“You’ll Give Him the Wrong Impression of Our Famil…

“Great.”

Mom’s tone softened into something pleading.

“Sweetheart, we’re not trying to hurt you. We just want Rachel to have her moment. You understand, don’t you?

She’s finally found someone wonderful, and we don’t want anything to complicate things.”

“By anything, you mean me.”

“That’s not what we’re saying,” Dad interjected. “We’re just thinking about first impressions. Marcus is very accomplished, and Rachel wants to present our family in the best light.

Maybe it’s better if you sit this one out just this year. We’ll do something special together after the holidays. Just the four of us.”

I closed my eyes.

“So you’re all agreeing that I’m too embarrassing to attend my own family’s Christmas.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” Rachel snapped. “We’re trying to be practical. You’ve always been the sensitive one, making everything about you.”

I said, “Okay.”