Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 87181 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87181 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
I snickered. Fair enough.
“Is this a sibling-only moment, or can parents join in?” Mom asked, standing behind both Alec and me. Dad was only a few footsteps behind her.
“Oh gosh,” Alec groaned. “Are you two going to try to hug me, too?”
Mom and Dad rushed toward us, pulling us into a giant group hug, squeezing the life out of us both. Mom was crying, which wasn’t a surprise seeing how she was always leaking emotions from her eyes. Dad nuzzled Alec’s head and told him he’d find the right person someday. I just welcomed the embrace of my loved ones.
I felt a little silly, being so paranoid about having a partner to distract me from the holidays. Don’t get me wrong. I was so thankful for Kai and the love he gave to me over the past few days. He was the man of my dreams, and I still couldn’t believe I had found him in my waking days. Yet, even if he hadn’t shown up for Christmas, I would’ve been okay because my family was nothing more than love. They would’ve looked over me nonstop to ensure I was all right. Be it by Mom crying with me, Dad telling me I’d be all right, or Alec bullying me from a place of love—I would’ve been okay because the love they poured into me was always going to be enough to keep me going each day.
The remaining days of the visit consisted of board games, hot cocoa, and laughter. My family and Kai made it easy not to fall into the darkness of my past. They were good at making me live in the moment.
Alec went back to bullying me, and I was thankful for it. The bickering was our favorite love language.
As Kai and I packed up our things to return to the city, he hugged all my family members and thanked them for their hospitality. “This is the type of Christmas I’ve always dreamed of. The only thing missing was my brother,” he said as he hugged Mom.
“Well, bring him next year,” she offered. “Our holidays are always here for you.” She then pointed toward me. “Don’t you dare break this sweet boy’s heart.”
I tossed my hands up in surrender. “I wasn’t planning on it.”
Kai opened the passenger door for me, and I slid into my seat. He closed it and then headed over to his car door. As he climbed inside, he shivered a bit from the cold weather.
“It’s freezing out there,” he remarked, rubbing his hands together before he turned the car on. He cranked up the heater and turned on the heated seats for us.
“Hey, Kai?”
“Yes?”
“I know you were just my fake boyfriend all these past few days, but I thought you should know that I’m falling in love with you. That’s scary to me, but it’s not too terrifying because it’s you that I’m falling for.”
He glanced at me, the sweetness in his eyes filling me up. “Good.” He took my hand into his and kissed my palm. “Because I’m falling in love with you, too.”
I smiled and melted back into my seat as he drove the car back to Chicago.
KAI
Coming home from my time with Holly’s family felt a bit bittersweet. Even with all the drama and emotions involved, it was nice to be around a family who were so tightly knit. Those people loved one another in a way that love was meant to be shared.
I couldn’t wait for Mano to come back to town later that night so I could feel like my family was back together. It felt silly, but I missed my brother a lot each time he left. Mano was more than my sibling. He was my best friend. A part of me was thankful that my parents got their act together because if they hadn’t, there might’ve been a chance that Mano didn’t exist. My world needed Mano. He was the best part of me.
After dropping Holly at the apartment, I headed to Mano’s to ensure the restaurant was still running. Of course, Ayumu did a great job keeping everything in order. I snickered to myself the moment I saw the note on the cash register from my friend.
No, we didn’t burn the place down. You’re welcome.
Merry Christmas, you filthy animal!
I crumbled up the paper and tossed it into the trash bin. After spending a few hours in the office, catching up on paperwork, I noticed the manila envelope sitting on my desk corner. I opened it to reveal the divorce paperwork. I’d signed the pages the night Penelope brought them to me. Earlier that day, I called her and told her she could pick them up later that afternoon.
I glanced down at my watch. She should’ve been to Mano’s any second now. I didn’t know how to feel about the whole situation other than being relieved that Penelope was about to be out of my life officially. I felt as if I’d been living in prison since she’d left me all those years before, and then Holly came with the key and set me free. I owed Holly more than I could ever repay her. She took my emptied soul and filled it back up with love.