Page 12 of Snow Place Like Home
It was a gift that I cherished to this day. Probably the most thoughtful gift anyone had ever given me.
“I love that snow globe,” I said, walking over and sitting beside him as he stared down at it. He reached underneath for the little toggle and wound it up. It started playing “Sunny,” an old 1960s song he used to sing to me. Inside the glass ball was a Christmas tree with a reindeer, a bunny, and a dog. I’d always been fascinated by it. “You never would tell me how you found a snow globe that just so happened to have my three favorite animals in it, that also happened to play the song you used to sing to me. I mean, what are the chances? How did that even happen?”
He sipped his hot chocolate and set down the mug. “I got it my first year in college at a fundraiser for the football team. Coach had us all volunteer at the event. They had one of those auctions at the event, and I was serving drinks and clearing tables, but we all tossed in ten dollars to buy raffle tickets towin this gift basket at the end of the night. And I won the basket.” He shrugged, like it was no big deal.
“Of course you won the basket.” I broke out in a fit of giggles. “And the basket had a snow globe with the song ‘Sunny’ and my three favorite animals in it? How is that possible?” I gaped at him.
“Of course not.” He laughed. “It had a $250 gift card in it, though. I’d seen this place online a few weeks earlier when I was shopping for holiday gifts. The store made custom snow globes, and you could choose your song and what you wanted inside the glass. I thought it would be a cool gift for you, but they were 250 bucks, and I was a broke college kid. So when I won the gift card, it seemed like a sign. I ordered it the next day.”
My breath hitched in my throat as I processed his words. “You spent the whole thing on me?”
He stared down at the snow globe and didn’t look up at me. “Of course I did.”
“Ace,” I whispered, placing a hand over his. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“I’m glad you’ve saved it all these years.”
“I pull it out every Christmas, but now that I know the backstory, I think I’m going to keep it out year-round.”
He chuckled.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had it specially made for me? I nagged you relentlessly about it back then.”
“For starters, you were my best friend’s little sister who I happened to be crazy about. We were close friends, and you had a boyfriend. Seemed a little over the top for a gift for a friend. So I just said I found it that way.” He shrugged.
A blur of white caught my eye through the window, and I gasped when I saw how hard the snow was falling now. “It really is a blizzard out there.”
He pushed to his feet and peered out the window. “Holy shit. You’re not kidding.”
“You can’t walk to the hotel in this weather. It’s not safe,” I insisted.
“What if I just crash on your couch.” This sexy-as-sin grin spread across his face.
“You won’t fit on my couch, you’re far too tall.” I crossed my arms over my chest, meeting his gaze. “You can take my bed, and I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Absolutely not.” His voice was unwavering.
“Why?”
“It’s your brother’s wedding tomorrow, and you’re the maid of honor. Not to mention it’s also Christmas. I’m not letting you get a bad night’s sleep because it’s snowing too hard for me to walk to my hotel.”
“You’re the best man in the wedding too,” I said, throwing my hands in the air. “That’s a ridiculous argument.”
“It’s not up for negotiation, Sunny.” He kicked off his shoes and stretched out on the couch to make a point. His long legs hung off the end of the couch in the most awkward way.
I walked over to him and offered my hand. “Come on. We can share the bed, can’t we? I mean, we shared a kiss, and it wasn’t even weird after. It’s not like we’ve never slept in the same bed before when we were younger.” I tugged him up and led him down the hallway to my bedroom.
He wasn’t arguing with this solution, but he also didn’t say anything either.
I’d ended the kiss abruptly, and we hadn’t talked about it.
And now I was asking him to sleep in my bed.
“I sleep naked. Is that going to be a problem?” he asked with a laugh. “I’m fucking with you, Sunny. We’ll be fine.”
I shook my head as a nervous laugh escaped, knowing my face was probably flaming red. I made my way to the bathroom and closed the door before sliding into my little tank top and sleep shorts. I tied my hair up in a bun on top of my head, washed my face, and leaned over the sink and stared at my reflection in the mirror.
Ace Bonetti is in your bed.
