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  XOXO, Winter

  Nikki Bloom

  © Copyright 2019 by Nikki Bloom. All rights reserved.

  No portion of this document may be reproduced, duplicated, or transmitted

  in either electronic means or in printed format. This includes, but is not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher, except as permitted by copyright law. For permissions please contact [email protected]

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are fictitious products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, or events is purely coincidental.

  Contents

  1. Winter

  2. Winter

  3. Reed

  4. Winter

  5. Winter

  6. Reed

  7. Winter

  8. Reed

  9. Winter

  10. Reed

  11. Reed

  12. Winter

  13. Winter

  14. Reed

  15. Reed

  16. Reed

  17. Winter

  18. Reed

  19. Winter

  20. Reed

  21. Winter

  22. Winter

  23. Winter

  24. Reed

  25. Winter

  26. Reed

  27. Winter

  28. Winter

  29. Reed

  30. Winter

  31. Reed

  32. Winter

  33. Reed

  Epilogue: Winter

  About the Author

  [Love, Autumn] Ch1: Autumn

  [Love, Autumn] Ch2: Leo

  [Love, Autumn] Ch3: Autumn

  Also By Nikki Bloom

  FREE BOOK OFFER!

  1

  Winter

  “I’m going to miss you, honey!” My mother engulfed me in one of her world-famous bear hugs. I could no longer breathe. “Promise you’ll come back to visit me really soon!” To my dismay, she hugged me even harder. “Oh, and good luck with school. I know you’ll do great!”

  I tried to say something but with my lungs flattening into pancakes, it was impossible.

  “You’ll be a vet in no time and then maybe you can get a job down here next to me. I know the local–”

  “Mom!” I said at last. “I need to go or I’m really going to miss my flight.”

  “Oh!” She lunged forward and again I was left gasping for air.

  Her new boyfriend came to my rescue. With a hand on her shoulder, he managed to pull her back. I nodded in his direction before making my getaway.

  “Passport, please.” The TSA agent looked like he was bored out of his mind.

  I rummaged through my bag but like the black hole it was, it had managed to consume my passport. “Great,” I mumbled under my breath. “Just great.”

  “Is there a problem, ma’am?”

  “No, no, just…give me a second.” I could feel the heavy stares of everyone behind me.

  “Most of us don’t have all day,” he said. “If you can’t find what you’re looking for, I’m going to have to ask you to step aside.”

  “Now boarding flight A7. All passengers for A7 please check-in before boarding.”

  “Shit.” I plopped my bag onto the counter and tore through it in a desperate attempt to find what I was looking for.

  “Ma’am–”

  “Here.” I practically shoved my passport in his face. “And if we could hurry this up a bit… my flight is about to board.”

  “That’s not my problem. Passengers are advised to arrive at the airport two hours before their flight time.”

  Well, you don’t have a mother that takes a literal eternity to get ready in the morning.

  “Hmm…” he mused.

  “What is it?”

  “Seems like your flight has been overbooked.”

  “Overbooked?” I repeated. “What do you mean it's been overbooked?”

  A random flight announcement pinged over the intercom system, halting his ability to answer my question.

  He was just about to say something when yet another announcement was made. “Final call for passengers boarding flight J15 to Toronto, Canada–”

  I held my breath. Would there be another? Would I ever be able to walk away from this ticket counter?

  The attendant waited for a beat but then, finally, answered me. “There are too many people on the plane.”

  “Wait… so what does that mean?” The hustle and bustle of the airport was starting to make my head spin.

  “It means we’ll have to put you on another flight.”

  “Another flight?” I gripped the counter. “When do you imagine that’ll be?”

  “Well, from the looks of it, the next flight back to Maine leaves in two hours or so. Or, you can wait five hours and ride first class.”

  “Did you say first class?”

  “Mhm.”

  “You mean the front of the plane where you have all that leg space and the stewardesses serve complimentary champagne, right?”

  “That would be correct.”

  “And…how much would that cost?”

  “Nothing more than the original price of your ticket. The airline assumes responsibility for overbooking. Consider this our apology.”

  “Deal,” I said a heartbeat later.

  The TSA agent took down all my information and typed it like a sloth. You’d think that someone who worked with computers all day would be able to type just a little bit faster.

  “Alright, you should be all set. You’re on flight M22.” He handed over a printed ticket. “Your gate will be announced over the loudspeaker but as of right now it is expected to be H9.”

  “H9,” I repeated. “Got it.” With that, I spun on my heels and off I went.

  “Ma’am.”

  I froze.

  “Your passport.”

  “Right.” I doubled back, snatched it up, and shoved it into my purse. From there, I went straight through security. With all the fancy technology these days, why do we still have to go through the hassle of taking off our shoes? Like many other people, I struggled to carry my luggage to a nearby bench. I was a mess. Despite packing ‘light,’ it still felt like I had all of Manhattan tucked away inside my backpack.

  Calm down, I told myself. You’ve got five hours to kill. There’s no need to rush.

  Agreeing with that little voice in my head, I decided to explore some of the duty-free shops. Some of them made little sense to me. Why would anyone need to buy designer luggage when they’re already at the airport? And did anyone actually drop a few thousand bucks on top-of-the-line laptops while traveling from point A to point B? Maybe that’s just something you do when you’re rich.

  “All passengers of flight T11, please be advised that your gate has now changed–”

  I was so focused on listening to the announcement that I ended up bumping into someone. The backpack I wore threw me off balance and I felt myself falling back like a turtle about to land on its shell. I braced myself for it but instead of making an idiot of myself, someone grabbed me before my feet could slip from under me. His grip was strong as it tightened around my arm.

  “Are you alright?” he asked.

  I blinked and looked up at what must have been a model or something. Oh my.

  “Miss, are you alright?” he asked again, this time leaning down so his face came dangerously close to mine. Oh, c’mon, say something, Winter.

  “I’m f-fine,” I stuttered. Great, now this guy probably thinks I have some kind of problem. “I’m fine,” I repeated as if that would make things better. “T
otally fine.” Okay, now you’re totally drooling over this guy. Get a grip!

  But that was incredibly hard to do when this guy looked like he belonged on the big screen. Hey, for all I knew, he was probably a movie star or something. With a smile like that and hair that thick and luxurious… And don’t even get me started on that body. Tall. Broad shoulders. A tapered waistline. This guy had it all.

  “Good,” he whispered, his voice as smooth as whiskey.

  Was this guy trying to make me melt right now?

  “Who knew buying some snacks could be so dangerous?” He chuckled.

  Oh, jeez, he even has a gorgeous laugh.

  “Right.”

  “I try and eat healthily but as soon as I see chocolate, that all goes out the window.” He bent down and browsed the candy bar selection. His thighs were so sculpted they looked like they were going to burst through his dress pants as he squatted down.

  For some crazy reason, I squatted down next to him. I had no right talking to this guy, but I wasn’t about to waste this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “So, you have a bit of a sweet tooth then?”

  “That’s the understatement of the year,” he said. “If it weren’t for some incredible dentists, I doubt I would have any teeth left.”

  “That bad, huh?” My initial jitters were starting to fade, and I found it easier to talk to this guy.

  “Oh yeah.”

  “So, what would you recommend? The king-sized Snickers or the king-sized Milky Way?”

  “Oh, Milky Way all the way. That’s not even a question worth asking. Snickers has always been a pet peeve of mine. It’s just not enjoyable. Those nuts are like putting M&Ms in soft serve ice cream – hard and impossible to eat. I’d probably be better off eating a mouthful of rocks.”

  “Wow… I didn’t know anyone could be this passionate about candy.” It was only after I picked up the Milky Way bar that I realized I had spoken my thoughts aloud. Great, way to insult the guy.

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Some may call it a problem.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” I said, trying to rectify the situation but I felt like I was only making things worse.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Our steps coincided as we approached the cashier. There was a long line trailing around the store. “You’d think they’d have more people working here. It’s the most popular store in the whole airport.”

  “Yeah, because why spend your money on gourmet seafood when you can waste it on an overpriced bag of Doritos?”

  “You mean Flemings? They actually have pretty good food there,” he said without missing a single beat. “I don’t know if its gourmet, per se, but it’s not half bad.”

  My jaw nearly hung agape. This guy had actually eaten there? Flemings was one of those restaurants that omitted the prices on their menus so they could slap you with an outrageous bill at the end of your meal. Only those with a few hundred to blow ever stopped to eat there. Maybe this guy really was a movie star. As subtly as possible, I glanced at what he was carrying. A designer luggage bag. From the looks of it, the thing was made of genuine leather. On top of that bag sat a plastic one from the tech shop. Was that… no… it couldn’t be…

  A brand-new computer.

  This guy was definitely loaded.

  “So, what were you doing in Florida?” he asked.

  “I came to visit my mom. She lives in Clearwater with her new boyfriend.”

  “Ah,” he nodded. “You fond of him?”

  I shrugged. “He’s one of the better ones so I guess I can’t complain. For the most part, they left me alone as I lounged by the pool.”

  “Doesn’t sound too bad.”

  “Oh, no, it was a much-needed break from everything.”

  He raised an eyebrow in question. I’ve always wanted to do that, and this guy makes it look so damn easy.

  “I’m studying to become a vet but it isn’t easy. Just trying to afford all my textbooks has me working two jobs. Plus, I volunteer at the pet shelter whenever I have a bit of free time under my belt.”

  “Sounds like you’re a busy woman,” he said as we crept forward. It didn’t look like the counter was getting any closer.

  “You could say that.”

  “Well, I think you can do it.” He rested a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently. Now, when a random stranger touches you like that, it’s usually a little weird but with this guy, it felt…natural. A sort of tingle crept up my spine and settled inside my chest. “I know what it's like to stay up all night studying. Sometimes, all you want to do is give up but, in the end, it’ll all be worth it.”

  “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

  “Doctor,” he explained. “Well, surgeon, to be specific. I specialize in cardiology.”

  “Wow, that’s impressive.”

  He smiled. “As long as I can help save people, I’m happy.”

  So, this guy is smoking hot and altruistic? Could he get any more perfect?

  Finally, we reached the counter. I placed my bundle of snacks down and rummaged through my purse, searching for my wallet. Before I could find it, my new acquaintance slipped his card through the reader.

  “Why did you do that?” I asked.

  “Consider it my good deed for the day,” he said with a wink. “Now you can put that towards a textbook.”

  “Thanks.” Already, my cheeks were burning.

  “Anyway, I had to chug down a giant bottle of water before going through security so you’ll have to excuse me.” And with that, he hurried off towards the bathroom. I never even managed to snag his name.

  Good going, Winter. That was your one chance to snatch up a handsome doctor and you blew it.

  My shoulders sagged, knowing that I would probably never see him again.

  Oh well.

  “Flight B6 has been delayed!”

  Fearing that something had happened to my new flight, I checked the status of it and found that it was still expected to arrive on time. Pleased, I headed over to the proper gate and sat down next to one of the large windows. The Florida sunlight felt nice and warm against my skin. I would miss it as soon as I arrived back in Maine’s frigid climate.

  At least I get to fly back in style.

  And with that thought, I ripped open my Milky Way and enjoyed the sweetness.

  2

  Winter

  A few hours later.

  I blinked into consciousness to find the gate was now filled with passengers. They were all sitting on the edge of their seats like they were ready to stampede into the plane.

  What time was it?

  I looked at my phone.

  3:45.

  My eyes widened. The plane was due to leave in five minutes.

  “Now boarding flight J3,” announced the woman at the counter.

  Wait… J3? That didn’t sound right at all.

  Quickly, I dug up my ticket and tried to find the flight number. Why did they have to put so much useless information on such a tiny piece of paper? And why were the flights and gates all numbered the same way? Were they actively trying to confuse passengers?

  Flight M22. So…if all these people are waiting for flight J3, where the hell is my plane?

  I jumped to my feet and grabbed all my stuff. Thankfully, the zipper to my backpack was done up because it now hung upside down from the crook of my arm. “Excuse me!”

  The woman behind the counter looked up and offered a professional smile. “Yes?”

  “Do you know where I would find flight M22?”

  “M22?” she repeated like I was speaking some foreign language.

  “Last call for all those boarding flight M22. Again, this is the last call for all those boarding flight M22 out of gate K8.”

  “Where’s gate K8?” I asked.

  “On the other side of the airport,” the woman frowned. “I don’t know if you’ll make it–”

  I didn’t wait for her to finish. I took off at a mad sprint down the hallway. Countles
s people gasped as I nearly bumped into them but at this point, I didn’t care. Even if security started chasing me with their Segways, I wasn’t about to stop. I wasn’t about to miss my chance to ride first class.

  By the time I reached the gate, they were about ready to close the aerobridge. “Wait!” I called out as I waved my ticket in the air. The stewardesses exchanged an annoyed look, and for a second I thought they’d turn me right around, but to my relief I was allowed inside the claustrophobic tunnel.

  I really hate these things, I thought as every step felt like I was walking on a row of swings. Couldn’t they make this thing just a little more stable?

  Thankfully, I reached the plane sooner than expected. Another stewardess was there to greet me. As soon as she saw my first-class ticket, her whole demeanor changed. She treated me with the utmost politeness as she directed me to my seat.

  Oh, it was truly a thing of luxury. I ran my hands over the suede and it felt so soft. You might think you know soft, but you’ve never felt anything quite like this. Trust me.

  “Here, let me.” The stewardess tucked my luggage into the overhead compartment. “You can keep your purse and backpack on hand if you’d like. There’s more than enough room under the seat in front of you.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  I plopped down and I practically melted into the seat. It was warm but the air was nice and cool, making it just right to cuddle up underneath a blanket. The stewardess seemed to read my mind because she already had one in hand. “If there is anything we can do for you, do not hesitate to ask.”