Blame It On The Carols (Sugarplum Falls #6)

Thirty-Three | Aiden

Thirty-Three

Aiden

M akayla had gotten me some awesome gifts, but my favorite was the skull whiskey set and the incredible bottle of whiskey that went with it. She’d told me how she’d searched high and low in town to find a decent bottle, then gone to the extreme of tipping one of her security guys a couple hundred bucks to go into the neighboring town to pick up this bottle when she found it online.

Lunch at her mom’s had been fun and it made me miss having a family to spend the holidays with. Not that I regretted opening the bar every year to those who needed a place to go, but there was a difference between spending it with close friends and spending it with family.

Jill and Brock had done all of the cooking, and I couldn’t help but notice how happy Jill was with him. Makayla noticed it as well and I caught her and her mom crying in the hallway as they talked about it. I knew that things had been hard for Mak as a kid when her mom divorced her dad when Makayla was in middle school. Jill never dated until recently, and it was like the universe waited until now to bring her the perfect partner to fulfill her life.

“Do you need help with that?” Makayla asked as I tried to balance the boxes of stuff I was carrying to the tables we’d set up for dinner.

It was always fun to see the bar set up for Christmas dinner because it never felt like a bar. With the lights turned up and the tables adorned with red linen tablecloths, it felt cozier. Add in the Christmas music and decorations, and it made it feel even more like home to me.

“I’ve got it, but thank you. You can grab the plates if you don’t mind.”

She nodded and grabbed the stack of disposable plates from the counter. Just because we made it feel cozy with linen tablecloths didn’t mean I was in the mood to wash thirty-plus dishes. I was all about the easy button, which meant we kept things as simple as possible.

Soon people started showing up and the smell of food overwhelmed my senses, making me forget that I had just had lunch not that long ago.

“Where do you want the dessert?” Sam asked, holding up boxes from Sugarplum Sweets.

“I’ll take those,” Makayla offered, reaching her hands out before I swooped in and intercepted.

“I don’t think so, you little fudge thief. These will go on that table until after dinner.”

She stuck her lip out and pouted as Sam took his jacket off and hung it over one of the barstools.

I was thankful to have so many great friends to spend today with, but more importantly, to have Makayla there with me.

We sat down to eat once everyone arrived and the food was spread out on the table.

“I would like to take a moment before we eat to thank everyone for being here today. A lot of us don’t have somewhere to go for Christmas, and it warms my heart that you come here. We are the family that we make and choose for ourselves, and there’s no better way to spend the holidays than to share them with the ones we love. Merry Christmas,” I said, lifting my glass as everyone did the same.

Dishes were passed around the table as everyone began light conversations.

“Thanks for inviting us, Aiden. But I think next year, I’m going somewhere warm and tropical,” Sam said. “Maybe Antigua.”

“Antigua is nice this time of year,” Makayla said, lifting a forkful of mashed potatoes to her lips.

“That’s so awesome that you’ve traveled to so many places,” Jasmin noted with a smile. “Do you have a favorite place you like to visit?”

Makayla shrugged as she set her fork down.

“I don’t know. I think it depends on what I’m in the mood for. I love New York City and how fast-paced everything is. You can easily get lost in the crowd, which is nice when I’m wanting just to be me for a bit. I usually go when it’s colder so I have an excuse to wear baggy clothes and hoodies so I can stay off people’s radar. Plus, no one really questions it when they see someone wearing sunglasses in the middle of winter. They just go about their business, too busy to stop and question it.”

We all laughed, but I felt this sharp pain of jealousy about the things Makayla had experienced while out living her life while I stayed in my small little bubble, living mine.

“I love Hawaii and try to escape to Kauai at least once a year. It’s so calm there, and the views are breathtaking. Plus, I like to tour the north side of the island and pretend like I’m in Jurassic Park.”

“Hey, maybe I’ll do Christmas in Kauai next year instead,” Sam said with a stupid grin. “I could totally get on board with dinosaurs.”

“You know there aren’t really dinosaurs there,” Jasmin teased. “The only fossil you’re likely to see is yourself.”

“Hey now, you better watch it,” he warned.

“So, are you planning to travel a lot next year?” Jasmin said, redirecting her attention to Makayla.

“I’m not sure how much personal traveling I’ll be doing,” Makayla said, glancing at me nervously. “But I go back on tour in February, so I’ll be doing a lot of travel for that.”

“That’s so exciting! Is there anywhere on the tour you’re most excited about?” Jasmin continued, leaning in with eyes wide and a smile plastered to her face.

“I’m excited to go to Japan. I’ve never been there before. That’s a new stop on the tour next year. I’m also looking forward to being back in the UK. We had to add a few extra stops due to how quickly tickets sold out there, so I’ll be spending more time there than anywhere else.”

Sam started talking about where he would want to go if he were a famous musician and the tour he would do, but I tuned everyone out as the reality of everything sank in. Makayla had a life that didn’t involve me, and if I loved her the way I claimed to, I couldn’t stand in the way of it.