A Port Ranch Christmas (A Christmas Novella)

Chapter 4

ELLA

I ignore my dad when he dropped off my luggage in my room. It may not have been the more mature move considering I was trying to get him to treat me like an adult rather than a child, but I was a stubborn woman, something that he only had himself to thank for. I took a few moments to pull out a few outfits that I knew were going to be a wrinkled mess and then I made my way across the house in search of my boyfriend. Dustin was more than capable of handling anything my dad, or any of the men around here, to be frank, threw his way. His likeness to the men in my life was one of the reasons I fell in love with him, to begin with.

My mom was entering the kitchen at the same time I was, she was coming from the guest suite, I’m sure trying to smooth over any wrinkles left behind from my dad. That was a full-time job and she always did it with such grace. “Mom, please talk to him,” I begged of her. I even pouted out my bottom lip, something that rarely worked on her because she’s the one I got it from.

“You can’t be that surprised, can you Ella?”

“Maybe not, but it isn’t fair. He’s treating me like a young child and not the woman I am. Does he forget that I spend a majority of my time a thousand miles away from here where I could be shacking up with Dustin every single night if I wanted to?”

“Unless you would like your dad to throw down with your boyfriend in the backyard this Christmas, I suggest that you don’t remind him of that point. He knows all of these things, baby girl, but when you are back home there are just certain expectations in his mind.”

“His expectations are stupid,” I mumble.

My mom pulls me in for a hug and kisses me on the temple. “You’re going to survive, sweetheart. Dustin wants to make a good impression on your dad anyway. It is only for two weeks. Don’t they say something about distance making the heart grow fonder?”

“I don’t think this is what they’re talking about.”

“Maybe not, but I know you sleep alone plenty of nights during the school year and you’ll have ample time to spend with Dustin during the day. Your dad still has a full day of work every day, plenty of time to sneak off and do whatever the two of you think you need to do.”

“Mom!”

“I was not born yesterday, Ella Maxine. You might look as innocent as the angels up in heaven, but we both know the truth. Plus, you’re the one that so desperately wants to spend time in your boyfriend’s bed. What am I supposed to think you’re doing? Playing chess?”

“He does treat me like a queen.”

She taps the tip of my nose with her finger, “As she should, my dear,” and then disappears out of the kitchen. I continue my walk through the living room and to the door to the guest suite. It is opened a few inches, but I knock anyway, just to make sure.

“Dustin?” I say as I slowly open the door.

“Hey beautiful, I was hoping you’d make it over here to see me.” We meet halfway in the bedroom and Dustin gives me a hug and then a sweet kiss. We may have been dating for a year and a half now, but my stomach still flip flops when he kisses me. I hope that feeling never goes away.

“I’m doing okay. I’m sorry that I had a bit of a tantrum and left you unattended with my dad. He wasn’t horrible, was he?”

“Babe, your dad isn’t a bad guy at all. Sure, he’s intimidating as hell and he could probably snap me in half with just one hand, but I get guys like him. This is okay. It is only for the time that we’re sleeping anyway, right?” He rubs his hands up and down my arms with reassurance.