Page 105 of Christmas Criminal

I get in the passenger side and spend an incredibly awkward ten minutes of silence with Hank and Noelle's dad until we finally reach the police station and Hank walks him inside. They're only gone for a few minutes before Hank comes out again, a certain lightness in his step.

He grins when he gets back in the car.

"What's got you so happy?"

He shrugs. "My girl Shelly is working the front desk, and if there's one thing she hates more than crime, it's crime committed on a holiday. Tom is gonna be in for a long night, I can promise you that."

I can't help the laugh that escapes me.

"Alright, let's get you back to the girls," Hank says, turning the car on and directing us back to Helen's.

When I initially left with a carton of eggs in my hand, I felt it was my duty to tell Noelle's dad to fuck right off.

But now that I'm on my way back, I feel silly.

I leftChristmasto enact my revenge on somebody who didn't even domewrong.

But maybe that's the catharsis Noelle was talking about, big emotions evaporating with every egg thrown.

By the time Hank pulls in the driveway, I decide to ditch my second contact too, because I already have a headache. Whether it's from getting punched or being visually impaired, I'll never know.

I lean my head back against the headrest, trying to build up the courage to go in there and explain what the fuck happened that has me showing up with a black eye.

"Come on, Nick. Rip the Band-Aid off," Hank says, sensing my discomfort.

"This is going to be terrible."

"Only gets worse the longer you push it off." He pushes his door open and steps out. "Let's go!"

I begrudgingly follow him up the path to the front door. He pushes inside comfortably, like this is something he does all the time, and leaves his keys on the rack by the door. I follow him back into the living room, where six smiling faces drop at the sight of my eye.

"Nick!" Noelle's voice cuts through everyone else's. She's up in an instant, climbing over ripped open presents and her mom in between us. "What happened?" Her hands are on my chin, turning my face back and forth with strong fingers. Her brow is furrowed, her eyes wide with concern.

And I wrap my arms around her, squeezing her tight and breathing in that chocolate rose scent of hers that's become myfavoritescent.

She squeezes me back, sensing my need for it.

"I'm sorry," I whisper into the skin of her neck, as everyone follows her over, face pinched in concern as they spread in a semicircle around us.

"For what?"

I swallow, lifting my head to look at her. She shakes her head, almost imperceptibly as she waits for me to answer.

Hank, apparently, is sick of waiting for the story to come out. "I picked up your boyfriend with a carton of eggs outside your dad's house."

I watch her expression carefully. She blinks, a grin slowly spreading across her face as she turns to Hank. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Apparently you're a bad influence," Hank tells her. "Here I was hoping it would work the other way around."

Noelle presses her lips together, trying her hardest to contain her laughter. She turns to me, her thumb brushing across my cheek lightly so she doesn't hurt me. "Why were you throwing eggs at my dad's house?"

I bite my lip before speaking. "Because he pissed me off. He's got a room full of good women who are willing to forgive him for any slight. To accept him for the sake of having family around at Christmas, and that asshole was in his shitty old house, drinking alone. When he could havethis, just by showing up."

"Aw, Nick," Noelle says, wrapping an arm around my waist and pressing a light kiss to my cheek.

I shake my head. "I know that what I did was wrong and stupid and ridiculous, but how dare he?How dare hesee this and not recognize how lucky he is? I would havekilledfor this growing up. Especially after my mom died. And he can't even fucking show up. Fuck that guy. I hate him." And then I realize I'm in a room with people who love him, regardless. "I'm sorry. I know he's family and that things are complicated. I'm sure he's still a good dad sometimes. But today, he wasn't. And I will stand by that."

And then I tell myself that I need tostop talking.

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