by Jill Sanders
It was easy for him—being with family. His or hers. He’d spent as many holidays around her family as he had his own. He supposed that their mothers being best friends from high school had something to do with it. Still, after his folks had moved, he had to admit things had been hard. He’d felt like his time was split between the two families, and he was having to choose where he ended up.
This year it had been easy after Chris had asked him to drive Alice home. He’d called his sister and brothers and told them all that he’d be coming back to Portland this year instead of heading down to Arizona with his folks.
“It’s hard on my mother,” she said after they had finished their food. “Your mom being so far away. My mother is actually thinking of buying a place in Arizona.”
“Really?” he asked. She’d snuggled up next to him and they were both watching the fire and the snow, which continued to fall heavily outside.
“Yes.” She sighed. “Which wouldn’t be as hard on me and Chris as it was on your siblings.”
“My sister and brothers complain a lot about having their kids’ grandparents so far away,” he agreed.
“Do you think they’ll move back?” she asked, glancing up at him.
“I doubt it. Dad’s health…” He immediately stopped talking.
“What?” Alice sat up and looked at him. “What about your dad?”
Shaking his head, he closed his eyes. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you, since it will probably get back to your mother, who will worry.” He relayed his mother’s fears, even though he’d promised more than a dozen times he wouldn’t say anything, even to Chris.
“Eric.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “What?”
“He’s been really low on vitamin D along with a few other things. His asthma had gotten really bad in the past few years.”
“Yes, I’d heard that was why they moved away.” She leaned back against him, his arms going back around her. He enjoyed the way her body fit against his, so soft as her sexy scent surrounded him.
“Well, he had a really bad asthma attack and they were thinking of putting him on oxygen full time.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“No.” He shook his head. “No one does. My father didn’t want anyone to know, so after some advice from some more doctors… they moved.” He shrugged.
“How’s he doing now?” she asked.
“Much better.” He smiled remembering how his father’s latest tests had come back in the clear. He pulled her closer and sighed, wishing for a nap.
“I know we talked about playing board games, but I don’t want to move from this spot.”
“Me either.” She sighed and tucked her feet up on the sofa. “Do you think it’s going to stop snowing soon?”
He was quiet for a while, then answered, “I hope not.”
Chapter 11
The sound of her cell phone ringing woke Alice from her nap. She usually hated napping, but lying here snuggled next to Eric, she wished they didn’t have to move for the rest of the day.
Groaning, she started to get up to go find it.
“Leave it.” He sighed and pulled her closer. “It will go to voicemail.” The cabin grew silent again. “See.” He shifted and was suddenly hovering above her, his lips gently brushing across hers.
“It could have been important,” she suggested as his mouth lowered and trailed down her neck.
“If it was, they’d call back.” He leaned up and waited a moment for the ringing to start again. “Nope, not important.” He returned to kissing her.
She could just imagine spending the rest of the week just like this, wrapped in his arms as the snow fell and the world outside the windows stopped. This time when they came together, she allowed herself to cut loose and really enjoy going slow. Running her hands over him after, as they lay in front of the fireplace naked, she explored every little scar he had, remembering where he’d gotten a few.
“Where did you get this one?” she asked, running her finger over a small star-shaped scar just over his ribs on the left.
He glanced down and chuckled. “Barbed wire fence. Chris dared me to try and dive between the wires.” He was running his hands through her hair. “Stupid me, I took a running start and…” He shrugged. “Got a new scar for the trouble.”
She giggled. “When was that?”
“Last week,” he said soberly, causing her to laugh even more. “I think we were ten.”
She smiled and rested her chin on his chest. “You were so handsome when you were ten.”
His dark eyebrows shot up. “I’m not now?”
“You are.” She smiled. “But I was eight when I noticed you for the first time.”
“Noticed?”
“You know, noticed, noticed.” She felt her face heat.
“Really? What was it that my ten-year-old self had that drew your eye?”
She smiled and thought about it. “Dark eyes, a slight dimple here.” She reached up and touched his cheek. “And you helped me when I fell.”
“Chivalry isn’t dead.” He pulled her closer.
“At least it wasn’t for ten-year-old you,” she said between kisses.
He pulled the blanket over them when she shivered.
“I’m getting hungry again,” he admitted after a while.
“Me too.”
“I was thinking that homemade meal that Todd was talking about sounded pretty good.”
She leaned up and looked out the window. The snow had slowed down a lot. “We have just enough time to shower.” She got up, taking the blanket with her, leaving him on the rug in front of the fire completely naked. “Too bad I’m not a painter,” she joked as she looked down at him. “You’d make a great model.”
“I’ve modeled naked before,” he said, standing up and following her into the bathroom. “Actually, that’s how Chris and I paid for a trip to Mexico last summer.”
She laughed. “Somehow, I’m not surprised.”
After a long hot shower that filled the small bathroom with steam, she disappeared into her own room and pulled on a pair of warm black pants and the red sweater that she had bought to wear on Christmas morning. Once the bathroom was clear of fog, she dried her hair and applied her makeup.
When she walked out into the living area, Chris was just getting off the phone.
“It looks like…” he started to say before turning around. “Wow, you look amazing.” His eyes ran over her.
“Thanks.” She smiled.
“It looks like your brother and Dawn are going to jump on a flight to Atlanta tomorrow since this storm is supposed to pick up again late tonight.”
“How much more of the stuff can fall?” she asked, looking outside now.
The pathway was still cleared, probably thanks to Todd, but everywhere else, the snow was piled high. She couldn’t even see the bench at the entrance of the beach path anymore. Instead, there was just a mound of white snow.
“They say at least double this before Christmas morning.”
His words sunk in. “We’re going to be stuck here for Christmas?” she asked, feeling her heart sink slightly.
She’d dreamed of being stuck with him like this, but in those dreams, she’d still made it home to spend the holiday with her parents.
“It looks like it.” He walked over to her. “Would it be so bad spending Christmas here with me?”
“No.” She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Of course not. It’s just…”
“You won’t get any presents?” he joked, causing her to smile.
“No, that’s not it. I was hoping to see my family during my break.”
“You still might be able to.”
“No, I only have two weeks off.”
“From school?” He frowned. “But I thought…”
“No.” She turned to him. “I’ve been interning at a local clinic.”
“When did you start that?” he asked, taking her coat from the rack and helping her pull it on.
“Earlier this year,” she replied, remembering when she’d first started helping out at the local VA hospital. At that point, she hadn’t decided on a career yet. Now, after spending some time with the wounded military men and women that she helped on a weekly basis, she had. “It’s making me lean towards becoming a physical therapist. I still haven’t decided for good, but…”
“That’s great,” he said, pulling on his own coat. “I’ll bet that you’re already good at it.” He turned towards the door and then glanced back at her. “Ready for the cold?”
She wrapped her scarf around her shoulders and her face and then nodded. “Let’s do this,” she said, causing him to chuckle.
They rushed down the cleared pathway, hand in hand. Eric helped her when she slipped a few times on the ice. Her Uggs just weren’t built for this much snow or ice.
By the time they reached the front porch of the big house, they were both a little breathless. The place was lit up with Christmas lights everywhere, putting her even more in the holiday spirit.
“Wow, this place is amazing,” she whispered.
There was a little sign hanging just above the doorbell.
“Come on in, wipe your feet, and don’t mind the dogs.”
“Do you think they have one that says, ‘Go away, we’d like some privacy’?” Eric joked softly as they walked in, causing her to chuckle.
The entryway was all decked out in lights and a huge Christmas tree sat near the base of a beautiful staircase.
“Back here,” a woman called out cheerfully. They followed the voices and stepped into a large dining room filled with people.
Todd Jordan stood up from his spot next to a young boy who looked just like him and a little blonde girl in a highchair. A very pregnant blonde woman sat at the head of the table, smiling at them.
“You must be Eric and Alice. I’m Megan. Todd was telling me a little about the two of you.” She motioned for them to take the empty chairs at the long table. “Of course, if he’d let me get out of the house once in a while, I could have met the both of you when you arrived,” she said under her breath.
Todd chuckled. “You’re free to come and go, after the snowstorm.”
Megan reached over and took her husband’s hand in hers. “I slipped once,” she informed the table. “It was more of a trip than anything.” She rubbed her free hand over her large belly.
“You face-planted in the bushes,” Todd corrected her. Megan chuckled.
“Please.” Megan motioned to the food. “Help yourself.” Food was passed around as they dished up homemade meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and beans.
“Are you two enjoying your stay?” a young Asian woman asked from down the table.
“Yes, very much so,” Alice answered.
“Where are you from?” the woman asked.
“Portland. You two? I hear… New Orleans?” she guessed.
“Yes.” The woman’s eyebrows shot up. “Born and raised.” The woman looked over to her husband, a thin black man who looked too busy enjoying the food to chat. “Charles and I both.”
“What brings you to Portland?” Eric asked the other couple. He was trying not to focus on how cute the kids were and how he’d instantly thought about having kids with Alice upon seeing them.
“We wished to see snow for Christmas,” the woman answered easily.
“Well, you definitely got your wish,” Todd added with a chuckle. “We’re supposed to get even more tonight. After dinner I’ll drop off more firewood and clear the path again.”
“It’s all been so wonderful,” Alice started. “We’re just so thankful we stopped here instead of somewhere along I-five.”
“Yes.” He thought about being stuck at a highway hotel and cringed. “I doubt they’d have meatloaf this good anywhere else.”
“Not to mention having our own cabin,” Alice added.
“How long have you two been married?” Charles asked.
“Oh, we’re—”
Alice grabbed his hand, stopping him.
“We’ve known each since I was five and he was seven,” she answered truthfully. She’d booked the cabin under his name, but it wasn’t her fault that Megan had assumed they were married. Why not let the little fantasy week play out.
“Oh, childhood sweethearts,” Charles’ wife said with a sigh. “It shows. You two are so in tune with one another.”
Alice looked at him with a smile. “Yes, we are.”
Chapter 12
The following two days they spent pretty much the same way. Each day they ventured out into the thick snow that surrounded them, then enjoyed breakfast, lunch, and a nap before heading to the big house for dinner with the others. And, more importantly, each night they spent wrapped in each other’s arms, making love slowly in front of the fireplace as the snow continued to build outside.
Alice talked to her family and he talked to his. The storm was making national news as one of the worst storms in the history of the West Coast. It spread far beyond the little area they were trapped in and threatened to continue past the holidays and possibly even into the New Year.
At this point, neither of them really cared anymore. They were in their own fantasy snow-globe world.
It was magical and suited all their needs. Of course, in a few days when their own supplies started to run low, they might need to venture out further. Todd had mentioned to him that his family was heading into town the following evening for a special town event and to restock their own supplies and could easily take them with him.
Alice had hinted that she would enjoy heading into town when he suggested going along.
“Did they mention what the town event was?” she asked.
“No, just that he was taking the entire family in and that they had plenty of room for us to join them.”
They were lying in bed, wrapped in the warm blankets, their bodies cooling from their recent lovemaking.
Oddly, even though he was tired, his mind was going too quickly to fall asleep anytime soon. He could tell Alice was already falling asleep, since she was slightly slurring her words and every now and then a yawn escaped.
“What would you think about staying in Portland for a while? Would it be possible?”
“Sure.” She sighed, and he could tell that she had fallen asleep.
He waited almost a half hour before untangling himself from her. Pulling on his sweats and a shirt, he moved into the living room and turned on his laptop for the first time.
He found the email he’d received last week from his father’s friend and read it a few times. The job offer was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. One that, last week, he’d easily brushed aside. Now, however, he thought about creating something more solid, building something better with Alice.
He created a draft email accepting the offer but held off on hitting send until after he could talk to Alice.
When he crawled back in bed next to her, she automatically turned to him in her sleep, snuggling into his chest. Wrapping his arms around her, he closed his eyes, enjoying the way her body fit against his.
The next morning, he cooked the rest of their eggs. They had finished off all of the bacon the day before, so he pulled out a few slices of turkey, diced them up, and put them in the eggs. There were only three slices of bread left for toast, but they had a box of blueberry muffins. He poured the rest of the orange juice into glasses just as Alice walked out of the bathroom.
“It’s a good thing we’re heading into town today.” She smiled as she sat down.
“It’s not the Ritz, but at least we have all of this left.” He motioned to the box of muffins.
“Good thing you grabbed two boxes. We’ll have to get a lot more supplies this time, since we know we’ll be stuck here for a while longer.”
“Yeah, I’ve already made a list.” He motioned to the small tablet.
She laughed. “I had almost forgotten you were a list kind of guy.”
He smiled across at her. “I had forgotten
that you weren’t.”
She shrugged. “There’s probably lots we don’t have in common,” she said between bites. “Like, you’re a summer person and I’m a winter.”
“No.” He shook his head after thinking about it. “I think now”—his eyes met hers—“I like winter just fine.”
She smiled and he felt his heart skip. She’d always done that to him, but now he knew there wasn’t anything standing between them.
“Okay, you hate school. I love it,” she added.
He sobered. “Right.” He hadn’t thought about her education when he’d been planning last night. Now he did as she continued to list off a few other small things that they didn’t have in common.
“You’re not listening to me,” she said after a moment.
“Sure, I am,” he lied. Her eyebrows shot up.
“Oh?” She leaned closer. “Then what was the last thing I said?”
“You like cats and I like dogs,” he pulled from his memory.
“No, I said that like five minutes ago.” She leaned back and chuckled. “Where did you go?”
“Portland,” he answered honestly.
“Okay, I’ll bite. Why?”
“I had an offer.” He stood up and took the empty dishes to the sink.
“What kind of offer?” she asked following him.
“A job offer. One from my dad’s old buddy at the Krieger plant.”
“That’s great.” The excitement in her voice told him that she hadn’t thought it through yet.
“It’s in Portland,” he said, turning towards her, leaving the dirty dishes in the sink.
“And?” She waited.
“And you’re heading back to Cali to finish school,” he supplied. She actually shrank a little. Her shoulders slumped and she frowned, getting the cute little crease between her brows she normally had when she was deep in thought.
“So, we’ve waited this long…” She bit her bottom lip.
He took her shoulders in his hands and pulled her close. “Right,” he said, instead of talking her into it. “If that’s what you want.” He kissed the top of her head and, before she could see the sadness in his eyes, turned back towards the sink to wash the dishes.