrugged. “This place hasn’t changed a bit.” Tonya picked up one of his old teddies and cradled it against her chest. He remembered many times when she came to visit him. Not once in all of those years did he think she was in love with Seth.
“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” Tonya asked.
“That’s not your place any more.” He warned her without looking at her.
“Whose place is it, Kent? Are you going to spend the rest of your life judging me because I loved your brother more?”
They never spoke about the past. Tonya was married to his brother, and they were happy. Kent never came into it.
“I don’t care about it, Tonya. I moved on.”
“Bullshit. You never moved on. I know you, and you’ve always been a resentful little prick. We were friends, and because I didn’t return your feelings, you blamed me. Fine, it’s all my fault. I loved Seth, and I never should have dated you. I made the mistake of thinking I could make myself love you the way you wanted to be. I loved you as a friend. I still love you as a friend,” Tonya said.
“I’m not in the mood for this.” He threw his jacket on the bed and walked into the bathroom.
You’re in love with Lana.
Kent stopped and turned to Tonya. It was time to get it out. “Yeah, I had an issue with you. I thought you were my friend, and then I felt you were nothing more than a gold-digging whore.” He watched as she flinched. Kent didn’t get anything from the distraught look in her eyes. At his revelation, she looked broken. “I hated you and Seth. When you went with him I lost my girl and my friend. I loved you, but I’ve come to see I didn’t love you like I thought I did. You were my friend, and I wanted more.” He stopped as the revelation of his words woke him up. “I love Lana, and I’m happy for you. We’ll never be back to how we used to be, but we’ll be civil. At this time that’s all I can offer you,” he said.
“I see.”
“Could you leave? I want to get ready.”
Tonya looked like she wanted to say something more. When he didn’t give her chance to respond, she turned away and left.
Letting out a breath, he made his way into the bathroom. He took a quick shower and tried to process her words. For the longest time he’d blamed her because he’d thought he was in love with her. The way he felt for Lana was completely different. He loved her for the woman she was. Lana was strong, kind, and confusing. Kent smiled as he thought about how confused he got when he was around her.
Once his shower was finished, he moved into his bedroom. He dressed quickly and made his way downstairs. Lana wasn’t downstairs when he made it into the sitting room. The commotion calmed down the moment the children were in bed. He found his mother in the kitchen stirring hot chocolates.
“Have you seen Lana?” he asked.
“She’ll be down in a moment. She forgot her toothbrush and came to ask for one. Don’t worry, son. I know you’re worried about her,” Penny said.
He let out a sigh and sat down. “She’s never had a Christmas like this. A part of her is broken. I see it in the way she watches us. Sometimes there are tears in her eyes, and I hate seeing it. I figured all families were like ours.”
The only person he could confide in was his mother. His dad would go and talk to Lana and probably scare her.
“Has she spoken about any of her family?” Penny asked.
“She’s spoken about her mother, but I don’t have a name or anything. Her past is a mystery. She works two jobs to make ends meet, and she hates mess. Her apartment is always pristine. When we were wrapping the gifts, she was throwing all the little bits away straight after.”