Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

DAYRA

Christmas Eve. My second favorite day of the year. At least, it usually is. Today, though, I’m haunted by mental images of Zane and Jade, replaying in my mind like a TikTok video on a loop. I don’t want to think of the two of them together. I don’t want to care. I want to enjoy my favorite holiday without a single memory of Zane Moore.

Reese Piecie is living her best country girl life at Aunt Cindy and Uncle Ken’s. She’s out in the back forty, chasing something through the snow. Could be a bug. Could be a deer. Who knows. That girl will hunt anything, no matter the size.

I watch her from the back porch of the double wide, sipping on a hot cup of coffee with Uncle Ken. Mornings like these bring me back to being a little girl, spending these cherished moments with one of my favorite humans.

“So, Dolly tells me you’re in line for a promotion at work?” Uncle Ken asks.

I nod. “Yes, sir. I am. I put my application in with a few other candidates. I’m hopeful, though. My boss told me I’m the most qualified but he isn’t the only decision maker for this position. There are at least two other people that have to all unanimously agree.”

“Well, I think they’d be foolish not to give it to you. I don’t know a whole lot about what it is that you do there, but I know that your work ethic and your personality are unmatched.”

“Thanks, Uncle Ken.”

His words warm my heart and make everything feel a little bit better. I glance over at him sitting in his wooden rocking chair in his denim overalls and long-sleeve flannel beneath them. His signature look. I don’t think the man owns anything other than overalls. Hell, he even wears them to weddings and funerals alike.

Reese comes barreling up the steps of the porch and jumps into my lap, snow all over her little paws. She looks so proud of herself as she pants, staring out at the field she just came from.

“That little thing has such a big personality,” Uncle Ken notes, staring at her with admiration.

“She does. She’s rotten.”

“That’s for sure.”

“What time is everyone arriving for Christmas Eve?”

“I reckon they’ll be here around five, since I told them four. You know Dolly and Ashley are going to be late for their own funerals.”

I giggle, but he’s right. Good thing Ashley has a husband that takes care of her and Dolly’s worked at Scotty’s for so long, they know that she’s late for everything.

“Is Maia coming this year?”

I nod enthusiastically. “Yes! You know she wouldn’t miss it for the world. She’s been here every year since we were ten. This is her family Christmas.”

“Good. I’d hate to have to give you her gifts if she didn’t show up.”

It’s mid-morning and the sun rising higher in the sky brings a bit warmer temperature but only by a few degrees. Not enough to melt the snow good. My phone dings, dragging me from my thoughts of how pretty the snow is and how bright it is in the sunlight.

Maia: I have so much to tell you.

Dayra: Spill.

Maia: Nope. Not yet. Gotta make a pit stop but I’ll be there on time. Four o’clock right?

Dayra: Yep.

Maia: Okay. I’ll see you then. Love you.

Part of me wants to unblock Zane. I kind of want to know what he has to say for himself, but the other part of me wants to vomit at the thought of what he could possibly say. I think I would die if I had to hear it from his mouth.

I spend the day helping Aunt Cindy bake desserts and get the house ready for the rest of our family. I put Reese in her little red ugly Christmas sweater that matches mine and we take pictures in front of the tree before my judgmental parents arrive.

Mom and Dad arrive early, they’re here by one o’clock. They’ve been early for everything my whole life though. Polar opposite of my cousins. I find myself grateful for them, through the struggles and their ill feelings of my life and career.

The house fills up quickly and the holiday spirit is in high gear. Everyone’s in their Christmas sweaters and ready to devour the most delicious meal of the year. Aunt Cindy’s Divinity Candy is already assorted into equal sized tins, ensuring everyone gets the same amount. It’s the most desired item on the menu. I’ve already stowed mine away in the room.

Among the other Christmas goodies are blondies, fruitcake cookies, and chocolate peppermint fudge. Some of my favorite flavors, all out on display on the island in the kitchen. I’m going to gain a solid ten pounds this week with all of the sweets I’m consuming. These desserts are worth every single ounce, though.

“Dayra! Back away from the fudge slowly, and no one gets hurt!” my brother Dallas yells from the front door.

I put my hands up slowly and take a step back in surrender. “I wasn’t doing anything!”

We laugh and he pulls me into a warm hug. “Merry Christmas, Sis.”

“Merry Christmas, little brother.”

The house is crowded with people that I love and I’m so distracted by the holiday cheer that I almost forgot about Zane. Almost.

Maia comes busting through the door in a puffy jacket, leggings, and duck boots with a beanie on her head. She’s shivering as she removes her jacket and hangs it on the rack by the front door.

“Hi!” she cheers, greeting the room.

Everyone sounds off from the living room and dining room with shouts of ‘hi’ and ‘hey Maia’. Uncle Ken is the only one who walks clear across the room to wrap her up in a hug.

“We missed you around here lately, kiddo.”

“I missed you too!”

Her little feet are dangling as Uncle Ken squeezes her then sets her down. I wait patiently for her to get done saying hello to the rest of my entire family before she pulls me aside.

“Your room? Is it free? Got something to show you.”

“Yeah. What’s up? You’re being weird.”

She disappears into my old room and shuts the door behind us. She’s acting like we’re about to do a secret drug deal or something.

“What?” I ask, my anxiety rising the longer that I have to wait for whatever it is that she’s got to show me.

“Okay. So. Don’t be mad… “

“Maia Dae! Just tell me before I spontaneously combust right here!” I whisper-yell, my patience wearing thin as my anxiety worsens.

“I may have blown Zane’s phone up this morning, went off on him, made him explain himself, found out Jade was lying and went and gathered proof to show you.” She says the sentence so fast and jumbled it takes me a minute for her words to process.

“You did what ?” I ask, incredulously.

She offers me a cheesy grin, showing me a video on her phone. She presses play and I recognize the man, the woman, and the place immediately. I watch as Jade approaches Zane at the bar at Scotty’s, the knot in my stomach growing larger with each second as the anticipation of what I am about to witness lingers.

She wraps her arm around his bicep and just as I feel like I’m going to throw up, Zane grabs her hand and removes it. He says something to her and she obviously didn’t get the hint because she tries to lean in closer to him. He steps away from her again, putting more distance between the two of them than before.

She goes in one more time, this time reaching for his leg and he physically jumps away from her. I can’t hear what’s happening in the video as there is no audio, but Zane’s voice is raised. I can tell that much from his body language.

Jade must have finally gotten the hint because she storms away from him. Maia’s phone pans to the front door camera as Jade hits the front door and all but runs to her car. I glance at the time stamp and she leaves the bar at eleven-twenty-eight. Maia fast forwards the video to when Zane leaves the bar, alone, at ten-minutes after two.

I stare at Maia, my brain running wild and processing all of the information I just received. I don’t know what to say. I was so quick to believe the worst about Zane when he’s given me absolutely no reason to think that he was that type of man. I have never heard anything bad about him, granted, most people at the office don’t know him outside of work to say anything bad.

“Wow.”

“Yep. You got played, bestie.”

“Maybe. Just because they left at different times doesn’t put him in the clear one hundred percent.”

Maia’s jaw drops. “Are you serious? Did you not see the way he wanted nothing to do with her? I’m telling you, ain’t no way anything went down between the two of them that night. Now I can’t speak for other occasions, but that was a completely uninterested man who made it glaringly obvious that he wasn’t entertaining anything to do with her.”

I sigh and sit down on the bed. “Yeah. I can agree with that. I feel like an ass. Maybe I could’ve started by asking him a question first? I’ll call him. Not right now though.”

Maia grins and says, “ Ooooookay .”

“What?”

Still grinning she chirps, “Nothing.”

I eye her questioningly but she bounces off the bed and heads back to the living room to gather with the rest of the family. She’s up to something, I just don’t know what. Maybe she’s going to text Zane and tell him that I know the truth now. Who knows with her.

I rejoin everyone in the living room and we spend the evening eating food and playing games. We’ll do gift exchange last. Aunt Cindy always buys one gift for each adult in attendance, with a few extras in case we have any stragglers show up. Each child gets an unlimited number of gifts. She gets a little crazy for her grand babies, but that’s what makes her, her. Sometimes other people will bring gifts but usually, it’s just the one gift from Aunt Cindy for everyone. And it’s usually something practical or fitting to each person’s personality. Last year, she got me a spatula with a dachshund as the handle. I still use it any time I make an omelet.

Maia is sitting next to me when her phone chimes. She opens it, types something out, locks it, and hops off the couch. She walks quickly out the front door, shutting it behind her. I stare, wondering what the hell she’s doing when the door opens again and she comes walking back in.

I nearly die right here on this couch when Zane Moore walks into my family Christmas gathering. I stare, wide-eyed, at Maia with Zane in tow. I have no words. Everyone starts to turn their head in Maia’s direction as she walks into the living room with Zane right behind her.

“Oh, Maia. I didn’t realize you were bringing someone with you this year,” Aunt Cindy says, standing up to greet Zane like the wonderful host that she is.

“I’m not. This is Zane, Dayra’s… boss.”

I’m going to kill her. I’m going to strangle her right here with all of these witnesses. The entire room is staring at me.

“Oh…” Aunt Cindy says, an awkward silence filling the room.

I stand from my seat at the couch and shoot daggers at Maia. I walk over to Zane and say loud enough for everyone to hear, “Can I talk to you outside?”

He nods with a stupid grin on his face. He’s so amused with himself that he’s snuck into my family Christmas. God, I’m going to kill both of them.

“When you’re done, come back inside! Both of you!” Uncle Ken yells from across the room as I close the door behind us. We sit on the front porch and Reese Piecie jumps into his lap. Jesus. Is every one on team Zane?

“Listen,” he says, rubbing his hands together. I look at him, really look at him for the first time in a few days. He looks tired, but his eyes are alight with joy as he looks back at me. He’s wearing a green Christmas sweater with white deer on the front and a pair of blue jeans. He looks really good in them, too. I’m not used to seeing him in anything but a suit.

“I’m listening,” I say, offering him a smirk.

“I almost lost my mind when you blocked me and I couldn’t get through to you. I was terrified you weren’t going to have anything to do with me anymore and that you’d do something drastic and crazy, like quit without a notice and disappear off the face of the Earth. And I was terrified of what that would have done to me . I think you would’ve made a mad man out of me. I didn’t do what you think I did. I would never do that to you. Or anyone else, for that matter. It’s not who I am. It’s not in my DNA. I physically would not be able to. I’m yours, Dayra. I don’t know how it happened, but it did and I’m not afraid to admit it.”

I listen intently with tears welling in my eyes at his words. I think that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.

“I—I don’t know what to say. You scare me, Zane. Everything about you terrifies the absolute shit out of me. You make me feel so many things I never though possible and I don’t know what to do with those feelings.”

“Just feel them, baby. Know that I will be here for every single one of them, no matter what. I’m in this for the long haul with you, no matter how much you hate me,” he says, winking at me.

“Oh, and it’s so much. You sure you can handle that?” I tease, lightening the mood.

He nods, leaning in close. He hooks a finger under my chin, lifting my lips to his. He kisses me gently and then presses a soft kiss to the center of my forehead.

“Come on. I guess we’re just diving off into the deep end with you meeting my family before I even know your middle name.”

He stands and walks behind me to the door. “Warren.”

I whip my ahead around and look at him. “Warren?”

“Yeah. My middle name is Warren.”

“ Hmm . I like it.”

We walk back into the house and the chatter slowly dies to complete silence as I sit down on the couch and Zane sits next to me.

“Everybody, this is Zane. Zane, this is everybody,” I gesture around the room.

And just like that, the chatter in the room ramps up again and we continue with the day as if nothing has changed. It’s gift exchange time and Aunt Cindy passes out all of the gifts beneath the tree. She goes to her stash of extras and looks at them for a moment before selecting one with a smile on her face and handing it to Zane. He accepts it but looks at her with a confused look.

“Everyone gets a gift, here, sugar.”

He smiles as he moves his gift from one hand to the other. All of the gifts are wrapped in the same green, shimmery wrapping paper with a silver glittery bow on top. Aunt Cindy is nothing if not consistent.

Maia sits on the other side of Zane and leans forward so I can see her around his tall stature.

“Merry Christmas?” She says, questionably.

“Yeah, Merry Christmas, bitch.” I quip, but smile at her.

“Listen, you wouldn’t have been on board with it. I had to just make an executive best friend decision. You’re welcome .”

“Thank you,” I say sarcastically and lean my head on Zane’s shoulder. It’s weird, this dynamic. But I think I like it here.

The crowd around the living room begins opening their gifts. I tear into mine and smile. I’ve been wanting new mixing bowls for ages and this set has Dachshunds all over it. It matches my spatula perfectly. Zane opens his and inside is a whiskey gift set.

Zane, a man who has literally everything, smiles like this is the most expensive, tasteful gift he’s ever received.

“Thank you, this is amazing.”

Aunt Cindy offers him a smile as the rest of the room opens their gifts.

“I’ll be right back,” Zane whispers and walks outside.

He returns holding two gift bags in his hand. He hands one to Aunt Cindy and one to me. Aunt Cindy grins big as she tears the wrapping out of the bag. Inside is a very expensive bottle of Merlot, which I know thrills her soul.

He hands me my bag and sits next to me. I stare at him in shock and slight horror. I didn’t get him anything.

“I didn’t get you anything,” I say softly as I accept the bag.

“You have no idea how much of a gift you are.”

I open the large bag and inside is a perfect wooden carved replica of Reese Piecie. It’s hand-crafted and is a perfect match down to the shading and color of her tiny eyebrows. Tears well in my eyes.

“Zane, it’s perfect.”

There’s something else in the bag. It’s another small gift bag. I open it and find a jewelry box inside. I open it cautiously, hoping this isn’t some crazy situation where he’s about to propose to me after a month in front of my family because I will die of a panic attack right here right now.

Lifting the lid slowly, I exhale a quiet sigh of relief when I find a pair of Grinch earrings. I burst out laughing and hug Zane.

“You got me earrings of you. How fitting!”

Maia cackles beside him at my comment because she’s the only one who heard me through the rambunctious family chatter.

“For the woman who loves everything green. Even me.”