A Gift of Love for Christmas

Self Set Up

Lyra’s POV

I got out of the car and smiled as I viewed River's parents' house. I could see that the daisy flower bed that my Dad had hated was still very much there.

To us as kids, we loved playing with the flower which irritated River's mother to no end. She took care of the flower so much that my Dad would say ‘I don't know what Mrs Brown is keeping those dumb flowers for.'

I opened the passenger door to remove the gift I got for her. I didn't think it was polite for me to come for lunch empty-handed.

Like I had already told her, I didn't go with Charlie. I wasn't able to convince my mum to let me take him with me, according to her, they needed bonding time together.

I got to the door to knock but I froze with my hand raised in the air. I could hear voices from inside, and I was sure I heard River's deep, rich voice. I looked back again to scan the area and I winced when I saw that a black jeep with tinted glasses was parked on the other side of the compound. I had been too distracted with the flowers to see that the car was different.

I decided to go back and then call Mrs Brown later when I could come up with a reasonable excuse but the door suddenly opened with me turning to leave.

‘You are here. I thought I saw you park your car from the window and when I didn't see you come in, I decided to check. Come on in,’ Mrs Brown said and I quickly plastered a smile on my face so that she wouldn't suspect that anything was amiss.

‘Thank you, ma'am,’ I said, trying hard to leave my smile in place as my heart beat faster at the fact that River was in the same place as I.

We walked into the sitting room properly and she led me to the dining area. The house was still exactly how I knew it while growing up.

‘Lyra my girl, I almost didn't believe that you were in town,’ Mr Brown said and got up to hug me.

I concentrated on Mr Brown just to avoid looking at River just yet. I didn't know how I knew the smell of his aftershave but I knew that it was the smell that was bothering my nerves.

‘Mr Brown, I am glad to see you too. It feels so nice to be home after such a long time away,’ I said and hugged him back. He let go of me and I didn't have any option than to look at the other two occupants of the room.

‘Good day, ma'am. I think we have met once?’ River's personal assistant stood up to greet me.

‘Yes. Mr…’

‘Kobe. No Mr. Just Kobe,' he finished for me with a smile that would make any woman remove their pants. I knew right there that he was a heartbreaker.

‘Hello, little sis,’ River said, grinning teasingly. His grin was making my palms sweat but I had to hide it to avoid him seeing through me.

‘I am not little anymore River. Till when will I continue to be little Lyra?’ I asked raising a brow at him.

‘I see you believe me. I know you are a woman right now, but to your big brothers, you would always be little,’ River said, and my heart almost stopped when he said he could see me.

‘Oh shut up. Your ego is just too big to accept the fact that I am no longer little,’ I said and everyone laughed.

‘Please have your seat while I serve us,’ River's mum said, and when I offered to help, she declined, so I had no option but to sit there under River's intense gaze.

‘I didn't know you would be coming to Logsville so early. Christmas is still a week and some days away. I thought you were a busy man,’ I said, just to start a conversation so he could stop looking at me. He might not know it but his eyes were making me feel all sorts of emotions.

‘Yeah, I am a busy person but I already promised my mum that I would be here today to deliver her Christmas tree. And I also will be picking Phil up from the airport later today. So that is why I am here,’ River explained.

‘Phil is coming today?’ I asked surprised.

‘It was supposed to be a surprise for you and your parents, but what kind of a big brother will I be if I can't tell my little sister stuff like this,’ River said, grinning.

‘When and where are you picking him up?’ I asked.

‘The airport at Dame. His flight arrives at five,' River said.

Dame was just an hour's drive from Logsville. They have an airport and most people just take the route instead of driving from wherever to Logsville.

‘I will go with you,’ I said making sure to raise my chin so that he would know that I was determined.

‘You just got into town yesterday and I know you drove all the way from Philadelphia to Logsville. You should be resting,’ River said.

‘I have rested well enough. Besides, Dame is only a one-hour drive from here.’

‘Good to know that you know your geography but you are not going,’ River said sternly with no trace or smile or grin at sight.

‘I guess you are just used to giving orders, aren't you? Well, sorry to burst your bubble boss man, I am not one of your boys that you order around,’ I said as his mum brought the plates out and started dishing the food.

I stood up to help her dish the food. I could see a vein was pronounced on River's temple. I knew that my refusal to submit to him at that moment angered him but I wasn't going to back down.

‘Lyra, you are not going with me, and that is final,’ River said again, and I rolled my eyes. Was he still on the matter? I thought we settled it already.

‘Like I said, I am not one of your boys that can be ordered around. You need someone to order around, call them, or better still, your personal assistant is here, order him around,' I said to River, then turned to his assistant and said, ‘I mean no offense, please.’

‘None taken,’ Kobe said and it was obvious that he was trying his best not to laugh. I guess it wasn't every day that someone challenged his boss’ order and got away with it. Well, he just met me. It was my favorite pastime to challenge his boss.

‘If you won't let me go with you, then I will take my car. Either way, we would be welcoming Phil together,’ I said, then stood there staring back at him. At a point, his gaze was becoming too intense for my comfort but I wasn't going to back down.

‘Is it not better to take her with you than to let her go alone and then worry about her?’ His dad asked forcing me to break the gaze.

‘Fine, you can come, but I leave at three forty-five. Hope you can keep up,’ River said the last part like a challenge.

We settled down to lunch as Mrs Brown brought me up to speed with the happenings in the town. Although Mum tried to fill me in after I had told her everything about the divorce and how River and Phil had stepped in, leaving out how River did it, I had fallen asleep when she was at it.

After lunch, I left and went to meet Mum and Charlie in Mum's shop at the resort so that I could inform her that I was going with River to Dame.

Charlie hugged me the instance I walked into the shop. My mum was attending to some tourists, so I sat there and allowed Charlie to entertain me with the gist of how his day was going.

‘Mum, I will be going with River to Dame for sightseeing seeing, and I don't know if we will come back late,’ I lied through my teeth.

‘Is River in town already?’ Mum asked.

‘Yes. He was at his parents’ when I got there for lunch,’ I said.

‘I see. So he is taking you for sightseeing?’ Mum asked raising a brow and smiling slyly.

‘Is there another meaning to your question mum?’ I asked frowning.

‘Cut the pretense Lyra. I saw the way you looked at that boy. I saw the way you lit up each time he walked into the room. But when you left for Philadelphia and married Logan, I said, well, maybe you were both not meant to be,’ Mum said.

‘Mum, River is my brother,’ I said, and Mum raised her brow at me.

‘Be sincere with yourself Lyra. Do you view him as one?’ Mum asked and I looked away from her.

‘River is not the type of man I want in my life,' I mumbled, but Mum heard me.

‘What does that even mean?’ Mum asked.

‘It means I don't want him,’ I replied then stood up to inspect the shelf closest to me. Not because I saw anything of interest but because I needed to escape my mum's scrutiny.

No matter how strongly I felt for River, I couldn't allow myself to love someone who would put my life and that of my child in constant danger.

At exactly three-forty-five, my phone rang, and it was River who was calling; I rolled my eyes at his promptness. I picked up the call, and he said he was outside the resort’s gate. I wondered why he didn't come in and say hello to Mum before we left.

I kissed my mum and Charlie goodbye before heading towards the gate and to his car. I opened the front seat to sit there but Kobe was already there. I didn't realize that he was there until I had opened it since it had tinted glasses.

A big, muscled guy was at the wheel. The only place I could sit was with River in the back seat. I realized at that moment what I had unknowingly set myself up for. How the hell was I supposed to survive a one-hour drive to Dame and another hour back to Logsville with River sitting next to me?