Page 24 of Christmas Vows with the Devil

With each stop, Gia’s frustration grows.

“This is ridiculous,” she huffs. “We should’ve stayed home.”

I kill the engine, leaning back in my seat. “You’re the one who wanted to get out.”

"Yeah, well, I didn’t think a sprinkle of snow would shut down the entire town down."

I watch her gnaw on her bottom lip, her frustration simmering. Even like this, she’s beautiful.

I would give anything to run my fingers through the inky black waves of her hair and feel her lips on mine.

I shake the thought away, trying to focus. We’ve got one more stop to try. But the second we pull back onto the road, the car jerks.

The tires spin in place. I press the gas again. The tires just spin in place again.

"What the hell?" I mutter, glancing in the rearview mirror.

Gia lets out a groan. "Are we stuck?"

I throw the car into reverse and try again, but the wheels spin uselessly.

"Great," she mutters. "What now?"

Snow crunches under my boots as I step out and inspect the situation. The car is wedged deep in a snowbank, the tires buried. No way we’re getting out without some work.

"We’re stuck," I say, shaking off the snow as I climb back in.

"Well, what do we do now? Can we call someone?" Her voice is sharp, her irritation rising.

She grabs her phone, stabbing a dainty finger against the screen, and then throws it onto the dash in annoyance.

“Of course, no signal.”

"I’ll get us out." I try shifting into gear again, but the car doesn’t budge. “Stay inside. I’ll dig.”

I grab the small shovel from the trunk, cursing under my breath.

This day is going to hell fast.

As I try to clear the snow around the tires, the wind cuts through my jacket. The snow falls harder by the second. I swear the universe is conspiring to make this worse.

Gia steps out of the car, ignoring my earlier instructions. “Let me help.”

“Get back in the car.”

“No, I’m not just going to sit there and freeze while you play hero.”

Her stubbornness grates on me, but it’s not the time for that. “Fine. Help me shove then.”

She grabs the spare shovel and starts working, but we’re barely making a dent. The snow is heavy, icing over as temperatures drop.

"This isn’t working," she mutters.

"Yeah, I noticed."

We drop the shovels, both of us panting, cold seeping into our bones. Gia rubs her hands together, blowing on them to keep warm.

"We’re going to have to wait it out," I say, glancing up at the darkening sky.

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