Page 63 of Love Legacy

“Fuck me,” Sage lets out with a loud moan, the climax rolling through her body as she comes undone.

I smile, pressing my lips to hers as she rides out her orgasm. Sage drops the toy to the bed and I grab it, turning it off before tossing it to the side. “That was intense,” she says, out of breath.

“That was hot to watch.”

“I’m going to miss you these next few weeks.”

“I’m going to miss nights like this,” I say with a laugh.

“Well, if you’re open to it, maybe we can have a phone sex date?” Sage asks hopefully.

“I think I might be open to it,” I say, my face heating, “I’ve never done anything like that before.”

“We don’t have to if you’re uncomfortable with it, just something to think about.”

I smile, pressing my lips to Sage’s. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“And I’ll be counting the days until I’m cuddling with you again.”

22

Sage

Ilove Christmas, or at least now I do. Christmases when I was little were great. We’d watch reruns of the old claymation holiday movies while sitting by the fire, drinking hot cocoa. Mom and I would decorate the tree while Grandpa mostly supervised, stepping in on occasion to lift me up and reach higher branches. Christmas Day, he and I would go out to the local hockey rink to go ice skating with Santa while Mom stayed home cooking Christmas Dinner: oven-roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy and a towering plate of warm, freshly baked biscuits.

It was simple, but it was perfect for our little family. Then Grandpa died and everything changed. Hot cocoa turned into regular milk, and the fireplace was boarded up because it was ‘too much to look after.’ Gone were our trips to pick out a Christmas tree in favor of a pre-lit, pre-decorated fake tree. Ice skating with Santa and home-cooked Christmas dinner became sad snowmen in the front yard and Chinese takeout. The year Grandpa died was the year that Christmas lost all its magic for me.

That is, until I ended up with the Davises. They brought so much joy back to the holiday season, making me look forward to Christmas rather than dread it. Their silly holiday traditions like matching Christmas pajamas for the family, or opening a small gag gift on Christmas Eve. Or spending Christmas day in our PJs, playing board games with Christmas music playing in the background. They gave me a completely unique holiday experience, unmarred by the negative memories of my childhood.

This year, elf was the theme for our matching family pajamas. We all got T-shirts with the body of an elf and our elf names printed on them and then paired them with matching red and green flannel pants and a goofy elf hat. Mel’s said “Mama Elf” and Ken was “Papa Elf.” Theia, of course, was “Smart Elf,” and my shirt said, “Gay Elf.” They gave me an option between Gay Elf and Tattooed Elf, but I loved that the Gay Elf was holding a little rainbow flag on the shirt.

The four of us were gathered around the Christmas tree, exchanging gifts. This year, we opted for a big family gift rather than our normal gift exchange. We all chipped in for a family vacation, a seventeen-day, one-way cruise to Europe scheduled for right after my graduation. When my parents present us with the cruise details, I notice that the reservation was for six adults, a three-bedroom suite.

I remember when we were researching the trips and comparing costs, it was cheaper to do a suite, especially when you factored in Mel and Ken’s loyalty program benefits. But I expected them to put Theia and me in a double room or something, not give us each our own room. “This reservation was for six? Would they not let you book a suite with a double? Or two single occupancies?”

Mel shakes her head, glancing over at Ken, who gives her a small nod. “We might have overstepped, but we wanted to extend an invite to Naomi and include her on this trip. And then we didn’t want Theia to be the odd man out, so we added a sixth adult to the reservation. For a friend. Or that secret boyfriend she thinks we don’t know about.”

Theia’s head snaps up. “Sage!”

I hold my hands up in defense. “I didn’t say anything!”

Mel rolls her eyes. “Please. Do you think we’re blind? You’ve been glued to your phone with that goofy grin permanently stuck on your face since you came home. I know it’s not whats-his-face, so there must be someone new in your life.”

Theia blushes when her phone pings, then pings again, her fingers flexing as if she’s itching to check the notification. “Okay, fine, you caught me. Yes, there is someone new, and no, youcannotmeet him yet. Things are still really new. I just want to get to know him a little more before I make the introductions with the family.”

I shrug. “For what it’s worth, I thought he was a pretty nice guy,” I mumble.

Theia smacks me on the back of the head. “Ow! What was that for?”

“Not ready to make the introductions, huh?” Ken asks, crossing his arms across his chest.

“It’s not like that, Dad. Sage and I just ran into him at the mall when we were doing our Christmas shopping, that’s all. I didn’tgo out of my way to introduce them, he stopped me. I promise I’ll introduce you guys to him onceI’msure about him. After everything with Aaron, I’m trying to take my time and make sure he’s a good guy.”

Mel’s facial expression softens, giving Theia a sympathetic smile. “Oh, honey, we completely understand. We just want you to be happy, right, Kenny?” she asks, giving him a pointed look.

He nods. “Absolutely.”

Theia smiles, giving our mom a side hug. “Now can we open these other presents? I know we said no gifts because of the big trip, but I got everyone something small.”

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