Page 45 of All I Want For Christmas Is You

“Um, to run faster than everyone else?”

“Exactly. Like I said, stupid. I tried a few other sports, but in the end, it was decided for me. The football coach said he needed a receiver. I had no idea what that was.” He shrugged. “So, that’s what I played.”

She loved talking to him, all cozy and warm like this. “Did you like it?”

“Sure, I guess.” He gave it some thought. “Actually, no. I didn’t.”

“Let me guess.” She found him adorable. “You thought it was stupid.”

“Yes, okay?” He chuckled. “I caught a ball. I ran fast.”

“It’s about athleticism, you goofball.” Laughing, she set her cheek on him and wrapped an arm across his chest. “It’s about outwitting and outplaying the other team.”

“Look, both my parents were in academia. In my house, it was all about education and grades. I worked hard to get into a good college and didn’t see the point of running up and down a field when I could be studying. Or at least out there taking a nice long hike.”

“And looking at rocks.”

“Yes. Looking at rocks was much more interesting than catching a ball.” He gave her a pat. “Now, show me your daughter.”

“Fine.” She rolled onto her back and scrolled until she found a recent one. “All right. This isn’t the best picture because she’s surfing but look at her. Look how happy she is.” Crouched low on her board, Emerson grinned as she rode a barrel.

“Oh, wow. She’s good.”

“She really is. I hate that I’ve missed out on this whole new adventure of hers. I used to be involved in everything, and now I only get pictures. It makes me realize how many steps I missed for her to get from one achievement to the next.”

“It sucks that she lives so far.”

“It does. But she’s so happy there, I can’t begrudge her this life.” She kept swiping until she found another picture. “Here. You can see her better in this one. This is when we moved her into her dorm.”

“You had the whole matching-with-her-roommate thing.”

“Yeah, this was in our Greenwich days.”

“Was it hard for you when she dropped out?”

“Only because we failed her. But now, knowing how happy she is? I think she’s right where she needs to be. It was definitely harder on her dad. He really pushed the kids to get a good education. They could only apply to the top fifty schools. Otherwise, what was the point?”

“My school’s ranked eighty-nine, and I did all right. But then, who cares what he thinks? He’s lost all credibility at this point.”

“Harsh, Mr. Gentry.” She couldn’t believe how comfortable she felt with him.

Can you imagine a life with this man?

Someone who listens, who asks questions, and who goes down on me?

He snuggled up against her. “Now, let me see a picture of him.”

“My ex?” He might as well have doused her with a bucket of cold water. She had to scroll through a year’s worth of photos to find one. “Here.” The twist in her stomach had her barely glancing at the screen before turning it toward him.

He caught her reaction, not even looking at the picture. “Hey. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.” Her reaction surprised her. “I just don’t like him in bed with us.”

“I get that. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No. It was a perfectly normal question. I don’t know why it upset me. It’s not like I miss him or our life together. I wouldn’t go back—not for anything. To be honest, it’s an enormous relief to be free of someone who took up all the emotional space in our relationship. Still, it’s hard to look at him after what he did. He’s so…”

“Weak.”

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