Page 1 of All I Want for Christmas Eve

Prologue

There’s a strange man in my bed.

No, not in a fun way.

In a what-the-heck-just-happened sort of way. In a do-I-call-the-cops or do-I-call-an-ambulance sort of way. I have even wondered if I should try to call his mom. Do I callmymom? The situation is rather puzzling, and I am confused.

He’s unusually handsome. I don’t think I really noticed that before. I was too annoyed by the nonsense that seems to fill the air every time he opens his mouth. But now that his mouth is closed, and he is here, peacefully sleeping under my blankets, he doesn’t seem quite so loud and obnoxious. He seems almost… sweet. Vulnerable.

He seems like a normal human.

Okay, maybe a little cuter than normal.

Like, I guess there are a lot of worse-looking dudes who could have ended up stuck in my house, for Santa-knows-how-long. Oh, no. His ridiculous manner of speaking is already rubbing off on me, just like he said it would. If this is the impact he is having on me after only a few hours, how will I survive potentially days?

My major problem is that he is currently using the special orthopedic pillow I need to sleep on to avoid getting headaches. I mean, headaches related to muscle tension—I am sure that I will still have plenty of headaches related to the loudmouthed handsome stranger. From my understanding, handsome strangers always come hand-in-hand with temple-throbbing headaches.

My other major problem is that I only have one bed. I don’t even have a couch I can properly lie down in to rest. I have an armchair. I love my armchair, but it does not facilitate a good night’s sleep. So, I am sort of stuck just standing here and watching him, ogling his strong jawline and neatly trimmed facial hair, and that isn’t creepy at all.

This is a fairly small cabin in the woods, and it’s not really built for more than one person. I never planned to entertain any guests this far north of the 60thparallel. I’m not a people person. My social skills are the absolute worst. I moved out here specifically to get away from annoyingly handsome, trouble-making, vehicle-crashing, men like this one.

How did this happen? I was having a perfectly fine day.

Then I made that stupid wish.

I guess it’s true when they tell you to be careful what you wish for.

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