Home for Christmas Read online

  Chapter 3

  Holly

  When I wake up, I’m so cold. I can see through the windshield that my car is covered in snow. Panic rises in my chest as I unbuckle my seatbelt and go to open my door. I breathe a sigh of relief when it opens, thankful that I’m not somehow wedged in.

  I should have listened to Paul. I shouldn’t have gone out in this storm like I did. I’m running through all the ways I screwed up and getting down on myself, but it’s not helpful. I square my shoulders and try to think of my next move.

  Icy wind pushes my door closed, and the bitter cold seeps into my chest. I’m shivering and I need to figure out something fast. I won’t last long out here in the cold.

  Looking behind me, I see my car loaded down with all my stuff. I don’t want to leave it here, and I’m not sure I can make it walking back to the last gas station I saw. I’m not too far from town, but out here are rural roads that don’t get traveled much. Especially in this weather. It’s dark out and it wouldn’t be safe.

  I dig around in my car for what feels like forever and finally find my phone. I guess it shot out of my cup holder and under my seat when I went off in the ditch. The screen is busted, but it still comes to life. My excitement is short lived when I realize there’s no signal.

  “Damn it.” I press my forehead to the steering wheel and close my eyes.

  I can’t get my car out of this ditch. I can’t go walk for help in a freezing snowstorm. I can’t call for help because of my stupid phone. What the hell can I do?

  Tears roll down my face and I’m mad at myself. Tears are what got me into this, and they aren’t going to get me out of it. I try to recall all the television shows I’ve ever watched and think of ways to survive. I look in the back seat and spot one of my sweaters and grab it. I hang it on the outside of the door, hoping the bold red can be seen against the snow. I look around in the back seat to see if there’s anything else I can use. When my hands land on the plastic box, I say a silent prayer of thanks to my family that must be watching over me.

  My grandmother had a tiny Christmas tree in her nursing home that used battery-powered lights. I kept it after she died and packed it up in my car when I was getting ready to leave. I grab the lights and take them off the tree, then turn them on and hang them outside my door next to my red sweater. If someone does come by at least they’ll be able to spot me on the side of the road. With the way the snow is coming down I’ll have to keep reaching out and shaking it off, but at least it’s something.

  Once I’ve done that, I grab some more of my clothes and a blanket to wrap around my body for warmth. I have no idea how long it will take someone to find me, but I hang on to the hope that eventually I’ll be seen. I have to. Otherwise I’ll panic and cry and it won’t do me any good. I need to conserve my energy and try to focus on hope.

  The image of Vance pops into my head again and my heart aches. Why can’t I just let him go? This whole stupid trip was about me moving away. Moving on with my life. And look where I ended up. In a ditch just outside of town. I can’t even run from my problems the right way.

  I let out a sigh and watch as my breath makes a cloud in front of me. “Help,” I say to the universe, and close my eyes.

  Chapter 4

  Vance

  The first place I go after I leave my parents’ house is my office. I don’t have a cell phone or any way of looking up where she might have gone to college, and I know the trust paperwork would be there.

  When I get there, I thank god that my code still works and that Hunter hasn’t touched my office. Everything in it is exactly the same, including the files in my desk. I open the drawers and go right to the folder I had started on Holly. From the first time we met I gathered as much information as I could on her and then did everything to make sure she was provided for. I had the trust set up for school, but it didn’t specify which one.

  It takes me hours to find the account numbers and codes I need to access her file. I made it nearly impenetrable even for myself. When I finally find what I think I need, it takes even longer to get into my computer than I initially thought. It’s Christmas Day and no one is working. Plus, it might seem a little odd for a man who was pronounced dead to be back at his desk.

  The sun is setting when I enter the codes and cross my fingers. If she went out of state to college I might have to charter a plane in the morning. I promised my dad I’d be home tonight and I’m going to keep that promise. I owe him that much.

  When I scroll through the documents I see that the financial advisor I had set up for her has listed the local college as her alma mater. My heart rises but then immediately falls when I read that she graduated. She finished her degree last month, and her notes don’t include a forwarding address. All it shows is that her monthly disbursement will go directly into her bank account.

  “Shit,” I mutter, dropping my fist on the desk.

  The only thing I can think of is to try the shelter. The financial advisor doesn’t keep up with her personal life, so I have no way of knowing if she still volunteers there. I grab my keys off the desk and glance down at the photo next to it. It’s of me and Holly and a few others from the shelter. We’d had a Valentine's Day party and in the picture she’s wearing a red sweater with hearts on it. I stared at that picture for so long, wondering if one day she’d feel the same way I did.

  I give the picture one final glance before I walk out of my office and head for the Jeep. It’s been a long time since I had her in my arms, but I know what we had was real. The night everything changed was the night I was going to make her mine in every way. I knew she was the one. I’d never felt anything like it in my life. And I knew when I kissed her on her eighteenth birthday she felt it, too.

  By the time I get to the shelter it’s dark and the snow is coming down heavy. I park and make for the back entrance. I don’t want to cause a scene and if I can sneak in and somehow find Holly I can pull her out of here and explain everything.

  When I walk in, I look in the office and see the light is off. There are plenty of people inside the main room and kitchen, so I glance around looking for her.

  “She’s not here,” a deep voice says, and I turn around to see Paul smiling behind me.

  “Paul!” I exclaim, reaching out and wrapping him in a hug.

  “I knew you’d be back.” When I release him I see his dark eyes are twinkling.

  “How did you know?”

  “A love like that can’t be broken. Even in death. I knew one way or another you’d make it back to her. Eventually.” He shrugs. “When you asked me to watch over her, I thought that maybe something might happen. But I would have looked after Holly even if you hadn’t asked me to.”

  “Where is she?” I hear the panic in my voice, but I don’t know how much longer I can wait.

  “She left out of here a couple of hours ago. She was headed north, but I’m not sure where exactly. I tried to get her to stay, but she was determined to leave. This storm has gotten worse since she left and I can’t imagine her car is in any shape to be out in it.” He looks sad as he lowers his head and shakes it.

  “I’ll find her,” I say with determination.

  “She never got over you. Never even tried. She went on with her life, but I could see it in her. There was never another man that would take your place.”

  “I never got over her either,” I say, feeling the weight of his words.

  “Go and get her. And bring her back home.” I nod, but before I can walk away he grabs my arm. “I made a promise to watch out for her. Now I want you to do the same.”

  “I promise. I’ll make sure she never leaves my sight again.”

  I run out of the exit and into the snowstorm. When I climb in my Jeep I head north and try to think about which roads Holly would take. I’m on the edge of town and there’s a fork in the road. One way leads to the highway and the other leads to a back country road through the mountains.

  There’s no way she would have taken the dangerous
back road in a storm like this. I turn my wheel toward the highway and hit the gas. I just hope I can catch up to her, wherever she’s going.

  Chapter 5

  Holly

  I don’t know how long it’s been since I went off the road, but a car hasn’t come by once. My fingers are numb and my lips are blue, but I keep holding on to hope that I can make it to morning. By then it will have warmed up enough and maybe the storm will have passed. I can walk to help by then if my legs aren't frozen together.

  It’s so quiet in the car that I can hear the snowflakes hitting my roof one by one. Every now and then I close my eyes and sleep takes me, only to be jolted awake by my violent shivering.

  My eyes are heavy and I lean my head back thinking of Vance and the time we spent together. I’m beginning to feel weak as the time goes on, and I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last.

  Just as my eyes close I hear the rumble of a truck. My adrenaline spikes and I try to open the car door, but it’s frozen shut.

  “Help!” I shout and beat on the window. I can see the glow of the battery lights and a little of the red sweater. But just as the sound gets louder, the lights cut off and stop blinking. “Oh no!”

  The batteries must have died and I can see the headlight of the vehicle driving past me as it barrels down the road. They don’t even hit their brakes as they pass my snow-covered car and I begin to sob. I cry because I know it’s the end. All the energy I was saving, I used up in that moment of panic and now I’m left with nothing. The vehicle is gone and I’ve lost all hope of being rescued.

  Cold like I’ve never felt takes over me and I close my eyes for the last time. My world goes dark.

  Vance, I love you.

  Chapter 6

  Vance

  I stop after only a few feet when I realize that of course Holly would have taken the back road. She wouldn’t have seen it as unsafe. She would have seen it as a prettier drive to get to where she was going. I know it in my bones that she would have taken that path.

  I turn back and make my way to the fork in the road, then take the track lined with trees that curves around the mountain. The cliffs that flank the road are dangerous on a normal day in good conditions, but in this storm the way is treacherous.

  Gripping the steering wheel tight, I drive down the road looking for tracks that could lead me to her. No one would take this road at a time like this, so odds are if there are tire prints still visible, they’re hers. In a storm like this, with temperatures plummeting, if she has an accident she won’t have much time.

  As I drive, I see something up ahead that catches my eye. For a second it looked like something flashed, and I speed up a little to try and catch up to where I saw it. I don’t see anything. I decide to drive a little farther before I double back and look again.

  When I turn around and come back to the place I thought I saw the light, a flash of red has me stomping on the brakes. I roll down my window, and on top of a pile of snow is the red sweater that Holly wore in the picture on my desk.

  My heart thunders in my chest as I jump out and go over to grab it. I pull on the sweater, but it’s stuck to something in the snow. I dig around to try and figure out what’s got a hold of it, and it’s then I see a car door frame.

  “Holly!” I scream and dig faster, using my bare hands to chip away at the ice. I don’t even feel the cold anymore knowing that she’s trapped inside.

  When I uncover the door, I grab the handle and pull with all my might. There’s a loud pop when it finally wrenches open, but my relief is short lived when I see Holly slumped in the seat.

  “Holly, Holly, baby! Wake up!” I shout as I pull her into my arms. “Sweet girl, don’t leave me.”

  “Vance,” she whispers, and my heart soars. “I love you.”

  I carry her in my arms to the Jeep and strap her into the passenger seat. I don’t think about anything other than getting her warm. I could take her to the hospital, but it’s on the other side of the mountain and probably more dangerous to get to than taking her home. The weather makes the decision for me and I drive toward my parents’ house.

  “Stay with me, baby,” I beg as I take her hand and bring it to my mouth, blowing warm air on it. She’s ice cold, but I can feel a strong pulse on her wrist and that gives me hope.

  It takes longer than it should to get to the house; the storm isn’t letting up. When I arrive at my parents’ house I get out and carry Holly inside.

  Vance and Autumn are in the kitchen when I come barreling through the front door.

  “I need warm blankets,” I shout as I run through the house and into my old bedroom. Thank god someone lit a fire in here. I place Holly on the run in front of it.

  I strip off her coat and then realize that she needs body heat to make her warm. I reach down and pull off my sweater as Hunter and Autumn come into the room, their arms filled with blankets.

  “Is she okay? What’s going on?” Hunter asks, and I shake my head.

  “I don’t know, but I need to take her clothes off, so you both need to get out.”

  “I’ll call Doctor Bryant,” Autumn says as they leave the room and close the door.

  I stand up and take all of my clothes off, then finish taking off Holly’s clothes. I lie on top of her so we’re skin to skin and pull the blankets over us. I’m sweating from the adrenaline of finding her and bringing her home, but Holly is ice cold under me.

  I lie there with her for a long time as her body slowly starts to warm up. The fire is roaring and I say silent prayers over and over that she’ll be okay. I stare into the face of the woman I’ve ached for and dreamed about for five years. There wasn’t a second of every day when I didn’t miss her or want to be with her. Now that I have her in my arms, I’m beggingher not to leave me.

  I brush the hair out of her face and rub my thumb across her bottom lip. It was blue when I found her, but now it’s a soft shade of pink. For so many nights I thought about our one kiss. I’m an honorable man, but having her naked underneath me is driving me to point of insanity.

  I’m unable to fight it any longer and I lean down, placing a soft kiss on her lips. They’re warm and tender to the touch, and though I want more, I shouldn’t. But just as I start to pull away, I feel her fingers trail up my back and her lips press against mine. This time it’s her that’s kissing me, and I don’t plan on stopping her.

  Her mouth opens and I taste her sweetness as my tongue touches her. My memory of our kiss is nothing compared to the real thing. The day I kissed Holly was the single greatest day of my life, and kissing her again is like reliving that over and over.

  Her body begins to move under mine and her legs open. I fall between them easily as my bare cock rests against her pussy. I should stop this kiss. I should get up and let her rest. But I’ve spent years without her, and I’m a selfish bastard. I want her, and not just right now, but for the rest of my life.

  “Vance,” she whispers, and it’s all the confirmation I need.

  Her wet center opens for me and I slide my cock between her lips. I push against the barrier of her opening and realize that she’s waited for me. She could have had a thousand men since I last saw her and I wouldn’t have cared. As long as she’s mine forever, that’s all that matters. But knowing that I’m the one who gets to have her first pushes me over the edge.

  I’ve been ignoring my aching cock until now, but I can’t do it any longer. Now he’s demanding entry and I slide slowly inside her. Gently I move in and out as I take an inch more with every stroke. Her body helps me glide inside her tight pussy as I try to be as tender as I can.

  Kissing her lips softly, I whisper how much I missed her and how happy I am we’re finally together. When I’m fully inside her body, I hold myself still, wanting to savor this moment, wanting to remember every detail of the first time we make love.

  Her eyes flutter open and she stares at me. “Vance,” she whispers and reaches out to touch my face. She’s so gentle as she touches me, like I
might not be real. “Make love to me.”

  Slowly I begin to move again and I feel her body tighten under me. “I love you, Holly.”

  Tears form in her eyes and I wipe them away. It’s painfully beautiful and I can’t stop what our bodies demand. I don’t want it to be over yet, but I make a promise to myself that from here on out we’re making up for lost time.

  “I love you too, Vance.”

  She kisses me and it’s more powerful than any we’ve shared before. I can feel it all the way to my soul and I never want it to end.

  Her legs wrap around me and I adjust my thrusts so that each stroke is making her pussy tighten. Her back arches up and her thighs shake as she comes apart in my arms. I don’t hold back any longer and follow her over the edge into blissful paradise, filling her with all that I have.

  My body tingles from head to toe as I hold her tightly to me. It’s the greatest moment I’ve ever experienced and I never want it to end. My heart warms at the thought that it doesn’t have to end now. From this moment forward, we have forever.

  But before I can do or say anything more, the door bursts open. Hunter and Autumn are staring at us and beside them is a stranger in a doctor's coat.

  “Get out!” I bark, and I feel Holly jerk under me.

  “Vance?” Holly says, stunned and blinking her eyes. There’s a mixture of panic and shock on her face as she gasps. It’s like she’s just realized I’m here. And I’m inside her.

  “Oh shit,” Hunter mumbles and pushes everyone out of the room. “Sorry, bro.”

  “You’re alive?” Holly says it like an accusation. I go to open my mouth, but she slaps me hard across the face. “Where the hell have you been,” she demands, and her eyes are murderous.