Page 26 of The Odds of Happily Ever After
He held up a large tote bag that I’d overlooked in my jeans fixation. “Gift delivery from your family.”
My eyes widened. “Oh!”
I didn’t think they would send me anything. I’d joined their celebration on video call earlier, watching them eat noche buena and open the gifts I’d ordered. As happy as I’d been to seethemhappy, I couldn’t help but be sad for myself too. I’d never felt so alone in my life.
“Tala shipped them to me so they’d be a surprise.” Gabe spoke carefully, as though he could sense the emotions shifting within me. “Jason sent something as well.”
I took a shaky breath, my lips quivering as I attempted to smile. “I?—”
My alarm trilled, and I almost let out a sigh of relief.
“Just a sec,” I said as I rushed back to the kitchen, grateful for the chance to pull myself together.
It didn’t matter what gifts my family sent. Even a postcard would have made me happy because it would be a reminder that they’d thought of me.
“Can I come in?” Gabe asked from the doorway.
“Su—” I caught my instinctive response because, again,Gabe, and also, my apartment resembled ground zero. I could tell him to leave the gifts by the door, but Lola taught me how important it was to make guests feel welcome. Even if I hadn’t invited Gabe—even if he’d been an ass to me multiple times—I couldn’t shake my grandmother’s voice from my head.
“Okay,” I finally said. Putting on my mitt, I opened the stove and moved the casserole dish to the counter. I lifted the foil, andthe heady aroma of pork, pineapple, and sugar greeted me. The ham looked almost ready.
I lathered more glaze then put it back in the oven, setting the timer on my phone for ten minutes.
Gabe wandered into the kitchen. “Throwing a party?”
“Would I cook this much food all for myself? And on Christmas Eve too.” Which reminded me— “Merry Christmas, by the way.”
The left corner of his mouth quirked up. “Merry Christmas.” He handed the tote bag to me, and I held it in both arms because it was heavy and that was the closest I could come to hugging my family right now.
My eyes stung, and I opened them wide to keep tears from leaking out. “Thanks for bringing these over,” I said, my voice hoarse.
“You’re welcome.”
I braved a glance at his face and found those blue-gray eyes on me, steady and surprisingly soft. Like he understood what I was feeling. I took a deep breath only for it to lodge in my throat.
A cough sputtered out of me.
“Are you okay?” He lifted his hand, hesitating with it in mid-air.
“Yeah, I’m good. Breathed the wrong way.” I brought the tote bag over to the side of the coffee table and laid out the gifts around the mini Christmas tree I’d thrifted. “You want water or Moscato?”
“No, thank you.”
Glancing back, I found him studying the walls surrounding the sofa. I’d clipped photos onto strands of twine and taped them up together with some battery-operated fairy lights.Since I liked the effect so much, I’d draped lights across the windows too.
He turned to me. “Do you think you have enough lights in here?”
“You should see my bedroom.” The moment the words left my mouth, heat flooded my cheeks. “I mean, I added more lights there. For that cozy vibe, you know?”
Expressionless, he nodded. His eyes swept my kitchen. “Need help?”
“No, I’m good.” Remembering his past words, I added, “Don’t worry; I’ll make sure to turn the oven off.”
The lines across his forehead deepened. “Of course you will. I didn’t mean to say that. I know you’re used to cooking.” He stopped abruptly. “I’m sorry.”
My brows flew up. Of the many surprises I’d gotten tonight, this might just be the biggest—hearing Gabe apologize. That it came due to a throwaway comment was weird, to say the least. But it was a start.
“I’ll help you clean up,” he said, already moving toward the sink.
