Page 25 of Planes, Trains, and Candy Canes

Derrick paused, face turning thoughtful. “No one is perfect. But the person who really loves you thinks you’re perfect. For them.”

“People don’t fall in love in a day or two, though.” Stupid reality. Ruining her afterglow.

Derrick stroked a finger down her cheek. “I’m pretty sure some have. If not,” he curled his fingers possessively through hers and tucked her more tightly against his chest, “then we get to be the first.”

Chapter Six

“Reese. Reese!” Derrick woke up in a panic. The bed was empty beside him. Was last night’s mind-blowing bliss a figment of his lonely imagination?

“I’m right here.”

Derrick sat up, eyes trying to navigate the pitch-black room to find Reese. When his eyes adjusted, he saw her sitting up in the dark, eating a sandwich and a salad as she sat naked at the end of the bed.

“I needed a midnight snack. My stomach was making so much noise I was afraid it would wake you up,” she confessed.

“That’s great—except it was after midnight when we got here. We wanted to be on the road pretty early—and the car needs to be returned by noon or that nice couple is going to find out what happened and there could be fraud charges or—”

“Do you always wake up in a blind panic?” Reese asked.

“No. Never.”

“Me, either. Besides, it’s not that late, it’s only—oh my God! It’s nine o’clock!”

“We can’t drive from Virginia to Pine Ridge in three hours! I don’t even have pants on!”

“I need a shower!” Reese bolted as he turned on the light, sliding into the bathroom with a shriek.

“Our parents are probably freaking out! I’m calling my mother!”

“I’ll call mine next. Figure out where we’ll be in three hours!”

“Not three hours! We can’t physically leave this second.”

“Then two hours and forty-five minutes! It’s Christmas morning!”

“Merry Christmas!” he cried.Not how I pictured it...

A naked woman hurtled from the bathroom, kissed him hard enough that he could tell she’d been eating a ham and cheese on rye with mustard, and dashed away again. “Merry Christmas, baby!”

But I like it.

“I SAY WE CAN DO ITin five.”

“Well, I say that we can’t, because we’re going to need to be in a town with a train station or bus station and a place to drop the rental within two, and we have to return the tank full.” Derrick tapped his phone as Reese zoomed down I-95 North. “There are still cops looking for speed demons on Christmas day.”

“Heartless.”

“They are not! They don’t want anyone’s kids splattered on the road because we’re late to honey ham and mashed potatoes.”

“Does your family do ham? We do turkey. Or goose, if my grandmother comes in from Rotterdam. She doesn’t actually live in Rotterdam; she lives in one of the little cities outside of it. We’ll probably have to go there if we want to see her because she’s getting a little old for international airports. We know what a hassle that can be, right?”

“Reese! You’re doing ninety-five!”

“Sheesh. What’s the speed limit in this area?”

“Not that!”

“Ooh, my mom’s calling. She said she’d try to do a video call so I could be there when we open presents.”

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