She’d dreamed of being stuck with him like this, but in those dreams, she’d still made it home to spend the holiday with her parents.
“It looks like it.” He walked over to her. “Would it be so bad spending Christmas here with me?”
“No.” She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Of course not. It’s just…”
“You won’t get any presents?” he joked, causing her to smile.
“No, that’s not it. I was hoping to see my family during my break.”
“You still might be able to.”
“No, I only have two weeks off.”
“From school?” He frowned. “But I thought…”
“No.” She turned to him. “I’ve been interning at a local clinic.”
“When did you start that?” he asked, taking her coat from the rack and helping her pull it on.
“Earlier this year,” she replied, remembering when she’d first started helping out at the local VA hospital. At that point, she hadn’t decided on a career yet. Now, after spending some time with the wounded military men and women that she helped on a weekly basis, she had. “It’s making me lean towards becoming a physical therapist. I still haven’t decided for good, but…”
“That’s great,” he said, pulling on his own coat. “I’ll bet that you’re already good at it.” He turned towards the door and then glanced back at her. “Ready for the cold?”
She wrapped her scarf around her shoulders and her face and then nodded. “Let’s do this,” she said, causing him to chuckle.
They rushed down the cleared pathway, hand in hand. Eric helped her when she slipped a few times on the ice. Her Uggs just weren’t built for this much snow or ice.
By the time they reached the front porch of the big house, they were both a little breathless. The place was lit up with Christmas lights everywhere, putting her even more in the holiday spirit.
“Wow, this place is amazing,” she whispered.
There was a little sign hanging just above the doorbell.
“Come on in, wipe your feet, and don’t mind the dogs.”
“Do you think they have one that says, ‘Go away, we’d like some privacy’?” Eric joked softly as they walked in, causing her to chuckle.
The entryway was all decked out in lights and a huge Christmas tree sat near the base of a beautiful staircase.
“Back here,” a woman called out cheerfully. They followed the voices and stepped into a large dining room filled with people.
Todd Jordan stood up from his spot next to a young boy who looked just like him and a little blonde girl in a highchair. A very pregnant blonde woman sat at the head of the table, smiling at them.
“You must be Eric and Alice. I’m Megan. Todd was telling me a little about the two of you.” She motioned for them to take the empty chairs at the long table. “Of course, if he’d let me get out of the house once in a while, I could have met the both of you when you arrived,” she said under her breath.
Todd chuckled. “You’re free to come and go, after the snowstorm.”
Megan reached over and took her husband’s hand in hers. “I slipped once,” she informed the table. “It was more of a trip than anything.” She rubbed her free hand over her large belly.
“You face-planted in the bushes,” Todd corrected her. Megan chuckled.
“Please.” Megan motioned to the food. “Help yourself.” Food was passed around as they dished up homemade meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and beans.
“Are you two enjoying your stay?” a young Asian woman asked from down the table.
“Yes, very much so,” Alice answered.
“Where are you from?” the woman asked.
“Portland. You two? I hear… New Orleans?” she guessed.
“Yes.” The woman’s eyebrows shot up. “Born and raised.” The woman looked over to her husband, a thin black man who looked too busy enjoying the food to chat. “Charles and I both.”
“What brings you to Portland?” Eric asked the other couple. He was trying not to focus on how cute the kids were and how he’d instantly thought about having kids with Alice upon seeing them.
“We wished to see snow for Christmas,” the woman answered easily.
“Well, you definitely got your wish,” Todd added with a chuckle. “We’re supposed to get even more tonight. After dinner I’ll drop off more firewood and clear the path again.”
“It’s all been so wonderful,” Alice started. “We’re just so thankful we stopped here instead of somewhere along I-five.”
“Yes.” He thought about being stuck at a highway hotel and cringed. “I doubt they’d have meatloaf this good anywhere else.”
“Not to mention having our own cabin,” Alice added.
“How long have you two been married?” Charles asked.
“Oh, we’re—”
Alice grabbed his hand, stopping him.
“We’ve known each since I was five and he was seven,” she answered truthfully. She’d booked the cabin under his name, but it wasn’t her fault that Megan had assumed they were married. Why not let the little fantasy week play out.
“Oh, childhood sweethearts,” Charles’ wife said with a sigh. “It shows. You two are so in tune with one another.”
Alice looked at him with a smile. “Yes, we are.”
Chapter 12
The following two days they spent pretty much the same way. Each day they ventured out into the thick snow that surrounded them, then enjoyed breakfast, lunch, and a nap before heading to the big house for dinner with the others. And, more importantly, each night they spent wrapped in each other’s arms, making love slowly in front of the fireplace as the snow continued to build outside.
Alice talked to her family and he talked to his. The storm was making national news as one of the worst storms in the history of the West Coast. It spread far beyond the little area they were trapped in and threatened to continue past the holidays and possibly even into the New Year.
At this point, neither of them really cared anymore. They were in their own fantasy snow-globe world.
It was magical and suited all their needs. Of course, in a few days when their own supplies started to run low, they might need to venture out further. Todd had mentioned to him that his family was heading into town the following evening for a special town event and to restock their own supplies and could easily take them with him.
Alice had hinted that she would enjoy heading into town when he suggested going along.
“Did they mention what the town event was?” she asked.
“No, just that he was taking the entire family in and that they had plenty of room for us to join them.”
They were lying in bed, wrapped in the warm blankets, their bodies cooling from their recent lovemaking.
Oddly, even though he was tired, his mind was going too quickly to fall asleep anytime soon. He could tell Alice was already falling asleep, since she was slightly slurring her words and every now and then a yawn escaped.
“What would you think about staying in Portland for a while? Would it be possible?”