“Guess that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree then.”
“Oh no, boy. You are nothing like me. Your vanity, greed, and lack of decent morality are no traits of mine. I’ve tried, Knox. I truly tried to understand you. I tried endless times trying to bond with you and mold you into a decent human being. But nothing I did or said made a dent or was ever good enough for you. It took me until now to see that kind of person you are. The man standing in front of me is based on the decisions you’ve made, not mine. I blamed myself long enough for the rotten man you’ve become. I won’t do it any longer.”
James releases his hold on Knox and steps back until he’s close enough for me to reach out and grab his hand.
“You know what? It’s good that this happened. That way, I don’t have to pretend anymore. I’ve always hated you. Even before you and mom got divorced. You act like you’re above it all, like your shit doesn’t stink, but now I have proof just how much of a sick fuck you really are. And I’m going to tell every tabloid and newspaper how the great James Cross enjoys sleeping with his son’s leftovers.”
“Get the fuck out, Knox, before I kick you out. When you can respect me and the woman I love, then you can come back. Not before.”
“Don’t hold your breath waiting. I never want to see you again,” Knox shouts.
“Then don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.”
Knox gives us both a dirty look, and he spits yet again on the floor before turning his back and leaving once and for all. James grabs hold of my shoulders, inspecting my face to verify for himself that his son’s poison didn’t hurt me.
“Are you alright?” he asks worriedly, but my mind and heart are too full with his confession to be able to string a sentence together.
“Nicole, you’re scaring me. Are you okay?”
I nod, licking my parched lips.
“You… you love me?” I ask in a low whisper.
His anxious features immediately soften.
“Yes, I do. Is that going to be a problem?” He arches a mischievous brow.
“No,” I reply on bated breath.
“Good.” He smiles, palming my face in his hands.
“Don’t you want to know if I feel the same way?”
With hooded eyes, he leans in and kisses me. A kiss that has me confessing every secret I’ve buried in my heart and every feeling of love I have for him. Once he’s had his fill, he tugs playfully at my bottom lip with his teeth before pulling away.
“Your kiss tells me all I need to know,” he coos, with love in his voice.
I melt to his chest, holding him tightly, wondering how lucky I am that this man came into my life when he did. And even though he doesn’t ask, I vow that I will spend all my days showing him just how much I love him.
Starting right now on this glorious Christmas morning.
Epilogue
To be fair, it’s never really Christmas, or Thanksgiving or any other holiday for that matter, without a bit of family squabble.
It’s a common occurrence all over the world like the silent resentment between fathers and sons. Petty and snide comments being made by mothers, aunties and other relatives to their unmarried, single daughters, you know, all the ordinary family drama stuff.
But I don’t know if the explosive fight that happened here in this beautiful cabin happens anywhere else.
I mean, are there other girls like me out there who are sleeping and are in love with their ex’s father or am I the twisted, odd one out? If so, I don’t think I mind.
Being loved by James is teaching me a lot and one of them is, it’s perfectly all right to be different. He allows me to cry for my parents and the lie that has been hanging over my life, but soon, the shock wears off and the hurt subsides. Harold & Vanessa Lloyd may not have been my biological parents, but they did love and care for me.
As for Val, well, I haven’t heard from her since she stormed out but I can’t help but be a bit worried.
I stare at the flames in the fireplace, snuggled in my fleece blanket on the couch. James and I are still at the carbon, it’s been hard to leave such a beautiful place. Honestly, I don’t think I can stomach going back to my busy but fruitless life.
I didn’t want to come to Colorado for the holidays, but from the moment I saw James in the pub, sharing that incredible night with him then him showing me what love really feels like, I can’t help but be grateful.
He’s made me feel desired, wanted and valued and no one has ever made me want someone else the way he does.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
His deep, baritone voice is the sound of gods! I love the way I seem to come alive when he speaks.
“A penny?” I scoff kiddingly. “I didn’t know you were this cheap.”
“That’s how rich men stay rich,” he laughs, the sound carrying into my soul like a melody from Heaven. He drops down on the couch, looks at the distance between us, frowns, then he wraps an arm around my waist and practically lifts-pulls me closer to him until I’m in his lap. He lifts my chin with his fingers, then he pauses, staring down at me.
“She’s in New York right now,” he says.
“What?”
“You’ve been worried about Valerie. She’s still your sister and you can’t help looking out for her so I had my security track her.”
“And she’s in New York?” I whisper, disbelief in my voice. I thought I was doing a pretty awesome job, hiding my worry from him. But he saw it all. He’s always seen me, even in the dark.
“She’s in New York,” he repeats. “Is that where you want to go?”
I hold his stare, seeing the sudden turbulence there.
“I do want to go to New York,” I whisper and it’s like watching the security doors of a bank shut down. He gets closed off and silent for a minute, watching me.
“You do, huh?”
I nod, trying my hardest not to smile. God, this man makes my heart race in more ways than should be possible.
“I need to give my boss my resignation letter in person. She was good to me and she deserves that respect.”
He goes from wanting to obliterate the universe to smiling so beautifully, my heart pounds painfully.
“And then what?”
“And then I thought I’d have to break my lease at this shitty apartment and move to this secluded, private cabin in the mountains of Colorado,” I whisper. “I love that v=cabin. I feel like i found myself, my heart and my soul in that cabin, So if the owner of the cabin would let me… I’d love to live in that cabin for as long as possible.”
“Oh really? Who is the owner of this cabin?”
“Hmm, he’s this rugged, shrewd and amazing businessman who prefers life in the wild than in the city where he makes his millions.”
“Billions, but please, do go on.”
I laugh, planting my head on his shoulder so I can whisper in his ear. “I love the way he looks at me. I love the way he holds me when he’s sleeping, as if he doesn't want me to go anywhere. I especially love how he sees me, as if I’m the…”
“Most precious, most beautiful, fucking sexy and the only person who is everything to me,” he finishes, a serious, solemn look on his face.