Authors: Jordan Silver

His Xmas Surprise

His Xmas
Surprise

Jordan
Silver

All
Rights Reserved

Chapter 1

I can't do this no way in hell I mean
I just turned eighteen three months ago and already they're marrying me off?

Not that that in itself is so bad, if
I’d had one iota of love for the intended groom it might be plausible, but Mark
was like a brother to me eww.

He doesn't want it anymore than I do,
but the idiot is just too chicken shit to stand up to his father and mine.
Whatever!

I'm not about to throw my life away
because I'm too scared to stop this train wreck.

I love my dad and everything but
there's no way I can go through with this.

"Cynthia, I don't know about
this, why don't I just try one last time to talk to my dad?"

"Anna the wedding is four days
away."

"I know, a Xmas wedding, how
cheesy."

"Forget that for now, how many
times have you tried talking to doc about this without any change? What makes
you think this time will be any different? If you don't do this you're going to
end up married to Mark Foster and stuck raising his babies for the rest of your
natural life is that what you want?"

"Of course not." I actually
shuddered.

"Fine, so you'll do as I
say."

"Dad is going to be so
mad."

"Your dad loves you he'll get
over it eventually at least you won't be stuck married to someone you're not in
love with."

"I just wish Mark had been man
enough to tell them no."

"Anna, you know Mark is all
about tradition, he'll never go against his father's wishes."

"So I have to be the bad
guy!"

"You could always go through
with it."

"No, no way, that much I know I
cannot do." I shook my head adamantly.

"So it's decided, meet me at
seven and we'll go from there."

I was a nervous wreck for the rest of
the evening I must've dropped six things in the kitchen while getting dinner
ready for dad.

Good thing it was leftovers night.

"Anna-Maria you okay in
there?"

"Yes dad."

He walked into the kitchen, my dad,
my hero.

He's been taking care of me for a
while now, since my mom had taken off for parts unknown.

He isn't the world's greatest dad,
but he is to me.

He stayed to himself and left me to
mine, I got an allowance, a curfew and a 'good job' when I did well in school.

Too bad he thought that now that I'd
become an almost adult he had to pass me off to another male to see to the rest
of my life. Blah.

"Why so distracted kid thinking
about the wedding?"

He wore a beaming smile on his face.

I threw up in my mouth.

How could he be so clueless?

Don't scowl Anna; he'll know for sure
that you're planning to do a runner if you give him the death glare at the
mention of the intended nuptials.

"Something like that."

"It'll be fine you'll see you
and...Blah blah blah..."

I blocked him out; if I had to hear
one more time what a great match Mark and I would make I was going to lose my
shit.

Later that night while dad was vegged
out in front of the television, the ballgame playing in the background, I
climbed out of my bedroom window onto the tree limb that has been my escape
hatch since my early teens.

Cynthia was waiting at the end of the
street with her lights off, engine running.

I jumped into the car like I'd just
robbed the local 7-Eleven and we needed to hotfoot it outta there.

"Ready?" She looked at me
all excited, like a pixie hopped up on Angel dust or something.

"As I'll ever be, don't forget
to give dad the note after I'm gone, I don't want him to worry and for goodness
sake don't hang around too long because you know he'll drag the truth out of
you if you do."

"I can keep a secret." She
got all huffy.

"Yeah, sure..."

"I can too."

"Okay okay don't pout Malibu
Barbie."

She took me an hour away to the
airstrip where her family's private jet waited.

Our relationship was an enigma to
many.

She is the pampered daughter of a
wealthy family, my dad is the local doctor in our small town of about three
thousand, Bill Gates he's not.

She's all designer wear and Spa
getaways; I'm a tomboy who loves to wear rundown chucks and my dad's old
flannel shirts.

She's the experienced girlfriend of
her junior high sweetheart they've been together for almost five years.

I'm a virgin who has yet to find
anyone worthy enough to bestow my treasure upon and despaired of it ever
happening, especially in this town.

The only thing we have in common is
our height; we're both five two in our bare feet. She wore her dark hair short
and spiked while mine is a long curly mess that fell almost to my ass.

Her eyes are hazel while mine are a
weird amethyst sometimes violet.

We said our goodbyes with wet eyes
before I boarded the plane.

I was really heading to her family's
private island off the Virgin Islands. Snort. Virgin Islands how apropos.

The flight wasn't too long, about
five hours and enjoyable since the plane had all the amenities of a luxury
hotel.

I slept for about the last two hours
before being awakened by the stewardess.

What a life.

Cynthia had arranged a boat to take
me from the mainland to their little sequestered strip of heaven.

The moon was so bright I wasn't sure
if the sand was actually white or if it was from the glare.

I was too tired to go exploring so I
just went right on inside what Cynthia had told me was a cottage but was more
like a villa or chateau or something.

Only the Reids.

There was a bare Xmas tree in one of
the windows in the living room with gifts under it and stacks of decorations on
a table.

Cynthia had obviously thought of
everything.

I felt a slight tinge of sadness that
I won't be seeing my dad for Xmas, it would be our first one apart, even though
he usually had to work at the sheriff’s office where he volunteered we always
had breakfast together and then I'd make a huge spread and go to the station
and we'd share with which ever deputies were on duty with him.

Buck up Anna, it's too late to feel
sorry for yourself now.

Cynthia wasn't going to pass off my
note for another few hours since dad would think I'm in bed asleep when he
rolled off the couch.

No matter, I'd rather be here than
there facing the prospect of a marriage made in hell.

I headed up the stairs and took the
bedroom all the way at the end.

Wow, this is amazing, the room was
about four times the size of my room back home.

Everything's tropical print beautiful
and white wicker.

Later on I'll take the time to enjoy,
but right now that huge bed with fat fluffy white down covers and pillows
looked very inviting.

There's even a mosquito net to
protect my skin. I took my shoes and jeans off and dropped down on the bed in
my boy shorts and tank, I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.

"What's up sis”?

"Hello big brother happy
holidays."

"What did you do?"

"Now is that anyway to talk to
your loving sister who's always looking out for you? Huh!"

"Okay, what did mom do now? Let
me have it."

I'm too tired to deal with my family's
theatrics, it's three days before Xmas and I'm looking forward to some down
time before I start doing what I've been ordained to do from birth.

I've done my stint serving my country
in the S.E.A.L.s for four years after finishing college, now I'm a free man.

I have two weeks before I have to
take my place as CEO of my family's corporation.

Dad was more than ready at fifty-six
to step down, I guess I was ready to step up.

My younger brother by two years
Justin will be my right-hand man but I didn't want to think about that right
now, I just needed to unwind, enjoy a few holiday spirits with my family and
enjoy being alive and out of the line of fire.

"So what is it this time?"

"Yvette."

"Oh hell, what, when,
where?"

"Pamela invited her for the
holidays, she should be here tomorrow through the new year, just thought I'd
give you a heads up."

"Mom's going to be pissed if I
miss the holidays."

"She'd be even more pissed if
you get trapped by the human barracuda and she has to sit across the table from
her for the next twenty holidays."

This is true; my mother hated Yvette
almost as much as I did.

Pamela is my baby brother's wife,
she's a pretty decent girl, they've been together since high school, married
two years now, but her cousin...well let's just say she's been ridden more than
Hidalgo.

I have no interest in contaminating
myself.

"Crap, I was really looking
forward to seeing the family for the holidays but I'm in no mood to spend the next
week fighting off octopus woman."

"My thoughts exactly, so I
called ahead and had Vonda get the beach house ready."

"On the island?"

"How many Vondas do you
know?"

"Smart ass."

All of a sudden I wasn't so tired
anymore, I felt the lethargy falling away as I felt the lure of turquoise
waters and white sandy beaches calling to me.

Heck yeah.

I'll just get mom something extra
special, besides she didn't know for sure that I was going to make it home in
time for Xmas.

My team had tied up our last maneuver
together in Central America a few days early.

I'd planned to surprise them, but in
an earlier email with my little sister I'd mentioned that I might make it home
after all.

New York isn't that great of a
distance from the island, maybe I'll be lucky enough to get a flight.

"I have to get on the net and
find a last-minute flight."

"No you don't, the jet is in New
York City as we speak." I thought I heard her clap her hands, if I didn't
know any better I would swear she was happy to be sending me off to the island
alone for Xmas, but that couldn't be true, my baby sister loved me almost as
much as I loved the little tyke.

"You thought of everything
didn't you?"

"Absolutely, you know I'm always
looking out for my big brother."

"Love you sis, I guess I'll
overnight everyone's gifts before I leave here."

"Wheeee what did you get me,
oooh you're in the Big Apple, Cartier, Tiffany's?"

"You'll just have to wait and
see."

"Come on just a little
hint?"

"Nope." I laughed at her
grumblings.

"Spoilsport, so I guess I'll talk
to you after you get there, should I tell mom you're going away because of the
Gila monster?"

"No I'll call her myself, I'll
have to anyway. So is Pete expecting me?"

"He's on standby."

"Great, thanks kid I owe you
one, love you."

"Love you too big brother talk
to you soon."