Chapter 60 The Most Wonderful Time
The first snow of the season fell in fluffy snowflakes that melted on the ground, creating a slippery sludge. This was not exactly a beautiful postcard Christmas scene. The city looked dirty, and the people exhausted from shopping for gifts.
Having been too busy with her work, Emily didn’t even have time to fly back east to see her parents. Following the fashion competition, her products were much more in demand, and she could barely keep up, even when she hired more people.
Emily was glad that the Christmas season was almost over as she joined Byron’s family at his mother’s house. Nick decided to stay on the coast too and was spending Christmas with Katie’s family.
The gathering at Sylvia’s was noisy and filled with various cousins and aunts and their children. Sylvia was busy giving orders to her cook and maid, while Emily didn’t know anyone very well so she stuck close to Byron.
“Would you like to see my old room?” Byron said.
“Sure.” Emily was glad for an excuse to be alone with him and have a little peace and quiet.
“You behave yourselves now, kids!” Sylvia called to them as they headed upstairs.
“As if we’re going to do something naughty when the whole family is present,” Byron muttered. “Although, the thought is tempting...”
When he reached the top of the stairs he pulled Emily swiftly into his embrace and swung her into a low dip. She squealed, then her cry was silenced by an ardent kiss.
“I can see you,” Sylvia said.
“All right, mother, we’ll behave,” Byron said in a humorously prim tone.
Although he joked around and generally seemed affable, Emily sensed that the Christmas season did not agree with him.
“Are you okay?” she asked as Byron led her into his old room, which was now turned into a guest room for the visiting family members.
He sat down on the bed, and Emily settled down beside him.
“You see right through me, Miss Danzi,” he said. “And I thought I was doing a passable job of pretending to be happy about the Christmas season.”
“Not nearly passable enough,” she said, running her fingers through his hair and ruffling it.
“My mom and I moved into this house a couple of years after her divorce,” Byron said, his gaze wandering over the old rock band posters on the wall. “I remember spending so many nights in this room, listening to music, looking out the window. There’s a nice view of the garden. Although I was mad at my dad since I blamed him for breaking up the family, I still missed him.”
“It must have been very hard for you,” Emily said, “I can’t even imagine.”
“Not to wallow in self-pity,” he said, one side of his mouth curving into a smile, “but it was pretty sad sometimes, growing up without a father. Especially at Christmas time.”
“Do you ever try to contact him these days?” Emily asked.
“No.” Byron had that hard set to his jaw when he was angry. He had obviously not forgiven his father yet.
“You know,” he said, “I used to have times of feeling miserable as a kid, but it was only after my parents divorced that I started getting the really bad depressive episodes.”
“I’m sorry.” Emily took his hand. “I have no idea what it feels like.”
“It’s like having your mind taken over by someone else, someone who hates you and tells you that you’re worthless. Some days, I constantly have to fight it, while pretending to my colleagues and friends that everything is fine.”
“You don’t have to pretend with me,” Emily said softly.
“I know,” he said, looking at her with a concerned expression, “Though I don’t want you to experience the worst of it along with me.”
“I can handle it,” Emily said, “and I think there’s hope for you to recover.”
Her heart nearly broke when she thought about Byron as a boy growing up without a father. She understood him more now, and despite her optimistic words, she began to doubt whether Byron would ever find peace. His pain and anger were still so strong even years later. She tried to believe that Byron would be able to make sense of it all with the help of his therapist.
It was an emotional evening. Emily was almost relieved to rejoin the dinner guests and join in their lighthearted chatter.
When she checked her phone later that night, an unpleasant surprise awaited. A message from Josh had arrived in her company email. Apparently, he had tracked her down again. It wouldn’t have been hard to do as her clothing line was becoming well-known all over the city.
My Dear Emily,
It looks like you’re making a name for yourself in the fashion world. Good for you! Of course, this makes it hard for me to stop thinking about you. I know my behavior has left much to be desired. But I’ve seen the error of my ways, and I’m sorry about what I did. Getting angry at you in your workplace was way out of line.
You don’t have to pretend to be with that billionaire anymore just to teach me a lesson. Maybe we could meet up sometime?
Merry Christmas,
Josh
Merry Christmas indeed! How would she ever get away from this guy if he was still convinced that he needed to be in her life?
