I peeked up at him. “Your time, huh?”
Maddox smirked. “Best time of the day.”
Yeah, I couldn’t argue with that. I snuggled deeper into his hold, and he sighed in contentment.
“Bristol?”
“Hmm.” My eyes had slid shut, and I was dangerously close to falling asleep.
“Have you given any thought to Christmas? I was thinking we could take a quick trip during the mini break the league gives us. A few days in Mexico, maybe? Or the Caribbean? I’m not picky, as long as it’s warm. I know winter just started, but I’m sick of the cold already.”
“Umm.” I pushed off his chest to find panic in his eyes.
“Did I push too far? Is taking a trip too much? I just thought—“
I held up my hand, cutting him off. “It’s not that. All those ideas sound amazing. But I already have plans.”
“Oh.” Maddox’s mouth dropped open on that single syllable.
Intertwining our fingers, I gave a gentle squeeze. “I’m going home to Hartford. Apparently, my parents miss me or something and begged me to visit for the holidays. Plight of being the only child, I suppose.” I huffed out a dramatic sigh.
His warm chuckle rolled over me. “I get it. I’m a part of that club too, but mine are used to me being so far away. Plus, they see me a good bit during the summer, so it evens out with the Speed only visiting Seattle once a year.”
“Do you have a summer home there?”
“Sure do.” He nodded in confirmation, and I watched as fondness filtered into his gaze at the memory of home. “You’d love it there. Right on the Sound. It’s magical watching the sun set over the water. There’s nothing like it.”
I smiled, hopeful for the future. “Maybe you’ll take me there someday.”
“I’m counting on it, love.”
That term of endearment meant so much more now than the first time I’d heard it fall from his kissable lips. Because I knew that he did love me. And that knowledge warmed me from the inside out.
“So, we’re staying cold for Christmas then?” Maddox hedged.
“We?” I raised an eyebrow.
He stuck his lower lip out in a pout and gave me sad puppy-dog eyes. “You’re going to leave me here? All alone? On Christmas?”
“Laying it on a little thick, aren’t you?” I couldn’t help but laugh at his antics.
“Is it working?”
Rolling my eyes, I admitted, “A little.”
Maddox grinned wide at his triumph. “Great! Send me your flight details, and I’ll see if I can snag a last-minute ticket.”
When I cringed, he knew instantly that something was off. “What is it?”
Closing my eyes, I couldn’t bear to see his face when I said the words. “I’m driving.”
“Are you out of your mind?” His voice rose in volume.
“You know how I feel about flying,” I sighed, daring to peek at his reaction. He wasn’t so much mad as distraught.
He ran a hand through his thick hair, blowing out a heavy breath. “I get that. But you have to realize how much more dangerous it is to drive right now. You’d be going around Lake Erie in Ohio, so there’s lake-effect snow to consider, and then you have to drive through the mountains in Pennsylvania. There are always pile-ups on the interstate in those areas in winter. I thought you were doing better. You haven’t had a meltdown since that first trip.”
Those were excellent points, and I was forced to admit the real reason I’d elected to drive. “I’m afraid to die alone.” My lower lip trembled at the thought.
