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“Thank you.” She didn’t point out that she didn’t have a tree.
“You’re welcome.” He sounded as awkward as she did.
That the packages inside her stocking contained various Christmas ornaments didn’t surprise her. Not really. What an optimist he was.
Part of her knew she’d treasure the gifts always. Another part wondered if she’d ever be able to look at them without remembering that the day he’d given them to her had been the beginning of the end.
Apparently, he was going to fail at giving Trinity a magical day. Not that he wasn’t trying, but he could only do so much when she wouldn’t look him in the eye and even her smile was fake.
Maybe he should have just taken her home instead of torturing himself with failure for the remainder of the day.
He didn’t deal well with failure.
Especially when he didn’t know why he was failing. He loved this woman and wanted to make her day special. Why was everything coming out wrong?
Because he was the wrong Prince Charming?
“You can take me home if you’ve changed your mind about wanting me with you today.”
“Hell, no,” he snapped, knowing he sounded harsh, but seriously, if that was her game and she’d purposely been aloof all morning to get out of spending Christmas with him, she could think again.
“Fine, but just remember that I did offer.”
He tried to hold her hand as they walked around the car, but she pulled away under the pretense of helping him carry packages. He frowned but figured that her refusing to hold his hand was par for the course today.
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
