Page 79 of Merry Kissmas

I place my hand over hers where it rests on my stomach.“I will be.Just give me a minute.”

“Okay.”She walks around me and sits in one of the chairs, crossing her legs and staring into the fire.

“You can go inside,” I say, unable to look her in the eye.“It’s cold out here.”

“I know I can, but I won’t.”

“Brynn…”

She sits up and rests her elbows on her knees.“I get that something is going on, but I’m not leaving this chair.Take all the time you need, but I’m not going inside without you.If you want to talk it out, I’m here.If you don’t want to talk, consider me your silent support committee.”

I inhale a deep breath and blow out an even bigger one.“I’m really fighting the instinct to withdraw and leave.”I walk around the fire and take the chair next to her.“It’s scary to me.I’ve never felt a part of a family like this, and throughout the week, I’ve grown really close with yours.To see a symbol of family and be included in it… and for your mum to work on it all week… it brings up a lot of stuff for me.It means I’m cared for, but also that I care for them.And it’s hard for me to untangle family from heartbreak.I know what it feels like to lose people you feel like that about, and I don’t want to go through it again.”

Tears glisten in Brynn’s eyes.“I understand.”

I take her hands, warming them with mine.“Don’t get me wrong, it’s the nicest thing anyone’s done for me, and I appreciate it.I just needed to pull myself together and remind myself not to run.Not to pull back, but to embrace it.”

She stands and sits on my lap, hugging me.“Can I have that therapist’s number?”

I chuckle and draw back.“If not for the work he told me to do, I never would have been able to go back inside and welcome the unconditional love your family gives.”

“We can sit out here all night,” she says, relaxing into my chest.

I lean back, hugging her into my body and enjoying the peace I feel with her that finally calms my beating heart.

Before long, Tre and Tessa come out with Ryah.And then Andrew and Kenzie with Nolan.The party migrates outside before I ever have to go back in, and it feels better than I would have thought to have people have my back.People who want to be around me.People I can rely on, and they can rely on me.It feels like being a part of a family again, and I realize that I wouldn’t trade it for anything, no matter how hard it is to accept.

ChapterThirty

Pierce

On Christmas morning, I sneak out of bed and place Brynn’s gifts under ourElftree, then tiptoe back into bed.

Even though it’s Christmas, we decided last night that since the kids are so young and don’t know what day it is, we’ll all sleep in and make brunch and open presents later this morning.Maybe it’s odd to be spending the holiday with a family I didn’t know until this past week, but they’ve been so open and welcoming that it doesn’t feel weird.

“I heard you, you know,” Brynn says as I crawl under the covers and spoon her.

“Merry Christmas.”I kiss the nape of her neck.“Do you want your present?”

“I feel your present.”She wiggles her ass into my hardened dick.

“That present can wait until after you open your real gift.”

She shakes her head and rolls over to face me.“It feels pretty real to me.”

I chuckle and kiss her lips.“Come on.”

“You’re antsy this morning.”She pushes her body against mine, swarming me with her arms and legs.“Let’s just stay in bed all day.”

“Well, your parents might be upset, and you want to see Ryah open her gift from you, right?”

Brynn throws her head back on an exasperated groan.“Why do you always have to be so sensible?”She rolls back over and swings her legs over the edge of the bed, still scouring the floor just in case our pet mouse comes back.“Let me brush my teeth.”

I watch her naked body walk to the bathroom and hear the water running a second later.I feel as if my Christmas wish has already come true.

She comes out a few minutes later, and I lead her to the couch.I already moved her two gifts to the coffee table.

“Two!We said one,” she says, pouting.

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