Page 52 of Stranded for Christmas with my Boss

The whole jazz.

Now, all those plans are out the window. Christmas might be salvageable, though. If we can pull off a damn miracle.

“We’ll worry about that on the twenty-sixth,” I tell her, my hands dropping as she moves toward the window to take her hundredth look outside. “I don’t think the storm has changed in the last ten minutes.”

Alyssa shoots me a sharp look. “Seriously, what are we going to do, Jensen? Are we really going to be stuck here during the holidays?”

“Hey, if we are, at least we’re stuck somewhere with a decent fireplace,” I tease, trying to lighten the mood. “And I promise not to make you sing Christmas carols with me…unless you want to.”

She shoots me a sideways glance, a small smile breaking through her frustration. “Only if you’re prepared for some off-key, high-pitched versions of ‘Jingle Bells’.”

I chuckle, relieved to see a bit of her spark returning. “Deal. I’ll even bring out my best air guitar for the solo.”

She laughs, the sound warm despite the cold, and I feel a little of the tension ease from my shoulders.

I place my hands on her upper arms, grounding her as best as I can. “All we can do is watch the storm and wait. The first chance we get at being able to leave, we’ll take it.”

Alyssa breathes in slowly and nods before her shoulders wilt. “Sorry. I just…Christmas is important to me. It’s my favorite time of year. I swear everyone is happier.”

My hands glide up to her shoulders, gently rubbing and massaging to make her eyes flutter shut. I just need her to relax for now, because she’s working me up too, and I need to think straight.

When it comes to getting the hell out of here and back to the city, our options are very limited. There is no way that we can drive on these roads in the condition that they’re in now. Walking isn’t an option either unless we want to get hypothermia.

So, what else is there?

“Keep in contact with your parents. You were able to text them and let them know what’s going on, right?” I ask her.

Alyssa nods, her teeth pressing into her bottom lip for a second as sadness glints in her eyes. “Yeah, they just want me to be safe.”

Holly pretty much said the same thing, even threatening me if I so much as dared to drive a foot in this storm. What are siblings for besides threats made out of love?

“Like I said, we’ll keep an eye on the storm. I promise I’ll figure something out,” I assure her as our eyes meet. There are a lot of people that I don’t want to let down, including her.

What matters to her matters to me. I hope she knows that.

Alyssa lifts up on her toes and winds her arms around my neck, hugging me close. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” I lock my arms around her back, holding her body against mine as she balances on her toes.

“I know you had plans with Oliver and Holly today,” she replies, her kind voice sounding next to my ear. Just the ghost of her breath and the promise of her lips makes my heart pound. “I’m sorry you’re missing them.”

“I can always make up for it tomorrow.”

Hopefully.

“When I first found out that you were an uncle, it really surprised me,” Alyssa admits as she lowers herself down to her heels, her hands gliding down my arms.

I lift an eyebrow at her. “Really?”

“You just didn’t seem like the kid type. Or the family type,” she explains. “I thought you were kind of cold and cut off from others. I was really wrong.”

I’m only cold to those who deserve it, like my parents. They deserve to be cut off after all they’ve done, but when it comes to the family I truly care about, I’ll always go to bat for them. I’ll always show up.

That’s why I need to figure out a plan for tomorrow. Soon.

In fact, there are quite a few important things that I need to figure out.

“I want the best for others, including you,” I tell her before taking her hands. “We need to figure out what we’re going to do moving forward.”

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