Page 4 of Wrecked for the Holidays

“I don’t think that’s how accidents work,” Jakob suggested.

He still looked tired, but his eyes twinkled just a tiny bit, so good job, me. Pride swelled in my chest that I’d made him feel a bit better. That was until his family intruded again.

“Oh, so you don’t know each other. That makes more sense,” his mom murmured as she stared into her phone. “We don’t want to keep you from whatever you’re doing,” She dismissed me entirely. “Jakob, what’s your room number? I’ll call to check you out.” She looked up expectantly, her fingers poised over a phone number on the screen.

“Actually, we do know each other. I was there because…”Shit.“Because we were getting his stuff. Jakob’s my new roommate.” Jakob’s eyes darted to my own, and the message was unmistakable. “Yeah, he’d gotten the Christmas tree, and we were meeting to get the restof his stuff from the—”

“Hotel,” Jakob interrupted to add.

“And how do you two know each other?” his dad asked with obvious suspicion.

“I work in the ER here at the hospital,” I said with a bright smile to Jakob, which he returned. His parents’ glares were no match for his cheer. “I advertised for a roommate, and Jakob needed a room. It worked out great.”

“Then why did you move into a motel, Jakob?” His mother’s arched brow spoke volumes.

“Because the room wasn’t ready, but now it is. Problem solved.” My smile was just this side of predatory.

“Oh! There’s a crowd in here, and I need a little room.” Jakob’s doctor swept back into the room with a flourish. “Oh hey, Dr. Matthews, I wondered when you’d show up since Jakob’s your new roomie.” The beatific smile Dr. Sullivan gave Jakob’s folks could have melted butter. “Sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you two”—he nodded to Jakob’s parents—“to wait out in the lobby.” Without giving them a chance to argue, he ushered them out of the treatment area and directed them down the hall.

When he returned, the doctor was finally able to give his update. “The x-ray results show nothing is broken. Your fingers are jammed, but only time and a wrap can fix that.”

“Uh, Doctor, how did you know about the roommate thing?” Jakob asked, and honestly, I was a little curious myself.

“I was double-checking the notes outside. Dr. Matthews here is a terrible liar, which is why we all like playing poker with him. It sounded like you two were floundering in here trying to get them out.” The doctor signed off on the chart, said the nurse would be in to review the instructions, and left almost as quickly as he’d come in.

Now that we were alone, I wasn’t sure what to say, but an apology seemed a good place to start. It hadn’t been my place to interfere, and I shouldn’t have overstepped that boundary. “Jakob, I apologize for interfering. I should have stayed out of it.”

“Oh, it’s all right,” he answered brightly. “It works out well that you’re looking for a roommate. The hotel is fine, and I like pancakes for breakfast every day, but I’m very tired of takeout and microwave meals. Does your room have furniture, or will I need to get some?” Jakob looked at me with wide, innocent eyes and waited for my answer.

If I had any sense, I would quickly and firmly tell him I’d only been trying to help him out of an awkward position with his parents and there wasn’t a room waiting for him at my house. My little house wasn’t set up for guests, and I hadn’t lived with anyone since I graduated from college and moved out of the dorms. Even with people I’d dated over the years, I’d never taken the step to share my home. It was my sanctuary. I was a Daddy, but I preferred my caretaking to be part-time and at a club. I’d never met anyone I wanted to take into my life as my very own little. Everything about Jakob screamed he was a boy, and not the kind who would be fine with a simple hookup.

“There’s some furniture in there, but if it’s not your style, we can move it out.”

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be fine. I have nothing besides my clothes and, uh, a couple of other things, but no furniture, so whatever is there will be great.” Jakob plucked at the sheet covering the hospital bed. “Are you sure? I’m not great at reading the room, and if I’ve misunderstood, please tell me.”

There it was. The perfect opportunity to correct the misunderstanding and walk away. No one was more surprised than me when I said, “You’re a silly one, Jakob. Of course you read the room correctly.” His smile was back and quickly becoming a beacon for me. His smiles were sweet and flirty, and damned if I wasn’t willing to do just about anything for them. “How do you want to handle your parents? They’re probably still in the waiting room.”

“I just want to skip out and not deal with them.” He sighed. “Is that an option?”

“Well, I’m parked in the physician’s lot. We could use the employee exit, and you can text that we’re gone. Are you sure you don’t want to see them though?” The last thing I wanted was to contribute to a rift between them, although, at this point, it seemed more like a gulf.

Chapter 3

Jakob

Should I feel guilty? Maybe. I didn’t, but I knew I should. Inserting myself into someone’s home? That didn’t seem very kind or considerate, but I knew Reed wanted me there. I could feel it down to my toes. He maybe didn’t know it yet, but he did. My parents, obnoxious as they were, hadn’t fazed him or run him off.

I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice our arrival at my hotel until Reed pulled open my car door. He leaned in and unbuckled my belt. His aftershave smelled delicious, and I tried hard not to bury my nose in his neck for a more intense sniff. My resolve not to come off like a creeper was fading fast. Sure, I could have told him I could handle my seatbelt, but I was more than happy for him to do it. It seemed on point for the Papa I was almost certain he was. It was just a vibe, but I’d made careful observations from my recently downloaded reading app. I had zero practical experience, but I’d read enough romance novels to get the gist of the look Reed gave me.

“Thank you for your help.”

“You’re welcome.” Reed offered his hand to help me out of the truck, and I gratefully accepted. Maybe I should have pulled my hand away, but I wasn’t going to do that if he didn’t do it first. What he did instead was entwine our fingers and tug me along. I was all in for that. Reed didn’t let go of my hand until we reached my hotel room and I had to fish my key card out of my wallet. I scanned the card and pushed open the door.

Oh shit.

I’d completely forgotten about the state of my temporary home. Messy was too kind of a description. A disaster zone of epic proportions better covered its scale. My clothes were strewn across every surface. The sink was a mess of dirty dishes because I didn’t know how to use the dishwasher and was worried about breaking it. My work documents were all on the desk, thank goodness, but they were in untidy piles that threatened to spill over if the AC blasted on with too much power. My few possessions were in a couple of boxes haphazardly stacked in a corner.

However, the most important part was carefully laid across the coffee table without any mess or clutter. For years, I’d been asking my family to participate in Christmas. My brothers were much older and long past the age of Santa Claus by the time I cared about him, but my parents always declined. They said I needed to focus on expanding my learning, not on childish foolishness. I’d finally given up but had started a scrapbook years ago of all the Christmas things I wanted to experience. It was laid out front and center, along with my to-do checklist. I’d checked offChoose a Christmas Treethis morning, but obviously, it hadn’t gone as expected.

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