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I laughed at that. “No. We didn’t celebrate Hanukkah either.”
“Is your mom just against the holiday?”
Oh, to have grown up in his world and not realize that, without money, Christmas was a struggle.
“Mom told us that Santa was a made-up thing that parents told their kids. Since she struggled to keep a roof over our heads, she couldn’t afford to buy us gifts or put up a tree or decorations. So, she chose not to celebrate it at all. We rarely had a television back then, so we didn’t watch Christmas movies. Other than hearing other kids talk about it at school and the school parties in the classroom, we didn’t know much about the holiday.”
Saxon was quiet for a moment. I wondered if I’d been too honest with him.
“Fuck, Haisley. That’s just sad.”
I shrugged. “It’s life. We didn’t live in a box on the side of the street, and we had food to eat. There are those who had less than us.”
We drove in silence for a few minutes, and then he turned, and we went under a massive arch that said Hughes Farm on it. I gasped, sitting up straight. Twinkling white lights covered everything. They even hung from trees. It was incredible.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, trying to take it all in. How many lights were there, and how long had this taken to do? “Look! They have Christmas trees outside! And is that one at the stables? The horses even have a tree!”
When Saxon pulled up to the house, he parked behind another car in the large circular drive. Christmas trees decorated in silver and white lined the steps on both sides leading up to the house. There had to be over forty trees just outside, and they were all fully decorated. Not just covered in lights.
“Prepare yourself. The inside is just as insane,” Saxon told me, opening his door.
I quickly opened mine, ready to jump down and see everything up close. Pausing, I listened as holiday music played from speakers.
My eyes went to the front of the mansion. Wreaths covered the windows, and trees were lit up in almost every window.
“It’s like a winter wonderland but in Florida,” I said as Saxon appeared in front of me.
“Give me your hand before you break your leg,” he said as his fingers wrapped around my wrist.
He helped me down, and I went back to looking at the decorations. We walked up the stairs, and I realized there were presents under the bajllion trees we passed. Surely, those weren’t real presents.
“They always go all out, but this year, it’s a little more over the top than usual,” Saxon said beside me. “Garrett fell in love, and his fiancée wanted a Christmas wedding. They’re getting married here on Christmas Day. Also, just so you don’t get confused by the stepsibling jokes you’re going to hear tonight, Trev’s girlfriend, Gypsi, is about to become his stepsister. The guys like to tease him about it. Although he doesn’t seem to care.”
That had to be a good story.
“I’d like to know how that happened.”
Saxon grinned. “I’ll give you the details sometime.”
When we reached the door, I realized Saxon’s hand was on my lower back. I’d been so caught up in everything around me that I hadn’t noticed. I did now though. My entire body did. He pressed the doorbell, and I could hear the “Carol of the Bells” play.
“Is that their doorbell?” I asked, amazed.
He nodded.
The door swung open, and a stunning blonde smiled warmly at Saxon, then turned to me. She was wearing a red dress that hugged her curves, and her platinum hair hung in curls around her shoulders.
Stepping forward, she held out her hand to me. “I’m Gypsi, and I am so glad you came.”
I placed my hand in hers, and she used both her hands to gently squeeze mine before turning back to Saxon.
“Wow,” she said her eyes wide. “She’s gorgeous.”
Me? I glanced at Saxon then, and he was blushing. Why was he blushing?
He cleared his throat. “Yeah,” he agreed, but it didn’t seem very believable.
“Sax! You’re here.” Trev Hughes, who I recognized immediately, stepped into the entryway. “And you brought Haisley.”
He was smiling brightly and looked genuinely happy that I was here. That was a relief.
“Haisley’s here?” I heard Aspen call out, and then she came walking through the same entrance Trev had.
Her eyes lit up when she saw me. Seeing a familiar face among all these people felt good. Even if her boyfriend scared me to death.
“Why don’t we make our way to the great room?” Saxon said. “Y’all can all talk to Haisley in there, and I can get a drink.”
Aspen came up to me and hugged me. “It’s so good to see you,” she said, then lowered her voice. “And I want all the details on this baby.”
