But he opened the door to slide out, so I followed him in kind.
“When are you heading back to San Diego?” I asked.
“Oh, I’m not,” he said. “San Diego was the last leg of a trip I actually made to L.A. That’s where I live.”
“You live in L.A.?” I asked. “Wow. Do you enjoy it?”
“It’s nice. I have a penthouse with this beautiful ocean view.”
“Sounds like something out of a dream,” I said.
He opened the trunk and helped me gather all my things. I heard the front door open and started getting excited. I was ready to wrap my arms around my parents and feel their warmth. I was ready to breathe in the scent of my mother’s perfume along with my father’s watermelon bubblegum he was addicted to. Smells I associated with the two people I trusted most in this world, and I was ready for them.
But I wasn’t ready to let Colin go yet.
“So, when do you head back to L.A.?” I asked.
“Next Wednesday. I’m in a hotel in Minneapolis for a bit. Then I’ll travel back.”
“Any plans for Christmas?” I asked.
“Nope.”
“Well, you’re more than welcome to spend Christmas here if you’d like,” I said.
He turned toward me, and I could’ve sworn he was actually debating it. He picked up some of my things in his hands and helped me carry it all to the porch, and I could see the way my mother looked at him. I set the stuff down before I turned to Colin, and I could see the lights of the house sparkling in his eyes.
Christmas looked good on him.
“Maybe,” he said. “And think about my offer.”
“Thank you for getting our daughter home,” my father said.
“What offer?” my mother asked.
He offered his hand, and Colin took it before my mother interjected.
“Yes, thank you for taking care of her,” my mother said. “I don’t know what we would’ve done had she not gotten a rental car in order to get here.”
“I would’ve gone and gotten her, Miriam,” my father said.
“Okay, Jack. I hear you. I’m just trying to pay the man a compliment.”
That was the second time I heard Colin laugh and his features lit up. His smile was bright, and his eyes sparkled, although I could hardly see them with how big his smile was. His cheeks came up so far, they almost closed his eyes, and my stomach did a flip at the sight of it. He was an incredibly handsome man, and I wished he could consider more than a “maybe” for Christmas.
“Well, I need to be off,” Colin said. “I already missed my meeting. Can’t be late for that event.”
“Oh, a business man,” my father said. “What type of business are you in?”
“Sweetheart, that’s Colin Murphy,” my mother said. “Don’t you recognize him?”
“Okay, time to go,” I said. “Thank you again, Colin.”
His eyes connected with mine before he nodded. Then he turned to walk back to his car. I watched him while he walked away, taking stock of every single movement his body made underneath that coat of his. The three of us watched him drive away before we gathered my things and went inside. I knew the moment the door shut behind us my mother would say something.
“Well, he’s a cutie,” she said.
“I knew it was coming,” I said, grinning.
“I hope you didn’t give the poor man much trouble,” my father said.
“Oh, I’m always full of trouble, Dad. You know this.”
“She is your daughter, after all,” my mother said.
“I’ll get your stuff to your room, sweetheart,” my father said. “There’s hot chocolate waiting for you and Mom in the kitchen.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
I gave him a kiss on his cheek before he started picking up my stuff. I watched him walk down the hallway, taking in the slight hunch in his back. My parents weren’t old by any means, but spending long amounts of time away from them accentuated the way they were aging. My mother’s fingers were becoming swollen with arthritis, and my father’s back was starting to give him trouble. I wanted to rush over and help him, but I knew all he would do was swat at me.
“Come come, Abby,” my mother said. “Let’s go have a drink.”
I let her lead me into our kitchen, and the tears were falling before my butt even hit the seat. She took my hand within hers and squeezed it tightly as I stared down at my father’s homemade hot chocolate. It was steaming, freshly made and waiting for me, but the only thing on my mind was the negativity consuming me. I had no more energy left to give to smiling and being happy, and I heard my mother sigh before I lifted my eyes.
“Talk to me, honey,” she said.
“I lost everything, Mom,” I said. “Absolutely everything.”
“What happened with Anthony?” she asked.
“You were right. He was cheating. With Bethany.”
“He was sleeping with Bethany?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I said, sniffling. “I… I walked in on them, and I told her to make a choice. And she chose him and moved out. And then Anthony cleaned out my savings account—”
“He did what?” my father asked.
He sat down beside me and put his hand on my shoulder while I tried to gather my racing thoughts.
“All of it,” I said. “I hooked him up to my accounts because I really thought we were gonna work. We talked about marriage and children and a house. I mean, I called
