Page 25 of A Surprise for the Holidays
AJ snorted, and grinned at his…boyfriend? Partner? “You heard our princess,” he joked, though his voice was thick with emotion.
Bailey leaned in and pressed their lips together. They kept it G-rated, mindful of the sharp stare of the five-year-old in their presence, but AJ didn’t think he’d ever shared a more loving kiss with anyone before.
“Yay!” Ava cheered. “Now can we eat, daddies?”
Bailey chuckled wetly and pulled away first, and AJ caught the sheen of moisture in the younger man’s eyes. “Let’s eat, princess. Merry Christmas.”
“Jesus Christ,” AJ moaned, and Bailey laughed wickedly. “I’m too full. I can’t take any more.”
“Pity,” his young lover teased, “I guess I’ll have to take care of this by myself, then.”
“What about me?” Ava’s voice pitched even higher than usual with indignation. “I want pudding, too!”
Bailey sighed and set the enormous confection he’d created down on the tabletop. It had been cleared of their lunch feast, and AJ worried that he’d need to be rolled back inside by the time the whole celebratory meal was over.
“I guess I’ll share with you,” Bailey said to Ava, as though he was being quite put-upon. “But only because you’re so sweet.” She giggled and he winked, then asked, “Have you ever had pavlova before?”
She scrunched her little nose and shook her head.
Bailey practically bounced on the balls of his feet. “You’re gonna love it. It’s a meringue —I’ve made this one nice and crispy on the outside, with a good bit of chew in the middle and a little bit of softness, too— and it’s covered in whipped cream and topped with fresh fruit.”
His description was perfect for what sat in front of them. The fruits he had chosen appeared to be chunks of mango, kiwi fruit, strawberries and blueberries, with a drizzle of passionfruit over the top. AJ had to admit, it did look visually appealing; bright and summery. And, when he took a forkful and put it in his mouth, he had to admit that the explosion of sweet and tangy flavours and variety of textures worked well together. It was a light, cool, refreshing dessert — perfect for the summer heat.
“It’s yummy,” Ava declared around her own mouthful, before digging into her serving with gusto. “Can Lulu have some?”
“Nope,” Bailey answered with a rueful shake of his head. “All that sugar and cream isn’t good for cats. But I did bring some kitten-safe milk for her. You can give her a little bowl of that later.”
AJ sat back in his chair and watched the pair of them interact, his heart as full as his belly. A salty breeze drifted in from the nearby ocean —sadly his home was not close enough to see the beach, but it was close enough to catch the ocean winds— and it tempered the humidity of the day somewhat. He was startled to realise that he’d almost grown accustomed to the discomfort of the Queensland summer heat. He still loathed it, but, as he sipped at his refreshed glass of wine, he had to admit that aChristmas like this was better than freezing his bollocks off back in London.
And…huh.He hadn’t thought of London as ‘back home’.
A giggle from Ava, matched by Bailey’s own rich chuckle, gave him an answer as to why.
Thiswas his home now.
The humidity, the flies, the stretches of rainy weather which did absolutely nothing to temper the heat or mugginess, and the bizarre sensation of listening to songs about snow during a heat wave…none of that mattered when he felt happy and content for the first time in his entire life.
“So, I was thinking,” Bailey’s musings pulled him from his reverie, and he lazily offered his young lover his attention with a tilt of his head, “wanna go to the beach tomorrow? Boxing Day on the beach is kind of a thing for me. My family always does Chrissy at home, then Boxing Day on the beach…when the weather is good for it, anyway.” He ducked his chin. “I’d like to go for a bit, just to feel like I’m with ’em, y’know?”
“Of course,” there was no question about it. AJ smiled. “Maybe we’ll pack a picnic from the leftovers and make a day of it.”
The discomfort he’d face in the full heat of the sun and the ick of the sand was well-worth the beaming look of adoration his answer earned him.
Yes, this had definitely become his home.
Later that night, after Ava was tucked into bed with a purring kitten curled on top of her gently rising and falling belly, AJtugged Bailey against him in his own bed and kissed him sweetly on the lips.
They’d shed their clothes, but there was no rush to the finish line for them this time. They had expressed their love for each other and were going to make a relationship work. How, exactly, was yet to be determined, but AJ had enough money saved from his professional career that, if he was careful with it, he’d never have to work again. If it came to it, he would choose actual retirement over letting Bailey go in a heartbeat. But that was something they would work out later.
For the moment, he wanted to revel in having his cake —no, having his pav— and eating it, too.
“I never thought I’d have this, you know,” he said after they’d exchanged a new round of lazy, sweet kisses.
“What? A boyfriend? Because, yeah, I figured you thought you were straight.”
Thrilling at Bailey so easily calling himself his boyfriend, AJ almost missed the rest of his reply. He snorted. “Well, that too, I s’pose. But I meant…this.” He waved his hand around the air above them vaguely. “A family of my own, outside of my nieces and nephews. Love. Domestic fucking bliss. The whole shebang.”
Bailey rested his head on AJ’s shoulder and nuzzled. “But you do.”
