Page 39 of His Christmas Gift

“I don’t see Dean as a bank. I don’t see him as a key to some fancy house. I see him as someone that I care about. I don’t want to take and take from him. I want to share a life with him, whether it’s extravagant or not,” I told her before shaking my head. “Besides, extravagance doesn’t make me happy.”

“I tell you that I’m proud of you for finding a good man, and you act like this?” my mother scorned as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You act like your father and I are out to get you.”

“Well, you don’t have my back. You’ve never supported me for my own accomplishments,” I replied, letting the sponge fall into the sink. I wiped off my hands before turning to face her, wondering what kind of excuse she could possibly come up with for that.

My mother sighed.

“We gave you the best education. We promised to help you through law school. We made sure you had everything you could ever want. How was that not supporting you?” she asked.

“You know what I mean,” I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose. She would never understand. She didn’t want to, and this conversation was a lost cause. “I’m going to head out. Dean is probably tired.”

My mother merely nodded and turned away from me to clean the stove.

My eyes lingered on her for a moment, wishing that she would apologize or even just ask me a genuine question about my life. All I received was silence from her, so I left the kitchen and headed to the living room where Dean and my father were talking.

“Ready to go?” I called out. They could continue whatever conversation they were having another time. I needed to get out of this house.

Dean looked away from my father, seeming to study me for a moment before nodding.

“Sure. Good talking to you, Mr. Miller,” he said before shaking my father’s hand.

I stiffly hugged my father goodbye before following Dean out the front door and to our rental car. Once I got inside the car and settled against the passenger seat, a sigh broke from me as I closed my eyes.

“Is it that hard to be proud of your kid?” I asked.

“If they are proud of you, I just don’t think they know how to show it,” Dean told me, not starting the car just yet.

I opened my eyes, staring out of the windshield at the house. Maybe he was right, but it still stung to be overlooked by my own parents. I needed to be around people who were warm and welcoming before I saw my parents again. A break from the negativity was necessary.

“Can we visit your family again soon?” I asked him with a hopeful look on my face. When I first met them, they were so kind to me. I needed that again.

“Of course. They’d be happy to see you again,” Dean told me, brightening up. “They’re actually doing a little tree lighting celebration tomorrow. We do it every year.”

“A tree lighting celebration?” I questioned him as I cracked a small smile.

“We get a huge tree and put it in the backyard. Then, we decorate it with a bunch of lights and ornaments. After eating and having some fun, we light it up for the first time that night,” Dean explained to me. “I know it doesn’t sound like the greatest thing in the world, but we have a good time.”

“I think it sounds perfect. I’d love to go,” I assured him. It sounded way more fun than a dinner party. Then again, I was sure that plenty of things were more fun than a dinner party.

“Great. I’ll let them know we’re going,” Dean said, reaching over to give my knee a squeeze. “It’ll take your mind off everything.”

I gave him a grateful look, feeling awed at how well he knew me already. He could tell that I needed a break, an escape.

“What will take my mind off everything for now is a good movie and a slice of cheesecake,” I told him as I leaned my shoulder against his. I didn’t mention it, but his company along with those things was something that I desired too.

“You pick the movie. I’ll order the cake,” Dean asked, holding his hand out to me.

I smiled and slipped my hand into his. Despite being a boss, he was also a good team player.

“Sounds like a plan,” I replied, my eyes meeting his. As we smiled at each other, the only thing that crossed my mind was closing the gap and kissing him. He was a rockstar tonight. He had been one during this entire trip.

“We can always throw a hot shower in the mix too,” Dean told me, shooting me a playful wink before turning on the car.

I laughed, but the desire still swirled low in my stomach. I wouldn’t mind sharing a hot shower with him. Or a bed. My feelings and attraction for him had gone through the roof lately, and they were getting harder and harder to control as I got to know him more.

I thought this trip was already complicated enough, but I went into this not knowing the extent of that complexity, though. I didn’t think that I would start developing feelings for my fake fiancé. That was a whole other obstacle for me to face, and I hoped with all my might that I didn’t fall short.

He wasn’t someone that I could handle losing.

---