“She’s late,” I bellowed to Trevor as I paced my living room. I’d been going back and forth so often for the past half hour that I was pretty sure some parts of the carpet were already worn out.

“She has a kid. People with kids always seem to be running late. They have to put together that diaper bag or something.”

“She has a six-year-old, not an infant.”

“So, she has a bigger diaper bag.” I just looked at Trevor, knowing my expression was one of exasperation. For someone who was so cunning, he was also incredibly stupid.

“We could go with that other chick, she—” Before Trevor could finish his sentence, I turned to him and leveled him with my eyes.

“Under no circumstances will I do this with anyone other than Holly. Do you hear me, Trevor?”

“She really got under your skin.” Trevor looked at me with a perplexed expression on his face. “You’ve never been worked up over a woman before. Sure, you’re always nice to them, but they’ve never gotten to you like this. Damn, I never thought I would see the day.”

“Trevor, shut up. Give me her number. I’m going to call her.” But as I was about to do just that, the doorbell rang.

Holly

I arrived at the address Trevor texted me at a quarter to seven. When I pulled up to the house, I was actually surprised by what I saw. It was a nice bungalow with a long driveway, surrounded by acres of trees. In front of the house were these giant evergreens that were decorated to the nines with lights and beautiful ornaments. They looked like something you would see in a department store.

It was absolutely breathtaking.

In that moment, I panicked. I didn’t belong here. This world was the opposite of mine. The people who lived here probably had these elaborate decorations done by some paid professional. Sophie and I had a small artificial tree that was no more than three feet tall. It had been half-off a few years ago, and it was something I’d still had to splurge on. We brought it out every year on December 1, listened to Christmas carols, and drank hot chocolate as we put on the ten ornaments we had.

My mind started to wonder at how nice it would be to have a real Christmas tree for once. Even to have a turkey dinner with all the fixings. I wanted just once to be able to give Sophie a Christmas that would light up her face. I wanted her to have a present under the tree that went beyond only what she needed, but was something extravagant and simply joyful to my little girl. I wanted to stop telling her that Santa was on a budget.

I looked at the clock and noticed it was after seven. I didn’t know how the last twenty-five minutes had gotten away from me. I quickly grabbed my purse, got out of the car, and ran to the front door. I would never forgive myself if I lost this opportunity because I kept hoping for a miracle in my life.

Bryant

The moment I saw her standing outside the door, I wanted to grab her and just hold her. I never wanted her to leave. She stood there, her eyes a little wild like I was a predator about to devour my prey. I could tell she was nervous by the way she had her arms folded and how she kept shifting. She looked so damned beautiful. I wanted to run my hands through her dark hair. I wanted to bruise her lips with mine. I wanted her as desperate for me as I was for her.

“You’re late.” My tone was hostile. I could hear it. I don’t know why I said it the way I did. I knew I frightened her, but damn it, she scared me too.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I got distracted by the beautiful decorations out front. Whoever put the display together is an artist,” she whispered, her gaze downcast. Right then, I felt like an asshole. I didn’t want her nervous around me, but I couldn’t understand what she was doing to me, and that made me insane.

“I don’t like people wasting my time. So please refrain from getting distracted by shiny objects.” As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I regretted saying them. The look on her face made me want to punch myself. It was clear she was fighting back tears. I curled my hands into fists, hating myself.

“May I use your bathroom?” she whispered, her voice breaking. I knew once and for all that I was a worthless piece of shit and probably didn’t deserve her. But it didn’t mean I wasn’t going to make her mine anyway.

Holly

I didn’t understand why Bryant reacted to me the way he did. Being around him was starting to give me whiplash. He would make me so angry with his abrupt and hostile behavior. And when I got angry, I tended to cry. I was so furious at myself that I let my emotions get the better of me, and that this man saw me like that. I didn’t like to cry. It was something that had been beaten out of me at a very young age. People rarely saw that side of me, but this man made my emotions jump all over the place. I had a hard time controlling them. I stared at myself in the mirror, sensing myself start to calm down, the tears receding. I took one last look in the mirror and turned, slowly opening the bathroom door. A gasp left me at who was right on the other side. Bryant stood in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest. He exhaled and let his arms fall to his sides.

“Holly, I am sorry.” Bryant’s voice was somber, and his eyes had softened.

“Sometimes when I can’t control my environment, I act like a son of a bitch.” He sounded sincere, and if I was being honest, it was going to take a hell of a lot more than some hurt feelings for me to quit this job.

“Let’s just get on with it. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we never have to see each other again.” I heard the clipped tone of my voice. Bryant took a step toward me, closing the gap between us, which backed me up right against the wall. He bent his head so his mouth was right next to my ear. His breath on my neck was so seductive that I could feel fire course through my veins.

“I’m an asshole, Holly, but I’m also driven. And from the moment I saw you, I couldn't seem to focus on anything other than you.” He leaned back and stared into my eyes. A second later, he turned around and walked away, leaving me once again trying to get myself under control.