Page 128 of The Christmas You Crash

“Yep. I was so wrong about you. You could never be a killer.”

He laughs, and I feel it all the way down to my toes, the comforting vibration of it filling me. “Obviously.”

“But youarea thief,” I say.

His second eyebrow joins the first at his hairline. “A thief? Really? How so?”

“Because.” A slow grin tips up one corner of my lips. “You stole my heart.”

Ryder laughs again, tugging me into his chest, and I join in. “Oh, Oscar. That’s the cheesiest line I’ve ever heard.”

Pulling away from him, I pretend to pout. “Whatever. You know you love it.”

“I do.” He bends down, his face centimeters from mine.

“You love me,” I whisper.

“So much it hurts, baby,” he replies. “Because you’ve stolen my heart too. Except, I don’t want it back. I want you to keep it for me. Keep it safe. Can you do that?”

I nod. “I’ve got you, Handsome.”

His lips feather across mine. “And I’ve got you, Oscar. Always.”

Always.

My heart skips a beat.

I really love the sound of that.

epilogue

THE FOLLOWING CHRISTMAS

RYDER

“Areyou sure everything is all set?” I ask Sebastian for the tenth time.

His chuckle filters through the phone at my ear. “I promise. It’s all exactly as you specified, and we’ll be waiting in the bedrooms.”

“What about the cars? If she sees them, the whole thing could be ruined.”

“Relax, brother.” Bash laughs again. “We all crammed into two vehicles, and they’re parked off the side of the garage. She won’t notice them.”

“Okay. Yeah, of course. Sorry, I’m just nervous.” Despite the frigid winter temperatures, there’s sweat on my brow. I wipe it away with the sleeve of my coat. “Shit, she’s coming out of the gas station. We’ll be there in half an hour.”

“Got it. Take some deep breaths. Relax. You’ve got this.”

Navarro’s pep talk almost works. “I’ve got this. Thanks again, man. See you guys soon.”

I hang up just as Lexi makes it to the car. She shivers as she climbs in and wiggles her perfect ass against the heated leather seat. “All good?”

“Yeah.” Her nose wrinkles. “That bathroom was gross, though.”

I chuckle as I pull out of the gas station and back onto the road. “All gas station bathrooms are.” Reaching for her hand, I link our fingers. I need to touch her. She’s the only thing that can calm me down. “Are you ready for a weekend away?”

“Yes.” Lexi leans across the armrest and lets her head fall to my shoulder. “God, am I ready.”

After everything happened with her dad, Lexi never fully escaped the attention and gawking of her peers at school. So, she took extra classes and finished a semester early. She thinks we’re heading up to the cabin to celebrate that. And we are, but that’s not all we’re celebrating.

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