As I was putting the finishing touches on the cranberry salad, my sister came into the kitchen.
“What’s going on, Cayden?” she asked. She came over to the salad and stole a cherry tomato from the top. She popped it into her mouth and smiled.
“Merry Christmas,” I said. She nodded, swallowing the rest of the tomato.
“Merry Christmas to you too,” she said. She hugged me and stole another tomato.
“Leave those alone,” I teased her. She swatted at me.
“So, I heard you brought Tiffany out last night,” she said. “If I would have known that, I would have shown up!”
We both knew that she was lying. Her husband was a very strict Catholic and they attended mass every Christmas Eve. I knew better than to invite her to the Christmas tree lighting ceremony, even though I did want her to meet Tiffany. There would be time in the future for that, though.
“It was a good time,” I said. “Tiffany seemed to enjoy the company.”
“Why isn’t she here today?” Sarah asked me. I shrugged.
“I thought it might be too much for her,” I said. “Last night was just getting her toes wet.”
Sarah nodded.
“We can be a bit much,” she said. “Especially my little ones.” Sarah wasn’t joking. Although she tried her best to keep them in line, her kids were crazy. They sometimes scared me, and I was their uncle. I could only imagine what Tiffany would think of them. Maybe I would find a way to introduce Sarah and Tiffany without bringing Sarah’s kids into the mix.
“I’m going to her family’s house for Christmas dinner,” I told Sarah. She smiled.
“That’s the spirit,” she said. “So, things are serious between you two?”
I shrugged.
“I just had this conversation with Mom,” I told her. “Things are good, but both of us are taking it slow. Me, for obvious reasons, and she had a long-term relationship that ended last year. She was actually engaged to her childhood best friend.”
“What happened there?” Sarah asked. I put the salad on the dressing and began to mix it in.
“He cheated on her,” I told her. “He ended the relationship and moved away with his new girlfriend.”
“Wow,” Sarah said. “That’s a rough one. I don’t blame her for wanting to take things slow.”
I nodded.
“It might sound fucked up, but I’m actually glad that she wants to take things slow,” I admitted to Sarah. “Most girls want to rush right into relationships, but I think if I did that, it would crash and burn.”
“Plus, Austin is involved,” Sarah said.
“And there’s that, too,” I said. “I have a good feeling about it, though. You’ll have to meet her soon.”
Before Sarah could reply, Austin and his cousins ran into the kitchen.
“Daddy!” Austin complained. “Colton got the purple dinosaur for Christmas. You told me that Santa couldn’t find it.”
Fuck. Austin had brought it up earlier. I thought I was a great dad for finding the green dinosaur, but apparently the dinosaurs weren’t as cool without each other.
“He must have gotten Colton the last one,” my sister interjected. “But Colton didn’t get the green dinosaur. You can play with yours together and share.”
The little boys looked at each other. Neither was pleased with my sister’s answer. They both wanted one of each dinosaurs for themselves.
“Maybe I can get it for your birthday, buddy,” I told Austin. I really didn’t want him melting down on Christmas.
“Okay,” he said, sounding dejected. He walked off with his cousins.
“Dammit, Cayden, how did you get the green one?” Sarah asked me. “I looked everywhere for it.”
“Online at an auction,” I told her. “I couldn’t find the damn purple one, though. I thought I did a good job just finding one of them.”
“You did,” Sarah reassured me. “You know how little boys are. They want everything that the TV tells them they need.”
Sarah was right. I felt as if the TV had been filled with toy commercials since before Halloween. I hoped that the dinosaur craze would die down before Austin’s birthday and I could find the purple one at the normal price.
Sarah and I continued to finish working on lunch. My mother was darting all over the house, checking on us, checking on the kids. Soon, we were all eating at the table. I looked around at everyone and smiled. Although I missed Layla, it was starting to feel normal without her there. It did feel lonely to be there as the only single adult, though. Sarah had her husband, my parents had each other, and then there was me. Maybe next Christmas, Tiffany would be next to me.
After lunch, I cleaned up the kitchen with my mom.
“You look exhausted,” my mom said.
“Thanks,” I said sarcastically.
She laughed.
“I was just commenting,” she said. “Maybe you should take a nap before you head to Tiffany’s parents’ house. I would hate for you to fall asleep at the dinner table.”
My mom was right. A nap did sound pretty damn good. I finished cleaning the dishes and turned to her.
“I think I will take a nap,” I announced. She smiled.
“We’ll see you in a bit,” she said. I crept upstairs, not wanting to be seen by anyone. As I got into my bed, I picked up my phone and called Tiffany. I laid down in bed, closing my eyes. The phone rang three times before she picked up.
“Hey there,” she answered.
“Hi,” I said, stifling a yawn. “You wore me out last night.”
She giggled.
“Same here,” she said. “I didn’t get out of bed until after eleven.”
“Damn, I am jealous,” I said. “Have you been enjoying your Christmas so far?”
“I have,” she said. “It’s just been me and some Christmas movies… and maybe a mimosa or two.”
“Sounds magical,” I said. It was drastically different than my morning, but I still wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“How did Austin like his dinosaur?” Tiffany asked.
“He loved it,” I told her. “But I screwed up by not getting him the other dinosaur, too. Who knew?”
“Bonkers,” she said. I was confused.
“Bonkers?” I asked.
She laughed.
“Bonkers is the purple dinosaur’s name,” she said. “Teddy is the green dinosaur and Bonkers is the purple dinosaur.”
I was dumbfounded. I didn’t even know the damn dinosaur names and I was the one with a child.
“How did you know that?” I asked her.
“It’s common knowledge, really,” she laughed. “Actually, I looked it up on the internet last night. I couldn’t sleep after I came home. I know, random, right?”
It was now my turn to laugh.
“That is very random,” I said. “But it’s a bit cute that you took the time to look up something that was important to Austin. Maybe next time you two meet, you can talk dinosaurs.”
“That would be great,” Tiffany said, laughing. I was glad to hear her laugh so much. Whatever was bothering her must have gone away. Maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe she was just bummed out about her family situation. I was glad that I was going and possibly helping her to get through a difficult time.
“I’m going to take a quick nap, but I wanted to let you know that I’d be to your house around five. Does that work?”
“That’s perfect,” she said. “I will see you soon.”
“Bye, Tiffany,” I said, hanging up the phone. I placed my phone back on the side table and buried myself under the covers.
Chapter 34
Tiffany
Ding dong. My doorbell rang, and I walked over to answer it. I knew it was Cayden and I was excited to see him. After last night, all of my insecurities about our relationship had been washed away. I got along great with his family and was overjoyed to see what a great relationship he had with Austin. I knew now, more than ever, that he would be a great boyfriend.
I opened the door and sure enough, Cayden was standing there. He looked great. He had on a green sweater with dark jeans. His dark hair was slicked back, and he seemed to glow. Based on the smile on his face, he was in as good of a mood as I was. As he walked inside, I noticed a present in his hand. Based on the shape of the box, it was either a bracelet or a necklace. I instantly felt guilty. I hadn’t gotten him anything for Christmas. I hadn’t been sure if we were exchanging gifts.