Page 54 of All for Love

Kaden gave me an encouraging smile as he inclined his head toward the tree. “Go ahead. Have fun decorating. Kody and I have got a surprise arriving in a few and then I’ll be making an announcement, but the rest of the day is only going to be about the Christmas spirit. It’s the first, after all. There’s no time better than the present to start getting our festive on.”

With a soft laugh, I nodded and went to join a few of the people standing around the box of ornaments that had been left at the base of the tree. I’d started making some friends here, and as I listened to them chatting while we hung the decorations, I realized Kody hadn’t been flirting with the temp.

He’d been inviting her to join the festivities as well. As much as it was nice of him to include us not-permanent people, I couldn’t help the pang of disappointment that rippled through me. For just a few minutes, I’d thought that maybe I was at least a little bit special. That he’d invited me because he actually wanted me to be part of this.

I’d been wrong. It seemed it was his job to make people feel included. With that realization, I decided to stop thinking about him in those terms. I meant nothing to him and the sooner I accepted that, the better.

Everyone decorated the tree together and some people helped the décor team with the other items. All the while, the Christmas music kept playing and the mood was light and cheerful. Laughter and chatter rang out around me, and the cherry on the cake was when the surprise Kaden had mentioned arrived.

“Christmas treats and coffees for everyone,” Kody called out as an army of delivery people walked in. “Courtesy of everyone’s favorite bosses, us!”

There was a round of cheering and applause as the snacks were set out, and then the employees mingled for a bit while they ate. Thanks to the few friends I’d made, I wasn’t left out completely and I had to admit, this was pleasant.

It seemed my stepbrothers really knew what they were doing in terms of company morale, and this was an excellent example of that. Wondering if there were other things I could implement to help them boost morale consistently, I made small talk and munched on a few mini-quiches.

As the snacks disappeared and the coffee cups were drained, Kaden and Kody climbed on a coffee table to make a few announcements. So identical it was painful to look at them, they really did cut a weirdly impressive sight side-by-side on that coffee table.

“Right, guys!” Kody called, immediately capturing everyone’s attention. “First things first, and the most important announcement of the day. The Christmas party will be happening on Friday, the twenty-second. It’s going to be a good one, people. You don’t want to miss it.”

Kaden rolled his eyes good-naturedly, grinning as he took over. “While my brother thinks the party is the best part, I’ve got even better news.”

He paused for a moment for dramatic effect. “We’ve decided to close the office until January third so everyone can have some quality time with their families.”

Wow. That’s pretty special.Most companies of this caliber never closed down completely, but once again, they were proving that Wagner was something else.

After the social hour at the end of the day, I was still thinking about the Wagner difference as I packed up to leave. I was one of the last people in the office, but I liked to finish my work at a natural end point and I’d wanted to finish a few remaining files of the digital organization before I left for the weekend.

On my way out, I caught Kody standing in front of the Christmas tree. All the lights were off, and I wondered what he was doing as he stared at the lights and the ornaments.

I almost went over to talk to him and make sure he was okay, but I couldn’t risk the temptation of stealing a kiss in the soft festive lighting. If there was something wrong, he had his brother.

One day, in a moment like this, I hoped I’d be able to be there for him. It just couldn’t be today. I wasn’t quite there yet, but I would be. Eventually. Maybe.

One day, a long, long time from now, maybe I’d even look at him and see the brother I’d never had but had always wished for. Right now, it didn’t feel like it would ever be possible, but that was the beauty of time.

It healed all wounds. I just had to give it a little bit longer to heal this one.