Page 52 of Hot Mess

I snuck back downstairs and began setting everything up. I hoped Nick was going to like my surprise. After last night, I really wanted to do something special for him.

22

NICK

Ididn’t want to wake up. I was warm and comfortable. Kayla was in bed with me, and my room smelled like cinnamon and cookies. That was odd. Why did my room smell like baked goods? I moved my arm around. I was in bed alone, and the other pillow was cold.

I sat up and looked around for any proof that she had been there. Her clothes were gone, but mine had been folded into a neat pile on a side chair.

I sat up and pulled on my jeans before heading downstairs.

The smells of baking grew stronger. My mother hadn’t been a baker, but the help would make cookies from time to time. Of course, my rooms were always on the opposite side of the house from the kitchen, so this sensation— something I had acted out in more than a few films at TV shows— was actually relatively new to me. I skipped down the stairs, eager to find out what was going on.

I stopped halfway down. My living room was not how I had left it last night.

A Christmas elf had clearly broken into my house and been decorated. Colored lights ran over the top of the mantel, twisting in and out of thick pillar candles. The candles were red, green, and candy cane striped. Silver and gold ornaments filled random bowls. The décor wasn’t over the top, but it was festive and changed the mood of my stark living room. The crowning glory was the tree.

It was tiny, a bit of a joke really. A stack of books under the boot shaped pot made it look taller than it was. It was festooned in tiny little round red balls, a red bow perched on the top, and half the lights were out.

This was thoughtful and heartfelt. What made my chest tighten with emotion were the wrapped presents under the tree. There were three of them, two for me, one for Isaac.

“Fuck,” I spit out. I hadn’t gotten Kayla anything. It hadn’t really occurred to me that she did Christmas. Why hadn’t I thought of that?

I had taken her to a party on Christmas Eve, and I hadn’t thought that she was with me on Christmas, not at home, not celebrating the way she normally would have.

Well, I would have to figure something out for later. Hopefully Kayla, and I assumed it was Kayla who had done all of this. Had it been Isaac, the décor would have been elaborate and taken over the entire house. This was last minute and pulled together on a shoestring budget.

I loved it. It was perfect.

I shoved my hands in my pockets and made my way to the kitchen. I was greeted with the most beautiful sight. Kayla’s round ass was on full display in her jeans as she bent over and looked in the oven. When she stood back up, she was holding a baking sheet.

There were piles of cookies in different shapes and kinds spread over every inch of counter space. A laugh stuck in my throat. I waited until the hot cookie sheet was out of her hands before saying anything. I didn’t want to spoil anything and spook her into dropping her cookies.

“Good morning,” I said.

Her smile was the best present. I could not remember a time when anyone looked at me like that on Christmas morning.

“You’re awake!” She threw her arms around me.

I pulled her in close and savored the way she smelled of cinnamon as I kissed her. Her lips were even better with a slight sugar coating.

“You have been a busy little elf,” I said as she stepped out of my arms and began fussing with her cooking.

“I woke up early and couldn’t sleep.”

“What time do you mean when you say early?”

“My mom called me at four. I couldn’t go back to sleep when I realized it was Christmas, and we didn’t have cookies, or sausage balls.”

“You made sausage balls? I haven’t had those in forever.”

She nodded. “I thought we could have what I’m used to having on Christmas morning. I didn’t know what you did, or even if you did. I’m sorry if I'm foisting this on you and you don’t celebrate.”

She started to look down and ringing her hands together. She looked so nervous, and if there was one thing I didn’t want, it was Kayla being nervous around me all the time.

I took her hands in mine. “I don’t celebrate because I don’t have anyone to celebrate with.”

“What about your family?”

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