Page 59 of Hostile for the Holidays

The doorbell rings and I race for it. Throwing the door open, I leap into his arms, which doesn’t bode well for the wine bottle he’s carrying, but Jasper performed juggling in the sixth-grade talent show, and he manages to catch me and not drop the wine.

I maul him in front of my family. It’s what I would do if we were really together and until after Sadie and Tom’s wedding, the show must go on.

Out of breath from our make-out session, he pulls back with a huge grin on his face. “Merry Christmas, Sparky.”

“Merry Christmas, Snowflake.”

“Are you guys going to watch the movie?” Sadie yells as we pass the living room on the way to the kitchen.

“Yeah, but you can start it without us.”

I lead Jasper into the kitchen under the pretense of getting snacks and drinks for the movie, but I’m really luring him there to continue our make-out on the kitchen counter.

“What are we watching?” he asks.

“Elf.”

“Classic.”

“Want to know something weird?” I ask.

“Always.”

“I missed you today.”

The corner of his mouth crooks up in a satisfied smile.

“Don’t be smug about it.”

“This isn’t smug. This is happy.” He presses a kiss to my lips. It’s innocent and sweet, and I want more.

I realize it in that moment, I’m happy, too. Happy that he’s here. Happy that he’s made being home for Christmas as magical as I hoped it would be.

“Will you come somewhere with me tomorrow?” he asks.

Anywhere.

“Where?”

“A quiet mountain cabin. Just you and me.”

“Is there a bed?” I ask. He already had me at ‘just you and me’ but I need to do my due diligence.

“Yes.”

“Are we naked?”

“If we want to be.”

I vigorously nod my head. “We want to be.”

“This feels like another gift, when I haven’t even given you anything yet.”

I’m tempted to make him come upstairs with me right now, but with everyone in the house watching a movie, it’s too risky.

“Trust me, Stell. You’re going to be giving and receiving plenty this weekend, so make sure you get adequate rest and hydrate.”

I smile at that because for the first time, Jasper and I are on the same page.

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