Page 102 of Babies for the Christmas Grump

Laughter. Bright, unrestrained laughter.

I glance over, and there’s Sunny, Marjorie, Pearl, and Dex gathered in the lobby, a whirlwind of activity. The three of them are messing around, setting up decorations for the gala, their movements so relaxed it seems they’ve forgotten the world outside.

Sunny is balancing a string of twinkling lights, her expression focused but amused as she struggles to untangle them. Marjorie’s in the middle of adjusting a wreath on the banister, talking a mile a minute as Dex holds it in place, clearly struggling to keep his composure.

“You know, you could at least pretend to be an adult, Dex,” Marjorie teases, eyes twinkling with mischief.

“I’m trying, okay? But this wreath has a mind of its own,” Dex grumbles.

I can’t help but smile despite myself. The scene is a warm flash of normalcy—something I desperately need right now.

But as I start to move past them, I feel Sunny’s gaze land on me. Her eyes catch mine, a flicker of something in them, concern or curiosity. It’s hard to tell from here.

She quickly sets the lights down, wiping her hands on her jeans and taking a couple of steps toward me.

“Hey, Ryder,” she says, light but with a hint of hesitation. “How’s everything going? You look… intense.”

“I’m fine,” I mutter, glancing over at the others.

Dex and Marjorie are still playing around, clearly oblivious to whatever’s going on behind my eyes.

She raises an eyebrow, not buying it. “Right. Okay.”

There’s a slight pause as she steps closer, her presence somehow grounding amid the madness.

“You want a drink? We’ve got some spiked cider Andre is testing for the gala,” she offers, trying to ease the tension I’m sure she can feel radiating off me.

I shake my head, forcing a half-smile. “I’m good, Sunny. Thanks. I’m working on something right now and don’t have time.”

“Something I can help with?”

I shake my head. “Not yet. Thanks.”

It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with her, or that I don’t want to accept her offer. It’s just that my mind is already elsewhere, on Lang, on the mess, on the lies. I need to keep moving. I can’t afford to be distracted.

I need to figure everything out before I bring it to Sunny. I want to besure. There’s no way I want to tell her about Vincent’s lawyer’s threats yet.

She looks at me for a beat longer, her smile faltering slightly, but she doesn’t press me.

“Alright. If you change your mind, you know where to find me,” she says with a shrug, but there’s something else in her voice—something I can’t quite place.

I nod, feeling a brief pang of regret, but I push it down.

I turn to head out, but I hear her again, this time softer, almost a whisper. “Be careful, Ryder.”

I give a quick, almost imperceptible nod and walk out, letting the door swing shut behind me. But even as I step into the cold, I can’t shake the feeling that she’s right.

Whatever’s coming next, it’s going to be far from easy, which is why I need to have everything figured out before I go to Sunny with any of it.

The last thing I want to do is add stress to her life.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Sunny

December 21st

Okay.Fine. Decorating a ballroom for Christmas Eve. Not as glamorous as it sounds.