Page 16 of Jingle All the Plays

“Oh my God—”

“He loped off. He’s fine. My car’s totaled though.”

“Oh my God—”

“And then the nurses gave me so much pain medicine that it knocked me out, even though I tried to resist.”

“Oh my God—”

“The second I woke up, I tore out my IVs and came here.”

“Oh my God—” Clearly my brain is in a state of shock.

“I had to see you. I have to be here with you.”

“Bo, are you alright? Are you even supposed to be out of bed?”

“No.”

“I have to take you back.”

“I’m not supposed to be out of bed, Maisy. I’m supposed to be in bed with you. Here. Now.”

“What? You got hurt.”

“I’m fine. It was just a bump.” His hands cup the sides of my face. “You waited.” The intensity of his voice hits me right in the heart.

“Of course I did, Bo.”

“You trusted me to show up.”

I just nod, feeling the tears about to make their getaway.

“You love me?”

“Always have,” I whisper back. “And you love me?”

“Always have and always will, Maisy.” He presses his forehead to mine. “I need you so badly, Maisy.”

“I need you to, Bo.” I tug at the zipper of his jacket which he finally shrugs out of. Then I tug on the hem of his shirt. “Can we—”

“Nothing on this beautiful fucking planet could stop me from being with you, Maisy.”

“Then kiss me.”

“Okay. Maisy.”

His hands still as our breaths meet between us. It’s as if we’re both taking a moment to recognize that nothing will ever be the same again.

I, for one, am committing this moment to memory.

And that’s when his lips meet mine, and I know I’m not prepared for this. But it’s everything I want, and I can’t deny the immediate hunger that takes over my brain and my body.

His lips on me is perfection. So badly, I want to take this slow and feel every feeling that’s pouring down on me, but my body has been aching for this man far too long already.

“I need to be closer to you, Bo.” And then it’s a mad frantic scramble to lose my clothes to the floor and rip him out of his layers.

“Take me to the bed,” I say, placing my hands on his shoulders. Without further explanation, he tucks his hands under my ass and lifts me up to wrap my legs around him.