After the Christmas Party (17 page)

Fine. She could act all weird if that’s what she wanted, but today was Christmas and he was going to enjoy the day if it killed him.

His mother’s house was in chaos as usual, being Christmas Day. There were easily more than thirty people present. They all looked to be having a great time and happy to be there. Except Trinity didn’t want to be there and was doing a poor job of hiding that fact. Several times on the trip from the car to the house he’d thought she might make a run for it.

“Please, don’t make me do this.”

Frustrated beyond belief, he stopped walking to glare at her. “You act as if being here is making you a martyr.”

She winced. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I—”

“Uncle Riley is here!” Timmy, his sister’s oldest, screamed, and came racing toward him. The seven-year-old launched himself at Riley, cutting off whatever Trinity had been going to say. “Did you bring presents?”

“Have I ever come to Christmas without presents?” he snapped, and regretted it even before Timmy’s face fell. “Sorry, bud,” he apologized to his favorite nephew, who stared at him as if aliens must have invaded his body. Riley sighed, gave the kid a hug, then sat him down on the pavement. “There are more in the car if you want to round up a posse to help unload.”

Still looking at him as if trying to figure out what was up, Timmy and several of his other nephews, who seemed to appear out of thin air, ran towards his car.

Setting down the presents that he held, he turned
to face Trinity. “I know you don’t want to be here, but Christmas is special to my family and I don’t want the day ruined for my mother. She’s been through a lot. Try to at least pretend you want to be here with me, okay?”

Looking pale, Trinity just nodded and was then overwhelmed by his mother and sisters. Being cornered by the Williams women could be compared to nothing less than an all-out assault.

“Oh, look at you, honey. What a pretty little thing you are!” his mother said, her hands on Trinity’s shoulders as she studied her.

“Mom, you’re embarrassing her,” said Riley’s younger sister, who then proceeded to do the same but pulled Trinity into a hug that she remained stiff through.

“Nah,” said his sister, who was currently eight months pregnant and looked as if she was about to pop. “All women like to be called pretty and little.”

“Hey, pretty little sister,” Riley greeted her, stressing
pretty
and
little
. He kissed her cheek. “Mom, Becky, this is Trinity. We work together at the hospital.”

Because what more could he say?

“You more than work together or she wouldn’t be here with you.” That had come from his brother, who’d joined them and slapped Riley across the shoulder.

Riley wanted to laugh, to shake his brother’s hand and make a joke of his comment, but instead he just shrugged. “It’s no big deal, really.”

“Right,” his older sister said, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek. “Great to see you, little brother. And Trinity.” She turned to a pale Trinity and did the same. “We’re so glad that Riley has finally brought a woman home with him. We’ve all been placing bets as to what you looked like.”

“Bets?” Trinity’s eyes resembled those of a doe in headlights. Her skin was pasty white and her posture stiff as a board.

Riley winced. “Sis, you’re scaring her.”

“Nah, if she’s with you, she isn’t easily scared.”

His siblings all burst into laughter but Trinity remained quiet, and regret filled Riley. He’d made a mistake, bringing her here.

After the disaster of a morning they’d had, maybe he should just admit that everything about them was a mistake. He couldn’t give her what she deserved and she didn’t want anything he tried to give.

Maybe she really didn’t like Christmas.

Or him.

Ending things as soon as possible was inevitable.

Trinity had made a mistake in coming here with Riley. Seriously, she should just hibernate through Christmas each year. She’d be a happier person if she did.

Those around her would be happier because she knew she was ruining Riley’s day and that was a shame, but she felt unable to snap out of her melancholy.

She’d had sex with him the night before. Amazing, beautiful sex where they’d not held anything back from each other. Today she could barely look at him for the panic filling her mind.

Would he dump her on Christmas, as Chase had? Perhaps publicly do so in front of his family? His affluent family? She might not know the actual values of cars but the cars in Riley’s mother’s drive weren’t at the low end of the market.

They couldn’t be more different.

They’d probably all lost their bets because she
doubted any of them had bet on Riley bringing a charity case.

“Jake here thought you’d be tall and a buxomy redhead.” A woman who looked a lot like Riley clarified her earlier comment, oblivious to Trinity’s inner torment. “I thought you’d be tall, thin and blonde. Becky thought you’d be brunette.”

“And I thought you’d be the luckiest girl in the world to be here with my wonderful son,” Riley’s mom butted in, shooing them all further into the house. “Come on in so we can say a blessing for our meal.” The kids came running through with more packages. “Boys, y’all put those under the tree for now. We’ll open presents after we all have full bellies.”

“But, Nana!”

“Don’t Nana me. You heard me.” But her voice was full of love, rather than threat.

They were all being friendly, trying to include her, had smothered her with hugs and attention.

But Trinity felt the difference in Riley and knew she had no one to blame but herself. She’d known better than to come here, to become involved with him from the very beginning, and yet she had.

Because she had felt something when she’d looked at him that she hadn’t been able to resist and she’d made the mistake of falling in love with a man she could never have.

“Don’t pay them any mind.” A very tanned, very blonde woman who looked like she’d stepped off a vacation ad for Florida advised her. “The whole Williams clan are nothing but troublemakers.”

Trinity just blinked at the gorgeous woman.

“Hi, I’m Casey, Jake’s wife. You must be Trinity.
Come and sit by me. I’ll protect you from the Williamses.”

“Hello,” Riley interrupted with a scowl, stopping Casey from taking Trinity’s arm. “In case you’ve forgotten, you are one of us Williamses now, too.”

The woman flashed pearly-white teeth that contrasted brightly with her tanned skin. “Happiest day of my life.”

Jake wrapped his arm around her waist and planted a kiss on the woman’s mouth right there and didn’t stop with just a quick peck either.

Blushing, Trinity glanced around, but no one was paying the couple any heed. Apparently showing affection was the norm at the Williamses’ house. No mistletoe required.

“Uncle Riley, will you sit with us?” the little boy Riley had called Timmy asked, jumping up and down near Riley as if he had ants in his pants.

“At the kids’ table?” Riley scratched his jaw. “Not this year, Timmy. I’ve brought a guest with me. She needs me at the adult table with her. I have to protect her from the big people.”

Not hiding his disappointment, the boy gave Trinity a disgusted look. “She’s just a girl, Uncle Riley.”

“Just a girl, he says.” Riley ruffled the boy’s hair. “I’ll have to remind you of that in a few years.”

Trinity found herself watching Riley’s family interact, watched the open affection, the laughter, the genuine gladness to be together, and she tried not to feel envious. She also tried not to feel guilty that Riley frowned more than smiled. She wasn’t the only one who noticed and, unfortunately, various family members
would shoot them curious looks from time to time, but no one asked what the problem was.

They had to be wondering, though. Why would he bring someone who so obviously didn’t fit in with their wonderful lives? Why did it even matter? After all, she wouldn’t be seeing these people ever again. Riley wouldn’t want her to.

He’d given in to his nephew’s repeated requests to come and check out the new video game Santa had brought him or he’d just given up completely on her. Either way, he’d disappeared some time ago, which was probably for the best because something his brother had said to him had made him almost growl earlier.

In a room full of people, yet oddly alone at an open archway leading into the foyer, she took a sip of hot cinnamon apple cider, liking the mix of sweet and tangy flavors and wishing it would settle her nerves.

Wishing her insides didn’t twist, her mind didn’t doubt, her stomach didn’t roil. That she really was a part of this family and could go and play video games with Riley and the kids. Or even lounge comfortably with the crew that was settling in to watch a football game and talking back and forth about which team was going to win.

She wished she could be a glass-half-full kind of girl, rather than what stared back at her in the mirror. How did one go about changing one’s reflection?

She rested her head on the archway and wished she could blend into this love-filled family.

“She doesn’t seem to be having a very good time. Neither do you, for that matter.”

Ouch. Was she supposed to have been able to overhear Riley’s youngest sister? The pregnant one. She
couldn’t remember her name. She’d met so many different people today. Easily more than forty, although it might as well have been hundreds for how they’d made her head spin.

“We are a bit much to take in,” Riley said defensively. Trinity’s heart lurched at his defense but then crumbled at his next statement. “But you’re right. I shouldn’t have brought her here today, but she doesn’t have any family and I didn’t want her to be alone. Not on Christmas Day.” He paused and she couldn’t hear what his sister said. “Maybe, but, regardless, I made a grave miscalculation where she was concerned. One I dearly regret.”

He wished he hadn’t brought her? Well, duh, of course he wished he hadn’t brought her. She was ruining his day with his family. What a Christmas-killer she was.

Determined not to dampen his day or this lovely family’s day any more than she already had, she forced a smile onto her face and joined the closest group of adults to her.

Somehow she’d fake her way through the rest of the day.

Christmas couldn’t end soon enough. Was she doomed to feel this way for ever?

Taking a quick glance toward Trinity as he pulled the car out onto the highway, Riley sighed. “You’re quiet.”

She’d been quiet most of the day. With him, at any rate. When he’d come out from trying to make up to Timmy for snapping at the boy, Trinity had joined a group playing cards. She’d laughed and had seemed to enjoy herself. Except when he’d come near. Then the silent treatment had rolled in.

“Sometimes it’s better to say nothing at all.”

“Than to say something bad?” On the day after they’d first made love. Christmas morning. The entire day should have been filled with smiles and happiness. She’d clammed up and shut him out rather than embrace the goodness of what they could have shared on what was probably the only Christmas they’d spend together.

“You think I would say something bad?”

Why was it he stuck his foot in his mouth so easily where she was concerned? He loved her. He didn’t want to pick a fight with her. Not really. Or maybe he did because he felt so frustrated by the whole situation. At this point he wasn’t sure what he wanted.

“No, I don’t think you would say anything bad. What I think is that you’d sit quietly and answer a thousand questions as politely and concisely as you possibly could then go right back to being quiet, as if you’d taken a vow of silence rather than make any effort to make conversation.”

Her face flushed pink. “I made an effort to talk to your family.”

Keeping his eyes on the road and one hand on the steering-wheel, he raked his other hand through his hair. “I wanted you to like my family. To not have to make an effort to talk to them, but for it to flow naturally. I wanted them to like you.”

“I did like them.”

He heard her swallow and figured he’d said too much. That he should have held in what he wanted, because what he wanted didn’t seem to matter.

“Did they not like me?”

A damn of emotion broke loose within him and he failed to hold his irritation in.

“They knew something wasn’t right between us. I finally brought a woman home and they all kept asking me if we were arguing. I was embarrassed.” He knew he should stop, that he should just zip his lips and not say a word more, but his insides felt raw from walking on eggshells for most of the day. “And I guess we are, because from the moment I woke you up this morning you’ve been determined to fight with me. Thank God you only ruined my day and not my family’s.”

“I ruined your day?” Her hands were folded neatly in her lap and she stared straight ahead through the windshield, not even bothering to look his way.

This was the woman he’d made love to, the woman he had wanted to give a special Christmas to. Instead, everything had gone horribly wrong.

“I can honestly say this wasn’t how I envisioned us spending Christmas Day together.”

“I imagine not.” Now she glanced toward him, her eyes full of emotion that he wished was focused on the positive instead of whatever had occupied her mind all day.

“Which means what? That you’ve deliberately needled me because you didn’t want to go with me to my mother’s? That you’ve deliberately undermined our day together?”

Because he’d had that impression all day, but why she’d do that made absolutely no sense to him. No sense whatsoever.

“From the moment of the hospital Christmas party you’ve refused to listen when I tell you something about myself and you claim it means something else, something that’s what you want to hear. Then, when, like today, I’m not what you envisioned, you don’t understand
why I’m not. Well, hello, Riley, but I am a woman with real needs and real wants and real desires. If I say I like something or don’t like something, guess what? That means I like something or don’t like something. And you want to know something else?”

“You’re obviously going to tell me whether I want to know or not.” He pulled his car into his driveway and parked beneath the covered awning.