Page 127 of The Christmas You Crash

Ice-blue eyes swing my way. There’s a furrow between them. “You sure?”

“Completely. And even if they aren’t, it wouldn’t make me change my mind about you. I love you, Handsome. We’re going to live together, and it’s going to be great. We’ll pick out furniture, hang so many photos on the wall, and make messes in the kitchen.

“I’ll make you bougie grilled cheese when it’s cold or homemade chicken noodle soup when you’re sick. You’ll carry me to bed when I’m too tired to drag my ass there myself. You’ll leave the toilet seat up, and we’ll argue about it. I’ll leave too much makeup all over the bathroom vanity, and it’ll drive you nuts.

“We’ll fall asleep in each other’s arms and wake up tangled together in the sheets. It’ll be perfect and hard and wonderful. And I’m going to love every minute of it.”

Emotion pools in Ryder’s eyes. He blinks at me a few times, his mouth opening and closing. But no words come out. Instead, he wraps his hand around the back of my neck and pulls me in for a kiss that melts my panties and sets fire to my heart. His tongue sweeps across my lips and dances with mine. He kisses me like I’m everything.

When he pulls away, I’m panting. “I love you, Alexis Genevieve Cross. So fucking much, I feel like my heart might explode.”

“I love you too, Ryder.” Movement out of the corner of my eye draws my attention. My mom leans in the doorway to her house, a wide smile on her face. Jeff peeks at us from behind her. I giggle. “We have an audience.”

It takes everything Ryder has to drop his hand from the back of my neck and peel himself away from me. “Come on, then. Let’s go have dinner with your family.”

We climb out of the car, and Ryder links his fingers through mine. The contact grounds me. Ryder grounds me.

“Hey, you two.” My mom’s smile is so wide, it makes her eyes crinkle in the corners. “We’re so glad you could make it.”

“Hey, Mom.” I relax into her arms when she wraps me in a tight hug. When she releases me, she turns to Ryder and holds her open arms out to him. He only hesitates for a second before accepting her embrace. He’s so much taller than her, it should look comical—the way she’s holding him like he’s a child in need of comfort. The same way she held me. But it’s not comical. It’s everything.

Ryder’s shoulders are only stiff for a moment, and then his body heaves with a deep sigh. His eyes close, and the softest smile plays at his lips. My mom pats his back and just hugs him for a solid minute. It makes my heart fill with so much love. For my mom and for the giant man who has proven himself to be gentle and kind and loving. He savors the hug, and when he finally pulls away, there are tears in his eyes.

“Thanks, Mrs. Cross.”

“Psh,” my mom says, waving a hand in his direction. “None of that, now. That’s not how you refer to family.”

“Family?” His voice is so hopeful, my chest aches.

“Family,” my mom replies. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with us now, Ryder. And I’m a hugger.”

Ryder’s smile starts off small but grows with each passing second. His eyes glitter with happiness and love. “It’s been a while since I’ve had mom-hugs. I think I can live with that.”

Mom wraps her hand around his and gives it a squeeze. “Well, whenever you need a mom-hug, I’m here, son.”

A tear slips down Ryder’s cheek. He clears his throat and squeezes my mom’s hand back. “Thanks, Kelly. Really.”

As Ryder and my mom exchange a look of understanding, Jeff pulls me into a hug. “Hey, kiddo. It’s so good to see you again. We’ve been worried about you.”

“You have?”

“Of course,” Jeff says. As if it’s the most obvious thing in the world that he’d be worried about me, along with my mom. As if all my shitty behavior has been long forgotten.

“Jeff, I?—”

“Nope. None of that, Lexi. You have nothing to apologize for. Maybe if we’d been honest with you, things would have started out differently. But none of that matters. Now, we get to move forward. And eat a really delicious roast. Your mother has outdone herself this time.” He gives me a wink, and I chuckle. Then he holds out his hand for my mom. “Come on, Kelly. Let’s get these kids something to drink, so they’re not parched when we interrogate them.”

My mother’s bell-like laugh is free and joyous. I’m hit with so much gratitude as she and Jeff walk into the house hand in hand. She’s happy. Really happy. Maybe for the first time since I was born. And so am I. The Cross women have finally found their matches.

“You good?” Ryder asks me quietly as he steps up to my back and wraps his arms around my middle.

I sigh, letting myself soak up his heat and his strength. “Yeah. I’m good. Better than good.” Turning in his arms, I look up at the man I once thought could be a serial killer and laugh at myself. I should have realized my error right away. No serial killer has eyes as kind as his.

Ryder smiles, and his dimple makes an appearance. “What?”

“Just thinking about the first time we met.”

One eyebrow hitches up. “Oh, yeah?”

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