It was easy for him—being with family. His or hers. He’d spent as many holidays around her family as he had his own. He supposed that their mothers being best friends from high school had something to do with it. Still, after his folks had moved, he had to admit things had been hard. He’d felt like his time was split between the two families, and he was having to choose where he ended up.
This year it had been easy after Chris had asked him to drive Alice home. He’d called his sister and brothers and told them all that he’d be coming back to Portland this year instead of heading down to Arizona with his folks.
“It’s hard on my mother,” she said after they had finished their food. “Your mom being so far away. My mother is actually thinking of buying a place in Arizona.”
“Really?” he asked. She’d snuggled up next to him and they were both watching the fire and the snow, which continued to fall heavily outside.
“Yes.” She sighed. “Which wouldn’t be as hard on me and Chris as it was on your siblings.”
“My sister and brothers complain a lot about having their kids’ grandparents so far away,” he agreed.
“Do you think they’ll move back?” she asked, glancing up at him.
“I doubt it. Dad’s health…” He immediately stopped talking.
“What?” Alice sat up and looked at him. “What about your dad?”
Shaking his head, he closed his eyes. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you, since it will probably get back to your mother, who will worry.” He relayed his mother’s fears, even though he’d promised more than a dozen times he wouldn’t say anything, even to Chris.
“Eric.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “What?”
“He’s been really low on vitamin D along with a few other things. His asthma had gotten really bad in the past few years.”
“Yes, I’d heard that was why they moved away.” She leaned back against him, his arms going back around her. He enjoyed the way her body fit against his, so soft as her sexy scent surrounded him.
“Well, he had a really bad asthma attack and they were thinking of putting him on oxygen full time.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“No.” He shook his head. “No one does. My father didn’t want anyone to know, so after some advice from some more doctors… they moved.” He shrugged.
“How’s he doing now?” she asked.
“Much better.” He smiled remembering how his father’s latest tests had come back in the clear. He pulled her closer and sighed, wishing for a nap.
“I know we talked about playing board games, but I don’t want to move from this spot.”
“Me either.” She sighed and tucked her feet up on the sofa. “Do you think it’s going to stop snowing soon?”
He was quiet for a while, then answered, “I hope not.”
Chapter 11
The sound of her cell phone ringing woke Alice from her nap. She usually hated napping, but lying here snuggled next to Eric, she wished they didn’t have to move for the rest of the day.
Groaning, she started to get up to go find it.
“Leave it.” He sighed and pulled her closer. “It will go to voicemail.” The cabin grew silent again. “See.” He shifted and was suddenly hovering above her, his lips gently brushing across hers.
“It could have been important,” she suggested as his mouth lowered and trailed down her neck.
“If it was, they’d call back.” He leaned up and waited a moment for the ringing to start again. “Nope, not important.” He returned to kissing her.
She could just imagine spending the rest of the week just like this, wrapped in his arms as the snow fell and the world outside the windows stopped. This time when they came together, she allowed herself to cut loose and really enjoy going slow. Running her hands over him after, as they lay in front of the fireplace naked, she explored every little scar he had, remembering where he’d gotten a few.
“Where did you get this one?” she asked, running her finger over a small star-shaped scar just over his ribs on the left.
He glanced down and chuckled. “Barbed wire fence. Chris dared me to try and dive between the wires.” He was running his hands through her hair. “Stupid me, I took a running start and…” He shrugged. “Got a new scar for the trouble.”
She giggled. “When was that?”
“Last week,” he said soberly, causing her to laugh even more. “I think we were ten.”
She smiled and rested her chin on his chest. “You were so handsome when you were ten.”
His dark eyebrows shot up. “I’m not now?”
“You are.” She smiled. “But I was eight when I noticed you for the first time.”
“Noticed?”
“You know, noticed, noticed.” She felt her face heat.
“Really? What was it that my ten-year-old self had that drew your eye?”
She smiled and thought about it. “Dark eyes, a slight dimple here.” She reached up and touched his cheek. “And you helped me when I fell.”
“Chivalry isn’t dead.” He pulled her closer.
“At least it wasn’t for ten-year-old you,” she said between kisses.
He pulled the blanket over them when she shivered.
“I’m getting hungry again,” he admitted after a while.
“Me too.”
“I was thinking that homemade meal that Todd was talking about sounded pretty good.”
She leaned up and looked out the window. The snow had slowed down a lot. “We have just enough time to shower.” She got up, taking the blanket with her, leaving him on the rug in front of the fire completely naked. “Too bad I’m not a painter,” she joked as she looked down at him. “You’d make a great model.”
“I’ve modeled naked before,” he said, standing up and following her into the bathroom. “Actually, that’s how Chris and I paid for a trip to Mexico last summer.”
She laughed. “Somehow, I’m not surprised.”
After a long hot shower that filled the small bathroom with steam, she disappeared into her own room and pulled on a pair of warm black pants and the red sweater that she had bought to wear on Christmas morning. Once the bathroom was clear of fog, she dried her hair and applied her makeup.
When she walked out into the living area, Chris was just getting off the phone.
“It looks like…” he started to say before turning around. “Wow, you look amazing.” His eyes ran over her.
“Thanks.” She smiled.
“It looks like your brother and Dawn are going to jump on a flight to Atlanta tomorrow since this storm is supposed to pick up again late tonight.”
“How much more of the stuff can fall?” she asked, looking outside now.
The pathway was still cleared, probably thanks to Todd, but everywhere else, the snow was piled high. She couldn’t even see the bench at the entrance of the beach path anymore. Instead, there was just a mound of white snow.
“They say at least double this before Christmas morning.”
His words sunk in. “We’re going to be stuck here for Christmas?” she asked, feeling her heart sink slightly.