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“Yeah…” It didn’t feel like quite the suit of armor it once had. “I was so busy working and trying to fend off everyone Mom wanted to send my way that I put out a blanket no-dating policy. I didn’t have the time or the inclination for it.”
“And, in doing so, you failed to realize you’d already found the person you wanted to date.”
Katie looked down. “Essentially.”
“So tonight was—”
“A pretty big deal, actually, yeah.”
“Shit.” He cringed, looking around at the crowd, his eyes lingering on the now abandoned tablescape. “Sorry, Katie.”
“Ugh. Don’t use my real name. You’ll make me think I’m actually as tragic as it feels I am.”
He laughed softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “It’s not tragic, kid. It’s just love. Welcome. We’re all a little bit tragic in it, but only in the best ways.”
“Still waiting on the best parts and the less tragic parts.”
He tilted to look her in the eyes without letting go of her. “I’ll talk to Mom for you.”
She sniffed. “Thanks, but I think I need to do it. Set some clearer boundaries on what’s going on in my life and what’s okay to bring into it.”
“Do you think she’ll take it well?”
Katie shrugged. “The fact that I’m never coming back home and I’m not marrying the kid of one of her friends? Probably not. The fact that I found someone I actually do want to be with? Probably.” She nodded towards her mom and Maggie. “She seems to like her well enough.”
Adam laughed. “Hasn’t left the poor woman alone all night. You might want to be worried about Mom muscling in on your girl.”
Katie shuddered. “Not thinking about that, thanks.”
Adam squeezed her shoulders tighter. “Do you want to do it tonight?”
“Ha. No. I should have been clearer with Mom about what is and isn’t acceptable long ago, but, in this case, I think I want to tell Maggie how I feel first, you know, before I start broadcasting it to everyone. Just like I’d planned to do before you all burst in here tonight.” She glared up at him.
He winced again but still seemed a little amused. “Yeah, sorry, Specks. Regardless of how it goes, I’ll make sure we call next time.”
“Next time, he says. As if this is a regular thing you do.”
“Hey, we’ve been here now, seen your luxury pad. We might be here all the time.”
“I’m changing the locks and refusing to let you in.”
He laughed and Katie joined in. It felt good to tell him. She really did like her family, but she had boundaries, and that was okay. He’d listened and understood, and that was the way it was supposed to be. Boundaries weren’t incompatible with love and family, no matter how long she’d allowed her mom to dance over hers. And, if she really was engaging in the next phase of her life—hopefully with Maggie—boundaries were going to be of paramount importance. She had zero interest in her family showing up at the door unannounced when she and Maggie were… indisposed.
Chapter Twelve
Maggie felt like she’d been on edge for days. She’d been on edge heading to Katie’s apartment, on edge finding her whole family there, on edge as Irene chatted to her all night, and on edge at the fact that they still hadn’t left.
She was beginning to wonder whether they were planning on simply staying until after Christmas. Some of Katie’s extended family had left, but her mom, siblings, and their families were sticking around. Irene seemed to have barely left Katie’s side if the messages Maggie had been getting were anything to go by. She let Katie go to work, but she was sleeping at Katie’s apartment—in Katie’s bed—and spending every second she could with Katie.
Maggie got it. Irene missed her daughter. Katie’s schedule was packed and didn’t allow a lot of time for anything but work. Of course her mom was doing what she could to see her, but Maggie could sense the growing frustration in Katie’s messages. They both knew she had to talk to her mom, but Katie had obviously been hoping to wait until after the holidays in order to avoid upsetting Irene during them.
And, selfishly, Maggie missed her. They were supposed to be wandering Christmas markets and shopping for gifts together, drinking hot cocoa, and baking cookies together. Maggie knew she wasn’t owed that, and she was certain Katie’s family took priority over her, but she missed her best friend and their traditions. She was booked on a flight to her family tomorrow. They were running out of time to even see each other.
She also missed what might have been if Katie’s family hadn’t arrived unexpectedly.
She’d wondered over the last few days whether it was odd to miss something you’d never had and didn’t even know the reality of, but she’d been ready to put her heart on the line, Katie had gone to a lot of effort for the night, and she couldn’t help but hope and wonder. The further they got from it, the more her longing heart hoped that Katie had been planning to tell her she’d wanted them to kiss too.
She stared out of her window, missing the window seat and large, latticed window at Katie’s apartment, the one that let you look out on the city like it was a magical place in a movie.
