“That would be never,” I grumble. “But I guess now is good.”
We all take a seat around the coffee table, Tina on the side of the couch closest to where Tim sits in his recliner, and Lincoln in the opposite recliner. Miller and I take the other cushions on the couch.
Despite the looks of curiosity from his aunt and uncle, Miller takes my hand again and pulls it into his lap. Our intertwinedfingers rest on his thigh, and I don’t miss the way Tina’s gaze drops to them before she looks up at me.
Tension is thick in the air as we all sit silently, and I glance at Lincoln, hoping he’ll take the lead on this.
After another heavily awkward moment, he speaks, and relief floods through me. “So, I guess you can see that Holly and I aren’t together. It turns out she and Miller have something pretty special, and I couldn’t be the guy to stand in their way.”
Tim’s gaze bounces from his son to Miller before his eyes connect with mine. He says nothing, though, and instead turns to his wife. Tina wears a blank expression, which is strange to see on her. Usually so enthusiastic, right now she’s being quiet and reserved.
“I never came here and expected to meet someone who instantly captured my interest.” I swallow the lump in my throat as my heart threatens to combust in my chest. I feel physically sick. Terrified of what they’ll think of me after this. “Meeting Miller was a coincidence. I had no idea he owned the tree farm when I walked over to it, let alone was related to Lincoln. I thought he was just some nice guy who helped ice my ankle after I embarrassed myself. I was completely caught off guard when he walked in on Christmas morning.”
“How do you feel about this?” Tina asks Lincoln. There’s a slight bite to her tone that makes me want to cave in on myself.
Lincoln glances down at his lap before looking back at his mother. “Holly and I were actually never together, Mom. In fact, we didn’t even know each other prior to Christmas Eve.”
My heart twists as I add, “And my name isn’t Holly. It’s Elizabeth. Zee for short.”
“I don’t understand.” Tina’s face contorts with confusion.
“Your name isn’t Holly?” Tim chimes in. “Why would you give us a fake name?”
“Because this was never supposed to be more than a one-time meeting. I met Lincoln through a dating app called SparksFly after I created a profile so I could set up a few holiday dates throughout the month.” My eyes meet his for a second before I drop them back to my lap. Miller squeezes my hand, encouraging me to continue. “Lincoln reached out and asked if I would join him for Christmas Eve dinner. We met for coffee that morning so that we weren’t complete strangers upon coming here.”
“None of this makes any sense to me,” Tina says with sadness. “Why lie?” But that question isn’t directed at me. She’s looking at Lincoln.
He sighs, and I can tell he’s struggling with what he wants to say to his parents. “I’ve worked really hard through med school and working my way up at the hospital. I guess I just couldn’t take another holiday where the main point of topic was when I would meet someone and settle down. Holly—Elizabeth—presented as the perfect cover. It was purely by chance that I found her profile that night, and I don’t regret having her come for Christmas Eve. If I hadn’t, she wouldn’t have met Miller, and that dopey grin on his face hasn’t left since he met her.”
“I’ve fallen in love with her,” Miller asserts, scooting closer to the edge of the couch. He reaches over me and grabs his aunt's hand. “Please don’t be angry at Zee for all of this.”
“I’m not angry,” Tina shoots back, definitely sounding angry. “I’m just so confused. Lincoln, why would you not just ask us to stop bringing up when you might settle down? We love you. We just want to see you happy.”
“I hate disappointing you, and every time I had to tell you I was still single, it felt like I was doing exactly that. It’s clear you’re ready for grandchildren, but that’s just not where I’m at this point in my life. I’m focusing on my career and myself. If I meet someone, then the rest will work itself out in due time.”
“So your name is Elizabeth?” Tim asks, still trying to get up to speed, completely ignoring everything his son just said.
“Yes.” My voice comes out small and timid.
I hate that I feel so hesitant around these people who have been nothing but kind to me. But, like Lincoln, I’m finding their disappointment to be utterly heart-wrenching.
“And you set up a dating profile under a fake name, so you could go on dates with multiple men.”
I wince. When he says it likethat, it sounds so much worse than it is. “Yes, but it’s not like what you’re thinking it is. All the dates knew they were nothing more than a holidate. I was simply a companion for their holiday parties.”
“Why would you want to do that, sweetheart?” Tina asks in a motherly tone.
I want to answer her, but words feel like sandpaper on my tongue. Opening and closing my mouth a couple times, I end up looking down into my lap, embarrassed and overwhelmed. “I… Because… I just…”
“Because her entire family died over the summer and she didn’t want to be alone for the holidays,” Miller says with frustration, scrubbing his palm down his face.
His words hang in the air, and I look at him, horror-struck. It feels like Miller just carved into my heart with a searing hot knife, slashing through it until he met the weakest spot. My family's faces flit through my mind, and I suck in a sharp breath, finding it hard to breathe.
He knows I didn’t want to tell them that yet.
Tears spring to my eyes, my heart shattering into pieces, and immediately Miller realizes what he’s said.
His eyes widen. “Zee, I’m so?—”
