Page 17 of Holly Jolly Heat
My hands tightened on the wheel. "Okay. Okay, this is happening."
"You've been saying that every ten minutes for the last hour," Dex pointed out.
"Because it keeps feeling surreal! Our omega invited us to meet her family. To stay at her childhood home. She's not running. She wants to talk. This is…this is huge."
"It is huge," Ro agreed. "Which is why we're going to be calm and respectful and not overwhelm her."
"I'm calm. I'm very calm."
"You've been bouncing in your seat for the last twenty miles."
"That's excited calm. Different thing."
Dex snorted from the back.
The GPS announced our exit, and I guided the Cozy Caravan off the highway onto a smaller road that wound through dense forest. The landscape was beautiful, tall evergreens heavy withrecent snow, glimpses of mountains in the distance, the kind of Pacific Northwest scenery that would make amazing content.
My brain was already cataloging potential filming locations, and I had to consciously stop myself from planning out an entire week's worth of streams. Michelle had said slow, boundaries, professional discussion. Not "hey, let's immediately turn your family home into a streaming location."
Although her mom, Janet, had seemed pretty open to it in her texts.
Oh god, I'd been texting with Michelle's mom.
"Do you think it's weird that Janet's been messaging me?" I asked. "Like, she's been very friendly, but is that weird? Am I reading into it?"
"She invited us to stay," Ro said patiently. "That suggests she's on board with the situation."
"Or she's being polite and actually hates us."
"Lucas," Dex said. "Stop freaking out. We sent courting gifts. Michelle accepted them. She invited us to visit. Her mother is welcoming us. These are all positive signs."
"But what if?—"
"Welcome to Cedar Falls, Population 3,847, Best Christmas Town in Oregon," Ro read from the sign we were passing. "We're here."
My heart started doing something complicated in my chest.
The town was exactly the kind of place I'd imagined when Michelle mentioned growing up in small-town Oregon. The main street was lined with historic buildings, all decorated for Christmas. Lights were strung between old-fashioned lampposts. A massive Christmas tree dominated the town square. Local shops had hand-painted holiday displays in their windows.
It was perfect. Cozy and welcoming and exactly the kind of place that would produce someone like Michelle, capable and driven but with deep roots and family.
"It's beautiful," I said softly.
"Good content opportunities," Ro murmured, already eyeing sight lines and lighting.
"Focus," Dex reminded us. "We're here for Michelle, not for work."
"Right. Michelle. Our omega." I took a breath. "Who we're about to meet. At her family home. Where we're staying. For multiple days. With her family. And her."
"You're spiraling again."
"I'm excited spiraling! It's different!"
Ro directed me through town following the GPS, and within minutes we were pulling onto a residential street lined with beautiful old homes. The GPS announced we'd arrived, and I pulled into the driveway of a stunning three-story Victorian farmhouse painted butter yellow with white trim.
It was like something out of a storybook. Wraparound porch, gingerbread trim, Christmas lights outlining every edge. Smoke curled from the chimney. A wreath hung on the door. The whole place radiated warmth and history and home.
"Wow," I breathed.
