Chapter 75 Christmas morning surprises
Melissa’s POV
I never made it to Gavin.
Halfway across the room, someone pulled me aside to introduce themselves…a business partner of Gavin’s whose name I immediately forgot. Then another person. Then Mom appeared, beaming, wanting to dance. Then Jason swept me into a waltz before I could protest.
Every time I looked for Gavin, he was occupied. Talking to board members. Shaking hands. Playing the role of perfect host.
Our eyes met across the room more than once, but we never got close enough to speak.
Eventually, exhaustion won. I slipped away to my room as the party wound down, my feet aching, my heart heavy with everything that had happened. Hopefully I’ll get to dance with him next year.
————
I woke to sunlight streaming through my windows and the warm, familiar feeling of Christmas morning.
My favorite time of the year.
I stretched lazily, a smile tugging at my lips despite everything. Christmas had always been magical for me…even in the hardest years, even when money was tight, Mom had always made it special.
I reached for my phone on the nightstand, squinting at the bright screen.
First, I checked my novel app out of habit. Notifications flooded in…comments, likes, new followers. My readers were active as always, even on Christmas morning.
I smiled and set the app aside without reading details. I’d respond later.
Then I opened my news feed.And froze.
BREAKING: Three Business Empires Collapse Overnight
My heart stopped.
I sat up straight and clicked on the article with excitement to gossip, how was this possible?
Three prominent New York families faced catastrophic financial losses overnight in what experts are calling unprecedented coordinated attacks. The Ashford, Morrison, and Wellington families…all long-standing members of the city’s business elite…saw their stock portfolios crash, their assets seized, and their companies’ board members resign en masse.
Sources close to the families report complete financial devastation. The cause remains unclear, though investigators are looking into possible fraud, embezzlement, and corporate sabotage…
I kept reading, my eyes getting wider with each sentence. And also the pictures of the family were pasted under.
And smiling in the pictures posted was Brittany. Madison and Courtney.
The three girls from last night. Who had called my mother a whore. Their families were ruined. Completely, utterly ruined. Overnight.
My hands shook so badly I nearly dropped my phone.
This couldn’t be a coincidence. It couldn’t be.
But how? Who could possibly…
I thought of Gavin’s eyes across the room last night. He had been very watchful even when the girls first approached me. Or could it be Ethan?
No.
My guts were telling me this was all Gavin doing. But he couldn’t have. He wouldn’t have.
Would he?
I scrambled out of bed, not bothering to change out of my pajamas…I wore just an oversized t-shirt that hung to mid-thigh. I needed answers. I needed to see him. I needed to understand what the hell was happening.
I brushed my teeth quickly, ran a hand through my messy hair, and headed downstairs.
The smell of coffee and something sweet hit me first.
Then I reached the kitchen and stopped dead in my tracks.
Jason and Gavin were cooking.Together.In the kitchen. Holy shit.
My brain short-circuited.
Jason stood at the stove in grey sweatpants and a tight black t-shirt, flipping what looked like pancakes. Gavin was beside him in dark slacks and a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, whisking something in a bowl.
They were talking quietly, working in sync like they’d done this a thousand times.
It was the most domestic, unexpected, adorable thing I’d ever seen in my life.
The mafia panda was at it again.I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling my heart do something complicated. This was too much. Too cute. Too surprising. Too perfect.
I couldn’t help myself.
I quickly pulled out my phone and snapped a picture, trying to be quiet.
Click.
Both their heads turned toward me instantly.
“Good morning, Warrior Girl,” Jason said with that cocky grin. “Sleep well?”
Gavin’s eyes met mine, and something in his gaze made my breath catch. His eyes looked like they had so many secrets and all the answers.
“I…” My voice came out scratchy. I cleared my throat. “What are you two doing?”
“Cooking,” Gavin said simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s Christmas.”
“You cook together?” I managed, still processing the scene.
“He is teaching me his secret pancake recipe,” Jason said, flipping another pancake with ease. “Apparently, I’ve been doing it wrong my entire life.”
“You’ve been doing everything wrong your entire life,” Gavin replied dryly, but there was a hint of warmth in his voice.
Jason grunted, sounding frustrated , and the sound was so cute, that it made my chest ache.
This. This moment right here…them together, comfortable, father and son…this was what family was supposed to look like.
“Are you just going to stand there staring?” Jason asked, raising an eyebrow. “Or are you going to come help?”
“I…” I looked down at my outfit. Oversized t-shirt, bare legs, messy hair. “I’m not exactly dressed for…”
“You look perfect,” Gavin interrupted, his voice low. His eyes traveled over me slowly. “Come here.”
It wasn’t a request, and something about this man made me want to obey everything he says.
I crossed the kitchen on shaky legs, the news article still burning in my mind, questions piling up with every step.
But when Gavin handed me a whisk and showed me what to mix, when Jason cracked a terrible joke that made us both groan, when the three of us worked together in comfortable silence broken only by quiet conversation and laughter… and the frequent bickering of Jason and Gavin.
For just a moment, I let myself forget about everything else.
About ruined families.
About threats and videos.
About secrets and lies.
For just this moment, it was Christmas morning.
And I was home.