by E. L. Todd
“It sucks, man. My kids are going to wake up on Christmas and open their gifts, but I won’t be there to see it.” I was a terrible husband and father. I never missed anything, but this time the weather defeated me.
“I have a guy who knows a guy…I think I can get you out of there.”
“Say what?”
“They have a special plane that’s cleared to fly in extreme weather. I talked to them about your situation and they said they would take back to New York.”
I jumped to my feet. “Are you serious? That’s so awesome.”
“Yeah. Just check in with the front desk and they’ll direct you.”
“Thank you so much, Uncle Sean. You’re the man!”
He chuckled. “We all want to see you on Christmas, Slade. Now come home.”
“I’m on it.”
***
I didn’t have time to stop and shower. Everyone was already at the house for Christmas Eve and I was late. They probably already finished dinner. Afterwards, they would open gifts.
After I got off the plane, I took the cab straight there. I slept a little on the plane but the turbulence was extreme. My stomach lurched in different ways as the plane fell and shifted to the side.
I was exhausted and a little sick, but that didn’t slow me down.
When I arrived at the house, I carried the luggage with me. I walked inside and dropped my bags on the tile in the entryway. My guitar was gently placed on the ground. “Guys, I’m here.” I walked into the living room and saw everyone gathered on the couches. Christmas music played in the background, and the tree was lit up with ornaments and lights. It smelled like coffee and cookies, and everyone was wearing ugly Christmas sweaters.
It felt like the holidays.
“Slade!” Skye stood up with Colton in her arms. “You made it.”
“I knew you’d figure it out,” Dad said. “Nothing can stop a man from getting home for the holidays.”
Trinity sat on the couch with Olympia in her arms. She was ten months old and beautiful. She had blonde hair just like Trinity and beautiful Preston blue eyes. Ryan sat on the ground and played with his toys. When his eyes landed on me, they lit up in recognition. “Da da!” He slowly got to his feet then walked toward me, wobbling a little on the way.
I kneeled down and extended my arms, the tears immediately forming in my eyes. “I’m here, Ryan. I made it home.”
When he reached me, he fell into my arms with a chuckle.
“God, I missed you.” I stood up and held him against me.
He still had the same smile on his face, and he reached out with his hand and grabbed my nose. Another laugh came from his little mouth.
“Merry Christmas, my little man.” I kissed him on the forehead and hugged him, grateful I wasn’t missing this evening. “I got you so many presents. I can’t wait for you to open them.” I walked to Trinity and sat beside her. “Hey, baby.” I kissed her before I looked down into Olympia’s face. “How’s my beautiful little girl?” I took her with a single arm and held her against my chest. With both of my children in my arms, I was truly happy.
Olympia stared at me with curious eyes. She couldn’t talk yet, but she had so much intelligence in her look. I knew she would be driven and ambitious like her mother. And I knew she would be drop-dead gorgeous as well.
“They missed you,” Trinity whispered.
“Not as much as I missed them.” Whenever I was away from my family I felt lost. There was nothing more important than family. Fame and money meant nothing to me when I was on the other side of the country and alone. “Is there any dinner left?”
“We haven’t eaten yet,” Trinity answered.
“You haven’t?” I asked in surprise. It was almost eight.
“Like we would start without you.” Cayson drank his whiskey while he held Cedric in his other arm. “Come on, it wouldn’t be Christmas without you.”
I looked around at everyone and felt gratitude wash through me. My life was blessed with amazing family and friends. I had two beautiful and healthy children and a wife that still rocked my world. There wasn’t a single thing I would change. I wanted my life to always be this way.
Forever and ever.
THE END
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading the conclusion to the Forever and Ever series. This story is so close to my heart and you’ve all made this an amazing journey for me. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you could leave a short review, it would help me so much! Those reviews are the best kind of support you can give an author. Thank you!
Wishing you love,
E. L. Todd
Would you like to check out my new series?
White-hot, blinding, and dangerous.
That's exactly what Volt is.
He's electric.
The first time I met him, my body reacted. It coiled, sizzled, and sparked. I knew I wanted him because he was the first man to make me feel dead and alive at the exact same time.
But within a short conversation, I knew he was unattainable.
Unavailable.
Now we're just friends.
But will we stay friends?
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