From the music to the decor to the near-constant dramatic developments, Virgin River certainly pulled out all the stops in Season 5 Part 2, a much-needed pair of Christmas episodes now streaming on Netflix.

There was one person missing from the festivities, however, and his presence would have made things very awkward for a certain mother-to-be. We’re talking about Ricky (played by Grayson Gurnsey), last seen shipping off for basic training at the end of Season 4.

As TVLine previously confirmed with Virgin River showrunner Patrick Sean Smith, Ricky’s training was scheduled to last through December, which would have allowed him to visit home for the holidays. That timeline didn’t change, but Ricky’s vacation plans did.

“In full honesty, having him return [for Christmas] was part of the plan,” Smith tells TVLine. “But the episodes were so full already, having to answer the cliffhangers from Part 1 and then setting up the cliffhangers for Season 6, and all of the fun that we had planned.”

You may recall that Ricky left town somewhat heartbroken, finally accepting that he and Lizzie were — as Taylor Swift might say — never, ever, ever getting back together.

But don’t count Ricky out just yet! Smith says he “would love to have Ricky back” at some point, clarifying that it would have to be “for the right reasons.”

Were you hoping to see Ricky come home for the holidays, or do you feel that he’s better off leaving Virgin River behind him? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.