Page 79 of The Christmas Romance Wish

CHAPTER 21

I lie on the queen-sized bed in the guest bedroom at Alex’s house on Eaglewood Ranch. I am not in Crush Pose, nor am I swooning. No, I have my head under the pillow because I can’t stop crying.

Twenty-six years’ worth of tears spill out of me.

No sooner do I have the thought than they come to an abrupt stop.

I sit up.

I’ve never cried like this.

Not about my parents. Not when Chip died. Not about any of the things that make me sad. I’ve sucked it up, pushed it down.

My tear ducts have always worked—I shed tears when I broke my arm at the age of six after trying to follow Royal up a palm tree.

Tears came to my eyes when Ryan threw a football at me with a little too much force. I was ten. A few tears escaped when I found out Magnus was in a coma. CJ, well, he’s seen a few crocodile tears from me, namely when he wouldn’t share his Halloween candy.

But the liquid that just came out of my eyes was freed by my love for a masculine yet sensitive guy in plaid.

But is he my guy?

I could try to figure this out alone.

Instead, I call Dylann.

“You were right,” I say when she answers the phone.

“Happy Christmas Eve. Is this an early present? What was I right about?” Astonishment fills her voice.

“I fa-la-la-la in love.”

“You fell in love?”

“It was insta-love, and he wants to marry me tomorrow. On Christmas Day. He wants to replace my bad memories with better ones. New ones,” I report as if relaying cold hard facts instead of the warm, wonderful ones I’ve always longed for. I’m just afraid they’re going to disappear. Melt like snow.

“Are we talking about Alex or something else?”

I tell Dylann everything from when he picked me up at the airport until about an hour ago.

“I’d like to gloat about being right, but more to the point, why is this a problem?” she asks.

“I don’t need a man.”

“But they’re helpful for opening jars.”

“I have that thingy from the late-night infomercial.”

“They can reach items off high shelves.”

“I have a stepstool,” I counter.

“They’re good for other things...like companionship, shared laughter, making out.” She sing songs that last part.

“Alex said the same thing. Well, not the making out part.” Heshowedme how good that can be.

“Sounds like you’re talking yourself out of a good thing.”

“But what if?—?”

---