of a jellyfish. I can’t just stay in that house and let Aiden continue to gain the upper hand. He really intends to get what he wants, and I’m not stubborn enough to fend him off for long.
Take last night, for example—that was quite a lapse in judgment. I thought I had things under control. I thought I was calling the shots.
Christmas Eve is supposed to be spent with family and friends, but I hole up in a coffee shop with my Kindle and a latte for the better part of the day. It’s lovely. The manager gives me a free gingerbread cookie when she sees me staring wistfully through the window. She assumes I have nowhere to go and no one to be with on Christmas Eve, and I don’t have the energy to correct her.
I’m at war with myself. I can’t make up my mind about what to do with Aiden. One minute, I worry he’s an arrogant full-of-himself asshole who is only telling me what he thinks I want to hear in an attempt to get his way. The next minute, I remind myself that I know Aiden. He’s not that guy. He wouldn’t lie to me like this just to have some holiday fling. Back and forth I go, like a tennis ball getting slammed around a court. I’m sweating with indecision, embarrassed as memories from last night flit back into my mind.
I can’t believe we did that.
I can’t believe he did that!
I’m unsettled and frazzled even later, as I finish getting ready to go out for dinner. Fortunately, I packed more than enough options of clothes to wear. I knew Aiden was going to be here this week, so I came prepared. I managed to stuff the entirety of my closet into the suitcases littering my room.
I settle on a slinky red dress that would be overly simple and boring, except for the short hemline and thin crisscrossed straps. My heels match. So do my lips. I leave my makeup minimal other than the lipstick, though. I’ve always appreciated a bold red lip paired with understated makeup.
I hear Aiden in the bathroom, finishing up getting ready. I’ve kept the door to my room closed, appreciating the few moments of privacy before I have to face him again.
I wish I had a clear path forward.
I wish my feelings for him had evaporated over time.
I wish…
There’s a knock on my door. It’s Jolie asking if I’m ready to go.
“Yeah, just another minute!” I shout back, straightening my dress and glancing at my reflection in the mirror once more to confirm everything looks to be in place. Killer dress, check. Red lips, check. Merry Christmas, Aiden. Eat your heart out.
Of course, I immediately recognize my mistake when I head to join the others in the living room. During all my prep work for tonight, I forgot to build a forcefield against Aiden. He brought the big guns too. He’s wearing dark jeans, a black sweater underneath an army green jacket, and stylish brown boots. He looks like a well-dressed bad boy, like the fearless journalist he is.
Horrible.
“Should we all ride over together?” Jolie asks. “The hotel isn’t far, but with it so cold out, I don’t think it’s smart to walk.”
“I could take Maddie separately?” Aiden offers.
“Together is fine!” I say, already heading past the group toward the cars outside.
I plant myself right beside Ford’s car seat, glad it’s placed in the middle of the second row of the SUV. It’s the perfect barrier between Aiden and me.
I busy myself with getting him buckled in.
He looks handsome tonight too in some ridiculous Burberry getup that probably cost more than what I pay for rent in a month.
“Won’t he just spit up on this?” I ask Jolie.
She pretends not to hear me.
Aiden smirks, and I look away. We are not in this together, buddy. You don’t get to appreciate my jokes.
With my mind not quite made up about how to handle Aiden, I decide to continue as planned. Keep him at bay. Keep my sanity and heart safely tucked away. Resist, resist, resist. I should have swiped black war paint underneath my eyes, or at the very least strapped a dagger to my thigh.
As promised, the drive is hilariously short. We pull out of our driveway, head down past five houses, and then hand off the keys of our SUV to a valet driver so we can be ushered up the front steps of the hotel toward a huge