Stranded for Christmas with my Boss (Forbidden Billionaire Boss Daddies)

20. Jensen

Chapter twenty

Jensen

“ H appy birthday, Oliver!”

Green and white confetti pop out of small confetti poppers as Oliver’s friends surround him. The adults lining the walls of Holly’s kitchen and hanging out in her living room laugh and clap as Oliver cries out in glee, confetti adorning his hair.

“Oh, look at him,” Holly sighs happily as she stands next to me by the kitchen counter where Oliver’s birthday sheet cake is sitting. “He’s so excited.”

“I’m glad he made some good friends,” I tell her with a proud smile on my face.

Oliver and his friends toss confetti at each other by the dining table where all of his birthday gifts are piled up. He bounces on his toes, nearly making his glasses bounce on his nose too. He picked out a white T-shirt to wear that has “It’s my birthday!” written across the front, and I can’t count how many pictures Holly has already taken of him.

Paper snowflakes hang from the ceilings. A tablecloth full of different reindeer covers the dining table. There’s a small blow- up snowman in the corner of the living room. Of course, there are little elf decorations littered everywhere too.

The entire birthday party is essentially winter-themed, with a main focus on elves, whether it’s their hats, weird-looking shoes, or their pointed ears. Holly went all out, and she certainly went all out when ordering me around and making sure I put everything in the right place.

“Me too,” Holly says before nudging me. “Ever since you talked to the principal, things have been a lot better.”

I didn’t tell her exactly what I said or that I scared the hell out of those bullies, but she knew that I made my frustration and disappointment clear. That’s all she needs to know.

“Good. I want things to stay that way.”

My eyes catch on Austin as he walks over to us with a small plate full of Swedish meatballs. “Sheesh. Leave some for the rest of us.”

Holly laughs as Austin gives my shoulder a playful shove. “You should’ve known better than to think I would share these.”

At least Austin and I are on better terms. Truly, we’re both tired and stressed. We don’t have time to get a beer or go to a hockey game to catch up and hash things out.

I’m just glad the December sprint is almost over.

I start to turn toward him to speak, but a flash of green catches my eye. I turn the other way just as Alyssa steps out of the foyer, her eyes sweeping back and forth to try and find me. As promised, she’s wearing a traditional elf costume with a green dress that has a red collar and a black belt. Red and white striped socks adorn her legs all the way down to her green shoes with curled toe tips. The best part are the pointed elf ears under her pointed, green hat.

She looks incredible. Just…incredible.

“Hold on,” I say as I leave behind Holly and Austin to meet Alyssa at the end of the foyer.

People are already looking over at her and smiling as they admire her costume. She smiles back in a shy manner, carefully tucking her hair behind her pointed ears. When her eyes land on me, her face lights up in a way that damn near takes my breath away.

Is she just happy that she sees someone she knows or is she just that happy to see me?

“You look incredible,” I tell her as I take her hand, giving her a playful spin so that I can see the whole costume. “You weren’t lying.”

Alyssa clicks her tongue at me as she places her hands on her hips just below her belt. “Me? A liar?”

I smirk and shake my head, still riddled with disbelief. I mean, I knew she would come because she’s reliable, but she looks even better than I expected. “Oliver is going to flip.”

“Is he having a good time?” Alyssa asks as her face softens.

It means a lot that she cares enough to even ask. On the outside, Oliver is just her boss’ nephew, but the relationship we have is deeper than just that. We haven’t talked about that, though.

Maybe we should.

As the days pass and our connection deepens, my worries about everything else grip me less and less. I don’t feel a stab of panic when I think about someone finding out the truth. I think I’m just tired of having to hide and hold myself back, especially in the middle of the holidays.

How many couples am I going to see kissing in front of the Rockefeller Christmas tree? How many jokes about mistletoe am I going to hear? This is the holiday of love, even more than Valentine’s Day.

“He’s having the time of his life,” I tell her as I glance in Oliver’s direction, seeing that he’s still preoccupied with his friends. I want to find just a few more minutes with Alyssa before she’s swept away for the rest of the party.

Holly doesn’t get the memo, though, and makes her way toward us. “You must be Alyssa.”

Alyssa smiles at Holly and sticks her hand out. “That’s me. Thank you for letting me come by.”

Holly shakes her hand before laughing and gesturing to Alyssa. “Oh, no. Thank you . You look amazing!”

I can feel Alyssa’s relief radiating off her as she and my sister laugh together. It’s not like I’m introducing my girlfriend to my family, but it eerily kind of feels like it.

“Oh, Austin is here,” Alyssa comments, maintaining her cheery tone and smile. However, I can see the concern flashing in her eyes.

I knew that they would be in the same place, and I know it’s going to spark questions from Austin, but we’re not at the office. We’re at home. As much as I can, I just want to be myself here, and I want Alyssa here too, because Oliver likes her, and I enjoy her company.

Austin will have to see things from my side, and I need him to view things as my friend rather than as just my CTO.

“He’s basically Oliver’s other uncle,” Holly explains. “You’ve met him already at work, right?”

“Yes,” Alyssa replies, her voice sounding a bit strained.

Luckily, Oliver finally spots Alyssa and quickly comes to the rescue. He charges across the house toward her with his friends in tow. “Alyssa! You’re an elf!”

I step out of the way as Oliver throws his arms around Alyssa’s waist in a crushing hug. I share a warm smile with Holly before she starts snapping pictures as Alyssa interacts with the kids, letting them touch her costume and wear her hat.

“Are you good?” I ask Alyssa as the kids start to drag her toward the dining room to play.

Alyssa shoots me a smile over her shoulder. “I’ve got this.”

Our eyes linger on each other for a moment, my heart thudding to a sudden stop. Moments like these throw me off-balance, making me feel…indescribable. It’s a good feeling, but what will it turn into? Where will this complicated, uncertain relationship that we don’t even talk about go?

Alyssa is dragged off, leaving me there with my sister, who turns to me.

“So, she’s just your assistant?”

My eyes snap to Holly, but I don’t even get a chance to respond to her.

“So he has said to me,” Austin comments as he walks up to Holly’s side. He crosses his arms and gives me a pointed look. “I didn’t know you invited your assistant to your nephew’s birthday party. Bit of an intimate event for that, don’t you think?”

Holly glances between the two of us, her expression morphing into a confused one as she quickly notices the tension between us.

I sigh as I glance in Alyssa’s direction, watching her teach some sort of Christmas dance to the kids. “Look…I tried staying away from her and giving her so much damn work that we barely saw each other. It didn’t work. It won’t work.”

Holly’s eyes widen as she grabs my arm. “You like her?”

“I think he more than likes her if he’s willing to risk his career for her,” Austin replies.

Their voices form a conflicting cloud of noise in my head, muffling my thoughts as I try to figure out what the hell to say. I don’t even know how to explain any of this to myself.

“I do like her. I understand that she’s my assistant and there might be backlash, but…how am I supposed to help my feelings?” I question Austin. “Genuine feelings. Not lust. Not some sort of fucked up power dynamic. I…care about her. I care about the fact that she’s a family person. That she loves working hard and helping people. And that Christmas is obviously her favorite holiday.”

Holly’s and Austin’s gazes follow my hand as I gesture in Alyssa’s direction. Holly smiles as Alyssa poses for a picture next to one of Oliver’s friends. “Well, she does seem really sweet. I like her.”

Austin eyes me for a few seconds, his jaw tightening, but he eventually sighs. “You’re killing me, man. Absolutely killing me.”

I lift an eyebrow at him as I watch his stony demeanor crumble more and more by the second. “I don’t know where things are heading with us or what will happen, but I don’t want to hold myself back from something that could be really good.”

The corner of Austin’s mouth slightly turns up as he nods. “And I agree with you. You should see where things go because I do want you to be happy and finally find the one . Just be careful. Be mindful.”

It’s good advice. If anything happens between Alyssa and me, a lot will be at stake. We’ll have to think of more than just our feelings.

Like my parents.

There are other factors at play, and I don’t plan on destroying both of our lives and reputations over a racing heart. But when will there be a good time to talk to her about us? The office isn’t appropriate for that kind of talk, and it’s not like we hang out a lot outside of work hours.

We’ll have to make time. We may even have to make sacrifices.

But as I watch her twirl around, her laughter ringing through the air, I don’t want to worry about any of that right now. I just want to admire her and the way she lifts the spirits of those around her.

Including mine.