Page 2 of His Christmas Gift

I started to grab my things to follow him out, but my phone started to buzz on the conference table. I grabbed it and drew it closer to read the caller ID. When I saw my eldest brother’s name on the screen, I answered the phone.

“What’s up, J?” I said, my eyes shifting toward the tall windows on one side of the conference room that looked out at the bustling city and tall skyscrapers. I was never obsessed with the city, even after growing up in a tiny town. It was nice being here, but it didn’t feel like home. That didn’t matter, though. This place was good for business. That was all that mattered.

“Hey, man. You busy?” Jared asked me. Laughter sounded in the background, and I could easily tell that it was his kids playing,

“I’m free for a few minutes,” I replied, smiling faintly as I listened to my nieces. I adored them, but I couldn’t imagine having kids of my own. They were such a huge responsibility, and I couldn’t put my business to the side for an eighteen-year obligation. I had so much to do in my life. I was happy for my brothers, though. They were certainly happier than ever with their wives and kids.

They kept making comments about me being single and hoping that I find my soulmate one day. I tried to tell them that I wasn’t interested in getting involved in all that, but they didn't listen. They were convinced that I was suddenly going to fall in love and start a family, but it’s just not going to work like that. And I was fine with that.

“Awesome. Are you coming home for Christmas?” Jared asked me. “You know Mom wants everyone together for the holidays.”

The holiday season was busy for my business, especially after Christmas and New Years. People got new workout clothes and accessories, and they made resolutions to be healthier that year. It was a good time to own a gym, and it was probably one of the times when it was necessary for me to be around in case I’m needed.

However, I never missed Christmas with my family. Even if I didn’t want to start a family of my own, I still wanted to be around my parents and brothers. I didn’t want my mom to be sad about me not being there too.

“Definitely. I’ll be there,” I assured him. It was only the beginning of December, so I had a few weeks left until I had to fly back home. That would be enough time to get my new gym up and running.

“Great! Everyone will be happy to hear that,” Jared said, sounding genuinely happy.

I knew that everyone back home missed me. I was the only one who moved away, but they were also all happy for me. They cheered me on from the beginning and never stopped believing in me. It meant more to me than they knew.

“Yeah, I can’t wait,” I told him. I didn’t mind the grind of work, but it would be nice to take a step back for a minute and enjoy some time with my family before going back to my busy life. Outside of the holidays, I didn’t have much time to do anything else outside of work.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to it. Good talking to you, man,” Jared told me.

“See you soon,” I replied, knowing that the next few weeks were going to fly by. Then, the holidays would be over in the blink of an eye. Even that phone call ended faster than I expected. Everything just happened so fast, and I hardly got a moment to grasp it.

At least I wasn’t stuck in one place. My opportunities were endless and doors were open for me all over the place. However, the next door I was walking through tonight was the one at The Skybar so that I could toast to the future of my company and all of the success that would come with it.

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