by Ali Parker
“All right!” Max cried, holding his hands out. “Save that thought, Nana. His name is Marc. He’s not a piece of meat. He’s our dinner guest. Sorry, Marc, it’s the dementia. It’s made her a little loopy.” Max twirled his forefinger around his temple.
I stifled a snort.
Nana Ridley glared darkly at her grandson. “Dementia, my ass. I’m as quick as ever.”
Holly stepped up beside her grandmother and draped an arm over her shoulders. “That’s right. You are. And he is pretty darn cute, isn’t he?”
Marc turned slightly pink.
I clasped my hands together. “Can I get anyone anything to drink? We have hot cider, beer, wine?”
“Wine please,” Holly said.
“A beer for me, thanks,” Marc said.
I took my hosting duties very seriously. I saw to everyone’s drinks and brought them to them in the living room, where everyone had gathered to make themselves comfortable on the sofa. The sun was setting, and it shone through the stained-glass windows around the ceiling. I caught Nana Ridley admiring the way the light wavered and picked up the colors of the glass as she sipped her water.
Then I brought out a small appetizer to hold everyone over until dinner, a simple charcuterie platter.
While everyone snacked and sipped their drinks, I kept an eye on the timers above the stove, diligently basted the turkey every twenty minutes, and counted down the minutes before the potatoes were due to be mashed, the gravy was ready to be prepared, and the turkey was ready to be carved.
It made socializing a little tricky, but Max was there, helping me through it all. We traded off tasks, one of us stepping out at a time to tend to things in the kitchen while the other engaged with the guests and stayed in the loop with conversation.
While Max carved the turkey, I learned that Holly had been seeing Marc for the better part of two months. Apparently, they’d met in a park while they were both going for a run. They ended up jogging the same route, and Holly, being Holly, struck up a conversation.
“I was done for the minute she pulled her headphones out and said hello,” Marc said as he gazed at Max’s sister beside him.
Holly flipped her perfectly curled blonde hair over one shoulder. “Oh please. You’re embarrassing me, Marc.”
“You love the attention,” he said.
She giggled un-bashfully. “You’re absolutely right. Tell them how amazing I am.”
“And humble,” Max added as he returned from the kitchen, rubbing his hands together. “Sorry to steal your thunder, sis, but dinner is ready.”
We moved to the dining room. I walked with Nana Ridley, who was a little slower than the rest of us, and pulled out her chair for her. She sat on Max’s righthand side beside Holly. I sat at the opposite end of the table from Max, and Marc sat across from Nana and his girlfriend.
When our plates were full and our mouths were watering, Nana took Max and Holly’s hands in each of her own and closed her eyes.
Marc and I caught on and followed suit, and a soft quiet fell over us as Nana said grace. “Thank you for family. For time. For this food and for new faces around our table. Amen.”
It was short and sweet, and it touched my heart. I reached across Holly with an apologetic smile and closed my fingers around Nana’s. “Thank you.”
She squeezed back.
And then we feasted.
The food was, in a word, scrumptious.
Marc had two full plates worth of dinner. Max tapped out after one and leaned back with a hand on his stomach and a furrowed brow. I winked across the table at him as if to promise we’d burn off the calories later.
He winked back.
After everyone finished eating, Holly and I cleared their plates. Things naturally moved back to the living room, where Nana could be more comfortable. I got her a cozy blanket, and she tucked herself into one corner of the sofa and teased Max mercilessly while Marc howled with laughter and Holly and I loaded the dishwasher.
“How are things going between you and my brother?” Holly asked as she ran hot water over a plate matted with dried gravy and cranberry sauce.
I looked up at her as I was bent over the dishwasher, arranging the cutlery in the plastic holder to make more room. “Good.”
“Just good?”
“No. Really good. I mean… better than I thought they would be.”
Holly nodded along. “He’s a charmer.”
“You can say that again.”
She giggled. Then her laughter subsided, and her expression grew serious. She turned the tap off and turned toward me, resting her hip against the sink. “Look, I know you’re under a lot of pressure, Pipes,” she began. I loved how she was comfortable giving me a nickname—and my nickname of all things. It made me feel like I was at home. “And I don’t mean to add more to your plate because you have a big decision to make at the end of the year. But my brother, he’s a good man. He’d never let you down. He’d stand by you through every fucking storm imaginable, and he would never falter. I think… I think he’s in love with you.”
I straightened up and closed the dishwasher. “I know.”
“But you’re not in love with him?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Holly lifted her chin as the wheels in her brain turned. Then she dropped her voice conspiratorially and inched closer to me. “That’s not it, is it?”
I pursed my lips.
“You’re in love with more men than just my brother,” she whispered.
I groaned and hid my eyes behind my hand. “It’s deplorable. I know.”
“No. No, it’s not. Not at all, Pipes. It’s—I don’t know—it’s almost expected, isn’t it? I mean, I imagine the other men you’ve seen this year have been in the same league as Max, or close to. Right?”
I shrugged. Answering that question felt dangerous.
“Whatever.” Holly waved her hand. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that the chances were high you’d fall for more than one dude. And let’s be real here. My brother is fucking smart. He’s already thought this whole thing through from every which way. He knows how it could end.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
Holly smiled and shook her head at me. “I know. I’m sorry. But can I say one more thing?”
“Of course.”
I doubted if I told her no, she’d listen to me. Holly was a headstrong young woman who did what she wanted, when she wanted to. I admired that in her.
Actually, I admired a lot of things about her.
She spoke the truth like she was baptizing you in glitter.
She was fearless in every sense of the word when it came to pursuing what made her happy. Maybe if I had a bit of her DNA in my blood, I might have come out of this Casanova process less scathed than I would at the end of December.
Maybe.
Holly looked over her shoulder to make sure nobody was listening. Then she turned back toward me. “You’ve got a good head, Piper. And a good heart, too. You’ll choose the right guy. And my brother is tough as nails. If it’s not him in the end, he’ll put himself together again and move on. Trust me. It’s who he is. It’s always been who he is.”
Chapter 24
Max
Piper and I hadn’t thought things all the way through when we decided to host Thanksgiving dinner.
It was the thirtieth of November.
The day we had to say goodbye.
And my grandmother and Holly were taking up space in the house, which made it really difficult for Piper and me to share the little intimate moments we’d been so accustomed to having over the entirety of the month.
I felt ripped off.
There was also no way for me to ignore the mild annoyance at my sister for being all up in my space while I was trying to help Piper pack and steal some time alone with her.
“She’s doing what she thinks is best,” Piper said under her breath as she rolled up one of her T-shirts and placed it neatly in her suitc
ase, which was flopped open on my bed. “Maybe she just wants to be here for you after I leave? If you look at it that way, it’s actually kind of sweet.”
“It’s intrusive.”
Piper shot me a knowing smile. “You know it’s not. You’re just fussy because both of us have been dreading today and it’s not going the way we thought it would.”
I sighed. “Fine. You’re right. I wanted you all to myself.”
“And I wanted to be all yours.”
I went to her and pulled her close, draping my arms around her. “I pictured us sleeping in late. Starting the day off naked in bed. And then showering together. And then having a quiet breakfast, just the two of us.”
“That would have been dreamy.”
“Right? I wanted to get between those legs of yours one last time.”
Piper pushed at my chest. I fell back a step and chuckled as she shook her head at me and continued packing. “I think that might have only made things harder.”
“If by things, you mean my dick, then yes, things would’ve been—”
“Max!”
Laughing, I ran from her as she swatted at me. “Sorry. Sorry. I had to. You left that one wide open. To let it lie would’ve been a crime.”
“Debatable.” Piper proceeded to pack.
She rolled jewelry up in a small navy-blue bag. She folded jeans and rolled dresses and tucked socks and panties and bras into the pocket in the interior lining.
The darker thoughts I’d kept at bay all month had made their return full force this morning. As soon as I woke up, it was like something was pulling me down—no, dragging me down.
The one thing that kept returning to my mind was the knowledge that she was going to be with another man in roughly twenty-four hours. Like she did at the beginning of the month here, she would show up, they would exchange their hellos, and then the ball would start rolling.
There was no way to know how things would go. If she would like him. If he would like her.
That wasn’t true. He’d like her. There was nothing not to like about her. If he had half a brain, he’d realize how lucky he was to have her, even if just for a month, and he’d show her as good of a time as he possibly could.
And I’d be here.
Wondering.
Waiting.
Hoping she didn’t find what she’d found with me with someone else.
“Max?”
I looked up at Piper as she studied me. She’d zipped up her suitcase. All of her things were packed. Soon, there would be no trace of her ever having been here. Except for the lingering scent of lavender in my bedsheets.
But even that would be gone soon, too.
“Yes?” I asked.
“Are you all right?”
I shrugged. “I’ll survive. Are you?”
She chewed the inside of her cheek and hesitated. Then she nodded slowly, unconvincingly. Knowing she felt as torn about this as I did made me feel better. It was petty, but it was true. I wanted her to miss me as much as I would miss her.
“You must be looking forward to seeing your family,” I said. Changing the subject seemed like the right move. The dark cloud over our heads wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and if I could grant her a brief reprieve from the dread, then I had a duty to do so. “I bet they’re excited to see you, too. Even if just for a short while.”
“I do miss them. A lot. And it will be nice to see them for a bit. Even if just in passing. Especially my dad. He and I weren’t on the best of terms for a good portion of the year. But last month, we made amends, and I feel like I need to make up for lost time. Which is hard when I’m not home.”
“I’m sorry.”
Piper gave me a sad smile. “Don’t be. Things worked out.”
A car horn double honked outside.
Piper’s smile faltered. “I guess that’s my cue.”
My stomach sank. “I guess so.”
We both stood there and stared at each other for a minute. Holly yelled up the stairs that Piper’s ride was there.
I flinched. Then I moved to the bed. “Let me take your bags down for you.”
She swallowed. “Thank you.”
Piper followed me down the stairs to the front door, where Holly and my grandmother were waiting to say goodbye.
I didn’t say a word as I stood by with her suitcases and Piper received hugs from the women in my family.
“It was so nice to meet you, Pipes,” Holly said, rubbing Piper’s shoulders. “Don’t be a stranger? Okay?”
“I won’t,” Piper said. I might have been mistaken, but I could have sworn her voice shook.
She hugged my grandmother next. They exchanged words I couldn’t hear. Truth be told, I didn’t really want to. My heart already felt like it was being squeezed in a vise. Piper stepped out the front door and waved over her shoulder. I followed her out, and Holly closed the door behind me.
The wheels of Piper’s suitcases rolled and bumped along the driveway as we walked to Jonathan, who was standing outside with a limo. He greeted us with his usual charming smile before taking the suitcases and putting them in the trunk.
He locked eyes with me. “I’ll give you two a minute alone,” he said.
I nodded. “Thank you.”
Piper stood before me with her hands clasped in front of her. She stared down at the ground like she was afraid to look me in the eye.
I cleared my throat. “Well. Here we are.”
“Here we are.”
Piper wrung her hands. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.
I wanted to tell her she didn’t have to leave. I wanted to tell her that my home was always open to her and that she had a safe place to land.
I wanted to tell her that it could be her home too, if she wanted.
But the words died in my throat because I knew they wouldn’t make things easier on her. They would make them harder. And the very last thing I intended to do was make things worse for her.
So I lifted my chin, slapped on a smile that felt like a grimace, and pulled her in for a hug. She was stiff in my arms until she gave in and wrapped her arms around my waist. She nuzzled her face into my chest, breathed in my scent, and mumbled something I couldn’t make out.
“What was that?” I asked.
Piper pulled away and looked up at me with glassy eyes and a pink nose. “I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m going to miss you, too.” More than you could ever know.
“I have to go,” she whispered.
“I know.”
She moved to the back door of the car and tugged it open. She lingered outside it, and I saw a thousand things dance behind her eyes. Maybe she wanted to say just as many things as I did, but she didn’t want to make this harder either.
Maybe she wanted to stay.
Or maybe she knew she would never come back.
I squared my shoulders. “Take care of yourself, Piper. I’ll see you at the Christmas party.”
She licked her lips. “Yes. The Christmas party.”
I nodded.
Piper sat down and slid across the back seat. I moved forward and rested a hand on top of the door and watched as she gathered her sweater around herself.
She lifted her gaze and gave me a teary smile. “Bye, Max.”
“Bye, Piper.”
I closed the door.
There was no way to properly describe how bad that felt. It was like I knew I was closing the door on the future I wanted more than anything else in this world. A future I’d tasted, held in my own two hands, kissed, and fallen in love with. A future that was brighter than all the others. That felt more right than all the others.
A future that was mine and yet not, all at once.
The car pulled away.
I hadn’t stolen a final kiss. I hadn’t demanded enough.
If this was really the end, was this how I wanted to part with my girl? Or did I want to go out fighting, soaking up every second we could buy ourselves?
&nbs
p; I gritted my teeth.
I’d be kicking myself forever if I let her go like this. And I knew how shitty it felt to live with what ifs. Where Piper was concerned, I couldn’t leave room for the unknown. I had to play all my cards. Had to show her exactly what I wanted and how badly I wanted it and how every minute counted.
Especially these final ones.
I ran after the car and threw my hand up in the air as I hollered for Jonathan to stop.
The brake lights flashed on.
My breath rushed out of me in relief as the heels of my shoes clipped the pavement. She wasn’t gone yet. There was still time.
And time was the best gift we had.
Chapter 25
Piper
The car came to a stop.
I sniffled, wiped at my nose, and waited to start moving again. We didn’t.
Frowning, I pushed forward to ask Jonathan what was going on, but I never had the chance to get anywhere before the door swung open and sunlight streamed in.
Max stood on the other side, grinning down at me.
“Max,” I breathed, wondering what the hell this was all about. “What are you doing?”
He motioned for me to slide over, so I did. Then he swung into the back, closed the door, and turned toward me. “There’s no rules that say I can’t fly you home personally at the end of our month together. I have a private jet. Let me fly you back to New York. Let me steal every minute I have left with you.”
My mouth worked, but no words came out.
“Say something,” Max pleaded.
I nodded vigorously. “Yes. Yes, please.”
He grinned and pulled me in for a kiss I’d been longing for before I got in the limo but was too afraid to take. I hadn’t wanted to break down in front of him. I knew he was coming undone at the seams, but he was wearing a brave face. I also knew he was going to suffer when I left, and I was going to break apart as soon as I left his driveway.
But the pain could wait.
