Page 80 of Checkmate
“I’ve pictured us all around the table, belly’s full after eating the meal mum worked so hard on. We tend to sit there for a while, exchanging gifts while we all get pissed on champagne.
“Only this year, I want to ruin that peace and kill the celebration Christmas day is supposed to be.
“Josh will react first. I know he will. He’ll launch himself over the table to throw the first punch.” She laughed without humour, running her hand through her hair. “Liv will be there in seconds, trying desperately to calm him down.”
“Protective, is he?”
“More than,” she said with a nod. “He’s the big brother everyone wished they had. And Liv is a sweetheart. She’ll get through to him, but only because he’d be afraid of her getting hurt.”
A smile tugged at Marcus’ lips. “I think Josh and I would get along together very well.”
“I think you would too,” she replied. “But I think Josh could get along with anyone. He and Alex are good buddies, so he’ll be throwing a punch for himself, not just for me.”
“Do your parents like him, too?”
“Of course,” she nodded. “Everyone does. Mum treats him like one of her own. She loves him so completely, so fiercely. It’s all going to crush her, and that’ll have Lottie rushing to her side to comfort her. She’s always been such a mama’s girl.”
“And your dad? Where’s he in all this chaos, do you think?”
If Lottie was a mama’s girl, then Erica was the biggest daddy’s girl. She could picture her dad so clearly, holding the evidence in his hands, half-read because he wouldn’t need to read it all.
His eyes would roam the room. See his eldest, his boy defending his sister, admire his youngest comforting her mother.
And then his eyes would land on the middle child, on Erica herself. She’d find comfort as he held her gaze – the kind of comfort only a father can bring.
“Dad would be the calming presence,” she said, her eyes only seeing the imagined image in her mind. “He wouldn’t have to raise his voice to command attention, but when he finally speaks, everyone will listen. He’ll tell Alex to leave and dare him to argue.
“If he’s smart, Alex will leave without a fuss because there’s nothing more ferocious than a father protecting his little girl.” She chuckled. “Even if that little girl is nearing her thirties.”
Marcus smiled and nodded. “I get it. My dad is the same. But I’m confused. What about any of that makes you selfish?”
“I don’t want to ruin their day with my drama. It’s going to be such a fantastic day. Everyone is going to be so relaxed and happy and sleepy. And I’m going to come in with my evidence and Christmas will be forever associated with my divorce.”
“There’s a reason you chose that day, though,” he said. “You’ve been picturing Christmas for a reason. So why?”
“Because of everything I just described,” she said with a shrug. “There’s like, two weeks until Christmas, right? Can you imagine after such a rough couple of months, I start acting normal again? Or at least normal in Alex’s book.”
“Ah, I see where you’re going with this. You’re gonna pull the rug out from under him.”
“Exactly,” she nodded. “He’s going to think I’m over whatever I was going through. He’ll think it just part of the ups and downs of marriage—”
“And when he’s settled and comfortable—”
“On a day where no one expects something bad to happen—”
“You’re going to fuck his entire world.”
“You got it.” She grinned at him, the butterflies dancing in her stomach once again.
“I think you should do it,” he said, squeezing her hand and finally pulling back. She shifted in her seat, already missing his presence. “Your parents will understand, and if they’re anything like you’ve said, they’ll make sure you still have a good day.”
“That’s true,” she agreed. “Thank you, Marcus. For listening to me ramble on.”
“Always,” he grinned at her. “I am always here, Erica. I like listening to you ramble, so it’s hardly a chore.”
“Well. Since we’re ‘breaking up’, what do you plan to do?” She asked.
“I like the idea of a Christmas day break up, actually,” he replied. “I don’t have any big plans.”
