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

26. Jensen

Chapter twenty-six

Jensen

I t actually worked. My plan worked!

Christmas is just as it should be.

For the first time in years, I feel like I’m truly part of a family again. Not just an uncle, not just a brother—but something more. Something whole. I watch as Oliver dances around the living room, his laugh filling the air like music. Holly looks happier than I’ve seen her in a long time, and Alyssa…God, she’s glowing.

There’s a warmth in my chest that I can’t quite describe, a sense of belonging that I thought I’d lost forever. This is what I’ve been missing—what I didn’t even know I needed. A Christmas that doesn’t feel hollow or forced. A Christmas that feels…right.

“Play Santa, Alyssa!” Oliver calls out to her as he takes her hand and drags her to the living room where there is a pile of presents under the Christmas tree. Most of them are for him, but seeing the way his face lights up when he gets something unexpected is the best.

He’s still a kid. Christmas is different for him than it is for us adults, but that doesn’t make either of our experiences any less special. For him, it’s about magic and mystery and fun. For the rest of us, it’s about family, memories, and happiness.

But this Christmas is a little more special than all the others.

I get to spend this Christmas with the woman I’ve fallen in love with.

“Thank you for doing this. Alyssa loves Christmas,” her mom tells me as she walks up to me with her husband. “We’re just so happy we could be here.”

“I’m glad I was able to get you guys here. A big part of why she loves today is because of you guys,” I point out as I give them a polite smile, feeling a slight stir of nervousness.

This is the first time that I’ve gotten to meet her parents. Sure, I did a huge thing and got them a helicopter ride here to spend Christmas with their daughter, but I still don’t want to do anything to make them not like me or approve of me.

“Well, we appreciate all you’ve done for us,” her dad tells me before holding his hand out to me. “Including our car.”

My eyebrows lift a little as I shake his hand. “She told you.”

“Of course, she did,” her mom says with a warm smile. “She told us how kind you are and how much she loves her job.”

My face pales a little. “And she told you that I’m…her boss?”

“There is only so much you can control when you fall for someone,” her mom replies before looking over her shoulder at Alyssa as she helps Oliver open a present while Holly snaps pictures. Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. It’s as if she’s giving me permission to love her daughter, to be the man I want to be for her. For a moment, I’m lost for words, just staring at the woman who raised Alyssa to be so full of light and love. I swallow hard, trying to find the right response.

“I’m…I’m lucky to have her,” I finally manage to say, my voice thick with emotion. “I know how special she is.”

Her mom’s smile widens, and she squeezes my arm, a gesture so simple but full of understanding. “Just make sure she stays that way.”

I nod, feeling a swell of determination. “I promise I will.”

“But it’s pretty obvious to us that you’re with her for the right reasons. Look at how happy she looks. No one has ever made her smile like that.”

Her dad nods as he puts his arm around his wife’s waist. “It’s nice to see. That’s all we want for her. To just be happy.”

“That’s all I want, too,” I assure them.

Her mom squeezes my arm, giving me one last smile before they both head back to the couch to watch Oliver open presents.

I take a deep breath, hoping that went as well as I thought it did in my mind.

Holly glances over at me and says something to Alyssa before walking over to me. She grabs a mug from one of my upper cabinets and brews a fresh cup of coffee, her eyes shifting to mine. “You look relieved.”

“I want her parents to like me.”

Holly gives me a pointed look. “Parents like you.”

I chuckle, but the weight of her words lingers. Holly knows better than anyone what our parents did to us, how they left scars that still haven’t fully healed. She’s the only one who truly understands why I’m so guarded, why I’ve spent so much of my life keeping people at arm’s length.

“I never thought I’d find someone who makes me want to let all that go,” I admit, my voice lower, almost a whisper. “But Alyssa…she does.”

Holly’s face softens, her eyes glistening slightly. “I’m happy for you, Jensen. You deserve this.”

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. “We both do.”

Holly gives me a playful push before grabbing milk out of my fridge. “It’s our parents’ loss. They could be sharing this amazing Christmas with us. They could be watching their grandson grow up. Or their son fall in love.”

A small smile crosses my face as I watch the coffee brew. “That obvious?”

Holly scoots closer to me, giving me a warm look. “You sent helicopters all over the state to give her the best Christmas ever. That sounds like love to me.”

My eyes stray over to Alyssa as she sits near her parents’ feet and shows Oliver how one of his new toys works. Warmth envelops my entire heart just because I’m looking at her. She belongs here with me.

Making memories with me and the people I love. Waking up on my chest and falling asleep nestled in my arms. Calling this place…home.

I want it all. I want her .

“I want to tell her. I’m just waiting for the perfect moment,” I say.

“Now isn’t?”

I shake my head and turn back to Holly. “I want her to enjoy her Christmas with everyone. We’ll have our own moment soon.”

Holly raises her eyebrows, looking impressed. “She’s good for you, Jensen.”

More than she even knows.

I hold my arm out to her, hugging her and leaning the side of my head against hers. “Merry Christmas.”

Holly smiles. “Merry Christmas. Thank you for always helping me with Oliver. I’m doing my best.”

I give her a pointed look. “You’re doing perfect. He’s a happy, healthy kid.”

Holly glances in his direction. “He certainly likes Alyssa.”

Anyone who doesn’t like Alyssa is insane.

“If she loves me like I love her, I think she’ll stick around for a very, very long time.”

Holly lifts an eyebrow at me. “Forever?”

“I hope so.”

Holly nudges me. “Go see her, Romeo. This is your first Christmas together.”

She’s right. We better make it count! Even if it has already been more than eventful.

I walk over to Alyssa and sit down next to her, my fingers twining with hers. “Having a good Christmas so far?”

Alyssa laughs and shakes her head at me. “A good Christmas is a huge understatement. This is the best Christmas ever.”

I share a warm smile with her as she leans her arm against mine, our bodies automatically gravitating closer. This is all I want. Us together with the people we care about the most on the best holiday of the year.

I kiss the back of her hand, feeling relieved that I don’t have to hide my affection toward her any longer. No more kissing behind closed doors. No more whispering sweet words so that no one else can hear.

No more pretending that we don’t mean anything to each other.

As “The Christmas Song” starts playing over Holly’s Bluetooth speaker, I get to my feet and hold my hand out to Alyssa. “Dance with me.”

Alyssa’s eyes widen for a second in surprise, but she isn’t one to back down from a challenge. She grabs my hand, letting me pull her to her feet.

I give her a playful spin as I coax her closer to the Christmas tree and my living room windows that peer out at the snow-covered city. My other hand finds the small of her back, holding her body against mine as we start to sway to the music.

Alyssa tilts her head back to gaze up at me, the golden glow of the Christmas tree lights gleaming in her beautiful eyes. “Thank you. For everything.”

“Thank you ,” I insist as we slowly turn on the spot, moving in sync as the world around us fades, leaving behind the gentle lull of the music and the heavy thumping of my heart. “You’ve made me happier this month than I’ve felt in years. Maybe ever.”

A look of awe fills her face. “I…I think next year is going to be even better.”

A soft laugh drifts from me as I nod, my hand following the gentle sway of her hips. “I just want you by my side. That’s all I want.”

Alyssa moves her hands to wrap her arms around my neck, the front of her body pressing against mine. “I’m not going anywhere.”

That’s the promise that I want to hear the most. She has changed so much for me, exposing a side of me that I didn’t even know existed because it was buried so deeply under years of disappointment and anger toward my parents and what they did to Holly and me.

I thought I was going to spend this Christmas just as bitter, lonely, and lost as ever, but she’s the brightest light in my life, the biggest hope in my heart, and the greatest love I’ve ever known.

There is no bigger Christmas miracle than her coming into my life. I hold her a little tighter, savoring the feeling of her body against mine, the warmth of her touch, the way she fits so perfectly in my arms. This is where I belong—right here, with her. I’ve spent so long searching for something to fill the void inside me, to make sense of the chaos that’s been my life, and now, I’ve found it.

Alyssa is my anchor, my light, my everything. And I’m never letting her go.