Page 54 of Blame It On the Secret Santa

Thirty-One

Cassidy

Irubbed my palms downthe front of my dress, overly anxious about having lunch with Sean’s family. It wasn’t like I didn’t know them; I used to hang out at their house all the time. But this time felt different.

I had told my parents and Sam this morning that Sean would be joining us for dinner. My mother squealed while my father smiled and hugged me. Sam wore a smug smile and reminded me that he told me so a while back. I punched him and then made my way out the door so I wasn’t late for lunch.

When I pulled up in front of the house and parked, Sean was already outside waiting for me. He looked so handsome in his fitted sweater and dark jeans, with a smile that spread across his face as he came over to help me out of my car.

“You look beautiful,” he said, pulling me into a warm hug as soon as I was out of the car.

“Thank you. You look very handsome.”

“Thank you.”

I pressed a soft kiss to his lips, then pulled away, my nerves skyrocketing.

“Relax. Everything is going to be fine,” he said, taking the bottle of wine I’d brought and holding my hand as he led me to the front door.

Heavenly aromas floated through the air as we stepped inside. The house was beautifully decorated with garland and lights strung on the tree and Christmas music playing softly through the TV.

We walked through the living room and into the kitchen, where everyone was gathered and waiting for us. Just as I was about to panic from all of the attention being on me, his mom rushed over and wrapped me tightly in a hug. My body immediately relaxed as I hugged her back, missing this so much.

“Oh, Cassidy,” she said softly before pulling back slightly and holding onto my hands as she studied my face. “It is so wonderful to have you join us today. Thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for the invite,” I replied with a smile.

She let me go as the two adorable girls I had met the other day came and pulled her away to show her something in the fridge. I said hello to Sean’s dad before noticing that Declan and his wife were waiting for me.

“Hey,” I said nervously, unsure of how to start. I felt Sean’s hand rest on my lower back as Declan pulled his shoulders back and smiled at me.

“It’s really wonderful to have you join us, Cassidy,” Declan said, holding his wife’s hand. “I just wanted to say again how sorry I am about everything. I didn’t mean to upset you the other night, but I’m also glad that you now know the truth. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I messed things up for you and my brother, and I completely understand if neither of you forgive me for it. But please know that I do deeply regret what I did and how it impacted your relationship.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.” I smiled and let out a heavy breath as they returned the smile before taking their seats at the table.

Sean guided me to where we were sitting and pulled out my chair. His dad sat at one end of the table and his mother at the other. The two little girls were seated on opposite sides, one right beside Sean and the other directly across from me. We all lowered our heads as his mother said grace.

I finally relaxed enough during lunch to enjoy it and found myself smiling more than I had in a really long time.

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