Page 3 of Dragged Home for Christmas

“I’m telling you now, aren’t I?” Dad remonstrated.

“Fat lot of good that does!” Rage surged through him. But he wasn’t sure what angered him most—that no one had told him or that he hadn’t even noticed.

“You should have said something,” he ground out.

“Mike—”

“No! You can’t just brush him away.” Anger gave way to calm. “Look, I don’t know what happened between you two, and honestly, I don’t give a crap. I really liked him. He was funny, loud, annoying, but he had the kindest heart of anyone in this family.” Mike stood. He headed into the hallway where he took his jacket from its hook, then returned to the living room and grabbed a hip flask from the bar setup.

“I need to go for a drive. I’ll be back later.”

“Mike,” his mom called out.

He wasn’t ready to listen right then. He stormed out of the house, got into his Jeep, and headed down the street toward the park. When he got there, he reached in his jacket for the flask. Bourbon wasn’t his first choice for alcohol, but it would do. There was only enough for a few sips, so he wouldn’t get drunk or even a little tipsy, but it warmed him from the inside out.

He stared out of the window at the lightly falling snow.

“Why am I so angry?” he asked the snowflake that had splatted against the windshield. “It’s been so long since we last talked, Uncle Nick. I haven’t seen you for seven years, haven’t heard from you in that long either. How could I forget you, the guy who gave me my first sip of beer? Who didn’t tell anyone when I took one of your porn mags? You were like a cooler, older big brother. And I…” He scrubbed a hand over his cheeks, wiping away the tears. “I fuckingforgotabout you. I was too busy with my own fucking life.”

He held up the flask. “To you, Uncle Nick.” Then he drained the rest of the contents.

He knew he should go home, but it was peaceful here. Quiet. He also knew his parents well enough to realize they wouldn’t tell him what had happened. It was nothing to do with Uncle Nick being gay, that he was sure of. His parents had been cool when Mike had come out. No, there was something else. But secrets seemed to be the stock-in-trade of the family. Hell, no one had told Uncle Jimmy that Little Jimmy wasn’t his kid until his wife was on her deathbed.

But Uncle Nick? He was always special. And Mike would miss the fuck out of him.

Chapter 2

January, 2024

“Did I tell you I got anotherthanks but no thanksletter from my latest job application?” Ashley called out from the kitchen area. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee reached Mike’s nostrils.

“Be grateful you havesomework.”

She snorted. “Stuffing letters into envelopes and leaflets into mailboxes is not my idea of work, but at least it keeps the wolf from the door. Except I can still hear him. He’s been sniffing around a lot lately. I think he’s getting hungry.” She walked into the living area, two cups in her hands. “You know what really burns me? All these marketing jobs I apply for, I see the stuff these companies put out, and it’s total crap. I could dowaybetter than their pathetic efforts.”

“You haven’t said as much in an application or an interview, have you? Because that might account for the lack of success,” he teased.

Ashley flopped onto the couch beside him. “Gee, why didn’t I think of that?” She stared into her cup. “You know, it all seemed so simple back in college. Study. Get a degree. Get a job. A career. I did the first two steps—andworked my ass off, thank you very much—so why does the next step keep eluding me?” She scowled. “I should’ve done what Penny Greene did, and found myself a rich man to keep me in furs, dripping with diamonds, and take me on a cruise four times a year.”

Mike chuckled. “And that’s all she was good for, remember? She had the personality of lint, no sense of humor, but she had—”

“Big tits,” Ashley interjected gloomily. She put down her cup and grabbed her chest. “Maybe that’s where I’ve been going wrong. Maybe if I get myself a bit more cleavage, and—”

“Ash.” Mike leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “You are perfect just the way you are. And one day, someone is going to realize what an asset you’d be to their company, and hire you in a heartbeat.”

She smiled. “Andthisis why you’re my best friend. You’re up to your eyeballs in shit, but you still find time to try and raise my spirits.”

“You and me against the world, right?”

It had been like that since they were in college. They’d remained friends, and when it turned out both of them were struggling financially, Mike had suggested they share an apartment. So far it had worked out pretty well. There had only been that one time when either Mike had forgotten to use their signal system, or Ashley had forgotten to check her messages. She’d come home unexpectedly, and learned more about gay sex than she’d ever wanted to.

After that, there were no more slip-ups.

Mike picked up the pile of envelopes he’d collected from the mailbox in the lobby, and sifted through them, his heart sinking with every glance. “Bill. Another bill. Stuff for recycling.” He paused at the long white envelope markedJasper Hopkins - Attorney at Law.“Uh-oh.”

“What’s that?” Ashley peered at the envelope. “Jasper Hopkins? Nowthere’sa name. He could’ve been a passenger on theMayflowerwith a name like that.”

Mike opened it, unfolded the heavy sheet of paper, and scanned it. The breath caught in his throat. “Oh my God.”

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