“Oh, of course not. The Women’s Guild has been busy wrapping presents for all the children. Santa is so excited to be there. It’ll be so much fun.”
It’s been years since I’ve been to the ball. When we were teenagers, we had cleanup duty since we were too old to participate. Nevertheless, I remember going when I was younger to sit on Santa’s lap. He always seemed to know what I wanted.
Aiden scoops Holly up and I follow him to the door, where I help him slide Holly’s coat on. “She’s out cold.”
“You fed her too many cookies,” he says, causing me to step away.
“I didn’t mean to say it like that. She had a lot of fun here, Laney. I haven’t seen her this happy in a long time and that’s because of you.”
“She’s a great little girl, Aiden. I really…” Do I like her? Care for her? Love her as if she were my own?
“I know,” he says, filling in my missing words with whatever works for his life. I open the door for them and follow them out into the cold night air without a jacket. Aiden hurries to put Holly into the truck and runs around to the driver’s side to start it. He closes the door and comes over to me, using his hands to rub up and down my arms before pulling me into his embrace. “I had the best time tonight. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you for making Holly’s Christmas so magical. She hasn’t stopped talking about you since you came over the other night.”
“She’s amazing, Aiden.”
“So are you. And Calvin… I’m glad you brought him here. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him.”
Is Aiden deflecting? Is he hiding his feelings from me by bringing up Calvin? “You and Calvin seem to be good friends.”
“He’s great. He really cares for you, Delaney.”
Does Aiden think Calvin has a thing for me? I certainly hope not. Relationships between employee and employer are common, especially in my industry, but Calvin is my best friend. He’s my confidant when I need to unload. He’s my protector when I have no one else. “Yeah, he is. He’s my best friend in Los Angeles. Honestly, I’d be a hermit if it weren’t for him.” I adjust slightly so I can look at Aiden, hoping he can see in my eyes, what I’m telling him.
“He told me you were crying the other day. Why?” Aiden looks concerned.
“I don’t even remember, actually. Probably something Dominic did to me. You know how he is.” I shake my head, hoping to convey my tears were for nothing. He doesn’t need to know I heard people talking about him and how he was romancing another woman until I arrived. Aiden and I may not have stayed in touch, but I can’t imagine his character has changed over the years. The Aiden Fisher I know isn’t a cad.
Aiden brushes over my cheek with the back of his hand. Our eyes never leave each other’s. We’re so close. If I were to rise up on my tippy toes, I could kiss him right here and now, but not with Holly in the truck. I don’t want to put Aiden in a situation where he has to explain why he’s kissing someone other than her mommy. “Goodnight,” I say, stepping out of his grasp.
Aiden pulls me back to him and kisses my forehead. His warm lips linger, burning into my skin, my thoughts and my heart. I close my eyes and wish for a time when everything would be perfect. Sadly, a time like that existed ten years ago. Things could’ve been different for the both of us or we could’ve easily ended up like many of the other failed relationships. It’s hard not knowing if you made one change in your life, how different things could be.
I step away and head into my parents’ house. I do so without looking back to see if he’s watching. I want to think he is and want that to be my last thought of the night. Inside, the house is quiet, but the glow from the television tells me someone is still awake. In the den, my father’s in his recliner flipping through the channels.
“Hey.” I sit on the couch, choosing the spot closest to my dad.
“Aiden gone?”
“Yeah, he is.”
“You know he waited in line for a ticket to see you tonight. Told Maryann he wanted the last two.”
“I heard. I’m not sure why though. All he had to do is ask me to meet him.”
Dad sets the remote down and looks at me. “You know sometimes men like to take things slow. I know in your world, everything moves at such speed, but here we like to stop and smell the roses.”
“It’s winter. There are no roses, unless men have some magical garden us women don’t know about, in which case you should start sharing because I know Mom loves red roses, especially at Christmastime.”
My dad gives me the side eye and a sly grin. I just nailed one of the gifts my mom will receive in the next few days. For as long as I can remember, my dad has given my mom a gift every day during the week leading up to Christmas. I’ve always wanted this type of love and I’m still waiting to find it.
“What I’m saying, dear daughter of mine, is sometimes us men like to take things slow. We want to enjoy the chase. We want our victory to be sweet.”
“You make love sound like a game.”
“Isn’t it though?” he asks. “Where’s the fun in walking up to a beautiful woman and saying ‘I want to take you on a date?’”
“Sometimes being forward is the best way,” I counter.
Dad shakes his head. “Nah. Sometimes getting to know the person you’re interested in makes dating so much sweeter.”