Forbidden Christmas

CHAPTER 18: Christmas Eve Tension

Maya's Pov

Christmas Eve approached way too fast. The house buzzed with activity. Sophie and Catherine baked in the kitchen. Jason and Melissa argued about something stupid in the living room. And I sat on my bed staring at my closet, trying to figure out what to wear to dinner.

Derek and I had barely seen each other since he came back two days ago. Sophie's rules were strict. No being alone together. No obvious couple stuff. Act normal.

Except nothing felt normal.

My phone buzzed. Derek.

"You look beautiful in anything. Stop overthinking it."

I looked out my window. Across the yard, Derek stood at his window, phone in hand, watching me. Even from this distance, I could see him smiling.

I typed back: "How do you know I'm overthinking?"

Derek: "Because I know you. And because you've been standing in front of your closet for twenty minutes."

Maya: "Stalker."

Derek: "Guilty. Now pick the blue dress. It's my favorite."

I pulled out the blue dress I'd brought. Simple, fitted, appropriate for a family dinner. I held it up to the window so he could see.

He gave a thumbs up.

This was our relationship now. Stolen glances. Secret texts. Being together while being completely apart.

It was torture.

I got dressed and did my makeup, trying not to think about how tonight would go. Catherine would be there. Derek's ex-wife, who'd left him and was now back for Christmas. Sophie had been weird about it, alternating between being happy her mom was here and being annoyed by her presence.

And me? I had no idea how to act around the woman whose husband I was now... what? Dating? Seeing? I didn't even know what to call it.

Downstairs, the dining room looked perfect. Candles everywhere. The good china. Christmas music playing softly. Sophie had gone all out.

"Maya!" Sophie grabbed my arm. "You look amazing. Come help me set the table. Mom's being useless."

Catherine laughed from the kitchen. "I'm making the potatoes. That's not useless."

"You're making instant potatoes from a box. That's definitely useless."

I helped Sophie arrange silverware and napkins while Catherine moved around the kitchen. She caught my eye and smiled. Not hostile, just... knowing.

It made me want to disappear.

Derek came downstairs in dark jeans and a button-down shirt. His hair was still damp from the shower. He looked good. Too good.

"Derek, can you open the wine?" Catherine asked like they were still married. Like this was normal.

"Sure."

I watched them move around each other with practiced ease. Years of marriage. Years of knowing each other's rhythms. They looked comfortable. Natural.

And I felt like an intruder.

Sophie noticed my expression. "Hey. You okay?"

"Yeah. Fine."

"Liar. Come on." She pulled me into the hallway. "I know this is weird. Mom being here. You and Dad trying to pretend you're not together. All of it."

"I'm fine, really."

"Maya. It's me. You can't lie to me anymore, remember? New rules."

I sighed. "It's just strange. Watching them together. They have all this history and I'm just... new."

"You're not just new. You're important. Dad hasn't looked this happy in years. Even with all the awkwardness, he's different. Better." Sophie squeezed my hand. "Mom notices too. She told me yesterday that she's glad he found someone."

"She said that?"

"Yeah. She feels guilty about how things ended. Seeing him happy makes her feel less bad, I think."

"That's weird."

"Everything about this situation is weird. But we're making it work." Sophie grinned. "Besides, watching you and Dad try not to look at each other is kind of entertaining."

"We're that obvious?"

"So obvious. You've looked at him like fifteen times since you came downstairs."

"I have not."

"You literally just looked at him again."

I had. Derek was in the kitchen talking to Catherine, but his eyes kept drifting to where Sophie and I stood.

"This is impossible," I muttered.

"It's not. You just have to get through tonight. Tomorrow's Christmas and everyone will be distracted by presents. Then Mom leaves the day after. Then you and Dad can actually be together without it being so weird."

Dinner was called. We all sat around the table, Derek at the head like always. Catherine sat to his right. I sat at the opposite end, as far from him as possible. Sophie sat in the middle, playing referee.

Jason said some awkward grace that no one really listened to. Then Catherine stood up with her wine glass.

"I want to make a toast," she said. "To family. Even when it's complicated. Even when we mess up. We're still family."

Everyone raised their glasses. Derek's eyes found mine across the table.

"And to second chances," Catherine added, looking directly at Derek. "At happiness. At getting it right. At letting go of the past and embracing what comes next."

We drank. The wine tasted expensive. Everything Catherine did was expensive.

Dinner was actually nice. The food was good. The conversation flowed. Catherine told embarrassing stories about Derek from when they were young. Sophie laughed until she cried. Jason even put his phone down.

And I watched Derek across the table, loving the way he smiled when Sophie teased him, the way he patiently explained architecture to Melissa when she asked, the way his eyes kept finding mine even when he was talking to someone else.

"So Maya," Catherine said, pulling my attention. "Sophie tells me you're in marketing?"

"Yes. Digital marketing mostly."

"That's wonderful. Derek mentioned you're very talented."

I glanced at Derek. He was studying his plate very intently.

"Derek talks about me?"

"A bit. He showed me one of your campaigns. Very impressive." Catherine smiled. "You're very young though. What are you, twenty-five?"

"Twenty-six."

"Right. Twenty-six. And Derek's forty-four. That's quite an age gap."

The table went silent. Sophie set down her fork. Derek's jaw tightened.

"Mom," Sophie said warningly.

"I'm just making an observation. It's a big difference."

"Catherine," Derek said quietly. "Don't."

"I'm not being critical. I think it's lovely. Just... surprising. You always dated women your own age before."

"I wasn't dating them. I was going through the motions." Derek looked at me, ignoring everyone else at the table. "Maya is different."

My face burned. This was the most he'd acknowledged our relationship in front of everyone.

Catherine's expression softened. "I can see that. Well, Maya, welcome to the family. Such as it is."

"Thank you."

The conversation moved on. But my heart was still racing. Derek had defended us. In front of his ex-wife. In front of everyone.

After dinner, we moved to the living room. Catherine suggested a game. Sophie groaned but agreed. Jason disappeared to take a work call. Melissa scrolled through her phone.

And I sat on one end of the couch while Derek sat on the other, both of us pretending we weren't hyper-aware of each other.

Sophie put on a Christmas movie. Something cheesy and predictable. Halfway through, she fell asleep against Catherine's shoulder. Melissa left to go to bed. Jason still hadn't come back from his call.

Which left me, Derek, and Catherine awake in the dim living room.

"I'm going to put Sophie to bed," Catherine said, carefully extracting herself. "Derek, help me?"

They carried Sophie upstairs together, this practiced parent teamwork they'd perfected over the years.

I sat alone in the living room, watching fake snow fall on TV, feeling very much like an outsider in a family that wasn't mine.

When Derek came back down, he didn't sit on the other end of the couch. He sat next to me. Close enough that our legs touched.

"That was the longest dinner of my life," he said quietly.

"Your ex-wife is interesting."

"That's a polite way of putting it."

"She's not what I expected."

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know. Someone mean? Someone who'd hate me?"

"Catherine doesn't hate anyone. She's too evolved for hate." He said it with affection though, not bitterness.

"Do you still love her?"

The question came out before I could stop it.

Derek turned to look at me. "No. I love who we were once. I love the life we built and the daughter we made. But I don't love her. Not romantically. That ended a long time before she left."

"She's beautiful."

"So are you."

"She's age-appropriate."

"I don't care about appropriate. I care about you." He reached over and took my hand, hidden between us where the camera couldn't see. "Stop comparing yourself to her. You're not in competition."

"It feels like I am."

"You're not. Catherine is my past. You're my present. Hopefully my future." He squeezed my hand. "If you'll have me."

"Even with Sophie's rules? Even with your ex-wife watching? Even with everyone knowing?"

"Especially with all of that. Because it means we're real. Not hiding. Not pretending." He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "I want this, Maya. I want you. All the complications included."

"I want you too."

We sat there holding hands in the dark living room, the movie playing to an audience of two, the Christmas tree lights twinkling.

This wasn't how I'd imagined my Christmas. Falling for my best friend's father. Navigating family drama. Sharing him with his ex-wife.

But somehow, sitting there with Derek's hand in mine, it felt right.

"Merry Christmas Eve," Derek whispered.

"Merry Christmas Eve."

My phone buzzed. Sophie.

"I'm not really asleep. Just FYI. And you two are cute but also gross. Now stop being couple-y in my living room and go to bed. Separately."

I showed Derek the text. He laughed quietly.

"She's watching us?"

"Apparently."

"Smart kid."

"She gets it from you."

We stood up, letting go of hands reluctantly. Derek walked me to the stairs.

"Goodnight, Maya."

"Goodnight."

He leaned in like he was going to kiss me, then stopped. Glanced up the stairs where Sophie was definitely watching.

"Tomorrow," he said instead.

"Tomorrow."

I went to my room and closed the door, leaning against it.

My phone buzzed again. Derek.

"I wanted to kiss you goodnight. Sophie's rules are torture."

Maya: "Tomorrow."

Derek: "Tomorrow I'm kissing you. Rules or no rules."

Maya: "I'm counting on it."

I climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling, knowing sleep was impossible.

Because tomorrow was Christmas. And tomorrow, apparently, Derek was done following all the rules.

I couldn't wait.