Page 51 of 10 Things I Hate About Mistletoe

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“She’d had cancer before and beat it. They caught it too late this time, but at least she didn’t suffer long.”

“Do you mind me asking why you and your dad aren’t close?”

Anthony’s hand flexed against her thigh, and she wondered if it was a stress reaction. She opened her mouth to take it back, but he started talking.

“I can’t remember spending time with him when I was young. As I got older, I realized that he avoided me on purpose. I overheard my parents arguing once when I was around six, and my dad admitted I was a mistake. That he didn’t want me.” Delilah sucked in a breath, and Anthony shot her a little smile. “Don’t feel bad about that. You can’t miss what you didn’t have. When my mom got sick the first time, he left, and Grant went with him. He didn’t give me the option, but I wouldn’t have gone anyway.”

“He sounds like a jerk,” Delilah said, then realized this was his dad. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, you’re right. He is. Grant was closest to me in age, but I had a better relationship with my brother Bradley. He’d moved out the year before and still came home to see us. Cam and Paul were already married and living out of state when my parents divorced. They were much older because my mom had Cam when she was sixteen and Paul at eighteen.” Anthony obeyed the GPS’s instructions to make a right, and Delilah remained silent, waiting for him to continue. “I don’t know why my brothers are this way, but she was an amazing mom to me.”

“That’s all that matters. I’ve been a substitute teacher for three years and taught multiple grades. I’ve seen siblings come from the same house with night and day personalities. Just because you all grew up in the same house doesn’t mean you had the same childhood. That’s not a criticism of your parents by any means.”

“I get that. Anyway, I’d see my dad when he went to family events my mom and I were invited to, like Bradley’s wedding and his kids’ birthdays. Bradley wasn’t a fan of Dad either. I think the first real conversation we actually had after the divorce, though, was at Mom’s funeral when he asked what I was going to do with his house.” His fingers flexed again, and Delilah rubbed the back of his hand with her palm. “I snapped, and we got into a fight. Grant and Nick pulled us apart, and he left. I hadn’t heard from him again until Grant showed up with a message from him that I should come to Thanksgiving.”

“Why would you go, though? If he was so horrible?”

Anthony hesitated. “I guess I thought maybe he’d had a change of heart.”

Delilah’s chest squeezed, and she threaded her fingers through his. “I hope you’re right.”

His phone rang in the cup holder, and she saw Pike’s name and face flash across the screen. Anthony grabbed it and slid his finger over the screen, sending it to voicemail.

“I’ll call him after I drop you home.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t think about this, but … you parked your truck in front of my place. What if he sees it and has questions?”

“I guess I’ll have to answer them.”

“What are you going to say?”

“What do you want me to say?”

Delilah wasn’t sure what to tell Anthony, especially since they hadn’t talked about last night or where they stood. She hadn’t wanted to broach the subject for many reasons and figured they were holding hands, touching, flirting … that was indication enough that he liked her, right? There is no need to examine it at this point.

“That we carpooled together since we were heading to the same place?”

Anthony snorted. “I’m not telling him that.”

“Why not?”

“Because I hate lies. I already feel like an asshole for not telling him about last night.”

“What stopped you?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been in a position where Pike and I have been interested in the same woman. It’s new territory, and I’m unsure how to navigate it, especially since I want to keep seeing you.”

“You do?” she asked.

Anthony rubbed his thumb over her skin lightly in a gentle caress. “I thought I made that pretty clear last night. And today.”

“I’m sorry. When did you say that you wanted to keep seeing me?”

Anthony held up their clasped hands. “Do I really have to say it?”

“Every girl likes clear, articulated intentions, so we’re on the same page.”