E V A N S

I couldn't sleep the whole night.

    It wasn't because our room just so happened to be beside Kayden and Sienna's, and no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't drown our their loud moans and pants with our pillows. Alright, I guess it was part of the reason why neither I nor Brent could fall asleep.

But I was particularly haunted by my thoughts the entire night—thoughts of my parents, of their hardened prejudice against us and their unwillingness to let us be part of their lives.

    Usually, I don't let that kind of stuff bother me. But I guess I just wanted this year to be different. It's been two years already. I really wished they'd let it go. Don't get me wrong, I love spending Christmas with my friends. But I knew that it would be a whole lot better if I could celebrate it with my parents too.

    By the time I manage to doze off, Brent nudges me awake and tells me that it's time for breakfast. The smell of pancakes diffuses into the air and creeps into our room as Brent opens the door for me. When we reach the end of the stairs, I realize that we're the last couple to arrive.

    Daniel and Jax are at the stove with their ridiculous pink aprons flipping and serving pancakes. Simon and Cara are brewing coffee whereas Alex and Sienna are busy distributing drinks to everyone. Meanwhile, in the living room, Kayden's perched on the sofa, waiting for food to be served while keeping an eye on Clarissa and Eden, who seem to be playing with some of the toys she got as gifts yesterday night.

    "Hey, everyone," Brent says, sliding his warm hand into mine as he drags me towards the kitchen counter. "Need any help?"

    "Nah, we're almost done here," Daniel says as he flips another pancake in the air. He moves his pan over the stove a couple more times before dropping the pancake into an empty plate.

    "Here," says Alex as she takes the plate and gives it to me. "Syrup and butter are over there."

    "Thanks." Taking a seat beside Sienna, who appears to have trouble keeping her eyes open.

    "Long night, huh?" I nudge her, winking. She groans, resting her head on both of her arms.

    "You heard?" She asks me.

    "Oh, I think everyone heard it," Blaire comes sauntering in, grabbing the milk carton and pouring the liquid into her glass. She casts a knowing grin towards Sienna. "'Oh, Kayden. Yes, that's it. Right there—oh god—oh—oh—oh—"'

    "Oh come on. Give me a break. You guys—" Sienna glares, gesturing to both Jax and Blaire. "Aren't any better." She mimics Blaire. "'Jackson, fuck yes! Oh god, yes, just like that, don't stop, don't stop—don't ever stop!"

    Blaire looks away swiftly, but not before I catch the intense blush in her cheeks.

    "Sex fiends," Cara says, rolling her eyes. "All of you."

    "What are you guys on about now?" Kayden says as he appears from behind us, clutching Clarissa in his arms.

    "Just the weather," Sienna says, beaming as she gets out from her chair to kiss her boyfriend quickly on the lips. Her head dips down as she smiles at her daughter. "How's my little Riss Riss doing today?"

    Clarissa smiles back at her mom, her arms extending towards her. Sienna wriggles her eyebrows at Kayden, as if saying hah, she wants me! Not you! and takes Clarissa from him. A frown lines Kayden's lips.

    "So, how are you, Evans? You've been a tad bit quieter than usual. Not so very typical of Sexy Santa to be like this," Cara says, sliding into the seat opposite from mine. She links her hands together, propping her elbows on the kitchen counter. "You alright?"

    "I'm fine." I say just as Brent says, "he's not."

    We both turn to each other and blink.

    "Fine," I say. "It's just family stuff. It's really no big deal."

    "Parents kinda fucked up, huh?" Jax says as he turns off the stove and unties his apron. He nods towards me. "Trust me—everyone has that. Take it from me: mom and dad divorced. Mom's an alcoholic. Stepdad's in jail and I put him there."

    Shit.

    And I thought I had it bad.

    It's a wonder Jax didn't turn out to be worse than he already is.

    "Kinda weird that they're supposed to be our role models and we end up being better than them, huh?" Jax says, rubbing his hands together.

    Beside him, Blaire bats her eyelashes and scoffs. "Who are you to talk about being a good person? Up until last year, you basically called yourself the devil."

    Sienna shrugs. "She has a point."

    Jax rolls his eyes. "You guys get what I mean," he says, kohl eyes resting on me and softening. "Point is, parents always somehow manage to fuck up. But they'll come around. Or at least, some of them do. Look at my dad. He never fails to tell me he loves me everyday. It's almost sickening."

    I guess he has a point. I wonder if my parents will ever belong to the latter category. Will they ever realize that what they've been doing is wrong? Will they ever come begging for an apology from me?

    I highly doubt so. But it wouldn't hurt to dream.

    "Guys! Guys!" Eden comes barreling towards all of us, his eyes wild with excitement. He's panting hard, trying to get the words out of his system. "It's—it's snowing!"

    "What?" Blaire says. "That's not possible. It never snows here. And I know this—I've lived here my whole life."

    "But... it is!" Eden says, jumping up and down while pointing outside. "Come look!"

    Everyone immediately rushes outside. When the front door opens, my eyes widen in shock at the scene unfolding in front of me. Snow—actual snow—falling from the skies, blanketing the entire lawn.

Incredible.

I step forward from the patio, my hands extending to touch the snow. Soft and mild, it feels, but not for long as it dissolves into water almost instantaneously.

    "What a fucking miracle," Jax breathes, his hands resting on Eden's shoulders. Eden stares at the white layer of snow carpeting the grass.

    "This is crazy. I guess global warming is real after all," Simon says, wiping off the snow from the lenses of his glasses before putting them back on.

    "I think it's kinda romantic," Cara says, tugging her boyfriend forward to join her in the winter wonderland. She takes his hands and rests them on her waist, then takes off his glasses and slides it into the pocket of his shirt. "Merry Christmas, baby."

    "Merry Christmas," Simon smiles as he lays a sweet kiss on his girlfriend.

    "Come on," Blaire says, dragging Jax forward. "We're totally gonna do what they're doing. Kayden, help us take a picture! It'll be great for next year's Christmas cards!"

    All around us, everyone begin to walk out of the patio to enjoy the falling snow. Daniel twirls Alex around and she laughs, her tongue sticking out to catch the winking snowflakes. Simon laughs as Cara and Eden begin making snow angels together. And Blaire and Jax... well, it's no surprise that they're just standing by the corner making out.

    "Come on," Brent says, a crooked smile forming on his lips as he pulls me until we're completely outside. "I think you owe me a kiss as well."

    "I believe I do," I say, grinning, running the back of my hand over his cheek in a gentle caress. "I love you, Brent."

    "Love you too, baby," he murmurs, his eyes softening. Oh, how I love those eyes. I stare at them everyday and I'll still never get bored of them. "Look," he says. "I know you're still upset about what happened with you and your parents. But it's okay. You'll always have me. I'll never let you down. Ever."

    "I know you won't," I say. "That's why I married you."

    "I thought you married me because of the sex."

    "Yeah. And that too."

    He grins—a ridiculous one at that.

"Merry Christmas, Evans," he whispers.

    "Merry Christmas, B."

    And I take his face in my hands and lean forward to press my lips against his.

    As the snow descends and falls around us in a lazy haze, I realize that, in that moment, with my husband's arms around me and mine around his, there's nothing more than I could ever need.

* * *

    Our hearts were heavy with sorrow when we had to leave Blaire and Jax's mansion.

    Though my experience had been tainted by what my parents did to me and Brent, I really did find myself enjoying Christmas with them. Granted, there were unexpected surprises along the way, but then again, there always are when it comes to them.

    They're already planning the next Christmas together. Sienna proposed that we'll go somewhere out of the states this time again. France, maybe. Or Spain. Wouldn't that be fun.

    By the time we touched down in Boston, I'm filled with exhaustion. No amount of sleep on the plane can ever fulfill that. I'm fortunate enough that Brent offered to standby to get the bags while I took a power nap by the chairs. I still have to drive later, so I need all the energy I can get.

    When we've taken all our baggages, we proceed straight to the arrival hall. Seeing the other passengers run towards their loved ones to greet them with huge smiles on their faces makes me ache again. Brent's hand finds mine and squeezes it tight, giving me all the reassurance that I need.

    "Evans?" An all-too-familiar sound resonates and my entire body freezes.

    I turn around and spot my mom as she wriggles her way through the crowd, her smile hesitant and her movements unsure and rigid. She looks so different from the last time I saw her, and yet, at the same time, still the same. Same dirty blonde hair, same leopard print blouse that she loves to wear, and same dark, hopeful eyes.

    I can't believe she's here.

    "Hey," she says.

    I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. What in god's name is she doing here?

    Noticing that I'm not going to be able to say anything, Brent offers his hand. "Hi, Mrs. Kessler."

    "Hi, Brent," she says, her eyes flicking towards him. Surprisingly, there isn't any hatred burning in her eyes when she looks at him. She takes his hand and shakes it all too willingly. "Merry Christmas."

    "Merry Christmas to you too."

    Then, silence consumes all three of us.

    "I, uh..." My mom scratches her head, unsure of what to do. "I heard that the both of you were in LA for Christmas."

    "Yeah, we did," Brent says, squeezing my hand again. "We spent it with our close friends. We had a great time."

    "I'm glad you guys did." My mom says, her eyes meeting mine. "How was the flight?"

    "It was good," my husband replies for me again.

Her eyes land right back to me. "Am I going to have all of our conversations through your husband now?" My mom says with a small laugh.

Suddenly, all the pent up anger from beneath me pours right out like hot molten lava.

    "What the hell are you doing here?" I snap.

    She clears her throat, her hands clasping together, shoulders tensing. "Well," she starts off, "I wanted to see you."

    "Funny how that wasn't the case when you told me and Brent that we weren't invited to your Christmas ball two days ago," I growl.

    She closes her eyes briefly. "I know. And I'm so sorry for that. I just—" She inhales a deep breath. "I don't know. Your dad was being your dad again—you know how he is, that stubborn git—and he was the one who told me to tell you not to come. I didn't want to do it, Evans. You have to believe me. I really wanted to see you. I missed you so much—" She takes a step forward but I retreat a step back.

    "Don't." I place a hand to stop her from coming any closer. "Don't. You don't get to do this to me."

    "I know. And I know this is probably the wrong time to do it but..." A tear leaks from her eye and she wipes it away with her sleeve. Her eyes shine bright as they connect with mine, pleading. "I'm sorry. About everything. I've never claimed to be the perfect mother. It took me completely by surprise when you told me you were—" She gulps hard. "—bisexual. And when you wanted to marry Brent... I know I wasn't very supportive about it. But I feel awfully terrible about it now. I've asked God for guidance these past few months, to see if I can get you back, and I now realize that the only way to do that is to accept who you are. Completely and wholeheartedly. And so I did.

    I've tried to convince your father but he wouldn't have any of it. I don't know if he'll come around..." She shakes her head, but then she sighs and her head lifts, her eyes shining bright. "But I'm hoping that he will. Eventually. He just needs time. A lot of it. I just feel so guilty about what happened with the Christmas ball. If it makes you feel any better, I couldn't enjoy myself at all," she says, her voice cracking. "I know that it'll take a long time for you to forgive me. But I'd really like to earn it back. And your trust. And your love. If you'd let me, hopefully."

    I heave a long sigh. I've dreamt for so long that my parents would say all these wonderful things to me and take me back. And now, here lies my mother, who wants me to take her back. To offer her the possibility of forgiveness. To make amends with her and hopefully heal our wounded relationship.

    A part of me wants to tell her to fuck off. At least she'll have a taste of her own medicine. But, I don't want to be a bitter man. I've seen how anger and bitterness has altered Sienna's life. I don't want to go down that road—ever.

So instead, I hide all of the pain and shove it away.

Instead, I decide to be the bigger man and stay.

    "You're right. I can't forgive you yet," I tell her. "What you've done to me and Brent for the past two years have been absolutely terrible. You've caused the both of us so much pain. I didn't ask for much, mom. Only acceptance. And now that you're here..." I inhale a deep breath. "If this is what you really want—if you truly want to be part of my life again—then... I guess we can start over."

I expect her to change her mind, to bolt and leave like the many times before, but to my surprise, she stays put.

    "I'd like that very much." A genuine smile forms on her face. "Would... would you and Brent like to have dinner with me tonight?"

    I turn my head to Brent. Brent nods.

    "Sure, mom." I extend my arm as an inviting gesture—the start of something hopeful and new. "Lead the way."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ T H E E N D ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

A/N: So we're finally done with Perfect Christmas again! As usual, it always hurts to let go of a finished book, no matter how short it may have been.

This is the last you'll probably be seeing of the Perfect series gang for a very long while. No matter how great these characters are, all good things must come to an end. I need to leave them be and let them live out their HEAs without me meddling in their lives.

I look forward to creating and loving new characters for my next series. I'm certain I'll grow very attached to them, and I know you will be too.

I'll be taking a five-week hiatus from updating on Wattpad. I want to focus on spending time with my friends and family here in Malaysia without worrying about writing. The next update for Perfect Ruin will commence during the third-week of January.

Don't worry - I'll still be very active on social media, especially in the Dia-Hards Facebook group. So if you have any questions, feel free to hit me up there!

Love you guys so much!

Xoxo, Claudia.