Brigham Vaughn's Blog, page 11

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS - DAY 6

To celebrate my 10 year publishing anniversary I'll be posting one short story per day here on my blog from December 13-24th.

Every day will feature a different couple and the stories will vary in length. They'll range from sweet to a little bit spicy and hopefully will leave you with a smile on your face and a warm feeling of holiday cheer in your heart.

Thank you for ten wonderful years!

SNOWBALL FIGHT

 

DAY: 6

CHARACTERS: Zane Murphy & Ryan Hartinger

PROMPTS: Snowball fight + "Please open the door before I freeze to death."

NOTES: Set the first Christmas after the end of Road Rules.

 

“Laaaaaaaaaast Christmas, I gave you my heart,” Ryan belted out.

Zane smiled at the road ahead. He could hardly say the five-and-a-half hour drive to Ryan’s parents’ house in Bedford, Indiana, was boring with Ryan determined to keep them both entertained.

At top volume.

It had been last Christmas when Zane—more or less—gave Ryan his heart.

Though, when he was feeling particularly honest and/or inebriated, he’d probably say that Ryan had always had his heart.

That feeling might have grown and changed over the years, but there was no one—save his own family—who Zane had loved longer or more fiercely.

Of course, the Wham! song had it all wrong since Ryan had certainly never given Zane’s heart away. And Zane knew he had no plans to do that. Ever.

It might have taken him longer than Ryan to accept his feelings and be ready to share them with the world, but that didn’t mean Zane loved Ryan any less.

Just … a little less loudly, sometimes.

Ryan wasn’t what anyone would call a particularly good singer, but he was enthusiastic and

Zane had resigned himself to a lifetime of being serenaded on road trips.

Zane smiled to himself. There were worse fates for a man to suffer.

He shifted in his seat, grip tightening on the wheel as pain shot through his left hip. Fuck, this was getting bad. They weren’t even midway through the season. That wasn’t a good sign.

“When was the last time you took your meds?” Ryan asked, turning down the music.

Because, of course, he’d noticed Zane’s wince. Zane was convinced there was nothing Ryan didn’t notice about him. He supposed that was to be expected since they’d been linemates and best friends for over a decade.

Zane glanced over, briefly taking his eyes off the road. “Before we left Evanston.”

Ryan gave a worried little cluck of his tongue, sounding remarkably like his mother. “Well, you’re overdue then. Where are they?”

“In my backpack.”

“I’ll get them.”

There was absolutely no point in arguing. Ryan would wrestle him to the ground and stuff the pills in Zane’s mouth if he thought that was what was best for him.

Zane hoped that would only take place when he wasn’t driving, but he wouldn’t bet on that either. Best to just go along with it.

After Ryan shook a couple of the extra strength, over-the-counter painkillers into his hand, Zane obediently opened his mouth.

Ryan slipped the pills in, then held the teal and black Otters water bottle up to Zane’s lips. He took a sip, grateful for the built-in straw so he didn’t have to take his hands off the wheel.

“Thanks,” he murmured when he was done. “We could have stopped at the next exit though.”

“I don’t mind.”

And that was at the heart of it all, wasn’t it?

As an ice hockey captain, Zane took care of his team, but Ryan had long ago decided that it was his job to take care of Zane.

“I appreciate it.”

Ryan reached out and squeezed his thigh. “You need a break from driving?”

“Nah, this seat really is more comfortable,” Zane assured him. There was a reason he was the one driving Ryan’s Jeep. They’d taken it because the roads were snowy and Zane hadn’t been sure his little Audi would make it through.

“Huh. I thought you were just being a control freak,” Ryan teased.

Zane grinned. “That too.”

“Tell me if I can do anything else,” Ryan offered, leaving his hand to rest comfortably on Zane’s thigh.

“I will,” Zane promised, reaching down to pat his hand then returning his grip on the wheel.

“But honestly, I just want to get to your parents’ house and stretch.”

This was the first Christmas they’d spent together as a couple and Zane was a little nervous about it. He had no idea why. He’d spent plenty of time with the Hartinger family in the past and they all got along great.

He’d been there when Ryan took the Cup to his hometown in late June, and he and Ryan had even stayed with them for a week later in the summer. But somehow the holidays felt significant.

Maybe because this was personal and had nothing to do with hockey.

Zane’s parents had flown from Ithaca, New York, to Indianapolis yesterday and driven the hour and a half south to Bedford. Maybe that was part of it too. It would be the first time their families had spent time together outside of hockey as well.

These were his future in-laws.

Not that Zane was planning to propose over Christmas and he didn’t think Ryan was either.

Who the hell had time to think about a wedding when there was a hockey season to get through?

***

By the time they pulled into the driveway of Ryan’s childhood home and parked, Zane seemed antsy. And Ryan was pretty sure the shifting and sighing Zane kept doing had nothing to do with his hip.

Yeah, despite the meds, he was definitely in pain.

But Ryan knew that the tapping of Zane’s fingers on the steering wheel wasn’t from physical discomfort. He did the same thing against the handle of his hockey stick before big games.

He must be nervous about spending Christmas with their families, but Ryan had no idea why.

He supposed there was only one way to find out though.

“You’re nervous,” Ryan murmured, catching Zane’s chin and turning his head to look him in the eye. “Why?”

“Yeah.” Zane sighed.  “It’s dumb, I know. I just want the next couple of days to go well.”

“My parents love you, Matt thinks you’re great, and Sam is convinced you hung the moon,” Ryan assured him. And Zane’s parents totally loved Ryan, so what was the problem?

“I know.”

Ryan’s older brother had been nothing but supportive of their relationship and their younger sibling—who was still in high school—had a big crush on Zane.

Zane claimed he didn’t see it, but he could be oblivious to this sort of thing.

“I promise it’ll be a great couple of days,” Ryan promised. He watched Zane’s expression soften and brushed their lips together in a brief kiss before reaching for the Jeep’s door handle.

They both got out, groaning loudly, but Zane stood in the driveway for a moment, stretching his cramped arms and stiff legs. 

Ryan narrowed his eyes at him. There had to be some way to get Zane to unwind. Blowjobs usually did the trick but there was no way he was dropping to his knees in the driveway right now.

His mother would kill him.

Zane probably would too. At least once he stopped feeling so relaxed.

So no blowies, sadly. Ryan would just have to come up with something else …

A moment later, he crept around the side of the Jeep, peering around it to get a better view of

Zane, as he packed snow into a ball. Zane had his arms stretched toward the sky, back arched, making a perfect target.

Ryan fired the snowball at Zane and it exploded in a shower of white, coating his chest and face.

Zane sputtered, wiping it from his face as he glared at Ryan.                  

“You!” Zane ducked down, grabbing blindly at the nearby snow, quickly packing it in his hands.

Cackling, Ryan darted behind the Jeep again, lunging to get some snow from the pile beside the driveway. He made a few snowballs, then peered around the vehicle.

Shit, where had Zane gone?

Ryan turned, knowing he only had seconds, when Zane jumped out behind him and he got a face full of snow.

“Auughh!” Ryan hollered, spitting snow. “Dirty play!”

Zane laughed. “Serves you right!”

Ryan wiped the snow from his eyes, blinking away the wetness from his lashes in time to see Zane dart around the corner of the Jeep.

“Coward!” Ryan shouted, grinning as he reached for the pre-made snowballs. He gathered them up in his arms and charged.

Clearly not expecting that, Zane yelled and took off, tearing through the snow-covered front yard.

Ryan rapid-fired snowballs at him. One of them exploding off Zane’s shoulder, another hitting his ass cheek, and the third getting him in the thigh.

Zane let out a yelp and crashed face-first into the snow.

“Shit! Are you okay!?” Ryan hollered, racing toward him, legs eating up the distance.

He dove into the snow next to Zane, who had rolled onto his back, staring at the sky.

“Hey, is your hip okay?” Ryan asked, cradling Zane’s face, his fingers cold as they pressed to Zane’s cheeks. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

A split second later, Zane brought his hand up, smothering Ryan’s face in snow. “Oh yeah,” Zane said breathlessly. “I’m fine.”

Ryan sputtered and wiped the snow away again. Damn it! He should have seen that coming. Asshole.

Grinning, Ryan leaned in, pressing his body to Zane’s. “You had me,” he said admiringly. “Dirty play all around but very well done.”

Zane grinned. “Thought you’d appreciate that.”

Ryan could feel the snow melting under him, his sweats growing damp under him. “Love you,” Ryan murmured, dipping his head.

“Love you too.” Zane lifted icy fingers to Ryan’s cheek. “We should probably get up though.”

“Yeah, this can’t feel too good on your hip,” Ryan admitted. Still, at least he’d accomplished what he’d hoped for. Zane wasn’t nervous about Christmas anymore.

“It’s fine. I mean, it’s basically like being in a cold tub, right?”

“Little bit more of a chance of frostbite, I think,” Ryan said drily. “And you were supposed to stop thinking about hockey for the next three days.”

Zane made a face. “When have I ever managed that?”

“I don’t know. But you can try.”

Zane needed a break. And yeah, there was a lot to worry about. Their on-ice post-game kiss during last season’s playoffs had put them in the spotlight, and they’d been slammed with interview and appearance requests ever since.

Ryan knew that Zane didn’t regret coming out.

He didn’t even regret that they’d become faces of a cause. But some days even Ryan had to admit it was a lot of pressure. And he damn well knew that Zane shouldered way more of it than he did.

They both just wanted to fucking play hockey and stop worrying about who was in a relationship with whom. But they had responsibilities to the team, and to themselves, and Ryan had promised himself that whatever Zane took on, he would carry too.

“Would you cut it out, Ryan?” His mom, Deanna, yelled from the front door. “Good lord. We didn’t raise you in a barn! You should have let your boyfriend get in the house before you started a snowball fight and tackled him to the ground!”

“I didn’t tackle him!” Ryan protested. He had started it though. He couldn’t argue that.

Zane buried his face against Ryan’s puffy winter coat for a second before he lifted his head and waved. “Hi, Mrs. Hartinger!”

“Hi, Zane! You’re welcome to come in whenever my son lets you up!” she called back. “And I’ve told you, it’s Deanna!”

“Thanks, Deanna!”

Zane’s face was a little red when Ryan finally rose to his feet and held out a hand to help him up, but whether that was from embarrassment, exertion, or cold, Ryan couldn’t really tell.

“We’re going to have the best Christmas!” Ryan said, pulling him close and kissing his cheek.

Zane chuckled, hugging him tight. “Yeah, we are.”

***

On the sidewalk, Zane stomped his feet off and brushed the snow from his damp clothes the best he could. As punishment, he’d made Ryan unload the car by himself.

“Sorry about that,” he said, grinning as Deanna held the door open for him.

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, you don’t need to apologize for my son. I feel like I should be apologizing to you for not raising him better.”

Her tone was filled with affection though and Zane knew she loved Ryan, even if he wasn’t entirely housebroken.

Then again, how many hockey players were?

“It’s okay,” Zane said with a smile as he worked off his snowy boots. “We love him anyway, right?”

Deanna laughed. “We do.”

Zane knew exactly why Ryan had pulled that stunt. He’d figured out Zane was stressed and he’d wanted him to unwind.

It had worked, too. Damn him for always knowing what was best.

Zane had just shrugged off his jacket when he heard his dad, Robert, say, “Hey, son.”

“Oh, hi!” Zane said happily, grinning at both of his parents. He’d been wondering where they were. “How was your flight?”

He hugged both of them and they all talked over one another until he heard a loud grunt behind him and muffled banging.

Deanna lunged for the front door handle and pulled it open to reveal a red-faced Ryan carrying an enormous stack of gifts, Zane’s suitcase dangling from one hand, and his backpack hanging off his shoulder.

“Help!” Ryan wheezed.

Zane grabbed for some presents that were trying to slide to the floor. “Well, if you didn’t try to bring everything at once you wouldn’t have this problem,” he teased.

Ryan shot him a look. “What was I supposed to do? You abandoned me!”

They squabbled playfully for a few minutes as Zane passed off the gifts to his dad to stick under the tree and retrieved his suitcase and backpack.

Ryan let out a groan. “Now to get my stuff.”

Zane chuckled as he shut the door behind Ryan, locking it just to be a little bit mean. Deanna saw it and chuckled.

“I’d say them acting like this is a new development,” Zane’s mom, Laura, said with a laugh.

“But they really have always been like this, haven’t they?”

“Seriously.” Deanna shook her head. “I am so glad they finally got it together.”

“Hey!” Zane protested, laughing too. “Just because we’re a little slow …”

They joked around for a few moments until they heard the rattle of the doorknob. "Please open the door before I freeze to death!” Ryan called out.

“You deserve this,” Zane called back, but he unlocked the door and let Ryan in.

There was another round of greetings as Ryan stripped off his outerwear and he hugged everyone, including Zane’s parents.

“Well, come on in!” Deanna urged the boys, leading them out of the foyer. “We were just talking about eating lunch soon. I’ve got soup simmering on the stove.”

“And I baked some bread,” Robert said.

Zane smiled. His dad had apparently made himself right at home at the Hartinger’s place.

“Where’s Dad, Matty, and Sam?” Ryan asked with a frown.

“Oh, they should be back shortly. Just picking up a few last-minute things at the store.”

“Perfect.” Ryan glanced down. “I need to change into dry clothes.”

“Me too,” Zane admitted.

“Go on up to Ryan’s room then,” Deanna said. “Come down whenever you’re ready. As soon as everyone’s here, we’ll have lunch.”

“Sounds great. Thanks,” Zane said.

They carried their belongings up to Ryan’s old bedroom and Ryan immediately began stripping off his wet sweatpants.

“Ugh, my jeans are soaked and I’m freezing now.” Zane made a face. “I’m going to have a quick shower if you don’t think anyone will mind.”

“Nah, should be fine. Want some company?” Ryan asked, waggling his eyebrows. He looked ridiculous standing there only in an Otters hoodie and candy cane-striped briefs.

Zane playfully shoved him away. “No!”

“Are you sure about that?” Ryan stepped closer, smirking at him.

Zane grinned back. “No.”

“Good.” Ryan smacked his ass. “Now get in the shower. Think we have time for at least a handie?”

“You’re not giving me a handie when our parents are downstairs!” Zane protested, although he let Ryan herd him into the bathroom.

It was a Jack-and-Jill setup and Ryan shot Zane an exasperated look as he locked the adjoining door that led to Sam’s bedroom. “Really? No sex the whole time we’re here?”

“It’s only like … two and a half days!”

“Way too long,” Ryan protested as he turned on the water to heat. “Besides, I have a gift for you we need to try out later.”

“Dude, did you buy me a dildo for Christmas again?” Zane whispered.

“I mean, it’s what made you fall in love with me last year.” Ryan stripped off his hoodie, dropping it to the floor.

“That’s not why I fell in love with you!” Zane protested, but he was laughing as he finished stripping. Once Ryan was naked, Zane pushed him into the shower.

“No?” Ryan wrapped his arms around Zane. “I’m pretty sure that was it.”

“It certainly made me open my eyes to new things,” Zane admitted, leaning in to kiss him. “But I’ve loved you for a lot longer than that.”

“You still want to try the new toy though, right?” Ryan asked eagerly.

Zane laughed against his mouth. “Yeah, I definitely do.”

“You’re going to love it. It’s Christmas themed this year,” Ryan said, grinning as he slicked his hair off his face.

Grinning back, Zane shook his head, knowing his gift was probably going to be both awful and hilarious. “Of course it is.” He couldn’t wait.

“Hey, I don’t have to open in front of our parents, right?” Zane asked, horrified by the idea.

“What? No!” Ryan protested. “It’s in my suitcase.”

“Just checking.”

Enjoyed the story? Please leave a comment and tell me what you think!

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS - DAY 5

To celebrate my 10 year publishing anniversary I'll be posting one short story per day here on my blog from December 13-24th.

Every day will feature a different couple and the stories will vary in length. They'll range from sweet to a little bit spicy and hopefully will leave you with a smile on your face and a warm feeling of holiday cheer in your heart.

Thank you for ten wonderful years!

FIRST CHRISTMAS

 

DAY: 5

CHARACTERS: Anders Lindholm & Kelly O’Shea + Kelly’s family

PROMPTS: First Christmas as a Couple + Getting Caught Making Out

NOTES: Set the December after ,Rules of Engagement ends. Contains mentions of Anders’ grief/moving on from the loss of his wife/child. Also, this one is a bit spicy so be careful who's reading over your shoulder!

 

Grief didn't just end the moment a person moved on with someone new.

Anniversaries, death days, holidays... well, sometimes the grief rose up and reminded those left behind of their loss.

Sometimes, Kelly caught Anders turning quiet and contemplative at the oddest times.

There was a certain look in his eyes that let Kelly know when Anders was thinking of the wife and young daughter he'd lost in that horrific car accident five years ago.

And Kelly’s heart went soft and pulpy in his chest every time. Because he loved Anders and Anders was hurting.

They had a shorthand now so Kelly could check in.

Kelly would take Anders’ hand and squeeze three times for are you okay?

Two squeezes back meant I'm okay.

One was for no.

On the flight from Chicago to Boston last night, there had been a distinct no. So Kelly had cuddled close, whispered, “I love you,” and heard Anders whisper it back.

He knew that Anders missing the people he’d loved and lost didn’t mean he loved Kelly any less. Sometimes Anders still had to sit with his grief until it eased, and all Kelly could do was sit beside him and show him that he wasn’t going anywhere. That he understood.

But this morning, there was no need for private squeezes.

Anders was laughing. He knelt in the midst of the merry mayhem that was the O'Shea family Christmas and he was laughing.

Kelly's heart felt like it would burst with joy because that was one of his favorite sounds in the world.

He heard that sound far more than he used to, but it was rarely like this, big and uninhibited.

Anders was someone who carried himself with an innate sort of dignity. He wasn’t prone to silliness the way Kelly and his family were at times.

The Boston-Irish O'Sheas were noisy and rowdy, and filled the air with their arguments and love in equal measure.

The Lindholms were a bit cooler and more self-contained.

Kelly adored Anders’ parents and they’d been nothing but wonderful to him when Kelly and Anders went to Sweden last summer. They’d immediately made him feel welcome, but they were quiet and reserved.  They didn’t jostle and argue and fight and love at maximum volume the way the O’Sheas did.

But right now, with Anders laughing and squirming as he fell sideways on the rug, helpless under the onslaught of Kelly's nieces and nephews trying to scale his big body like a fortress, there was nothing dignified about him in the least.

Anders’ face was red and his clothes were disheveled. His shoulder-length hair had slipped free of the sleek, tidy ponytail or bun he often wore it in and fell around his face in messy strands.

Kelly smiled widely at the sight and caught a glimpse of his mother beaming at him. Coming out had been hard but worth it, and it felt both good and awkward to realize that now everyone knew exactly how in love with Anders he was.

And vice versa.

Slightly embarrassed to be caught mooning over his boyfriend, Kelly got up in search of food.

The family had already opened their stockings and presents this morning and had eaten brunch, but the kitchen island was filled with platters of appetizers and desserts for people to munch on at will.

Kelly had been playing a lot of hard defensive minutes on the ice lately, so he was burning through calories as fast as he could consume them. He was in the midst of filling a plate with a little bit of everything when his older brother Pat sidled up.

"It's good to hear Anders laugh like that, huh?"

"Yeah." Kelly smiled and dug a knife into the fancy wreath-shaped cheese ball, smearing the herb-coated mixture across a cracker. “Definitely a big change.”

“You’re good for him.”

Kelly snorted. No shit. He could have told Pat that. He had told Pat that. 

Numerous times.

Clearly, Pat still didn’t quite know how to handle his baby brother and his best friend dating, but he was trying, which Kelly supposed was the most he could ask for.

“I do my best,” Kelly said, reaching for a red pepper-stuffed deviled egg to add to his already-groaning plate.

“Sounds like you’re doing that on the ice too.”

“I’m fuckin’ tryin’,” Kelly groused.

Damn, it was hard being on a hockey team that lost more games than it won. The Evanston River Otters were sitting at the very bottom of the standings this season and it fucking sucked big, hairy donkey balls. Especially after last season.

They’d won the Cup for Lord Stanley’s sake!

With Anders’ retirement, along with the retirement of his top-line wingers Zane Murphy and Ryan Hartinger last summer, everyone had expected the team to tank.

Kelly had secretly held out hope that their overall depth of skill would be enough to keep them afloat. He’d been proven painfully wrong.

In the long run, it was a good thing. The team would get high draft picks next summer and, with some time and talent development, they’d eventually smash their way back up to the top.

Kelly was still young. He had time to see that rebuild through.

But fuck. This constant losing shit was painful.

“Seems like Anders’ business is coming together too,” Pat mused.

Kelly nodded, eyeing the crab-and-cheese-stuffed mini peppers before taking two. “Yeah. I mean the freelance consulting stuff he does with individual players now keeps him pretty busy and I think by next summer the skills camp will be up and running.”

“Sweet. I might have to check it out.”

“You’re beyond hope,” Kelly shot back.

Pat opened his mouth to retort just as strong arms wrapped around Kelly’s waist. Instead, he said, “Speaking of the devil.”

Anders kissed the side of Kelly’s head, ignoring Pat. "Hi."

Kelly shivered at the brush of Anders’ lips against his temple, then smiled, setting down his plate. "Hi yourself."

Pat rolled his eyes at them, but he and his wife Aubrey were just as bad. It was Kelly’s turn to enjoy the obnoxious PDA his family had been torturing him with for years. He deserved this shit.

“You two starting to get baby fever yet? I know Ma's chomping at the bit to have you get started on your family,” Pat asked, reaching for a carrot stick.

Truthfully, Kelly had definitely felt that urge lately. Especially seeing Anders playing with all of the kids in his family.

“Baby fever? Sometimes,” Anders said, his tone surprisingly easy considering the weight of the subject.

Kelly blinked. The last time they’d talked about wanting kids Anders had said he wasn’t even close to ready.

He’d lost his beloved baby girl and still needed some time to heal before he was ready to take that leap again. Kelly had no desire to push him any faster than he was ready to go.

Pat jerked his thumb toward the living room. "Well, I’ve got a couple of extra kids you can take home and test out for a few weeks, if you want. It’ll cure you of that desire real quick.”

Anders chuckled.

“I think we're good on that,” Kelly said drily. “But thanks for the offer.”

“Yeah, anytime. Just let me know if you change your mind. Free to a good home.”

“Sure,” Kelly said with a snort. Pat didn’t mean it. He fucking loved his kids, but they were a handful.

As if to prove that point, the sound of glass breaking in the living room made all three of them turn their heads.

“Ahh, shit,” Pat muttered, already striding out of the kitchen. “I bet that was one of mine. Hopefully everyone’s still got all their limbs attached.”

Kelly snickered.

He turned to face Anders, expecting to see him laughing but he looked oddly intent.

“I do think about it, you know,” Anders said, staring Kelly in the eye as he cupped his cheek.

“I know.” Kelly looked steadily back into his beautiful blue eyes. “I do too.”

“I’m not there yet, but I have to admit that the holiday and being around all these kids …”

The look of longing in his gaze made Kelly rub his palm against Anders’ chest.

“Me too. But we’ll do it when the time is right,” he promised Anders.

Anders kissed him, gently pushing his full-length against the counter, and Kelly melted against his body, winding his arms around Anders’ neck.

“I love you so much, Kelly,” Anders said roughly when he finally pulled away, his lips reddened and a little slick.

“You should show me how much,” Kelly teased, pressing their hips together, fully expecting Anders to ease back and promise to make it up to him later when they were alone.

Instead, desire flared hot in Anders’ eyes and he grabbed Kelly’s hand, towing him toward the stairs. With one eyebrow arched in surprise, Kelly followed Anders up to Kelly’s childhood bedroom.

They weren’t staying at Kelly’s parents’ house on this trip. They’d opted to get a room in a nearby hotel. Kelly loved his family, but sometimes there was just too much togetherness.

Still, the bedroom was conveniently empty when they slipped inside. Kelly fumbled with the lock and turned around, moaning as Anders bent and trailed his lips against Kelly’s neck.

“Fuck,” Kelly managed, clutching at Anders’ upper arm, breath coming fast. 

“We're certainly not going to make a baby this way,” Anders rasped against his throat. “But we can always try our best.”

Kelly let out a husky laugh, a little breathless. It always took him by surprise when Anders’ dry humor appeared, especially when he said something with that wicked glint in his eye.

Kelly crowded Anders back, herding him toward the bed. They fell onto it and the too-small wooden frame creaked ominously under their combined weight. They held their breath but when they didn’t go crashing to the ground, Anders kissed Kelly again.

Anders murmured quiet words of need and want as he trailed his lips over Kelly’s Adam’s apple and bit at his collarbone. Kelly felt it keenly too as they made out, the bed squeaking a little every time they moved.

When Anders shifted onto his side, fumbling for the fly of Kelly’s trousers, Kelly helped. They kissed as they got their cocks out and Kelly smothered a gasp against Anders' mouth when Anders’ big hand wrapped around them both.

For a while, it was just panting breaths and smothered gasps between them and then Anders came with a low, ragged moan, body going tight against Kelly’s.

Anders caught his release in his fist but when he went to slick Kelly’s cock with it, Kelly protested, murmuring, “gimmie” as he lifted Anders’ hand to his mouth.

Kelly licked his palm clean and felt Anders shudder. “Less messy that way,” he said, although he’d have done the same thing if they were at home. 

“Let me suck you?” Anders whispered and Kelly would never say no to that.

He nodded frantically, gasping and biting at his lip when Anders slid down the bed and took him in his mouth. His hair was still loose and Kelly gathered it, pushing it out of the way so he could better watch Anders’ head bob over him, his eyes closed, intently focused on Kelly’s pleasure.

With little warning beyond a quick thump to Anders’ shoulder, Kelly came with a hoarse, strangled shout. His body tingled when Anders slid off, licking his lips to get the last drop.

“Well, that's definitely not going to make a baby," Kelly said, breathless as he rested his head against Anders’ shoulder. “But I’m not complaining.”

Anders laughed and kissed his forehead. "Not likely. Guess we'll have to keep trying." He gave Kelly a little wink.

Kelly didn’t know how they’d actually go about it when the time came.

Surrogacy? Adoption? It didn’t matter much to him. It was just nice to see Anders feeling relaxed enough to joke about the topic at all.

And well, if it meant they had hot little encounters like this? Kelly would happily play along.

For a few minutes they lay on top of the covers, half-dressed and lazily exchanging a few kisses.

Kelly was just contemplating if they could get away with taking a nap when Anders chuckled.

“Is that a poster of me on your wall?”

“Fuck!” Kelly said, his face going very warm as he squinted at it. “I forgot I still had that up.”

“How many times did you get yourself off to it?” Anders teased.

“Ugh. More than I can count,” Kelly admitted, covering his face with one hand.

“Maybe I should get one of yours and hang it in our bedroom.”

“You wouldn’t,” Kelly protested, craning his neck to look Anders in the eye.

“Wouldn’t I?” Anders’ expression was filled with mirth and Kelly laughed, straining to kiss him.

Anders rolled on top of him, deepening the kiss and Kelly sank into it, all thoughts of embarrassment melting away.

The jiggle of the doorknob made them spring apart and there was a horrified groan.

“Ahh, fuck, my eyes!” Pat said from the doorway. “For fuck’s sake, zip up your fuckin’ pants, you filthy animals.”

“You could have knocked,” Anders said drily, as he tucked himself away.

Kelly scrambled to do the same, his face radiating heat as he closed his zipper. He’d thought he’d locked the door properly but apparently not.

“I didn’t know I’d have to!” Pat said. “Fuck, I could have gone my whole life without seeing that.”

“What did you come up here for?” Kelly grumbled. He stood, trying to smooth down his green sweater. “It’s safe to look now, by the way.”

Pat slowly lowered his hand from in front of his eyes, squinting as if he didn’t quite trust them to be telling the truth. “Con showed up with the kids and now that we’re all here, Ma wants us to take a picture of the whole family before anyone heads out.”

Their brother Connor had recently separated from his wife, Viv. Figuring out when Connor and the kids would arrive on Christmas day had been complicated by the couple’s fighting.

“We’ll be down in a few,” Anders said, smoothing his hair in the mirror over the dresser.

“Good. Cause I’m not comin’ up to get you again,” Pat threw over his shoulder as he walked away, very pointedly leaving the bedroom door open.

“Maaaaaaaaa,” Pat bellowed as he jogged down the stairs. “I found them. They were in Kelly’s old bedroom. Two guesses as to what they were doing and neither of those are playing chess.”

“I fuckin’ hate him,” Kelly muttered under his breath.

Anders laughed, eyes twinkling. “You don’t.”

“Sometimes I do,” Kelly shot back, but he was already heading into the bathroom to find some mouthwash and make sure they hadn’t made too much of a mess of themselves.

Ten minutes later as they were greeted by whistles and catcalls, Kelly decided he hated all of them.

But as he and Anders squished themselves into the large group of noisy people and Kelly’s father stood behind the tripod-mounted camera trying to get them all into the frame, Kelly grudgingly admitted there was nowhere he’d rather be for Christmas than here with Anders and his family.

Even if they were all a bunch of assholes.

Enjoyed the story? Please leave a comment and tell me what you think!

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS - DAY 4

To celebrate my 10 year publishing anniversary I'll be posting one short story per day here on my blog from December 13-24th.

Every day will feature a different couple and the stories will vary in length. They'll range from sweet to a little bit spicy and hopefully will leave you with a smile on your face and a warm feeling of holiday cheer in your heart.

Thank you for ten wonderful years!

SNOWED IN

DAY: Four

CHARACTERS: Micah Warner & Justin Lamb + Adriana, Isabella, and Gabriella

PROMPTS: "Looks like we're snowed in for the night." and ecorating the Tree."

NOTES: Set nine years after the events of ,Touch & Go.

“Motherfucker!”

Justin stifled a laugh as he watched his husband stare out at the snow-covered yard. It was a blanket of white as far as the eye could see and there wasn’t a snowplow in sight. On Christmas Eve, Justin wasn’t sure how long it would take for one to make it to their neighborhood.

And the snow was still coming down hard. Fat wet flakes that coated everything in white.

“Well, looks like we’re snowed in for the night.” Micah moved like he was going to slam the front door and Justin winced, lunging for it, but he was too far away to grab it.

Thankfully, Micah caught the handle before the door made contact with the frame, shutting it softly instead of letting it slam shut.

“Sorry,” Micah said with a tired sigh as he leaned against the closed door. “I shouldn’t lose my temper. The last thing I want to do is wake the girls.”

“Yeah, good save,” Justin agreed.

Because getting a child to sleep on Christmas Eve was never an easy task. Getting their rambunctious triplets to sleep on a typical night wasn’t much better. Combine the two and well, it had been a knock-down, drag-out fight tonight.

But now the girls were settled in their beds, fast asleep, and with a little luck, they’d stay that way. Or, at the very least, stay in their bedrooms.

Justin had even resorted to covering their bedroom doors with crepe paper streamers. The red and white strips of paper crisscrossed the door frame horizontally, making it look like a candy cane. He’d told them that was how Santa would know that there were kids in the house and gently reminded them they couldn’t come out unless it was an emergency. 

It felt a little bit like cheating but, frankly, Justin wasn’t above using any tricks that would make the night go easier. Their entire plan for the big Christmas morning surprise hinged on the girls staying in their rooms all night.

Of course, now that there was two feet of snow on the ground and there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell they were going to make it out to buy a Christmas tree, it might not matter.

“Surprising them with a fully-decorated tree on Christmas morning seemed like such a good idea at the time,” Micah grumbled.

“It was a nice thought.”

“So much for that.” Micah looked crushed and Justin wondered if the disappointment written all over his face was about his excitement over the surprise as much as their daughters’.

“C’mere,” Justin said, drawing Micah over to the sectional sofa and gently tugging him down onto it. He came with a tired sigh, slumping against Justin.

Decorating the tree on Christmas Eve was a family tradition Micah’s mother had created for him and his sister, Carla. Thanks to their shitty father running out on them and leaving the family in horrendous debt, Maria hadn’t had much money to raise the kids.

Privately, Justin suspected the tradition had started out of necessity rather than a desire to create a magical holiday experience but hey, Maria had done her best.

And if she’d gotten the tree half-off at some lot on Christmas Eve because that was all she could afford? Well, it was the thought that counted. And Micah had such good memories of the tradition and had been so excited about sharing it with their girls.

How could Justin argue with that?

“I promised them a tree,” Micah said, tone mournful. “It’s already nine p.m. The place closes at ten and they’re the only one open so late. Even if we magically found a place that stayed open later, we’re fucking snowed in and we’d need … fucking sled dogs to get there.”

“No sled dogs, I’m afraid,” Justin said. “Just old Bluey.”

Their dog, Bluey, was sprawled out asleep by the fireplace. Not that there was a fire in it. They hadn’t had time for that sort of relaxation. But Bluey’s dog bed was there and he loved to snooze in it.

Frankly, the dog was older than dirt and Justin was dreading the inevitable day when they lost him. But he was a stubborn old boy, so hopefully he’d kick around for a few more years.

Justin hadn’t even wanted the dog in the first place but Micah had found him, wet and shivering, in a rainstorm one night and brought him home.

Justin had taken one look at Micah’s face and known they were keeping him.

Micah had looked exactly the same way when the fertility specialist had told them the surrogate was expecting triplets. Oh, the doctor had carefully explained the ways the embryos could be selectively reduced so they’d only have one or two babies born. But Micah hadn’t had the heart to do it and, well, Justin did a lot of things for Micah when he made that face.

He’d never regretted a single one of them.

“What do we do?” Micah asked, clearly still working over the Christmas tree problem. “I’m seriously considering cutting down one of our neighbor’s spruces.”

Justin snorted. “Let’s not resort to trespassing and thievery yet. We still have the artificial tree from last year.”

“Ugh. It’s so ratty. And last year it nearly fell over.”

“I know. It’s not ideal.”

“We promised the girls a real tree.”

“They’re old enough to understand.”

“They still believe in Santa, Justin. They’re not going to understand why he didn’t bring them one.”

“We’ll tell them Santa left us in charge of the tree and we’re terrible parents.” Justin yawned.

Micah chuckled. “You can tell them that.”

“Hey, look at me,” Justin said, growing serious. “I wanted to do this for them too. But I know how much it means to you. If you want, I’ll go knock on our neighbor’s door and offer them a wad of money if we can cut down their tree.”

“Nah, I don’t want to have to haul you out of a snowbank in the middle of the night.” Micah gave him a lopsided smile. “I’ll live without a real tree and so will the girls. There’s always next year.”

“There is,” Justin agreed. “But will you be disappointed?”

“Sure. But I’ll survive. We’ll make the best of it.” Micah glanced away. “Honestly, when I think about how much we already give the girls, it blows me away sometimes.”

“Yeah, it’s a lot compared to what you and Carla had.” Justin gently rubbed his back.

Growing up, Justin’s own family had been comfortable, but he and Micah were doing very well and sometimes they both worried they were spoiling the girls.

“Maybe it’ll be good for all of us to keep it simpler. There certainly won’t be a shortage of gifts under the tree. Whatever it looks like.”

Justin chuckled. “No, there won’t be.” They still had a pile of presents to wrap, in fact.

“Okay, let’s do this.” Micah slapped Justin’s knee, then stood. “Artificial tree it is.”

It took nearly an hour to get the tree assembled and even then, it listed a little to the side. The lights they added didn’t help it stand any straighter, but at least it was festive. They added baubles and garland, and just when Justin thought they were done, Micah spoke. “Did I ever tell you we used to string popcorn and cranberry garlands?”

Justin stalked over to his husband, grabbing him by the hips. “I swear, I will dump you in a snowbank if you’re seriously suggesting we do that tonight.”

Laughing, Micah looped his arms around Justin’s neck. “I’m kidding. But it’s funny to see you get so riled up.”

It was true. Of the two of them, Micah was the one with the hotter temper while Justin was the easygoing type.

But they both had their moments and over the years, Justin had decided they made a pretty good team.

“So, the tree’s done?” Justin asked hopefully.

“Tree’s done. Now we just have to hang and fill the stockings, then wrap about six hundred presents.”

It was long after midnight when they finally stuck the last gift under the softly shining tree.

“Well, we did it,” Micah said with an exhausted sigh.

“We did.” Justin smiled sleepily at his husband.

They staggered to the sofa and collapsed onto it. Bluey still snored in his dog bed. Justin was envious.

“Looks great,” Micah said.

Justin pulled him closer. “It does. The girls will love it.”

“Yeah, I hope so.”

For all its lopsidedness, the tree did look nice. In the dim living room, it glowed with multicolored lights, bright ornaments gleaming on its branches. A tower of festive gift boxes with big bows were stacked nearby and knitted stockings sagged from the mantle, stuffed with small toys and treats.

“And I love you,” Justin said. Because for all of Micah’s faults when they’d first met, God, did Justin love him. He loved the way he’d thrown himself wholeheartedly into his career as a sports agent when his playing career abruptly ended. It was the same way he’d thrown himself into their marriage and raising their daughters. With everything he had.

And he excelled at all three things.

Micah turned, smiling, and pressed a soft kiss to Justin’s lips. His dark hair was threaded with a lot more silver than it had been when they met and there were a few more wrinkles around his eyes too. But Justin loved him more with every single day that passed.

“Fuck, I’m tired,” Micah rasped. He scrubbed his hands over his face, slumping heavily against Justin’s body.

“I know.” Justin kissed the top of his head, yawning. “Let’s get up and get to bed. We’ll get … uhh, three hours of sleep if we make it fast.”

“Remind me not to have this brilliant idea again next year.”

Justin chuckled, but he could feel his eyelids growing heavy. He tried to pry them open, but they didn’t want to move. Neither did the rest of him as he leaned more heavily against Micah.

“Jus’ five more minutes and we’ll get up,” Justin slurred.

***

“Daddy! Papa!”

Micah let out a muffled oath as he felt a small, bony knee connect with his kidney.

“What, baby?” he mumbled, shifting and nearly falling off the edge of the bed.

“It’s Christmas. You have to get UP!” Adriana tugged furiously at his shirt.

Micah sat upright, blinking and looking around wildly, afraid he’d forgotten to get their surprise ready.

But no. He let out a sigh of relief at the sight in front of him.

They’d had to change plans last minute, but the tree was up. The presents were wrapped. And he and his husband had slept on the couch.

Fuck, they hadn’t even made it to their bed last night. And every square inch of Micah’s body could feel it. He was way too old for this shit.

He absently rubbed at his shoulder, wincing at the tightness. Stupid surgery.

Blowing out his shoulder had led to several things. A relationship with Justin. A career as a sports agent. Being able to marry Justin and have their girls. A perpetually achy shoulder …

On the whole, he’d take his life now rather than the one where he’d gone on to a successful pro baseball career. But sometimes, he could do without the shoulder pain.

He ruffled Adriana’s hair. “Let’s make some coffee before we wake Papa.”

How Justin had slept through the chaos of his daughter’s excitement was anyone’s guess, although the fact that his head was stuffed between the back cushion and a throw pillow might have something to do with it.

Micah took Adriana’s hand and led her to the kitchen. “Where are your sisters?” he asked quietly as she clambered up onto a stool at the counter.

“Still sleepin’.”

“Did you break through the crepe paper?” he asked, although he wasn’t really upset if she had.

“Nope, I crawled under it!” She grinned toothily and he turned away, hiding a smile. That was his Adriana. She was a smart one and always looked for a loophole.

“Well, after we wake up Papa, you’ll have to crawl back under, so I can wake your sisters and you can all bust through it at the same time!” He pushed a few buttons on the coffee maker, hoping they were the right ones. God, he was tired.

“Okay! Can we have hot chocolate?” she asked sweetly.

“It’s not even breakfast time!” he protested.

“But it’s Christmas!”

And well, Micah couldn’t argue with that.

“Yeah, we can make hot chocolate. After we wake up Papa and your sisters.”

Once the coffee was ready, Micah carried two mugs to the living room. He set them on the end table, then reached out to his husband.

“Babe,” Micah said, gently jostling his body. “It’s time to wake up.”

There was a muffled noise from the pillows and then a wild head of curly blond hair emerged.

“I’m up!” Justin was, if not alert, at least awake and upright now.

Micah grinned and passed over a cup of coffee.

“Thanks.” Justin squinted blearily at him.

His hair was shorter than it had been when they met. No more man bun, which Micah secretly missed though he’d never admit it. The curls were a bit thinner too, although whenever Justin peered in the mirror, squinting at his reflection like that would somehow fill in the sparser patches, Micah assured him it looked perfect to him.

And it did. Even if Justin wound up being a wrinkly old bald guy, Micah would still be stupidly in love with him.

“Daddy, daddy, the tree is so pretty!” Adriana cheerfully shouted to Micah while dancing around the cheerfully decorated, fake evergreen that listed to one side.

“I’m glad you like it.” Really, in the end, if the girls and Justin were happy, that was all that mattered to Micah.

“Merry Christmas, Adri,” Justin rasped.

“Papa!” She tore across the room and Micah grabbed her, swooping her up into his arms before she could barrel into Justin and knock the mug of hot coffee out his hands.

Her red and white striped pajama-clad legs wiggled in the air as she pealed with laughter.

“Okay, time to get your sisters up,” he said, trying not to drop her.

“How are you all so awake?” Justin asked, his eyes half-closed.

“I have no idea,” Micah said, laughing as he slung Adriana over his shoulder. The one he hadn’t torn to shreds. “I’m going to be dead by noon.”

“Yes. I think Christmas Day naps are going to be a new family tradition,” Justin said, rubbing at his face. 

“Are you coming to wake up Isabella and Gabriella?” Micah asked.

“I’m coming.” Justin hauled himself up off the couch with a groan.

True to Adriana’s word, every last piece of crepe paper was in place. Micah placed her on her feet and tried not to laugh as she wiggled under the bottom one in an Army crawl, bellowing for her sisters to wake up.

When they all stood by their respective doors, waiting for the signal to come out, Micah blew a whistle and the three girls came flying through the crepe paper, screaming “Merry Christmas!” at the top of their lungs as they raced toward the living room.

“We sure have some daughters,” Justin marveled, taking Micah’s hand and following a little more slowly.

“We sure do.” Micah smiled at his husband. He wouldn’t trade this chaotic, noisy, incredible life they all had together for the world. “Merry Christmas, babe.”

Justin kissed his temple. “Merry Christmas.”

Enjoyed the story? Please leave a comment and tell me what you think!

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS - DAY 3

To celebrate my 10 year publishing anniversary I'll be posting one short story per day here on my blog from December 13-24th.

Every day will feature a different couple and the stories will vary in length. They'll range from sweet to a little bit spicy and hopefully will leave you with a smile on your face and a warm feeling of holiday cheer in your heart.

Thank you for ten wonderful years!

MISTLETOE AND HOLLY

DAY: Three

CHARACTERS: Brent Cameron & Lowell Prescott

PROMPTS: "Stop Trying to Get Me Under the Mistletoe!" and Home for Christmas

NOTES: Set approximately nine years after the events of Push & Pull.

Brent might not have been born into the same world Lowell had grown up in, but these days, Lowell almost found it hard to believe.

Brent had been hobnobbing all night with Lowell’s parents’ rich—and if Lowell was being honest—painfully snobby and boring friends. And Brent had them eating out of the palm of his hand.

Not to mention Lowell’s parents. They adored him.

Of course, he’d held a position at Prescott Helmets for nine years now and with Anabel and Charles Prescott’s acquisition of the Evanston River Otters hockey team last summer, well, these days Brent and Lowell spent a lot of time at events like this.

And, sure, sometimes Brent still broke out the small-town boy from Michigan charm, but that only seemed to make people like him more.

They found him charming. Personable. Easy to talk to.

Lowell just found his husband hot.

He was all of the other things too, of course, but at the moment, wearing a red cashmere sweater that showed off his broad shoulders and the charcoal wool trousers that clung to his still-fabulous, former college hockey-playing ass, all Lowell wanted to do was drag him under the mistletoe somewhere and kiss him stupid.

As if Brent could feel his gaze, he half-turned, shooting Lowell a smile.

Lowell waggled his fingers in answer.

Bored with the annual holiday cocktail party already, Lowell snagged another cranberry mimosa from the bartender, filled a plate with spinach puffs, endive stuffed with herbed goat cheese, and asparagus crostini then found a comfortable spot to ogle his husband from.

He should be chatting with the other party guests. Usually, he was the life of a party and he had been making the best of this one earlier, but these were not really his kind of people and it had quickly grown tedious.

He’d spent all week buried in therapy appointments with some particularly difficult clients and he was enjoying not having to listen to anyone talk at the moment.

Still, it made his parents happy when he and Brent attended.

Lowell’s peace didn’t last for long, unfortunately.

“Which one are you eyeing?” a brunette woman asked as she swanned up in a sparkly silver cocktail dress that showed off every one of her assets.

Odd question, but Lowell would play along. “Uhh, the one in the red sweater with his back to us.”

She sighed. “Good luck, honey. He turned me down. Said he was married.”

Lowell stifled a snort and held up his hand to show off his wedding ring. “Yeah. To me. And we plan to keep it that way.”

She mock pouted before taking a sip of her drink. “Oh, monogamy. How quaint.”

Lowell shrugged. “It works for us.”

Lowell didn’t consider himself a prude—he worked with a number of clients at his therapy practice who were poly or had various configurations of open relationships—but personally, he was a one-man sort of guy.

And who could possibly need more when they were married to Brent Cameron?

Fortified by the food and cocktail, Lowell made a few more rounds, being his most charming self. His hard work was rewarded when his mother shot him an approving smile from across the room twice, which might be a new record.

She’d spent years sighing, “Oh, Lowell,” at him for years, so this was a major improvement.

But despite the occasionally contentious nature of their relationship, Lowell really did love his parents. And, over the years, their frustrations with one another had mellowed to a point where they could all spend time together without arguing.

Having Brent as a buffer had gone a long way too. His father was so enamored with Brent’s willingness to become the heir to the Prescott Helmet business that he’d forgiven Lowell for his lack of interest in it.

Lowell might not be the son Charles Prescott had hoped for, but Brent sure was. And that had worked well for all of them.

And speaking of the devil … where was his delicious husband?

Lowell went wandering in search of him.

His parents’ home—mansion—was decked out to the nines with glowing lights and festive boughs of greenery. There were at least half a dozen evergreen trees scattered around the first floor and everything was professionally decorated.

It was a little much for Lowell’s taste. And that was saying something because he thoroughly enjoyed being extra.

He would always prefer the condo on Lake Michigan that he and Brent owned to the mansions of Winnetka, Illinois, but still, it was home.  In fact, he and Brent would come here on Christmas Day to unwrap gifts and enjoy a nice festive family dinner.

Lowell was starting to wonder if his husband really had run off with someone else when he found Brent in Charles Prescott’s study, standing by the French doors, which had been cracked open to allow in air from the balcony. The room was dim, with only the Christmas tree glowing in the corner to give them light.

“So this is where you escaped to,” Lowell teased.

Brent gave him a wry grin and tugged at his sweater collar. “I needed some air. Holy shit, it’s hot in here.”

“Don’t be silly! It’s just me,” Lowell said as he fluttered his lashes.

In deference to his parents’ sensibilities, Lowell had dressed fairly conservatively tonight but he had snuck in a few touches to make him feel like himself, including a silky emerald green shirt and some fabulous sparkly eye makeup.

Brent gave him a heated once-over. “Well, that’s true.”

Grinning, Lowell snaked his arms around Brent’s waist and nuzzled against his broad shoulder.

“So I hear some other people have been trying to get you under the mistletoe tonight, huh?”

Brent laughed. “They have. I think they were a couple, actually, although I’m not entirely sure.”

“Tempted?” Lowell arched a manicured eyebrow.

Brent let out a quiet snort. “Hardly.”

“Well, what about a kiss for your husband instead? We are trapped under the mistletoe at the moment.”

“I’m not sure we’re really trapped.” Brent craned his neck to look upward. “And I think that’s actually Michigan holly. Mistletoe has white berries.”

Lowell shook his head. Oh, Brent. “Kiss me anyway?”

Smiling, Brent brushed their lips together. “Like that?”

“Hmm. I was thinking something a little more … passionate,” Lowell teased.

“Yeah? I bet I can manage that.” Brent dipped his head and kissed Lowell.

After so many years, it shouldn’t still send a little zing of excitement through Lowell’s body, but there was nothing like the feel of his husband’s lips against his. The firm press of his muscular body. The thorough way he delved his tongue between Lowell’s lips … 

Lowell loved him so much his heart ached with it and as he pulled back, the words he’d been planning to tell Brent later tonight escaped his lips before he could stop them. “I’m ready, Brent.”

“Oh, yeah? We can go home now.” Brent smirked, clearly thinking about getting Lowell into bed.

Laughing, Lowell lightly slapped his chest. Tempting, but not what he meant. “Not ready to go home and have sex. Ready to do the big thing we’ve been talking about.”

“The big thing …” Brent’s eyes got huge. “Oh! The baby thing?”

Lowel bit his lip. “Well, I’m thinking maybe a young brother and sister who are in desperate and urgent need of a family thing.”

“Oh.” Brent blinked. “You … there are some specific kids you know of?”

Lowell nodded. “This morning I was talking to Sharon, that social worker I know, and she was telling me about this pair and oh, Brent, your heart would break just looking at them. They’re so sweet and their parents are gone. No other family. The moment I saw their picture I just wanted to scoop them up and take them right home to you.”

That was the first time Lowell had ever felt ready. Maybe nobody was ever truly ready to be a parent, but after years, he finally knew he wasn’t un-ready the way he’d felt in the past.

He’d had so many goals he’d wanted to meet before they started a family. At first, it had been getting his master’s degree, and then putting his time and energy into the therapy practice, and … well, there had always been something.

Maybe there would always be something.

But seeing those sweet faces made Lowell know that it was time to get over his fears and do the thing they’d been talking about for years.

Brent’s eyes were filled with hope but he hesitated, hands gripping Lowell’s upper arms.

“Lowell, are you sure? I can’t get my hopes up …”

“I know,” Lowell said thickly. “And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to change my mind last summer, but I just wasn’t quite ready and …”

“No.” Brent cupped his cheek. “Hey, I get it. And I didn’t want to rush you. I just … I need you to know for sure this time. Because I can’t get my heart broken like that again.”

“Of course,” Lowell said tenderly. His husband was such a sweet man and he was going to be the best dad. “I know. But I promise, no take backs. I’m ready this time. One-hundred percent.”

“Yeah?” Brent’s blue eyes lit up, a smile transforming his gorgeous face. He was starting to get faint little crow’s feet around his eyes and oh, Lowell loved him even more now than he had almost a decade ago when their unplanned road trip around Lake Michigan had taken them from contentious acquaintances to people committed to spending their lives together.

“Yeah.” Lowell slipped a hand into his pocket. “Want to see them?”

Brent sucked in a breath. “Oh, you have pictures?”

Lowell tapped his screen, putting in his passcode and finding the shots. “Yeah. I’m not even sure if Sharon was supposed to share the pics but …”

He tilted his screen to show Brent.

“Oh, look at them.” Brent’s voice was hushed as he took the phone. “Look at the way he’s holding his sister, Lowell.”

“I know, right?” Lowell said, his eyes watering. “They’re so perfect and I love them already.”

“It could still fall through,” Brent said, lowering the phone, but sneaking another look at the screen, his gaze filled with longing.

“It could,” Lowell agreed. “But we’re registered as foster parents now and we have everything going for us. We both have stable careers, neither of us travel much for work, we have lots of resources …”

“And so much love to give.”

Lowell nodded, biting his lip. That most of all.

“Sharon said to let her know as soon as possible and we might at least have temporary foster custody by Christmas.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Brent said, thrusting Lowell’s phone back at him. “Call her! Now! I want to bring our babies home.”

Laughing, Lowell wiped at his eyes, not really caring that his mascara was probably smearing. “Okay. I’m calling, I’m calling.”

With Brent’s arm around him, Lowell stood there under the mistletoe, bathed in the light of the Christmas tree, and hoped as fiercely as he could that they’d be a family of four by Christmas.

Enjoyed the story? Please leave a comment and tell me what you think!

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS - DAY 2

To celebrate my 10 year publishing anniversary I'll be posting one short story per day here on my blog from December 13-24th.

Every day will feature a different couple and the stories will vary in length. They'll range from sweet to a little bit spicy and hopefully will leave you with a smile on your face and a warm feeling of holiday cheer in your heart.

Thank you for ten wonderful years!

THE CHRISTMAS DATE

DAY: Two

CHARACTERS: Neil Greene & Alexander Ford

PROMPTS: Date to a Christmas Party + Spiked Eggnog

NOTES: This is set two and a half years after the events of Date in a Pinch. Contains mild references to BDSM and a D/s dynamic.

“I’ll be your date to the staff Christmas party, if you want.”

Neil looked up from the flyer in his mail slot and glanced over his shoulder to smile at the English teacher who’d spoken to him. “Hmm, I don’t know. I might have gotten some other offers.”

“Oh, really?” Alexander raised an eyebrow, grazing his fingers across Neil’s hip as he reached to grab his mail.

Neil shivered at the touch and the low, suggestive voice. Gah, his boyfriend and Dom was so sexy. It had been two years, and Neil still didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky.

“But I suppose you might be worth considering,” Neil teased as he turned to face him.  “What do you have to offer?”

“Oh, I see how it is,” Alexander said. “I have to prove my worth as a holiday date, huh?”

“Yup.”

Alexander crossed his arms, lounging against the wall. “Let me think. Did you know I have a very festive Christmas sweater? With reindeer on it and everything.”

“That is festive,” Neil agreed. “What else?”

“You need more?” Alexander raised an eyebrow. “Hmm. Let’s see. I can promise to pick you up at your door and drive you there. I can make witty conversation and I’ve been told I look pretty good. I bet I’d impress your coworkers.”

Neil laughed. Yeah, their fellow teachers were already half in love with Alexander, so that sounded about right.

Neil pretended to consider the idea. “Not bad. I feel like I might be able to get that elsewhere though.”

“Oh wow. You are a tough one, huh?” Alexander slowly looked him up and down, then stepped forward. He braced his arms on the mail slots behind Neil, caging him in. “What if I told you that my dates are always very satisfied at the end of the night?”

“How do you ensure that?” Neil asked breathlessly.

“Well.” Alexander put his mouth right next to Neil’s ear, his breath warm. “I have a whole box of toys I like to play with. Guaranteed to please, thrill, and delight.”

“Guaranteed, huh?” Neil slid a hand up Alexander’s chest over his pale blue sweater.

“Oh yes. And I have tricks up my sleeve you’ve never even imagined.”

Neil shivered again, believing it. Alexander still continued to surprise him even after years together. He had no reason to doubt that would ever change.

“Good to know,” he managed.

“So, Mr. Greene,” Alexander said, pulling back to look him in the eye. “Have you been naughty or nice this year?”

“Both,” Neil squeaked. “Definitely both.”

“That I believe.” Alexander gave him a crooked smile. “Now, what do you say? Will you accompany me to the school holiday party?”

Neil smiled back. “I’d be happy to, Sir.”

Alexander’s gaze flared hot before he leaned in. Neil closed his eyes and grabbed Alexander’s sweater, intending to pull him closer and press their lips together, when he heard someone clearing their throat.

“Ahh, excuse me. I just need to get to my slot.”

Neil sprang back, although Alexander moved a little more slowly.

“Sorry about that, Sonya,” Alexander said with a charming smile as he looked at the school principal. “I got a little carried away inviting Neil to the staff party.”

Neil waved the flyer that had started this whole thing, his cheeks warm, feeling a little sheepish about Sonya catching them flirting.

Of course, it was hardly the first time she’d done so.

Sonya just smiled. “I hope he said yes.”

“Thankfully, he did.” Alexander held out an arm. “Walk you to your classroom so you can start prepping for the day, Mr. Greene?”

Neil beamed at him. “I’d love that, Mr. Ford.”

***

“I’m starting to think someone spiked the eggnog,” Alexander muttered under his breath as he stared at their coworkers.

Neil laughed. “Really?” he asked, eyes sparkling.

His cheeks were flushed pink, and he looked amazing in the olive-green sweater and dark wash jeans he’d dressed in earlier. Alexander had almost made them late this morning before they headed to work.

And if he wasn’t careful, Alexander would drag him off somewhere and show him exactly how good he looked. Surely, no one would be in the science wing right now. Neil’s chemistry classroom would be very private.

It had been a half day for students today and they were off for Christmas break now. There were no after-school activities and no one had wanted to linger.

Plus all of the teachers who attended the annual party were here in the library at the other end of the school.

Alexander stared at their fellow teachers dancing to a Louis Armstrong Christmas song in the middle of the library speculatively. Definitely drunk. “Well, look at them.”

“You have a point,” Neil said thoughtfully. He took a sip of his cranberry-orange punch.

“Maybe they won’t notice if I drag you behind the stacks to make out.”

Neil shot him a look. “We get in enough trouble as it is.”

Alexander supposed Neil had a point. They had been caught kissing—or nearly kissing—several times in various places around the school.

Alexander leaned in, although no one was in earshot. “No? That doesn’t sound good? If you’d rather, I could drag you to your classroom and tie you across one of your lab tables and have my way with you.”

Neil gasped. “Sir!”

Alexander grinned. He’d never get over Neil calling him that.

They’d never gotten in trouble for flirting on school premises, but he supposed they should at least try to behave. It was a shame. He so enjoyed tormenting his sweet Neil.

“Fine,” Alexander countered, reaching for a candy cane Kiss cookie. “Then they’re too drunk to notice if we sneak out early and go home.”

“I thought you wanted to come to this party!” Neil protested.

“I did. But I set up a scene in our guest room to make sure our date ended on a fun note, and I’m much, much more interested in getting home to that than watching our co-workers dance badly.”

“What kind of scene?” Neil asked, clearly intrigued.

“Oh, there’s some restraints, some temperature play, maybe a candy cane that I can do naughty things with …”

“Say no more,” Neil said, draining the rest of his glass. “Let’s get out of here.”

As they hurriedly collected their coats and passed by Sonya, who was chatting with the new art teacher, she feigned disapproval. “Cutting out early, I see.” She grinned at them, clearly not too upset.

“It was either that or make out in the stacks,” Alexander said with a wink. 

She laughed. “Excellent choice. Enjoy your holiday break!”

“You too,” Neil said cheerfully.

Alexander smirked at her and took Neil’s wrist, rubbing his thumb across the half-inch wide metal bracelet that was Neil’s public collar. “Oh trust me, we will.”

Enjoyed the story? Please leave a comment and tell me what you think!

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS! - DAY 1

Today is my 10 year publishing anniversary. It seems impossible that it's been a decade since I released my first short story but it's true!

I am constantly amazed by all you do to support me and my writing so to celebrate that milestone, I want to give back to you with 12 days of bonus short stories.

From now through Christmas Eve, I'll be posting one short story per day here on my blog.

I found some fun little holiday prompts to spark my creativity and had a wonderful time writing these stories.

Every day will feature a different couple and the stories will vary in length. They'll range from sweet to a little bit spicy and hopefully will leave you with a smile on your face and a warm feeling of holiday cheer in your heart.

Thank you for ten wonderful years!

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

DAY: 1

CHARACTERS: Wade Cannon & Trevor Underhill + Braden Cannon

PROMPTS: Nightmare Before Christmas + Decorating a Gingerbread House

NOTES: This is set the December following the events in ,Breaking the Rules.

“I think we're in over our heads." Trevor wiped his forehead dramatically as he grimaced at the pieces of gingerbread house strewn across the kitchen island.

Smiling, Wade kissed his temple. "Nah. We can do this."

"Can we?"  Braden’s tone was doubtful.

"Yes." Wade clapped his hands, then rolled up his shirt sleeves.

"Now, c'mon. How hard can it be to stick some pieces of gingerbread together with a little frosting, guys?"As it turned out, pretty difficult.

None of the wall pieces were square and the frosting was pretty gloppy, so they’d had to prop the walls up with cans and mugs to hold them in place until they dried.

Now that it was dry, some pieces still listed a little drunkenly, the roof definitely wasn't level, and the chimney had slid halfway down and tilted to one side.

But hearing his son and Trevor laugh together, watching them playfully tease each other, seeing their heads bent together as they decorated the gingerbread house ... that was the magic Wade had been hoping for.

Not that it took holiday magic to get Trevor and Braden to get along.

But a former bad boy who’d spent a good chunk of his life pushing people away wasn’t the first person Wade would have pictured as a fantastic stepfather-type figure to a twelve-year-old kid who could sometimes be challenging.

But Trevor was so patient, even when Braden’s ADHD got the best of him.

 

Oh, Trevor wasn’t perfect either.

There had been a learning curve and a handful of missteps and some weird little issues that had cropped up. But Wade had never expected Trevor to throw himself so wholeheartedly into the role. 

And while they’d only been dating for about six months, Wade didn’t have a shadow of a doubt about Trevor being in this for the long haul.

“He’s staring at us with that look again,” Braden whispered loudly to Trevor.

“It’s like he loves us or something.” Trevor flashed Wade a bright smile and a wink.

Wade chuckled. “Something like that.”

“We are pretty loveable,” Braden said, gluing another gumdrop on the roofline.

“True that.” Trevor hooked his ankle around Wade’s and pressed their shoulders together.

“He’s pretty loveable too, though.”

“Yeah, he’s okay,” Braden said.

Wade sputtered. “Okay? Excuse you! I am better than okay!”

Braden giggled. “He did make us do this gingerbread house.”

“Oh, you mean the worst gingerbread house ever?” Trevor teased. “True.”

“Hey!” Wade protested. “It’s not that bad.”

“It’s pretty bad,” Braden said, still giggling. He held out the final gumdrop to Trevor, who stuck it on the top with a flourish.

“It’s … not great,” Wade admitted with a laugh as he surveyed the final effect. “We definitely wouldn’t win any contests or anything. But this was fun to do anyway, right?”

“Totally. Did you have fun, Trevor?” Braden asked.

“I always have fun with you guys,” Trevor said, straightening with a groan.

Wade stood and stepped behind Trevor, massaging his shoulders. He let out a grateful noise, sagging back against Wade.

It had been a rough first part of the hockey season.

The Otters were doing terribly and without the offensive powerhouse of Murphy, Lindholm, and Hartinger on the first line, Trevor and the rest of the D-corps were trying to make up for it with increased defense.

It was definitely taking its toll physically and mentally.

All Wade could do was give him a soft place to land at home. Which meant a lot of massages, Epsom salt baths, and letting Trevor vent when he needed to.

Although, Wade had also purchased a sauna for the basement of their home, which would be Trevor’s big Christmas gift this year. It would be installed in early January and should be good for his recovery and relaxation.

“Man, this thing is a total nightmare,” Braden said with a laugh as he surveyed the gingerbread monstrosity. “I can’t wait to show my friends.”

“Hey! Does that make it the nightmare before Christmas?” Wade teased. 

Braden just stared at him blankly. “Why do you say that like I should know what it means?”

Wade blinked at his son. “You don’t know that movie? How have I never made you watch that?”

“I dunno.” Braden ate a purple gumdrop. “It sounds weird.”

“You’ve seen it, right, Trevor?”

He glanced up. “Maybe? It sounds familiar but I’m not sure. It came out way before I was born.”

Wade shook his head, trying to ignore that he suddenly felt very old. “Well, if you two can bring yourselves to watch an old-time movie, we should do that today!”

“Sure,” Trevor said. “Let’s have some of that cheddar popcorn while we watch.”

“And hot chocolate!” Braden said, popping another gumdrop into his mouth.

Wade almost told his son he didn’t need any more sugar, then decided to hell with it. It was two days before Christmas. He should enjoy himself.

“Sure. Sounds good,” Wade agreed. “But we need to clean up first.”

“Aww, man,” Braden complained.

“I know. I’m the worst,” Wade agreed.

“I dunno. I kinda like you right now,” Trevor said, tilting his head up to look at Wade.

Laughing, Wade dipped his head and kissed him.

“Are you still going to love me when I stop rubbing your shoulders?” Wade asked, stepping back with one final squeeze.

“Love you? Yes. Like you? No.” Trevor stood, stretching his tattooed arms toward the ceiling.

“That’s fair.” Wade smacked his ass. “Okay, I’m on dish duty. You guys can fight over who clears the counter and puts stuff away, and who sweeps the floor and wipes up anything sticky.”

“I’ll clear the counter and sweep!” Braden said.

“I guess I’ll put stuff away and clean up the sticky stuff then.” Trevor eyeballed the crushed peppermint disc and squished yellow gumdrop on the floor with a grimace. Luckily, they’d thought to banish their dog, Pepperoni, to the laundry room while they worked.

Braden’s suggestion wasn’t quite how Wade had planned the division of duties but as long as the cleaning got done, he didn’t care how it happened.

They’d only gotten a little cleaning finished when Braden let out an exclamation of delight.

“Hey! I know how we can fix the house!”

“A bomb might do it,” Trevor said drily, using a metal spatula to chisel the dried royal icing off the counter. “Or maybe not. This stuff dries hard.”

Wade laughed and loaded a bowl in the dishwasher. “What’s your solution, Braden?”

“You know those gingerbread dinosaurs I made?”

Chuckling, Wade nodded. They’d had some extra dough and Braden had insisted on using the dinosaur cookie cutters Wade had bought for Braden’s fifth birthday party, then stuffed in a drawer and promptly forgotten about.

“Yeah. What about them?”

“We’ll just set them up around the gingerbread house!” Braden propped up a T-rex on the foil-covered board they’d attached the house to. “And tell everyone the dinos destroyed it!”

Wade laughed. “I love that.”

“Trevor?” Braden looked at him hopefully, clearly wanting approval from his hockey hero.

Although the longer Wade and Trevor were together, the more Braden treated him like an annoying parental figure. Trevor had been delighted the first time Braden yelled at him and slammed his bedroom door in his face.

“Perfect.” Trevor grinned. “Great idea, Braden!”

Braden glowed at the praise. “Awesome. Gimme some more of that icing.”

When Trevor passed it over, Braden got to work.

“Wait, I have an idea too,” Trevor said, scooting forward. He pointed at the corner of the roof that had been broken off. “Let me see if I can put some little grooves in it and make it look like the dinosaur chomped it!”

Chuckling, Wade dried his hands and reached for his phone. He’d taken some pictures earlier, but he definitely needed to record this part on video and send it to Trevor’s sister, Nicole.

She was scheduled for shifts at the hospital over Christmas, unfortunately, but they’d already bought her a ticket to visit in January during a stretch of Trevor’s home games.

After Braden and Trevor worked their dinosaur magic, they displayed their creation to Wade.

He smiled at the sight and praised their hard work.

“It certainly does add a certain something to the look,” Wade agreed.

Was it a traditional, beautiful gingerbread house? No.

Was it absolutely perfect for his family? Yes.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them—plus the dog—sat down on the couch by the glowing tree they’d decorated yesterday and Wade queued up The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Wade pulled Trevor close and Braden wiggled into position between Pepperoni and Trevor, snuggling in. Trevor automatically draped an arm over his shoulder and Wade’s heart felt very, very full at the sight.

“Do we have our popcorn?” Wade asked a little thickly.

“Yep!” Braden held up a big bowl.

“Hot chocolate?”

“Got it!” Trevor lifted his mug.

“Perfect!”

Wade hit play and closed his eyes for a brief moment, soaking in the happiness and committing it all to memory. He’d had dreams about days like this. 

“Hey. You good?” Trevor whispered.

“Yeah, I’m good. This is going to be a great Christmas,” Wade said confidently.

Trevor shot him a soft smile and leaned in for a kiss.

Wade squeezed him tighter and smiled as he heard Braden’s delighted laugh. “Whoa, this animation is so cool! Why didn’t you show this to me before?”

There were already presents for Wade from his boyfriend and son under the tree and Wade was sure he’d love them, but this moment right here was everything he’d ever wanted for the holidays.

Time with his family. 

Enjoyed the story? Please leave a comment and tell me what you think!

CELEBRATE MY 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS!

Today is my 10 year publishing anniversary. It seems impossible that it's been a decade since I released my first short story but it's true!

I am constantly amazed by all you do to support me and my writing so to celebrate that milestone, I want to give back to you with 12 days of bonus short stories.

From now through Christmas Eve, I'll be posting one short story per day here on my blog.

I found some fun little holiday prompts to spark my creativity and had a wonderful time writing these stories.

Every day will feature a different couple and the stories will vary in length. They'll range from sweet to a little bit spicy and hopefully will leave you with a smile on your face and a warm feeling of holiday cheer in your heart.

Thank you for ten wonderful years!

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

DAY: One

CHARACTERS: Wade Cannon & Trevor Underhill + Braden Cannon

PROMPTS: Nightmare Before Christmas + Decorating a Gingerbread House

NOTES: This is set the December following the events in ,Breaking the Rules.

“I think we're in over our heads." Trevor wiped his forehead dramatically as he grimaced at the pieces of gingerbread house strewn across the kitchen island.

Smiling, Wade kissed his temple. "Nah. We can do this."

"Can we?"  Braden’s tone was doubtful."Yes." Wade clapped his hands, then rolled up his shirt sleeves.

"Now, c'mon. How hard can it be to stick some pieces of gingerbread together with a little frosting, guys?"As it turned out, pretty difficult.

None of the wall pieces were square and the frosting was pretty gloppy, so they’d had to prop the walls up with cans and mugs to hold them in place until they dried.

Now that it was dry, some pieces still listed a little drunkenly, the roof definitely wasn't level, and the chimney had slid halfway down and tilted to one side.

But hearing his son and Trevor laugh together, watching them playfully tease each other, seeing their heads bent together as they decorated the gingerbread house ... that was the magic Wade had been hoping for.

Not that it took holiday magic to get Trevor and Braden to get along.

But a former bad boy who’d spent a good chunk of his life pushing people away wasn’t the first person Wade would have pictured as a fantastic stepfather-type figure to a twelve-year-old kid who could sometimes be challenging.

But Trevor was so patient, even when Braden’s ADHD got the best of him.

 

Oh, he wasn’t perfect.

There had been a learning curve and a handful of missteps and some weird little issues that had cropped up. But Wade had never expected Trevor to throw himself so wholeheartedly into the role. 

And while they’d only been dating for about six months, Wade didn’t have a shadow of a doubt about Trevor being in this for the long haul.

“He’s staring at us with that look again,” Braden whispered loudly to Trevor.

“It’s like he loves us or something.” Trevor flashed Wade a bright smile and a wink.

Wade chuckled. “Something like that.”

“We are pretty loveable,” Braden said, gluing another gumdrop on the roofline.

“True that.” Trevor hooked his ankle around Wade’s and pressed their shoulders together.

“He’s pretty loveable too, though.”

“Yeah, he’s okay,” Braden said.

Wade sputtered. “Okay? Excuse you! I am better than okay!”

Braden giggled. “He did make us do this gingerbread house.”

“Oh, you mean the worst gingerbread house ever?” Trevor teased. “True.”

“Hey!” Wade protested. “It’s not that bad.”

“It’s pretty bad,” Braden said, still giggling. He held out the final gumdrop to Trevor, who stuck it on the top with a flourish.

“It’s … not great,” Wade admitted with a laugh as he surveyed the final effect. “We definitely wouldn’t win any contests or anything. But this was fun to do anyway, right?”

“Totally. Did you have fun, Trevor?” Braden asked.

“I always have fun with you guys,” Trevor said, straightening with a groan.

Wade stood and stepped behind Trevor, massaging his shoulders. He let out a grateful noise, sagging back against Wade.

It had been a rough first part of the hockey season.

The Otters were doing terribly and without the offensive powerhouse of Murphy, Lindholm, and Hartinger on the first line, Trevor and the rest of the D-corps were trying to make up for it with increased defense.

It was definitely taking its toll physically and mentally.

All Wade could do was give him a soft place to land at home. Which meant a lot of massages, Epsom salt baths, and letting Trevor vent when he needed to.

Although, Wade had also purchased a sauna for the basement of their home, which would be Trevor’s big Christmas gift this year. It would be installed in early January and should be good for his recovery and relaxation.

“Man, this thing is a total nightmare,” Braden said with a laugh as he surveyed the gingerbread monstrosity. “I can’t wait to show my friends.”

“Hey! Does that make it the nightmare before Christmas?” Wade teased. 

Braden just stared at him blankly. “Why do you say that like I should know what it means?”

Wade blinked at his son. “You don’t know that movie? How have I never made you watch that?”

“I dunno.” Braden ate a purple gumdrop. “It sounds weird.”

“You’ve seen it, right, Trevor?”

He glanced up. “Maybe? It sounds familiar but I’m not sure. It came out way before I was born.”

Wade shook his head, trying to ignore that he suddenly felt very old. “Well, if you two can bring yourselves to watch an old-time movie, we should do that today!”

“Sure,” Trevor said. “Let’s have some of that cheddar popcorn while we watch.”

“And hot chocolate!” Braden said, popping another gumdrop into his mouth.

Wade almost told his son he didn’t need any more sugar, then decided to hell with it. It was two days before Christmas. He should enjoy himself.

“Sure. Sounds good,” Wade agreed. “But we need to clean up first.”

“Aww, man,” Braden complained.

“I know. I’m the worst,” Wade agreed.

“I dunno. I kinda like you right now,” Trevor said, tilting his head up to look at Wade.

Laughing, Wade dipped his head and kissed him.

“Are you still going to love me when I stop rubbing your shoulders?” Wade asked, stepping back with one final squeeze.

“Love you? Yes. Like you? No.” Trevor stood, stretching his tattooed arms toward the ceiling.

“That’s fair.” Wade smacked his ass. “Okay, I’m on dish duty. You guys can fight over who clears the counter and puts stuff away, and who sweeps the floor and wipes up anything sticky.”

“I’ll clear the counter and sweep!” Braden said.

“I guess I’ll put stuff away and clean up the sticky stuff then.” Trevor eyeballed the crushed peppermint disc and squished yellow gumdrop on the floor with a grimace. Luckily, they’d thought to banish their dog, Pepperoni, to the laundry room while they worked.

Braden’s suggestion wasn’t quite how Wade had planned the division of duties but as long as the cleaning got done, he didn’t care how it happened.

They’d only gotten a little cleaning finished when Braden let out an exclamation of delight.

“Hey! I know how we can fix the house!”

“A bomb might do it,” Trevor said drily, using a metal spatula to chisel the dried royal icing off the counter. “Or maybe not. This stuff dries hard.”

Wade laughed and loaded a bowl in the dishwasher. “What’s your solution, Braden?”

“You know those gingerbread dinosaurs I made?”

Chuckling, Wade nodded. They’d had some extra dough and Braden had insisted on using the dinosaur cookie cutters Wade had bought for Braden’s fifth birthday party, then stuffed in a drawer and promptly forgotten about.

“Yeah. What about them?”

“We’ll just set them up around the gingerbread house!” Braden propped up a T-rex on the foil-covered board they’d attached the house to. “And tell everyone the dinos destroyed it!”

Wade laughed. “I love that.”

“Trevor?” Braden looked at him hopefully, clearly wanting approval from his hockey hero.

Although the longer Wade and Trevor were together, the more Braden treated him like an annoying parental figure. Trevor had been delighted the first time Braden yelled at him and slammed his bedroom door in his face.

“Perfect.” Trevor grinned. “Great idea, Braden!”

Braden glowed at the praise. “Awesome. Gimme some more of that icing.”

When Trevor passed it over, Braden got to work.

“Wait, I have an idea too,” Trevor said, scooting forward. He pointed at the corner of the roof that had been broken off. “Let me see if I can put some little grooves in it and make it look like the dinosaur chomped it!”

Chuckling, Wade dried his hands and reached for his phone. He’d taken some pictures earlier, but he definitely needed to record this part on video and send it to Trevor’s sister, Nicole.

She was scheduled for shifts at the hospital over Christmas, unfortunately, but they’d already bought her a ticket to visit in January during a stretch of Trevor’s home games.

After Braden and Trevor worked their dinosaur magic, they displayed their creation to Wade.

He smiled at the sight and praised their hard work.

“It certainly does add a certain something to the look,” Wade agreed.

Was it a traditional, beautiful gingerbread house? No.

Was it absolutely perfect for his family? Yes.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them—plus the dog—sat down on the couch by the glowing tree they’d decorated yesterday and Wade queued up The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Wade pulled Trevor close and Braden wiggled into position between Pepperoni and Trevor, snuggling in. Trevor automatically draped an arm over his shoulder and Wade’s heart felt very, very full at the sight.

“Do we have our popcorn?” Wade asked a little thickly.

“Yep!” Braden held up a big bowl.

“Hot chocolate?”

“Got it!” Trevor lifted his mug.

“Perfect!”

Wade hit play and closed his eyes for a brief moment, soaking in the happiness and committing it all to memory. He’d had dreams about days like this. 

“Hey. You good?” Trevor whispered.

“Yeah, I’m good. This is going to be a great Christmas,” Wade said confidently.

Trevor shot him a soft smile and leaned in for a kiss.

Wade squeezed him tighter and smiled as he heard Braden’s delighted laugh. “Whoa, this animation is so cool! Why didn’t you show this to me before?”

There were already presents for Wade from his boyfriend and son under the tree and Wade was sure he’d love them, but this moment right here was everything he’d ever wanted for the holidays.

Time with his family. 

READY, SET, GLOW!

Ready, Set, Glow! is live!

The latest release from Christmas Falls is a book by the fantastic Rye Cox!

There is nothing more annoying than Christmas...

I see the irony of being the owner of a Christmas tree farm and hating the very holiday that keeps my family business alive, but Christmas Falls takes this season way too seriously with their festive business names to the sheer merriment that envelops the entire town.

I'm no grinch, but I can relate to one being surrounded by all this jubilance. It doesn't help when a new part-timer joins the tree farm and is the very embodiment of joy, starting from his name—Felix Joy.

He's ten years younger than me, and I feel the age difference every second I interact with him. His enthusiasm exhausts me, yet I can't stay away, even if it means I have to deal with the ridiculous nickname he forces onto me.

He's melting the fatigue of Christmas, but I'll never admit it. I'm ready for all the blinding lights to come down, for him to leave, and to finally get some peace and quiet.

NO ELFING WAY

No Elfing Way is live!

The latest release from Christmas Falls is by the amazing Hayden Hall.

I'm your cookie-cutter villain...

Or that's the role Christmas Falls has given me.

I'm here to help my grandfather fulfill the crazy amount of orders his toy shop is getting. The company I work for would love to take it off his hands. And I want to see Grandpa Nicholas enjoy a few years without having to work all day long.

When I arrive in Christmas Falls, not only is Gramps adamant about keeping the toy shop, but he has already hired an assistant enabler who can't stand the sight of me. Ezra, the real world Santa's Elf, an unbearable bubble of Christmas tradition, a walking, talking cinnamon roll, is as delusional as Grandpa Nick himself.

Suddenly, I'm the villain of this Christmas story. Ezra challenges every smart decision I make and thinks I'm here to steal Christmas from the town's kids.

Convincing Grandpa to sell the shop and fighting Ezra at every turn is more than one guy can do alone. But maybe I don't have to. A temporary truce with Ezra quickly turns into a passionate and disastrous wildfire that will melt this winter's snowfall if we don't resist the temptation.

We come from different worlds: I have a life waiting for me in New York and Ezra lives and breathes small town charms. We are destined to fall apart, but that's not stopping me from dreaming up ways to keep Ezra with me for another minute. Or hour. Or night.

CLAUSING A SCENE

Clausing a Scene is live!

The latest release from Christmas Falls is by the fantastic Casey Cox.

I'm definitely on Santa's naughty list this year…

My agent calls me a PR nightmare, but I'm just trying to have some fun for the first time in my life. To clean up my supposed 'bad boy' image, I'm starring in a cheesy, live-action holiday rom-com set in Christmas Falls.

Ha, some punishment.

The head of the company producing the film is Hig Langdon, my best friend's dad, a.k.a. my lifelong crush. The most kindhearted and devastatingly handsome guy I’ve ever laid my eyes on. A sexy businessman and mountain lumberjack rolled into one. He can jingle my bells any time.

But this year, I want Hig to stop seeing me as a kid… Or his son's best friend. I'm an adult, and it's time for Hig to start treating me like one. And I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.

Clausing a Scene is low-angst holiday fun guaranteed to get you into the festive spirit. It's packed with holiday goodness as well as: my best friend's dad, age gap, snowed in, and first-time fun!