Christmas in Pine Island: A small town holiday romance

have a clue.”
Morgan’s pale eyebrows draw together. “Me?”
“Chloe didn’t say anything to you?”
“No, but she definitely wasn’t her usual chipper self tonight.”
I pull Morgan back into my arms. “Maybe they’re just arguing over mergers or something.”
“Maybe . . .” she offers, but she doesn’t sound convinced.
“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, babe. Everyone’s entitled to an off night.”
“I guess. But even Stacy seemed a little tense. Are we missing something? I mean, we’ve been gone a lot. Do you think they’re mad at us? Or . . .” she gasps. “Are we out of the loop?”
I shake my head, amused as always by her theatrics. “Possibly, but that’s why this trip is going to be perfect. We can all spend some quality time together and catch up.”
Morgan bites her lower lip. “I hope you’re right. I feel like such a bad friend. We should know if something’s wrong with our best friends.”
“Nothing’s wrong. Stacy and Jake are just adjusting to their big news, and Donovan and Chloe . . . Well, I guess the honeymoon doesn’t last forever,” I tease. “Except in our case.”
I tighten my hold on Morgan, allowing my hands to roam over the curves of her body that I’ve come to appreciate so well.
“You behave if you want me to finish packing,” she warns with a wink. “We only have a few hours before we have to head out! We’ve got to leave bright and early tomorrow if we want to have enough time to take in all the fun activities.”
“I can think of a few fun activities we can do right now,” I say, kissing her thoroughly.
Morgan sighs into me for a moment, completely distracted from her packing. I love that I can still do that to her—dazzle her with every kiss like it’s our first.
Chuckling, I release her begrudgingly from my embrace.
She playfully smacks my arm. “Tease.”
“If you hurry, there’s more where that came from,” I taunt.
Morgan whirls away, sorting through her things like the word ‘hurricane’ should precede her name. I’m not sure how she can cram even more clothing into her already stuffed luggage, but somehow she does.
“I can’t wait to take you to the country!” she says over her shoulder. “Prepare to be blown away, city boy!”
“I’m from the ‘burbs, babe. This won’t be my first white Christmas.”
“Please . . .” Morgan scoffs. “Christmas in the suburbs has nothing on the wintery wonderland you’re whisking us off to. Towering pine trees, horse-drawn sleighs, miles of serene snowdrifts . . . it’s gonna knock your socks off. You’ll see.”
I grin, loving the excitement in Morgan’s voice. It reaffirms going on this trip is the right decision, even if it is a bit last-minute.
A few hours have passed since we decided to uproot tradition and flit off to the wintery wilderness lodge upstate. Pine Island may be a small town not used to hosting the likes of us, but with a team like mine, it doesn’t take much to put our plan in motion.
The moment I left Club Thorn, I had my agent on the phone. A few minutes ago he sent me confirmation of booking. Our rooms were sorted out and I just finished finalizing our transportation while Morgan was packing.
I sit down next to my neatly packed duffle bag and watch Hurricane Morgan continue to rain chaos upon our bedroom. Even though she’s moving at the speed of sound, watching her gives me a sense of peace. I’m just happy to be where she is for a change.
Everything about this trip fills me with joy. Christmas cheer is really setting in now. Morgan is clearly over the moon about getting to revisit her country roots. I can’t wait to see yet another side of her. The girl is like my own personal wonderland. I just can’t get enough of her.
I’m glad our friends agreed to such an impromptu holiday. They seem excited to check out Pine Island, too. I’m sure even Donovan will eventually come around once we get there.
And the icing on the cake? For once, it’s me who gets to be the one taking care of everyone else.
It feels great to do something nice for my friends. They were there for me when I hit rock bottom, and now I’m really happy to be getting the opportunity to thank them for not giving up on me. Isn’t that what this season is all about? Giving?
There was a while there where I did a lot more taking than giving. I’m so grateful those days are behind me. And that my friends stuck by me through it all.
Before I was selling out stadiums, they were there for me. Without any real family, I look at Morgan and the rest of the crew as my family instead. All I want for Christmas is to show them a great time so they know how much I appreciate them.
For a few minutes, I just take it all in. How lucky I am to have this career, this woman by my side, a group of friends who’ve become my family. I came so close to losing it all not too long ago. It’s a scar I don’t wear lightly. It helps me appreciate everything that much more.
Even now, I soak up the peace of our peaceful bedroom, still, aside from the rustling of Morgan and her clothes.
“What do you think of Stacy and Jake’s news?” she asks idly as she packs.
“It’s great . . . for them,” I respond hesitantly, not wanting to make her feel like I’m pushing her in a certain direction.
She nods, though she’s facing away from me so I can’t see her expression. “Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. Anyway. You’re bringing Camilla along for the ride, right?”
I shoot a loving look at my red Fender Stratocaster that I picked up from a thrift shop in my high school days. It’s still the only guitar I play. Camilla has been there for me just as much as my friends. There’s no