71. Alice

ALICE

S ettled in my seat, I pull my phone out of my purse to put it in airplane mode and see I have a pair of missed calls, one from each of my cousins.

The flight attendant is already walking down the aisle, so instead of calling them back, I open our group chat and send them a text, letting them know we’re about to take off and that I’ll call when we get to our hotel.

Michael places his hand on my thigh as he leans his head back. “You okay?”

I tuck my phone away and place my hand over his. “I’m so okay.”

The side of his mouth pulls up. “Good.”

I lean my own head back. “Thank you for the best Christmas ever.”

His fingers flex around my thigh. “Not something you need to thank me for, Sweetness.”

“All the same.” I let my eyes close.

With the short drive to the airport, we didn’t have to get up early. But we stayed in the hot tub longer than we probably should have and then took our time showering off afterward. Meaning we’re both exhausted and I’m happy to nap my way to Vancouver.

Which is probably the smart call because I have a feeling things are going to turn up a notch when we get there.