The Christmas Romance Wish (Love, Laughs & Mystery in Coco Key #5)

10. Emmie

Emmie

CHAPTER 10

Alex stops the Jeep on a turnout for slow-moving tractor-trailers and with a scenic overlook I recall from our ride up this way the other day.

Toggling a few dials on the Jeep, he says, “We should be good until the plows can get up here.”

“You think a plow truck can move all that snow?”

“It’s not as much as you think. Probably.”

“It sounded like a lot.”

“I’m guessing only a few feet scattered across the road, but I don’t want to take any risks.” Alex checks his phone. “No service. How about you?”

I check the bars on my phone, but it flatlines.

He reaches across to the glovebox and pulls out a black device that looks kind of like the walkie-talkies my brothers used to play with. “Satellite phone.”

While he reports the avalanche, my thoughts cascade with worst-case scenarios along the lines of people being stranded in the snow, succumbing to hypothermia, and being entombed in ice.

“SNAFU,” he says into the device and then pauses. “Copy that. Roger. ”

“What’s SNAFU?”

“Situation normal. All fouled up.”

“Is this normal for this area?”

Alex chuckles and takes a sip of his coffee. “No. But good thing we stopped when we did. Then again, we might have made it past in time had we not. Anyway, I have plenty of supplies even if we’re stuck here all night.”

“All night?”

“Probably six hours at most.” Alex meets my eyes and claps his hand on my knee. “But don’t worry. I’m prepared for situations like this.”

“SNAFUs?”

“Should the situation arise, don’t say that in front of the guys. It’ll give them carte blanche to say whatever. I, uh, censored a select word.”

“My grandfather used to get on my brothers about talking like pirates. Chances are, I’ve heard it before.”

“All the same, my grandmother taught me to speak respectfully in front of ladies.” Moving on, Alex tells me that his company, Wild Warriors, specializes in outfitting citizens with everything they need for camping and overlanding. “It just so happens that also comes in handy for natural disasters.”

“Glad I didn’t rent a car.” I hiccup.

“Would you like to call your brothers and let them know your flight was canceled?”

“No, because I was going to surprise them by showing up on their doorstep.”

“Do they live together?”

“No, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Coco Key is a small town and the moment I set foot in the sand, the Coconut Wireless would put out an all-points bulletin reporting my arrival.”

“I moved around a lot when I was a kid. Wish I could’ve had the small-town life.”

“Dylann says the same thing. Meanwhile, all I wanted was to get out of there and experience the city. ”

“The grass is always greener.”

“Or the snow is always whiter.”

We both chuckle.

“You know that I was an only child and moved around a lot. You have four brothers and lived in the same small town until college, right?”

“Yep. Got out of there as soon as I was able.”

“What else? What’s your story?”

“Are you writing a book?”

“No, we are.”

“Yes, but it’s yours.”

“Surely you have a story to tell.”

I shrug. “No, I help tell other people’s.”

“Tell me what made you want to leave Coco Key so badly.”

Taking a deep breath, I wonder what part of this sad old tale to dust off. “Magnus, my oldest brother is thirty-eight.”

“Same as me. He’s the military guy, right?”

“Navy pilot.”

“I wonder if we ever crossed paths.”

“Put the two of you in a room together and you’d probably talk for days. Then there’s the first set of twins, Royal and Ryan.”

“Are they identical?”

“When they were younger, it was harder to tell them apart, but it’s easy enough now. Next, is CJ.”

“Charlie Juliet?” he says, using the military alphabet I’ve gotten familiar with since starting this project.

“Chip Junior. He was named after my grandfather. Sort of. My grandfather was Carlos Almeida, but everyone called him Chip, including us kids.”

“Sounds like a larger-than-life kind of guy.”

“You can say that again.”

“Then there was you.”

“CJ and I are barely eighteen months apart. For a few weeks, when he was twenty-seven, I was twenty-six, but he recently had a birthday, so now he’s twenty-eight. ”

“Practically twins.”

I gaze at my hands, wondering if I should say the next part. My voice is small when the words tiptoe out. “I also had a twin, but she didn’t make it.”

Alex repositions in his seat so he’s facing me. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“That makes me the baby, but CJ isn’t spared as the youngest brother. Because of what happened to Colleen, and because I’m the only girl, and—” I hiccup, stopping myself from saying the rest about losing my parents. “My brothers are fiercely protective. Overprotective.”

Alex glances out the window and then back at me. “You’re in good hands. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

He unbuckles his seatbelt and mutters about having to clear the tailpipe and make sure the running lights are visible, then gets out of the Jeep.

I shiver and hiccup, feeling very much like a city girl, completely unequipped to deal with things like avalanches even though I pride myself on being super independent.

Moments later, the passenger side door opens and Alex signals we get in the back.

“I have a special, thermal blanket that’s insulated, but we’ll have to share it.”

I slide across the seat as he seals us inside.

My teeth chatter with my continued hiccups.

He unfolds a silver piece of what looks like space cloth, something aliens would offer when you board their ship and prepare for flight.

My fingers are stiff and I wrap it around me, scooting a little closer to Alex, but only because I’m so cold. Mostly.

“Our body heat will help,” he adds.

I take this as an invitation to scootch even closer.

Dylann loves romcoms where the love interests get stranded together or have to navigate what to do when there is only one bed in a very specific set of circumstances.

Seems like one of those times. “What about sharing a single blanket?”

“Huh?” Alex asks.

“Oh, don’t mind me. Just thinking out loud.”

And hopefully, that’s where my discourse ends because there’s a lot to say about Alex seated beside me, the two of us zipped together like two seams of the same jacket.

He’s solid whereas I’m squishy.

He radiates heat while that snowman back at the coffee shop is laughing at me.

Alex is probably thinking about the ninety-nine ways we’re going to survive while all I want are his lips on mine, especially if I’m going to turn into an icicle and take my last breath out here.

Is that so wrong?

Dylann would say no.

But I’m Emmie. Always awkward. Never flirty or cute or comely.

Are people described as comely anymore? I’d venture to say if swooning is a thing then women can be comely.

Alex’s tone lifts in questions as if he’d been talking to me. “So, you’re the baby of the family. I bet your brothers miss you, but you can still surprise them by Christmas. It might not be until Christmas night, but we’ll get you home.”

Lifting and lowering my shoulder, I say, “That’s just it. Coco Key isn’t home.”

“You’ll be back in New York before you know it.”

“It never quite felt like home either.”

“They say home is where the heart is.”

“They also say your heart is wherever you are.”

“Do they say that? And who are they anyway?” His lips quirk with a smile as if he’s playing along with my “Object to and second guess everything” game.

I snort a laugh. “All my life, I’ve longed for a place to call home.” Chilly, I tug my hat lower on my ears and hiccup, then consider pulling it over my face just to hide for a minute because I grew up at a resort and am well aware I sound ungrateful, but I can’t explain it. I’ve never told anyone about losing my parents and what their absence did to me.

Alex accurately reads my silence at not wanting to talk about it and doesn’t press further.

“Here’s a truth, when you were in elementary school, I’d already finished boot camp and was getting deployed.”

“Are you saying I’m a baby?”

“You said it, not me.”

“My brothers think I’m a baby. A helpless little infant who needs to be wrapped in cushy clouds and constantly surrounded by sparkles and rainbows.”

“Is that so bad?”

“It’s annoying.”

“You live in New York. That’s a demonstration of independence and capability to survive on those mean city streets.”

“They’re not that bad. This street on the other hand—” I hiccup.

Alex chuckles. “I’d bet not one of them has survived an avalanche.”

“We haven’t survived yet.”

He casts me a confident and comforting smile. “We’re safe and we’ll have you home, er, back to Coco Key by Christmas. You’ll be the best Christmas present they’ve ever received.”

“It would be a birthday present for me.”

Alex does a double-take. “Your birthday is on Christmas Day?”

“Regrettably.” And I instantly regret saying that, but the Awkward Emmie filter is faltering, not operating properly.

“You share a birthday with Jesus. That’s epic,” Alex says.

My busy brain takes over, filled with worry. “Wait. Do you think we’ll be stuck here until Christmas?”

“No and no bah humbugging.”

I wear a slight smile and mutter. “Too late for that. The bah humbugs are having a holiday party. ”

“Do you not like Christmas because it’s a holiday so you don’t get your own day to celebrate your birthday? It’s overshadowed?”

“No, my family was big on making sure I got my fair share of attention.” Which makes me feel even more like a brat.

“Then why does it seem like you don’t like the holiday?”

“It’s more like I avoid it. Same as some people avoid dairy, ironing their clothing, or making customer service phone calls when they can’t unsubscribe from the Hot Lips: Hot Sauce of the Month Club.”

Alex’s eyes land on my mouth and linger there for a long moment before he says, “This might be controversial, but eggnog is delicious. I agree that ironing is overrated. And customer service phone calls aren’t that bad. I can take the hot sauce off your lips, I mean your hands, if you like.”

The bah humbugs cheer. “You make life sound so easy.”

“And you make Christmas sound so bad.”

I’m prepared to die on this hill. I won’t let Christmas back into my life. “Dylann claims that I’m originally from Whoville and I’d be the Grinch if he were a girl.”

“We’ll see about that,” Alex says as if he’s masterminding a plan to get me to fall in love with him, I mean, Christmas.

“Dylann has tried and failed at what she calls the ‘Christmas Quest to Thaw Emmie’s Grinchy Heart’ for the last two years.”

“Does she really call it that?”

“You betcha.”

“Her fiancé loves Christmas as much as she does, so it’s a match made in winter wonderland. For example, her parents had to talk the two of them out of having a Christmas day wedding. Apparently, their relatives didn’t want to have to change their plans or traditions.”

“Where’d they meet?”

“On my app.” I hiccup and realize what I said. “I mean on an app.”

Even seated so close, Alex meets my eyes, exposing me for the snowy little lie. “That’s not what you said. Emmie, I’m starting to wonder about you and all these secrets.”

I hiccup. So close under this blanket, it’s impossible not to be intoxicated by Alex’s woodsy scent, his winter warmth, and his body so close to mine.

What would he do if I buried my face in his neck?

“What aren’t you telling me? Are you a covert operative? A criminal on the run? An undercover celebrity?” he asks, tone light and playful.

My lips twist with a smile at his joking. “No to all of the above.” I let out a sigh and hiccup again at the same time. “More like I was always the secret sister. My brothers did their own thing. Treated me with great care. My grandfather, well, he was shrouded in mystery. By default, I’ve kept to myself. I was the princess and the boys were the pirates. We were all characters in Chip’s feature film—playing our roles.”

“What about your parents?”

I trade that story for a different one that’s easier to talk about. “When I left Florida, I vowed to hit a home run on my own. Living in New York City is expensive, but I wanted to support myself.”

“That fits with your super independent, doesn’t ‘need-saving’ personality.”

“True, but I met a guy.”

“Not Dylann.”

I laugh again, feeling at ease even though I’ve rarely shared this story either. “No, Dylann is a female and my best friend. Not boyfriend material. Anyway, he was a tech guy—knew coding, including for apps. We put our heads together—” I hesitate to say Tad’s name. “Dylann called him Tid Bit.”

“Like literally put your heads together?”

I incline my head, not sure what he means.

“In the hiccup cure kind of way.”

“Ew gross. The memory makes me want to gag. Anyway, we developed the Marry Me app. ”

“Seriously? Jesse and Paxton were talking about it the night before you arrived.”

“I keep it to myself because I’m not the best spokeswoman for its effectiveness.”

“I take it you and the tech guy didn’t keep your heads together for very long.”

“Nope. I’m undateable. Not marriage material.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“He was clear about that when I found him with a woman named Kimmy. He told me he was working late in the computer lab before it closed at the end of the semester. Then on Christmas, when I was expecting him to keep the plans we made, I found him in his dorm with a girl named Kassy from our history class. He turned it all around on me, said I wasn’t dateable, never mind marriage material.” I hiccup again.

Alex’s voice has a sharp edge when it reaches me. “Emmie, here’s a truth. When we first met in person, it was attraction at first sight.”

I turn slowly toward him. The bah humbugs get buzzy with interest.

“At dinner on Friday night, I had to force myself to keep my distance because of our working relationship. I couldn’t help but notice you, or how some of the single guys responded to you all weekend. They wanted to line up to roll with you after you submitted Pax.” He chuckles like he’d sooner take them each down single-handedly than let that happen.

Shaking my head from side to side, I have my doubts, but while we’re telling the truth, he may as well know mine. “From the first time we talked on the phone, I had a crush on your voice.”

His tone lowers teasing amusement. “Is that so?”

“I didn’t let it go further than that because of Ginny.”

He nods. “And Dylann and the whole co-writing the book thing,” he says, adding to the list .

“We had to keep it professional,” I say, hoping that’s not still true.

I dart a glance at Alex.

His gaze is intense, filled with want.

The bah humbugs feel the same way, filling me up with longing for this man who has quickly become a shelter, a very handsome beacon that I hope guides me to a future just beyond my own personal avalanches.

Either that, or we’re just keeping each other warm.

At this point, I’ll take either.

Seated here, I’m toasty and safe beside Alex, despite the potential to freeze to death. If this is the way I go, it’s not so bad.

Then his gaze dips to mine. Like trying to catch snowflakes in a net, I sense what’s coming but am not sure it’s right—my busy brain questions everything, including the fantasies I’ve dreamed about while doodling.

His lips part.

I nibble mine.

“Emmie, what would happen if I kissed you right now?”

The bah humbugs answer with fluttery excitement. For once, we agree on something. “I’d kiss you back.”

Then his hand gently cups my jaw, drawing my face to his.

Our mouths meet.

My world is a glittery explosion of scrambled Scrabble letters. I don’t have words for this.

Alex’s lips on mine drive every thought out of my overcrowded mind. Well, except for one. We’re kissing. The sensation, the elation, and then a welcome hush consume me.

He ropes his fingers in my hair. I splay mine across the back of his neck. We’re wearing full outerwear, yet I’ve never felt closer to a person.

The fuzz of his recently shaved facial hair rubs against my cheeks as the kiss deepens and goes in unexpectedly delightful directions as we explore each other with more desire than I’ve ever experienced .

My skin is warm and it’s welcome.

My chest is full because I’m wanted.

My mind is quiet because I’ve found refuge.

I let this kiss become my home and I never want to leave.