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

24. Jensen

Chapter twenty-four

Jensen

C hristmas Eve brings a tumble of white snow along with it, the morning sunlight making the snow-packed ground glisten. The trees dotting the Catskills are more white than green at this point, a steady wind making them shudder like they’re freezing. If we weren’t stuck so far from home, this would be the perfect holiday weather.

“It’s slowing down, right? It doesn’t seem to be snowing as heavily as yesterday,” Alyssa says as she paces behind me while I gaze out of one of the windows facing the front of the cabin.

Her anxiety radiates off her in waves, making me a little more uneasy than I already am. The snowfall and the wind aren’t the things concerning me now. What makes my stomach tighten with nervousness is how much snow is still on the ground.

“Yeah, it’s not snowing as much. Even the wind has died down for the most part.” I turn and face Alyssa, who stops her pacing to give me a worried look. The last thing I want is for her Christmas Eve to be even worse, so I’m determined to figure out a solution for tomorrow.

One look at the conditions outside is enough to tell us that we’re not going anywhere today. I glance back at the snow-covered ground, feeling a wave of frustration rise within me. I hate this feeling—this helplessness. There’s always been a part of me that takes pride in finding solutions, in not letting the unexpected derail my plans. But now? I’m stuck, unable to fix this. I imagine Holly’s face, the way Oliver’s eyes light up whenever we set up for Christmas, and the knot in my stomach tightens. I can't stand the idea of letting them down. Or Alyssa. She deserves a magical Christmas, not this cold confinement.

“We’ll keep an eye on the storm. I promise I’ll figure something out,” I assure her, but even as I say the words, I feel the weight of the promise settling on my shoulders.

Alyssa steps up to me and sighs, leaning forward to press her forehead against my chest. I don’t like seeing her this deflated. “I don’t want to miss Christmas. I was supposed to bake cookies with my mom tonight. We always do that every year.”

I frown and place my hand on the back of her head, cradling her close. “We might still make it back in time. We just need to keep watching the storm.”

Alyssa groans and resorts to burying her whole face against my button-down shirt. “I’m hoping for the best.”

I can just barely make out her muffled words, but I get the gist. All we can do is wait, and that’s torturous.

Alyssa suddenly lifts her head as her eyes widen. “Oh, damn it. What about Mila? We need to figure out a date to meet with her after Christmas.”

Honestly, I’m not even worried about the whole influencer thing at this point. It’ll be great for business, but I have a much more dire situation on my hands. We might miss Christmas with our families!

I promised Holly that I would make sure Oliver had a great Christmas this year, especially after having such a tough start to this school year. We were going to decorate the house some more, wrap presents, and stage a welcome scene for Santa with cookies and milk by the tree.

The whole jazz.

Now, all those plans are out the window. Christmas might be salvageable, though. If we can pull off a damn miracle.

“We’ll worry about that on the twenty-sixth,” I tell her, my hands dropping as she moves toward the window to take her hundredth look outside. “I don’t think the storm has changed in the last ten minutes.”

Alyssa shoots me a sharp look. “Seriously, what are we going to do, Jensen? Are we really going to be stuck here during the holidays?”

“Hey, if we are, at least we’re stuck somewhere with a decent fireplace,” I tease, trying to lighten the mood. “And I promise not to make you sing Christmas carols with me…unless you want to.”

She shoots me a sideways glance, a small smile breaking through her frustration. “Only if you’re prepared for some off-key, high-pitched versions of ‘Jingle Bells’.”

I chuckle, relieved to see a bit of her spark returning. “Deal. I’ll even bring out my best air guitar for the solo.”

She laughs, the sound warm despite the cold, and I feel a little of the tension ease from my shoulders.

I place my hands on her upper arms, grounding her as best as I can. “All we can do is watch the storm and wait. The first chance we get at being able to leave, we’ll take it.”

Alyssa breathes in slowly and nods before her shoulders wilt. “Sorry. I just…Christmas is important to me. It’s my favorite time of year. I swear everyone is happier.”

My hands glide up to her shoulders, gently rubbing and massaging to make her eyes flutter shut. I just need her to relax for now, because she’s working me up too, and I need to think straight.

When it comes to getting the hell out of here and back to the city, our options are very limited. There is no way that we can drive on these roads in the condition that they’re in now. Walking isn’t an option either unless we want to get hypothermia.

So, what else is there?

“Keep in contact with your parents. You were able to text them and let them know what’s going on, right?” I ask her.

Alyssa nods, her teeth pressing into her bottom lip for a second as sadness glints in her eyes. “Yeah, they just want me to be safe.”

Holly pretty much said the same thing, even threatening me if I so much as dared to drive a foot in this storm. What are siblings for besides threats made out of love?

“Like I said, we’ll keep an eye on the storm. I promise I’ll figure something out,” I assure her as our eyes meet. There are a lot of people that I don’t want to let down, including her.

What matters to her matters to me. I hope she knows that.

Alyssa lifts up on her toes and winds her arms around my neck, hugging me close. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” I lock my arms around her back, holding her body against mine as she balances on her toes.

“I know you had plans with Oliver and Holly today,” she replies, her kind voice sounding next to my ear. Just the ghost of her breath and the promise of her lips makes my heart pound. “I’m sorry you’re missing them.”

“I can always make up for it tomorrow.”

Hopefully.

“When I first found out that you were an uncle, it really surprised me,” Alyssa admits as she lowers herself down to her heels, her hands gliding down my arms.

I lift an eyebrow at her. “Really?”

“You just didn’t seem like the kid type. Or the family type,” she explains. “I thought you were kind of cold and cut off from others. I was really wrong.”

I’m only cold to those who deserve it, like my parents. They deserve to be cut off after all they’ve done, but when it comes to the family I truly care about, I’ll always go to bat for them. I’ll always show up.

That’s why I need to figure out a plan for tomorrow. Soon.

In fact, there are quite a few important things that I need to figure out.

“I want the best for others, including you,” I tell her before taking her hands. “We need to figure out what we’re going to do moving forward.”

Alyssa’s face nearly pales, her brow creasing with worry. “Like…our relationship?”

I can’t help but chuckle a little, making her expression relax. “About work. Obviously, us dating while in our current positions would look…questionable.”

Alyssa nods in understanding, the tension on her face moving to her shoulders. She tightens her grip on my hands. “I really like working at Soul Flames. I don’t want to quit, but…I want to be with you more.”

“You like me that much, huh?”

Alyssa rolls her eyes at me, a playful smirk crossing her face. “Maybe. I have no clue why.”

As much as I want to tease her, we still haven’t figured out a solution. It’s a serious situation. If we’re going to publicly date, it’s going to affect our professional relationship, and I just don’t think keeping her as my assistant is a good idea.

Even if she’s the best assistant I’ve ever had.

“I don’t want you to quit either, but there will have to be some sort of change,” I tell her as the air around us becomes stiffer and heavier, tension hovering around us and over us. It’ll be a tough decision, but it will be a necessary one.

Sacrifices have to be made.

Nervousness gleams in her eyes, but she nods. “I trust whatever you decide is best.”

I can see a flicker of doubt in her eyes, a worry that I’ve come to recognize. “ But…do you think people will see it as favoritism?” she asks quietly, biting her lip.

“Favoritism?” I repeat. “Alyssa, you’ve earned everything. Everyone in the office knows how hard you work, how much you’ve put into this company, and how good you are at what you do.”

“But they don’t know…” she begins, her voice trailing off.

“They don’t know us,” I finish for her. “And they won’t, unless we decide to make it known. We’ll take this one step at a time. Together.”

She nods, but I can still see the hesitation in her eyes. I squeeze her hands tighter, wanting to chase away every single one of her fears.

“We’ll figure it out. I’m not going to let anything—or anyone—make you feel less than you are.” I kiss her knuckles, drawing a smile back onto her face. “I’ll just need to think outside of the box.”

“Go down a less traditional path?” Alyssa offers.

Her words make my thoughts stir, an idea beginning to bloom from the depths of my mind. It’s a tricky idea, but if I can pull enough strings and nature works in my favor, maybe I can pull it off.

“Exactly,” I reply before glancing over toward the kitchenette. “I’m pretty sure I saw some hot chocolate packets over there. Could you fix us some while I make a quick phone call?”

Her face brightens as it does when any sort of holiday activity is mentioned. She squeezes my hands before turning and bounding to the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets for mugs.

I smile to myself as I make my way to the bedroom, shutting the door so that she can’t hear me. It’s best if I keep this to myself for now. If it fails, she won’t be disappointed. If I succeed, it’ll be the best Christmas surprise ever.

I pull my phone out of my back pocket and hit the call button on Austin’s contact, grateful that I’m still able to get service out here. The phone buzzes a few times before Austin’s voice sounds over the speaker.

“Are you still stuck up there, man? It’s Christmas Eve!”

He doesn’t have to remind me of my unfortunate predicament, but he may be able to help me fix it.

“The weather guy said the snow is supposed to stop tomorrow morning, right?” I ask him.

“That’s what he said, but weathermen aren’t exactly the most reliable folks.”

I have to put my trust in them now whether I want to or not. It’s not like I can make any sort of weather predictions while I’m stuck out here.

“I need a favor for tomorrow morning,” I tell him as my eyes flicker to the closed bedroom door, hoping that Alyssa can’t hear me from the kitchen.

“What kind of favor?” Austin questions me, confusion lacing his voice.

I’m glad he asked.

“You’re going to help me save Christmas.”