352 Christmas 2

Ah, she thought that she is fine with it, but now that she sees her father smiling goofily at Foxy, Liz realized that getting used to this will be a process. She wondered if that is what Isaac went through when he saw her with Max. Probably.

Liz told herself to stay cool. She was never the one to accept changes easily and she can't allow her discomfort to jeopardize her father's happiness. Regardless of how deep Isaac's feelings for Foxy are, if he finds out dark thoughts Liz has, it will create unnecessary complications and Isaac will be caught between Liz and Foxy. That is not fair.

In an attempt to cheer up, Liz started mentally listing the reasons why Isaac and Foxy being a couple is a good thing. First, he will be happy. Her father has a successful career, a thriving business, and more money than he can spend in ten lifetimes. He worked hard for everything he has, and he should have someone to share it with. Foxy is a good woman and with Foxy by Isaac's side, he will not be lonely.

Isaac always said how Liz and his work are enough and he does not need anything else in life, but from personal experience, Liz knows how that was true only because Isaac didn't meet anyone else worth of his time. That changed when he met Foxy, in the same way how Liz changed when she met Max.

Liz paused and her gaze moved to Max.

'Maybe this is the sign that I should stay in Seattle. My dad will not be lonely and that means that my absence will not impact him much. And to be honest, I don't think I can bear to separate from Max.'

Max noticed that Liz is not eating but staring at him. Usually, her gaze would be goofy or loving, and this was complex and unreadable. He wondered if he messed up something. "What?"

Liz smiled and shook her head, refusing to answer. She focused on the remaining food on her plate.

Max reached under the table and gave Liz's thigh a gentle squeeze, reminding her that he is still waiting for her answer.

"That was something, and I want to know what it was…", Max spoke only for Liz to hear.

Liz avoided Max's gaze. There is no way that she will admit her thoughts, not yet at least.

Liz cleared her throat and spoke to the only person Max can't go against, his mother. "This is very tasty, Mrs. A."

Madeline accepted the compliment. "It's extra special because of everyone seated at this table. Thank you for coming."

Isaac raised his glass. "Thank you for inviting us. This is amazing… the food, the atmosphere, and the company." He ended while gazing at Foxy.

The only one missing (for Liz and Mia) was Bri, and in extension, Quentin as well.

Brianna and Quentin were invited, but the two of them were on the other side of Seattle, celebrating Christmas with Quentin's parents.

…

While people exchanged toasts at the Anderson family villa, in the Reynolds household, the atmosphere was more… stiff.

A little background…

Brianna spent most of her afternoon picking what to wear.

Quentin told her that anything is fine, but Brianna was not sharing that opinion.

"Do you think that this is too sexy?", Brianna asked while pointing at the opening in the chest area of her cocktail dress that revealed a hint of her cleavage.

Quentin's eyes flashed mischievously. "Anything you wear is sexy. It's not about the outfit, doll. It's you."

Brianna rolled her eyes and her big smile betrayed that she is not upset. "Can you be serious? You are known for your fashion sense. Don't tell me that you turned it off for the holidays."

Quentin grinned. "In your presence, nothing is off, baby. You turn me on through and through."

He chuckled when he saw that Brianna is not sure if she should smile or strangle him.

Quentin lifted his hands defensively and added: "I am serious. You have the power to sexify things. If you put a sack on you, it will be the sexiest sack on earth."

Brianna enjoyed Quentin's compliments, but this is important, and she can't let Quentin's sweet-talking distract her.

"I'm going to meet your parents, Q. The first impression is important. Please, help me out."

"They know that you are amazing. That's enough. Wear something comfortable."

Brianna stiffened. "What did you tell them?"

Quentin smiled slyly, enjoying this moment. It's not often to see Brianna insecure.

Only when she threw a decorative pillow at him, he spoke: "I didn't tell them much, really. They know that I have a girl I like and that we are dating and that's it."

"Your parents were not curious about me?", Brianna asked suspiciously.

Her father knew Quentin as a client of their company, and even with that, when Brianna announced that they are dating, Joseph was playing a game of a thousand questions while trying to find out everything about Quentin. His past, family, current affairs, and plans for the future.

Quentin shrugged, indicating that it's not a big deal. "They were curious, but I told them that they can ask you when you meet. It's up to you what you want to tell them."

Brianna huffed. "Great. Thanks for putting me on the spot."

"Would it be better if I gave them your name and social security number so that they can run a background check?"

"Well, no.", Brianna admitted. "But the idea of sitting and being grilled and judged does not sound peachy either."

Quentin pulled Brianna into his embrace and spoke softly. "I don't want to lie to you and build expectations for how everything will be perfect. I wish that I can tell you what to expect, but I don't because I never brought a girl home. However, that is also a reason why I believe that they will love you. I'm not very close to my parents. We live in the same city, but other than seeing them in the company, we meet for the holidays. In the last few years, they are asking occasionally if I'm ready to settle down with someone special and my mother was curious to find out who will accompany me for this dinner…"

Brianna had to admit that it makes sense. Maybe. Well, every family is different. The fact that Joseph is so nosy, does not mean that everyone is.

She told herself not to get too anxious in advance because even if the evening turns out to be a disaster, Quentin will be by her side. At least she hopes that will be the case.

They prepared presents that are on the expensive side, jewelry set for Quentin's mother, and a custom wristwatch for his father, but Brianna does not know them, so anything personal and useful was out of the question.

Quentin was not of much help for the present-picking. "Whatever I gift them, they only keep in the storage. I found out about that about five years ago and since then, I try not to stress about it."

Brianna understands his point, but she still can't go for Christmas dinner empty-handed. 

After trying out numerous outfits, Brianna decided on wearing a red turtleneck and a green pencil skirt. Her skin was covered with fabric that could not conceal her curves. If she went with a baggy-outfit, she would risk looking like a grandma, and that would be a big offense. As a bonus, the colors were holiday-ish.

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