Christmas Secrets Collection. Laura Iding

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      Outside, it had started snowing again. Good thing his parents hadn’t come with him to meet Alyssa after all. The roads were slick, forcing him to drive much more slowly than he wanted to. At one point a woman spun out in front of him, hitting the median of the interstate and coming to a jarring stop. He’d gone over to help her, to confirm she wasn’t badly hurt, and had waited with her for the police to arrive before going back out on the highway again.

      He headed to the hospital first, even though it was late, nearly eight o’clock at night by the time he made it back to Cedar Bluff. He’d called Alyssa’s cell phone, but it had gone immediately to voice mail, indicating she didn’t have her phone turned on. He pulled into the hospital parking lot and shut off the engine.

      The hospital wasn’t a white building, like so many of them were, but had been structured with a dark brown cedar wood which made it stand out starkly against the snow-covered trees. In the summer the building meshed with the wooded landscape, but not now. A brightly lit Christmas wreath hung over the front door, a welcoming beacon through the swirling snow.

      Inside, the warmth and the muted Christmas music engulfed him. Odd that being in the hospital felt very much like coming home.

      Alyssa wasn’t in the nursery. He spent a few minutes with Grace and Gretchen, amazed and relieved at how well Gretchen was doing without her mask.

      She looked so much better without it.

      As much as he wanted to stay and hold his daughters, he really needed to find Alyssa. No doubt Simon had driven her to his house. Braving the snow-covered streets once again, he headed home.

      But the house was dark. Not a single light shone through the windows. Frowning, he glanced at the clock. Had she gone to bed already? It was early, but she was no doubt exhausted.

      Inside, he flipped on the lights as he walked through the kitchen and into the living room. He expected her to be on the sofa, since he’d taken down her bedroom set, but she wasn’t. If she’d made herself at home in his bed, she couldn’t be that upset with him. Treading softly, he opened the door to his room.

      Empty.

      Alyssa wasn’t here, waiting for him.

      He tried not to become alarmed. If she wasn’t at the hospital and she wasn’t here, where was she? At her apartment, without a bed? Or staying with Seth and Kylie?

      He called her cell phone again without a response. Then he called the hospital to get Seth’s number. Kylie answered the phone and confirmed that Alyssa wasn’t with them.

      “Sorry to bother you,” he mumbled, hanging up before Kylie could ask all sorts of questions. Questions he couldn’t answer.

      Feeling panicky and desperate to find Alyssa, he drove to her apartment building. The snow-covered hill made things tricky, but he managed to get up to the top. He noticed Alyssa’s car in her parking space and stared at it for a moment, thinking back.

      She’d worked on Wednesday night, and had driven herself to work. Then he’d taken her home to his place, where she’d stayed until she’d gone into labor.

      Her car shouldn’t have been here, unless Alyssa had found it in the parking garage and had driven herself home.

      Relieved to have that mystery solved, he went up to the main door and pressed on her buzzer. When there was no answer, he delved into his pocket, finding the keys she’d given him when he’d moved her things.

      Letting himself inside, he took the stairs two at a time to get up to her second-floor apartment. He didn’t bother knocking at the door but used the key to get in.

      Alyssa was asleep on her sofa. Breathing a sigh of relief, he crossed over to her, reaching down to gently shake her awake.

      “Alyssa? I’m back.”

      “Jadon?” She opened her eyes and blinked at him. “How did you get in?”

      “I still had your key. How did you get in?”

      She swung up to a sitting position, pushing her hair out of her face. “Mr. Worthington let me in.”

      He swallowed hard and dropped down beside her. “I’m sorry about this morning. Remember I told you about my family crisis?”

      Warily, she nodded. “Yes. You didn’t want to go into detail at the time,” she said.

      “I know. Partly because I didn’t want you to worry or to be stressed out.” He knew he was botching up the explanation. “Let me start at the beginning. Remember I mentioned I had a brother?”

      When she nodded, he braced himself. “Jack is more than just my brother. He’s my twin. My identical twin.”