“Another one?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at him. “Clay, I can’t?—”
“I didn’t have anything for your birthday,” he interrupts me with a shrug.
With a swirl of emotions, I trace the creases in the wrapping with my finger. I can’t help but tease him, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
“Wow, I think a ten-year-old could do that better,” Sophia mocks him, leaning back on the couch with her mug of tea.
“Hey, it’s much easier wrapping sketchbooks than plushies,” he defends.
“You got me a plushie?” I ask, tearing open the paper to reveal one of those irresistibly cute, round, squishy pillows—a black cat with golden eyes. My eyes water, and I clutch it tightly. “This is so dumb, I hate it.” My voice quivers with unshed tears.
Clay grins, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “Her name is Karen.”
“I hate you,” I whisper in a soft trembling voice. But it’s a lie. I don’t hate him. In fact, I feel anything but hate, and a pang of guilt hits me.
“I hate you more,” he murmurs into my ear, sealing his words with a gentle kiss on my cheek.
NINE
We all enjoyour Christmas together, and it feels like our family is finally whole with Carolina and Chiara here too. We eat the delicious meal Sophia and Xander made for us and talk for hours about everything and nothing.
After the mention of their parents, Chiara opened up, sharing some stories about how she remembers celebrating Christmas when their parents were still alive, with Italian Christmas songs and a cake called panettone. She smiles while telling us, a smile I’ve never seen on her before, but Carolina becomes sad and quiet again.
I also miss my parents at Christmas, even though they’re just on the other side of the world and I can call them. I can’t imagine how she must feel.
We settle on the couch, bellies full. I noticed that Carolina ate only a little, and I hope her stomach feels better soon. She seems to be slowing down after the busy day. She lays on the couch with her head in my lap, and I stroke her hair.
Chiara is showing Sophia how to apply blush the new, right way, and Clay sits in Xander’s lap. We all watch as Sophia is transformed into a clown, and I silently laugh at her. The others wear the same tight-lipped smiles, which tells me they, too, areholding back giggles. The sight before us is comical, and I’m not sure Sophia quite gets it.
She shoots me a glare, but I notice Carolina’s eyes growing heavy and eventually closing. Instead of saying anything to Sophia, I nudge Carolina gently. “Come on, let’s go to bed,” I suggest, and she nods, slowly getting to her feet.
Taking her hand, I wish everyone in the room good night.
Carolina pauses to grab her plushie from beside Clay and Xander. “Night,” she tells them with a yawn.
“Sleep well,” Clay murmurs, looking at her with such longing that I almost feel sorry for him.
Almost.
I’m going to cherish my alone time with her for as long as possible. I noticed the way she looked at him when he gave her that plushie. Clay is right. She’s definitely in love with him too.But she needs to realize that on her own.
Until then, I’ll be a bit selfish.
Surprisingly, the plushie wasn’t what made me jealous. He made her happy tonight. He gave her something meaningful I didn’t even know she wanted. All I could think of was how grateful I was that he knows her so well and could get her something that brought her such joy.
What made me jealous were the glances and the closeness, them acting as if it was completely normal to touch and smooch her the whole time. The last time I checked, she was stillmygirlfriend. If things change, and let’s be honest, they will, I am going to have to come to terms with this. But as it is, I reserve the right to be upset when someone gets too close to my girl, even with the best intentions.
Although it wasn’t as bad as I initially thought.
Maybe this situation will turn out better than I expected.
As we make our way over to Sophia’s, my hand stays firmly on Carolina’s lower back. And when we reach her temporaryroom, I close the door behind us and guide her to the bed. Sitting on the edge, I gesture for her to sit beside me, which she does after she places the plushie on the bed.
“Aren’t you curious about what I got you?” I ask with a grin.
Her eyes go wide with surprise. “You got me something? I already got the phone from you.”
I chuckle softly. “Of course I did.”
