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“Now . . . I work up the courage to have a conversation with my family, too. Nothing like the one you’ll have, but . . . I empathize.”
There was a knock at the door, and I wiped my hands on a dish towel and went to answer it.
“Merry Christmas,” Liam said, opening his arms for a hug.
“Merry Christmas.”
“I hope my present is finally meeting Christopher.”
“Ah, no.”
He furrowed his brow and stepped inside. James came out of the kitchen and a feeling of panic lodged in my throat. I’d trusted my historically-an-asshole roommate with my deepest secret. He could spill it to Liam right now, laugh his ass off, and leave me to pick up the pieces.
“Merry Christmas, Liam,” James said, turning to me right after my brother muttered a “Merry Christmas” in return. “I’m just gonna get a quick shower and go.”
Relief set in. My secret would live to see another day. But hopefully not many more, because I was ready to have everything out in the open. I just wanted Bennett by my side when that happened.
“Where’s Mom?” Liam asked, sitting on my couch.
“At the store.”
“How long is she staying here?”
“She hasn’t said. I tell her every day that she needs to go back home, pack her stuff, and leave Michael.”
Liam shook his head and looked disgusted. “She won’t. She’ll wait ’til he kicks her out.”
“Exactly. We know the pattern well.”
I was about to sit down by Liam when there was another knock at the door. I opened it and saw a uniformed messenger holding out a package.
“Charlotte Holloway?”
“Yeah, that’s me . . . hold on.”
I got five dollars from my purse and gave it to him. He passed me the package and gave me a mock salute.
When I opened it, there was a small, wrapped Christmas gift inside. My heart skipped a beat as I wondered if it was from Bennett. Part of me wanted to open it later, when I was alone, but another part was too eager.
I tore into the package and found a small black box. Inside was a pearl ring with little diamonds on each side of the stone. The June birthstone. I broke out into a huge grin as I read the card.
Merry Christmas, baby. Wish we could be together.
~B
“What do we have here?” Liam ripped the card from my hand.
“Give it back!”
“Aw, he calls you baby. How original.” He held the note in the air where I had no hope of reaching it and looked at me. “B? I thought his name was Christopher.”
“It is.”
“Then what’s this?” He shook the note back and forth.
I had to think fast. “It’s . . . my nickname for him. Boo Bear.”
“Boo Bear?” Liam grimaced. “The fuck is that? Is this guy a pansy?”
