Page 18 of The Christmas Romance Wish

The ride from the airport took us toward the mountains and as the sky opened, it somehow lifted me out of a mire I didn’t realize I was in. The second we passed under the Eaglewood Acres gates, I was in stunned awe. The moon was bright, the trunks of the aspens glowing, and the sky layered with more stars than I could wish on in one lifetime. It’s a hideaway perched atop a hill and surrounded by mountainous terrain and forest.

When Alex welcomed me home, sadness threatened to spill from my eyes. Sure, Coco Key is where I grew up and the Driftwood Resort is where I lived, but it never quite felt like home. Being with my brothers is sweet and warm and wonderful, but it doesn’t have that home-sweet-home quality. I didn’t recognize the depth of my longing for it until I got here.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility for us someday to be neighbors. Maybe Ginny and I could be friends.

Before Chip died, he signed a lot of his wealth over to me along with several properties. I still can’t wrap my head around any of it, yet another one of my secrets and something I avoid, but I’d like a place like this. Even with the snow and winter and remoteness.

I’ll learn to make peppermint mochas.

Probably.

After freshening up, I head back to the main house for dinner and the Wild Warriors Winter Weekend Retreat meet and great—though by the savory scent wafting from the grill on the massive deck that spans the back of the house and overlooks the valley, my guess is the emphasis is onmeat.

Bundled up, I follow a lantern-lit path bordered by almost a foot of snow to the house. Before Alex showed me to the cabin, he gave me a brief tour of his house with a fully finished basement, and some bunk rooms down there for the guests to his events.

It glows and the silhouettes of a few guys playing billiards through the big glass doors prompt me inside rather than going all the way to the front.

Have I mentioned it’s cold? I won’t be going on the hike tomorrow and will stay back in the cozy cabin to get some work done...with a steady stream of peppermint mochas.

When I enter the house, the two guys playing pool stop what they’re doing and stand at relaxed attention.

“You must be Emmie,” one of them says, holding out his hand for me to shake.

“Lexman’s most esteemed guest,” the second adds with a dramatic bow.

“I’m Jesse and this is Paxton. Ignore everything he says and pay attention to what he doesn’t say.”

The corner of my mouth lifts into a half grin because I instantly recognize this behavior and having the four McGregor men as brothers, I’m well-equipped to handle it. “It’s nice to meet you both. As Alex’s most esteemed guest, you’ll address me as Your Majesty, Princess, Royal Lady of the Circle of Mad Mojo, Order of the First Degree, Queen of Eaglewood Acres.”

Straight-faced, they both stare at me for a long moment before bursting into laughter.

Paxton says, “She’s spunky. I like it.”

“Her Majesty is spunky,” I correct, barely able to hold back a smile.

Jesse makes up for it with a big one of his own. “It’s no wonder Lexman likes you so much.”

The space between my eyebrows pinches.

Jesse adds, “He just hasn’t admitted it yet.”

With a little wave, I hurry away before my cheeks burst into flames. I should’ve asked them about Ginny, but it’s toolate to go back now as I walk up a curving wooden staircase to the main floor where voices, laughter, and music fill the massive room with an enormous stone hearth.

Alex, aka Lexman, a new detail I’ll note for the manuscript, stokes the fire. To my surprise, Ginny isn’t by his side.

As I peel off every bit of winter outerwear I donned for the short walk to the house, he turns slowly. His eyes spark when they land on me.

They light my cheeks, but the room is dim and the chatter seems to fade much like it did when I walked out of the airport and when I first saw him.

Alex took off his flannel and wears a button-down jersey cotton shirt. He pushes his sleeves up, revealing toned forearms and tattoos on the left that reach his watch. More details for later that I never got over email or on the phone.

Already, this trip is fruitful.

Recalling our awkward meeting at the airport and shaking hands, I imagine his strong, calloused palms on my skin. I wonder what it would be like to feel his thick, dark hair between my fingers.

“Why does he have to be so hot?” I whisper.

Alex’s gaze travels from my head to my toes before landing and locking on my eyes.

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