With Christmas right around the corner, my holiday fate was only becoming more and more real - I wasn’t going to make it home.

I knew it was always a possibility with how off the film schedule had been for the last few days, but that didn’t stop me from holding out hope. The same hope that only dwindled with each scene we filmed, and refilmed, because people not named Aspen kept fuckin’ up.

By the time we were finally called for a walkaway lunch, I was beyond annoyed, opting to go straight to my trailer to decompress instead of actually finding something to eat. But once I was there, I only became even sadder after I checked my phone and saw a text from Orlando asking the same question he’d been asking me for the last couple of days.

Outsider Orlando: “Think you gonna make it for Christmas?”

Little Mama: “It’s not looking good, babe. :/”

Outsider Orlando: “You are, though. ;)”

While I appreciated the compliment, the fact that we hadn’t seen each other in person since my Thanksgiving visit had me quick to dispute his claims.

Little Mama: “You don’t know that. You haven’t seen me. I could’ve turned butt ugly in a month.”

Outsider Orlando: “Aspen, you always look good. And I just saw how fine you were lookin’ a couple minutes ago on set before your mad ass stormed off.”

“A couple minutes ago on set…?” I read out loud, confused until I saw the door of my trailer being opened and… “Oh my God! Orlando! What are you doing here?!”

My arms were already wrapped around him in the tightest hug I could give as he chuckled and answered, “When you said you didn’t think you were gonna be able to make it home for the holiday, I figured why not just come to you.”

“But how did you… get all the way here? On set?”

With a shrug, he simply replied, “I have my ways.” But from the side eye I gave him in response, he knew damn well that explanation wasn’t good enough, prompting him to continue, “Nah, I actually wasn’t sure how I was going to pull off this part of it. But when I showed up, one of the assistants outside recognized me from all those pictures of us on Instagram and plugged me in once I told her I was here to surprise you.”

Whoever it was deserved a damn raise for helping my man get to me with perfect timing since the day had been all-around shitty before he showed up, urging me to ask, “Do you remember her name? I’ve gotta grant her a Christmas wish or something for this.”

Shaking his head, Orlando said, “Nah, little mama. It’s already handled. She was well compensated for her assistance. But for the record, her name was Madison.”

“Well shoutout to Madison,” I tossed out, squeezing him even tighter as I sighed, “God, I can’t believe you’re really here.”

It almost seemed like a dream, even when he teased, “You acting like you really missed me or somethin’.”

Snapping my head back with a frown, I repeated, “Acting like? Nah, I left that acting shit out there on set. This is very, very real.”

The lingering kiss he gave me to my forehead in response was exactly what I needed, my shoulders sinking as he said, “Good. Cause I missed your pretty ass too. A nigga ain’t been sleepin’ too well without you all over me at night, so I needs that as soon as I can get it.”

Considering it was still the middle of the day, I had a feeling sleep wasn’t what he was really talking about, making it easy for me to tease, “You mean, you just need some good pussy as soon as you can get it?”

Again, he shrugged. “Shit, I need both. I need… you, Aspen Watson. All of you. However I can get you.”

Little did he know, I’d pretty much felt the same way about him since that time he picked me up from the airport, before I even knew the magnitude of what I’d actually be getting. But instead of indulging him with a bunch of cute shit I could save for later, I went and made sure the door of my trailer was locked before I started unbuttoning my pants and told him, “In that case, come on home, Orlando.”