Page 22 of It's Mother-Pucking Christmas!

“You have a big family?” he asked.

“Correction, I have an obnoxiously large family. I have a crap ton of siblings. My parents have two crap tons of siblings. All they do is make babies. My family is… It’stoobig,” I warned.“They’re insane. It’s complete chaos. Everyone always eating or forcing you to eat. They’re all in your business. They’ll barge in the bathroom when you’re trying to pee and wave a pregnancy test at you while another aunt is asking if you are developing hemorrhoids like your mom did when she was your age. This is all at the top of her voice, mind you.” I scowled. “So you’ll fit right in as an oversharer.”

He looked wistful. “That sounds amazing, like a movie.”

The waitress came by with the bill. Ryder dropped money down before I even registered what he was doing. There wasn’t the back-and-forth the Manhattan finance guys did—where they didn’t want you to pay because it was emasculating but also wanted you to give an SNL-worthy improv skit about how you really wanted to pay so they didn’t feel like they were being taken advantage of by a gold digger even though they only invited you for shitty, watered-down happy hour drinks.

“My mom is hosting one of the many Christmas get-togethers tomorrow. You should come,” I offered as I stood up.

Ryder was right there getting my chair and holding out my jacket. “I don’t want to intrude,” he said as he zipped up his coat.

“You’re not. I see these people all the time. We constantly get together. Dog birthdays, random holidays, someone’s bunion was removed—big family get-together. And we all live near each other, so it’s not like it’s that special.”

“It sounds special.” There was that yearning look again.

Yeah, he was coming home with me.

“Some new blood will keep things interesting. You know,” I said as he escorted me to the door, “I keep threatening to go to Aruba for Christmas.”

“No, not for Christmas. You have to be near family for Christmas,” Ryder argued, getting the door for me.

“Meh. So you coming?”

He stared at me, his blue eyes searching mine, sparking in the Christmas lights on Main Street.

“You want me to come meet your family?”

“Um.” I mean, the last guy I’d taken to meet my family was my high school boyfriend. All the other guys I’d dated acted like I was forcing them on a death march at gunpoint when I’d suggested just taking the train up from Manhattan to Rhode Island. “Yeah,” I said, surprising myself. “Actually, I really do want you to meet them. I think they’d love you.”

“I’d really like to. Thank you for inviting me.” He brushed a kiss on my cheek.

“No kissing on the mouth on the first date, Boy Scout?” I ran my hand up his arm.

“Definitely not if I’m about to meet your parents.”

10

RYDER

“Iknow I didn’t give you all keys,” I said as Rick swung the door open before I could put the key in the lock of my apartment.

“So how did it go?” Pete asked around a mouthful of chicken.

“Did you trauma dump?” Erik demanded.

“No…”

“Liar.”

“We will never have grandchildren.” Rick flopped on the floor.

“It’s okay. You’ll get ’em next time.” Pete patted me on the back.

“She actually said she was fine with it.” I couldn’t stop the grin. “She invited me out tomorrow.”

“A second date!”

“Well, it’s to her family’s holiday party. She wants me to meet her family.” I couldn’t stop smiling. “Dakota says she has an insanely large family.”

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