Page 3 of A DIY Christmas Miracle
That’s exactly why I loved him: for his gentle, uncomplicated, and courteous way; for the good-natured smile he gave Marc before he turned to me and winked.
That sexy wink instantly made my cock harden within my tight pants.
“What do you say, Eli? Do you think you can put up with me for a few nights?”
A few nights? Was he joking? I’d put up with him till the end of my li… “Of course,” I croaked, running a hand through my hair in an attempt to get a few stray strands out of my face, even though I wanted nothing more than to hide behind it. My face was burning bright and hot. I was probably blushing like crazy and couldn’t even blame it on the alcohol because I’d barely touched my beer. “As long as you don’t snore,” I added quickly, trying for a light-hearted joke while my heart was beating against my chest like crazy.
Will’s laugh made my heart soar. He was gorgeous when he laughed; it revealed the barest hint of laugh lines crinkling around his eyes, small dimples formed in his cheeks that were so cute I wanted to lick and kiss them, and his eyes… his eyes always lit up with a softness I couldn’t even begin to describe.
I’d always thought I liked tough guys with sixpacks, tattoos, menacing looks — the whole nine-yards. And then Will came along. Will, who was the opposite of a rough exterior, an English teacher who looked like one, too. By all means, I shouldn’t have looked at him twice, but… he wasWill.
“If the two nightmares of all students here want to share a room so badly, we should let them. It’ll be cheaper for all of us,” Jack said with a grin and nodded in Will’s and my direction.
“You do remember you’re a teacher yourself, don’t you?” I replied, giving Jack the finger. He was practically my big brother, so I was allowed to do that. I even considered it to be my duty. Besides, it was true — he was a teacher himself. And unlike Will and Jack, who both taught high school and therefore really had students they could give nightmares to by scheduling unannounced tests, I was an elementary school teacher. I taught small kids who were still kind of cute and innocent and who, for the most part, still enjoyed going to school. I wasn’t a nightmare for students. My students loved me.
“Good idea,” Cassy immediately agreed and gave me a dirty grin since she, as my best friend, knew about my crush. “Also, that one cabin there, wait… this one. It only has five bedrooms, but it’s got a fucking hot tub!Jackpot! I want this one for sure!”
Cassy opened the tab with the cabin I liked the most, too, and proceeded to show it to the others.
And yet another one of my plans had worked out. Although I hadn’t expected Cassy or anyone else to outright suggest that the six-bedroom cabins should be discarded, I’d hoped the hot tub would make a convincing argument.
Now I just had to figure out a way to get Will and me to this cabin a little earlier than everyone else, and then all that was left was for a snowstorm to hit. A snowstorm in Canada… that was pretty much guaranteed to happen.
And then Will would finally realize that I wasn’t just a casual friend but so much more.
Suppressing a longing sigh, I grinned at the rest of the group.
“This will be the best Christmasever,” I declared confidently. And I’d just given myself the best present there was: my very own Christmas miracle.
Phase 2:Make sureyou and Will get two days alone in the cabin
Chapter 2
Eli
The very next morning, I rented the cabin we’d agreed on the night before. It’d be ours from December 22nd to December 30th — and hopefully it’d just be Will and I until at least the twenty-fourth.
I was aware that it was still wishful thinking. So far, I’d only made sure that we all went on vacation together, so there was at least a chance of Will and me being snowed in together.
With a wide smile, I watched the flames dance in my fireplace and reveled in the thought that my own little Christmas romance was about to come true.
Hopefully.
It’d suck if Will hated being snowed in with me. I didn’t even want to entertain the thought of him turning me down. But… we’d known each other for more than two years now, and in all that time, he’d never made an attempt to approach me.
I sighed, running my fingers through my hair.
I couldn’t think like that. I couldn’t give up before I’d even tried. Avoiding disappointment also meant I’d miss the chance for something great.
The fireplace crackled, the sound making me flinch. It was too quiet here in my little house. I quickly switched on the TV, albeit so quiet that I couldn’t make it out apart from a constant stream of background noise.
I was really fed up with the loneliness.
People always said you shouldn’t search for a partner because you’d appear desperate and wouldn’t find anyone, anyway. But I wasn’t desperately searching. Quite the contrary. I’d always been a firm believer that everything would work out in the end, just like in all the books I’d read.
Yes, some of the stories were a bit far-fetched, but most of the couples met in normal ways. In bars, in a bookshop, on the street, through friends or whatever.
I’d always believed it would happen like that for me, too. And it had. I’d met my two ex-boyfriends in a bar and a club. And Will…
