Page 1 of Unwrap Him

“You’re breaking up with me??”

My eyes are wide. I can feel them, bugging out of my head like one of those rubber stress-reliever toys.

Leslie sits at the table across from me, arms folded, appearing particularly stone-faced. I can’t tell if she’s pissed that I’m actually shocked at her ending our relationship, or if she’s just pissed at me in general.

“Because I can’t come home with you for Christmas…” I mutter to fill the silence, blinking over my rounded eyes.

“No, James. Not because you can’t come home with me for Christmas.” She glares at me. “Because you won’t. There’s a big difference.”

“I can’t leave Jesse—”

“There’s that word again!” She snaps, then glances around the cafe we’re sitting in to ensure no one’s looking. The place is practically empty. “You damn well can… if you wanted to. He’s eighteen. He’ll be fine.”

I rake my fingers through my hair. “That’s not the point. I’m not going to leave him alone for Christmas. I’m the only family he has.”

Leslie keeps her lips zipped, brows furrowing in a petulant scowl that boils my blood just a tad.

“It’s not like you even invited him to come along…” I mumble, knowing full well it’s a stupid argument.

Jesse wouldn’t have wanted to come along.

“Therein lies yet another problem, James,” she sighs. “We’ve been together for two years and I barely know your… son. He obviously doesn’t like me. We never spend any time together… I mean, you don’t even let me stay over your house. It’s like you’re purposely keeping me away from him.”

“That’s not true…”

“It is.” She grips the table in frustration, leaning in to whisper-shout at me. “I wanted you to finally meet my parents. I was hoping this would give us a push in the right direction. But as expected, you want no part of it. You’re not interested in taking our relationship to the next level, and you’re sure as shit not interested in welcoming me into your two-person family.” She sits back, gathering her purse. “So we’re done.”

“Les, just hear me out,” I stammer, my thoughts clouding up with what I think I should say. Anything I could do to fix this… Within reason, of course.

“No more excuses, James.” She stands. “We’re finished. Merry Christmas.”

And then she leaves.

She walks right the fuck out of the cafe, leaving me sitting alone at a table, staring at the lipstick on her coffee cup.

I’m not sure why I’m surprised. Things with Leslie have never really felt permanent, which clearly doesn’t work for a woman in her thirties who just wasted two years on a man she maybe should have sensed was unlikely to commit.

Leslie was the first person I’ve been serious with since high school. I suppose I’m what you would call a chronic bachelor. I’ve dated girls, but my default setting is to keep it casual.

Thinking about settling down has always caused some significant discomfort in my gut.

Relationships just aren’t at the forefront of my mind. My focus remains on building my business and providing a stable home environment for my kid.

Honestly, Leslie’s not wrong in her grievances. I have a tendency to keep Jesse in a bubble. Maybe it’s because I’m so afraid of him getting hurt, or attached. But then those things don’t seem to satisfy my inner turmoil…

The fact is that eighteen years ago, I made a promise to my best friends in the entire world. At the time, I never imagined I’d have to fulfill that promise… But here we are.

And if a relationship has the potential to in any way compromise my ability to protect Jesse, then I’d rather just avoid the notion altogether.

Twenty minutes of aggrieved simmering later, I pick myself up, dust myself off, and leave the damn cafe. But not without first buying Jesse one of the cake pops he likes. I decide to go back to work for a couple of hours and wrap some things up, since I’ll be out of the office for a few days. Christmas, and all.

In my SUV, the radio is on, but I’m too deep in my thoughts to recognize the holiday tunes mumbling in the background. The streets are covered in white after the fresh coat we got last night. According to the weather forecast, Maine will be having a very white Christmas this year. It’s supposed to keep snowing tonight, and all throughout the holiday.

My vehicle is good in the snow—pretty much a requirement when you live in the Northeast—but the occasional slips of even my all-wheel drive bring back memories…

Of the night my life changed forever.

Pushing it away, I pull up to my building, parking right by the front door. I trudge through the snow in my black boots, slinking inside and closing the door behind me, reveling in the warmth, a stark contrast to the twenty-degree temperatures outside.

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