Page 32 of Taylor

He could hardly stand how amazing she was. She was precious, and he just wanted to keep her.

“Although... I think I might need more practice,” she said, grinning up at him.

“Oh yeah? I thought you were perfect, but if you think you need practice, who am I to argue? I know how important practice is,” he said, pretending to be serious.

She batted at his chest and yawned.

“Why don’t you turn off the light, and we can get some sleep if you want? I don’t have to go anywhere for a few days.”

“That sounds perfect,” she said on another yawn, turning over but holding onto his hand until they were spooning in bed.

Alice relaxed into Taylor’s arms. He wasn’t a particularly cuddly person. He enjoyed the connection after sex for a while but then he was always ready to turn over and go to bed, but he had a suspicion he wouldn’t want to let go of this soft, colorful rainbow of a woman all night.

If all they had together were these few days in this cabin, he would soak up every ounce of sunshine he could. But as he lay there, looking at this beauty in his arms, who was already fast asleep, he couldn’t help but wonder what had really brought her here to spend Christmas away from her family. Yes, she got fired and was hiding—he got that, but he couldn’t help but think there was more. Especially after he had seen her dim after a short phone call with her sister. There was so much more to her than people thought. Maybe he would figure it out over the next few days.

Looking over at the clock next to the bed, he saw that it was already past midnight. It was Christmas Day. The conversation they had on the couch earlier than night played in his mind. She had always talked about how magical Christmas had been here in the cabin. She wasn’t a Scrooge like they had been watching all day. He could tell she was someone who liked the magic of Christmas. That wasn’t why she was hiding away.

As gently as he could, he pulled his arm out from under her head and stilled as she shifted. When he was certain she was still asleep, he got out of bed and crept down the hall to where his suitcase was.

Opening it, he pulled the zipper back to the wrapped presents he had for his family. He had gotten his new little sister a pad of nice drawing paper and some high-quality colored pencils.

He went downstairs, cleaned up all the dinner dishes, and started the dishwasher. Walking back into the living room, he took in the room still aglow with all the Christmas lights he’d found. Part of him thought about putting them away and just leaving the ones she’d had out before he came but then remembered how amazing she looked sitting there on the couch with the glow of the lights everywhere.

If he could spend the next couple nights curled up in the warm glow of the lights and her soft inviting body, it would be enough to get him through the season and a better Christmas break than he could have ever hoped for.

Sorry, Mom.

But he wasn’t sorry for a second. He wasn’t sitting in a hotel room in Florida.

He turned off all the lights except the Christmas tree and put the present for her under the tree. Then he stopped to gaze out the window at the snow that shimmered in the moonlight.

Their snowman, with her colorful scarf against the backdrop of silvery white blanket of the snow in the moonlight, brought in a deep sense of peace. Closing his eyes, he committed this to his memory. Whenever he needed a peaceful moment to help him calm down, he could recall this feeling. He would remember this magical, quiet moment, this unexpected, remarkable holiday break.

After one more deep breath, he turned and headed up the stairs to climb back in bed with Alice. His footsteps fell silent in the hallway, but when he pushed the door open, it gave a soft creak. He winced, not wanting to wake her, but then saw her. He couldn’t help the soft chuckle that bubbled up. She lay there on her stomach, her pillow squishing her face and her lips parted, giving soft snores.

She was perfect.

He shut the door behind him, careful not to make too much noise. Quietly, he made his way across the room and pulled back the covers. Alice stirred as he got into bed. As he settled, she turned and snuggled into his side.

Yes, this was a Christmas to remember, and he could have never dreamed this one up if he tried.

14

Alice

Alice stretched in bed. It was still dark out, but it was Christmas. The clock told her it was only five. Even as a grown-up, she still woke up with the same joy for Christmas morning.

Turning in bed, she saw Taylor was still with her. Last night was incredible. It was perfect. A bit unconventional maybe... no prom night or whispered I-love-yous, but it was perfect. He had made her feel special and desired, and that was more than enough. If she only had three more days with this man, she would make the most of it.

As she lay there watching him sleep, in a sweet way, she wished she could give him something. It was Christmas, after all. Then she thought about earlier, when they talked about their favorite Christmas as a kid. He had gotten a Playcube and Monsters of the Realm. Alice was very familiar with that game because her brother had played it incessantly and then sheremembered. The old Playcube was here. So, the games might be, too.

She quickly and quietly got out of bed. Maybe she could surprise him with something.

To her own surprise, the living room was clean. He was so good at taking care of her. This alone drove her to want to do this even more.

She kneeled before the TV cabinet, opened the door, and dug around. After she pulled out a row of DVDs, she found the Playcube and set it up. Now to find the game and make sure it worked before Taylor woke up.

In search of the video games, she pulled out more DVDs. They weren’t there. A chest in the corner held the board games, but she remembered that, when she was looking through the games earlier, there were some DVDs in there as well.

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