Page 28 of Pucking Christmas Triplets Surprise

My heart sinks for her. The image of Abby, caught in that moment of humiliation, hits hard. Being dumped is bad enough, but publicly? In front of everyone? That’s cruel. "What a dick and a bitch," I mutter, pouring more batter onto the griddle. “No one deserves that.”

Abby leans against the counter, trying to act casual, but I can see how much it’s bothering her. "I know, right? I don’t know if I should be mad at him, her or just at myself.”

I turn around, setting the spatula down, my expression softening as I meet her gaze. “Abby, don’t be mad at yourself,” I say, my voice steady. “You were being trusting. You gave him a chance, and that’s something not a lot of people do anymore. That’s not a weakness, that’s… well, that'sjust being human.”

She looks down at the counter, biting her lip, but I can tell she’s not entirely convinced. I sigh and walk over to her, gently touching her arm. “And as for your ‘friend’—a real friend wouldn’t do that. No one should humiliate you like that, not in front of everyone. That’s not friendship, that’s betrayal.”

Abby scoffs and crosses her arms tightly over her chest, her brows furrowing. “Yeah, well, I guess I just feel like an idiot for trusting both of them like they were hanging out alone to do a project maybe I should have--.”

I shake my head, making sure she’s looking at me. “No. Trusting people is never the mistake. The mistake is in trusting the wrong people. And you didn’t know. You weren’t supposed to. But that doesn’t make you dumb. It just makes you someone who believes in the good in people, and that’s rare, Abby. So don’t regret that.”

She blinks a couple of times, like my words are slowly sinking in. For a moment, there’s quiet between us, the sound of the griddle sizzling softly as I finish off the pancakes. I can tell she’s thinking, weighing what I said.

“I just don’t know how I’m supposed to look at them now, you know?” she mutters, her voice small. “Ricardo and Lena… I thought we were all friends. Now, it’s just like, everything I thought I knew about them is… fake.”

I nod, picking up a pancake with the spatula and gently sliding it onto the plate. “I get it. But sometimes, people show their true colors in the worst way possible. What you do with that, how you move forward—that’s what matters. And you’ll be okay, just go back to school with your head held high.”

Abby’s expression softens, her shoulders relaxing as the anger slowly fades. She exhales deeply, “I can see why my Uncle likes you.”

I give her a small smile, brushing some stray hair behind my ear. “Well your Uncle never listens to my advice.”

“He should, because you rock,” Abby says, her tone softening a bit, “but, I wouldn’t be doing my niece duties if I didn’t look out for him, because he really deserves someone good. He’s so awesome, so like don’t be a dick. Don’t break his heart.”

“I won’t. I promise.” I reply, my voice gentle, and for some reason I really believe what I am saying right now, and I hope Abby believes me but also that Chris knows I won’t hurt him.

She chuckles, shaking her head. “Well thanks for the dating advice, Uncle Chris was promoting sabotage and I don’t want to get expelled.”

I laugh, flicking a pancake at her playfully. “Hey, for the record, so your Uncle doesn’t kill me, I’mnotgoing to give you any dating advice—unless it’s how to avoid guys who throw spaghetti at you, of course.”

Abby snorts, looking down at the stack of pancakes next to me, but I can see a faint smile tugging at her lips. “You’re kind of funny, don’t let my Uncle’s grumpiness rub off on you.”

I shrug nonchalantly, grabbing the syrup from the cabinet. “I’m multifaceted like that. Serious and funny. Sometimes even a little sarcastic.”

Her grin widens. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Just as I’m about to set the syrup down on the counter, the kitchen door opens, and Christopher walks in, looking wide awake now, his eyes scanning the room before landing on me. His expression softens immediately, his gaze warming, and my breathcatches in my throat.

“Morning, ladies,” he says, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he walks over to the counter where I’m standing, his presence filling up the space. He leans down and brushes a quick kiss on my cheek before eyeing the stack of pancakes. “Smells good in here,” he murmurs. “You’ve been busy.”

I laugh, as he reaches over my head and grabs a stack of plates. “Yeah, see my mom calls these,” I lower my voice trying so Abby can’t hear. “Fuck me good pancakes. It’s a true honor for you to have them.”

He takes the plate with a smirk, leaning against the counter beside me. “Mmm so what do I get after tonight?”

My proposal for marriage.My cheeks flame red and Christopher throws a wink at me.

Abby snickers from the side, clearly enjoying the playful banter. “You two are capital G ,gross.”

Christopher just raises an eyebrow at her. “I can show you gross.”

Abby freezes, a flash of embarrassment crossing her face. “You—” She glares at him. “Better not!.”

Christopher smirks, clearly entertained by her reaction. He leans in closer to me, his lips hovering near my ear as he lowers his voice. “I’ll just save it for you later, babe.”

Before I can respond, Abby lets out a dramatic huff, grabbing her plate. “I’m taking my pancakes to go,” she declares, turning on her heel and marching toward the door.

“Leaving in thirty minutes!” Christopher calls after her, his voice laced with amusement.

Abby doesn't look back, muttering under her breath as she exits. I can’t help but smile, and playfully push Christopher away making him chuckle.

---