CHAPTER 18
Holden
It’s two days before Christmas, and I find myself in an unusual predicament. For the first time since high school, I have a girlfriend. A girlfriend I don’t have a gift for. I need to do something about that.
Rushing through a shower, I make my way to the kitchen, where my parents sit having breakfast. “Morning, son,” Dad greets.
“Morning.”
“I came to wake you, but you were in the shower,” Mom tells me.
“Yeah. I have some errands to run today.”
“We were hoping to come by and see the new house.”
I smile when I think about the mess that Parker and I left last night with our decorating adventure. “Yeah, it’s a mess right now. Give me a few hours to get it cleaned up.”
“Why on earth is it a mess? I thought you said it was move-in ready?” she asks.
“You should talk with the real estate agent,” Dad chimes in. “They should have taken care of that for you.”
“Yeah, well, I kind of made the mess.”
“You made the mess?” Mom asks, confused.
“Yeah. I took Parker, this girl I’m seeing, over there last night to see it again, now that it’s mine. She was talking about how pretty a tree would be in front of the huge windows in the living room, so I suggested she go with me to buy one. That led to more decorations, and we went back and set it all up last night.”
“Oh, tell me more about this Parker,” Mom says.
“Honey, leave him alone. You know he’s not ready to settle down.” Dad comes to my defense.
Usually, I would agree with him. My parents know I’ve not been a saint. They know that my typical response is “I’m young and playing the field.” Today, however, my answer is going to be different.
“She’s special,” I confess. My parents both stop eating and give me their full attention. “We actually made it official last night.”
“I’m going to need a little more than that, Holden.” Mom gives me a look that tells me she’s completely shocked by my confession.
“I don’t know how else to explain it. Parker and I are dating. Officially. As in, she’s my girlfriend.”
“Damn,” Dad mutters. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Sorry to disappoint, old man,” I tease.
“No. It’s just I thought you would forever be in this ‘wild, sow your oats’ stage. Your mother and I both worried that being on the road all the time with the, uh, possibilities thrown your way, that you would be a forever bachelor.”
“It was a good possibility,” I agree. In my freshman year of college, I started on the baseball team. Word spread fast about my talent on the field, and all the girls wanted to be with me. I was their meal ticket, or so they hoped. I used them like they used me. Well, used is a strong word. I was honest with each and every woman I’ve ever been with. They knew it was one night of fun and that it would never be anything more. I mean, come on. When a woman walks up to you and offers to blow you in the middle of a frat party, she’s not exactly in the running for taking her home to meet your momma.
“When do we get to meet her?” Mom asks.
“I’m not sure. I know she’s really close with her family, so I assume she’ll be with them for Christmas.”
“Well, you let me know, and I can make us dinner. We have dinner Christmas Day at Aunt Lottie’s at five, but if she can’t make that, we will do something small with just the four of us.”
“I don’t want to scare her away, Mom. I just got her.”
“I’ll be on my best behavior,” she replies, making Dad and me crack up laughing.
“Sure you will,” I say, shoving a piece of bacon into my mouth. “Anyway, I need to go out and grab her something for Christmas.”
“Holden! You should have done that already,” Mom scolds.
“We were dating at best, and it seemed like I was doing more chasing than dating. I had planned to pick up something small, but now she’s mine, and well, it needs to be more than that.”
“You know this girl doesn’t sound like monetary gifts are her thing,” Dad comments.
“You’re right. She’s not, but at the same time, she’s the first woman I’ve ever wanted to spoil.”
“Aw.” Mom sighs, clutching her hands over her heart.
“So, yeah, let me get the place cleaned up, and I’ll shoot you a text. We didn’t have a trash can last night, and I didn’t even think about it.”
“We’ll be there,” Dad assures me.
“Thanks.” I finish off my breakfast and stand to help clear the table.
“You go on. You’ve got shopping to do, and the last-minute crowds are going to be awful.” Mom waves her hand at me, basically telling me to get out of her way and get moving.
“Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.” I kiss her cheek and head to my room to grab my wallet and my keys. Walking to the window, I hit the button for remote start on my truck to let the cab warm. Soon, I’ll be parking inside, and the snow and ice will no longer be an issue. While I wait, I pull up Parker’s name and hit call.
“Good morning,” she says.
“Morning. You sound happy.”
“I had a good night last night. I guess that just flows over to my morning.”
“Oh really? Anything you want to tell me?” I tease.
“Yeah, this guy I’ve been running from finally caught me.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. He’s not at all who I thought he was.”
“I’m glad to see that you haven’t changed your mind with the light of day.”
“No. Have you?”
“Never,” I assure her. “What are your plans today?”
“I have some gifts to wrap and a few last-minute things to pick up, but other than that, I’m a free woman.”
“No, you’re not. You have a boyfriend, remember?” I know that’s not what she’s referring to. She’s free from college for three weeks, but I’m still going to take every opportunity to remind her she’s now attached to me. She’s mine, and I want everyone to know it.
“So bossy,” she jokes.
“When it comes to you and you being mine, you’re damn right I am.”
“So, caveman, what’s on your agenda today?”
“I’m going to buy a trash can, and I have some last-minute shopping that I need to do as well.”
“Anything I can help with?”
“I think I’ve got it. Do I get to see you today?”
“Do you want to see me today?”
“Yes. Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask you. What are your plans for Christmas?”
“Well, we usually get together and have Christmas morning breakfast, which is actually brunch since Jett came along. Paisley and Cameron like to have him wake up and open his gifts from Santa before heading to Grandma and Grandpa’s.”
“When do you all do Christmas dinner?”
“Usually that evening. It’s an all-day event at the Monroe household. What about you? When does your family get together?”