Page 43 of A Very Oceanport Christmas
It really was, wasn't it? I tipped my head back to gaze up into the gray and darkening sky. "What do you want for Christmas?" I asked Aiden. "If you could have anything?"
David's words replayed in my mind, from when he'd told me whathewanted for Christmas.
You and a blowjob.
The memory made me snicker, in spite of my dark mood. Apparently it didn't matter that David and I stood at a crossroads. My memories of him still made me smile.
"If I could have anything?" Aiden asked. "Huh...I guess I'd ask for a ton of cash."
"Sounds about right." If you'd asked me last year, I'd probably have given the same response. This year, though, all I wanted was a life with David.
The sky opened up a bit, and snowflakes started to drift toward the earth.
I caught one on my tongue.
* * *
We werein the middle of dinner when someone knocked on the door. Rogue had been curled up under the table next to my legs, but now she shot out into the hallway, barking excitedly. Pancakes--Griff and Dean's yellow terrier-mix--did the same. Dean looked around the table while Griff got up to quiet the dogs. "Are we missing anyone?" Dean spoke up.
"I don't think so," Jake said, sitting across from me. Next to him, Conner looked at me. "Did you invite your boyfriend?"
My mouth formed a silent O. Could that be David at the door? Had Santa been listening when I'd sent my wish toward the sky?
Immediately, I chided myself for the thought. It was fine for the children to believe in Santa, but I was too old for that.
After a moment, Griff came back into the room. "It's for you," he said, looking at me.
As it turned out, it really was David after all.
He stood by the door, studying the ridiculous Christmas sweater I was wearing as I approached. I might not have been in the mood to celebrate, but nothing could have stopped me from putting on the sweater my dad and I had picked out at the paternity store. It didn’t feature a reindeer but a gingerbread man and the writing:There’s a cookie in this oven, across my belly. Super cringy and perfect.
"Like what you see?" I joked, trying to keep my voice light even as my heart squeezed painfully at the sight of him. He looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, and I knew exactly what that felt like.
"Always," he said, and the tone of his voice infused me with even more warmth than the cup of cocoa could ever have hoped to manage.
"Would you like to come in?" I asked, glancing back into the house. Yeah, we'd fought, but whatever. He was still my best friend and I'd invited him to this dinner. I'd wanted him here. I still did. "We've already started eating, but I'm sure there's enough food left over. Uncle Dean's roast is amazing," I added, even though that kind of went without saying.
"No, I..." David licked his lips. "I was hoping you could come with me."
I shot him a questioning look. "Where do you want to go?"
"I need to show you something." He paused. "I should probably have waited, but... I couldn't. I get it if you'd rather spend the night with your family. I just needed to see you."
"Go with him," someone urged me on. I turned to see Mary at the foot of the stairs. She grinned. "The adults are starting to get into the eggnog so they won't miss you for long anyway."
I smiled back at her. "Drink one for me too."
"You betcha."
I turned back to David. "I guess I have a little time."
David started to offer me his hand, then paused, as if suddenly uncertain. I reached out and grabbed it. There was still some light snowfall going on around us, the flakes melting as they touched our skin. But with my hand in David's, I didn't notice the cold at all.
"Let's go," I said.
He nodded and led me to his car.
Whatever he wanted to show me, I couldn't wait to see it.
