Page 85 of Santa Baby

But now Mason was looking at me, some emotion finally creeping back into his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s—”

Mason interrupted me. “He’s going to make you choose and I can’t be a part of that. I can’t get between you and your family.”

I furiously shook my head. “No, Mason, I⁠—”

“Leave,” Colin growled at Mason, furious. “Get out of here.”

I took a step in Mason’s direction, but Mason shook his head. “Stay here, Fia.”

“No. No, we have dinner with your parents.”

Mason looked down at his shoes, biting down on his lower lip like he was trying to hold himself back from saying something he either desperately needed to say, or something he’d regret. Maybe both, I realized, a moment too late. “I’m so sorry.” He turned away from me, walking into the snowy street, his body cast in the shadow of the streetlights as I gaped after him, numb.

When Colin tried taking my arm, I shoved him. “What the hell is your problem?” I hissed, shoving him again. “What made you think this was any of your business?”

“Mom told me about your job offer. Are you kidding me, Fia? You’d stay here, for him?”

“I love him.” The words ghosted through the vacuum of snowy silence between us. Colin’s lips parted, but I shook my head, tears beginning to roll down my face and freeze to my cheeks. “That isn’t what you want to hear, is it? That I fell in love with your friend? Your CEO? I love him. I love him, and whatever you said to him, you ruined it. I’ll never forgive you.”

“I’m just trying to save you from having your heart broken again.”

“Too late. Do not say another word to me.” I whirled and hurried back to the house, going through the garage door on the first floor to avoid the party upstairs. I couldn’t handle it. I shut the garage door behind me and sank to the cold, dusty floor, burying my face in my hands.

Eventually I heard a commotion upstairs. Colin must have gone back inside and was getting a major talking to by everyone. I couldn’t make out the words. I didn’t care to know, honestly.

Why had Mason just walked away like that?

I curled into myself, pressing my knees against my chest. I wasn’t sure how many minutes or even hours ticked by. The noise upstairs turned to a muffled hum of engines and boots crunching through the snow. Soft well wishes of Merry Christmas drifted behind my back, and the house fell silent.

The interior door to the garage opened and shut, followed by my dad’s heavy tread. He came to a stop in front of me but I refused to lift my head.

“I got you a plate of dessert upstairs. It’s waiting for you.”

“I’m not very hungry.”

“No, you wouldn’t be, huh?” He groaned and cursed under his breath as he maneuvered into a sitting position beside me, his joints popping aggressively. He roped a burly arm over my shoulder, sighing. “Colin’s sobering up upstairs. Your mom has him doing all the dishes.”

“I hate him.”

“You don’t.” Dad gave me a little nudge. “You don’t hate Colin. You don’t have to like him, and he’s a dumbass fool for the stunt he just pulled, but you don’t hate him.”

Silence swelled between us for several minutes.

“I’m not gonna ask about what happened.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“But I am gonna say, because I have to, as the man of the family and your dad, that I’m sorry.”

I looked up at him, confused. “For Colin?”

“For being part of a union and raising the two of you in Brooklyn instead of Park Avenue.”

“Dad, that’s not… that isn’t what it’s about.”

“To Colin it is. I’m not going to act like I know what exactly happened up there, and out on the street for all the neighbors to hear, but Colin has some bitterness he hasn’t been able shake after his breakup. I know he’s friends with Mason and they went to college together and what not, but Colin has never seen himself as being even remotely in the same league.”