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It made sense then why they had the energy to put together such a display, but maybe as they got older they’d slow down a bit.
By the time my toes felt like they were about to freeze off, Leah was ready to move on to the next house. After we’d walked a few more blocks, everyone was tired of the cold, so we headed back to the house.
Leah skipped ahead of us, oblivious that Austin and I were walking side by side. Her brother kept playfully bumping into my shoulder, I kept tossing him a smile every time he did it. If she looked back and saw us, there was no way that she wouldn’t suspect that something was going on, but at that point, I didn’t give a fuck. I was just happy that things were finally not so tense. That I could breathe and enjoy my trip without the risk of her ripping my head off.
Chapter 17
Austin
Christmas morning at the Bennett house was chaos. Well, it was always chaos.
When we were kids, Leah and I would wake stupidly early, then get Mom and Dad. Now that we were all adults, we all understood the importance of sleeping in. Me, especially because of the man next to me.
Last night felt special. I’d liked taking him for our Christmas Eve walk. Watching his eyes light up as we walked down the street and took in all the decorations was almost better than seeing all the lights. My only hope was that it was something that we could do year after year, that we would have a chance to. That my family wouldn’t betoo upset when they realized that I’d stepped in when my sister ended her relationship.
“Merry Christmas.” Jeremy’s voice was thick and scratchy with sleep, and I rolled to place a kiss against his lips, loving the feel of his light stubble against my face. I liked guys with a bit of facial hair, and maybe if I asked him, Jeremy would grow his out.
But there I was getting ahead of myself again when we still needed to talk about what happened when all of this was over and he was able to leave and go home. There wasn’t a way for me to uproot things in California. I hadn’t a clue if Jeremy would come back from New York. There was a reason he left.
“Good morning. Merry Christmas to you as well.” I mumbled before slipping out of the bed. My arms lifted above my head in a stretch, causing my back to pop a few times. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as I crossed the room and grabbed a change of clothes for the day.
The pressed dress pants and ugly Christmas sweater were fun, but they were for later in the day. Christmas morning was about staying in your pajamas and reliving the magic. Even if things hadn’t felt so magical the last few years.
I gave Jeremy one of my extra hoodies which he took it with a smile, pulling it over his head. It was a little tight onhis bigger frame. I liked it. It matched his flannel pajama pants. We left the room to see if the rest of the family had gotten up yet.
When we got to the bottom of the stairs, it didn’t look like anyone else had been up. I led Jeremy into the kitchen, and we brewed a pot of coffee while we waited. After Mom got up, she’d normally make a small breakfast then we’d snack through the day until it was time for her Christmas feast.
We weren’t by ourselves for very long before Leah joined us. The night and day difference from the day before was a relief. While I didn’t expect them to be best friends again, it was nice to see Leah give Jeremy a smile instead of a biting remark. She quickly made her own cup of coffee before disappearing into the living room with it to sit by the tree.
The lights flickered on and cast the other room in their magical glow. That was one of my other favorite parts of Christmas. It didn’t seem to matter how much of a bad mood you were in—there was just something special about sitting near those glowing lights that made everything better.
We all sat around the tree sipping our coffee until Mom and Dad finally joined us. Leah sat on the floor and started handing out gifts. Jeremy still seemed a little tense, but relaxed a bit when she handed him one from her.
Paper went flying around the room as we all excitedly ripped into our packages.
Mom loved the new coffee mug that I’d gotten her. She had a collection she’d been building since we were kids, from different places. When I took a trip to San Diego earlier in the year to experience a Pride event in SoCal, I’d gotten her one to add to her collection.
Dad had gotten a new Leatherman pocketknife from Leah. He had a few of them at this point, but he was always the hardest person to shop for. If there was anything we knew, however, Dad had that thing strapped to him at all times, and it was always handy. It could always use an update every so many years so he always seemed pretty happy about it.
I’d gotten a newNerds Do It Bettert-shirt from Leah. She thought it was funny that I was so involved with software design. I liked tinkering with different programs, and she’d always called me a huge nerd. The title was something I’d always worn with pride, and over the years it’d become a joke between us that I was going to remain single forever because no one wanted to date a nerd. If only she knew the truth.
We all stared as Jeremy pulled back the paper on his present from Leah. It was so quiet in the room, you couldhear a pin drop. With the way Leah had been so upset, it was a wonder she’d gotten him anything at all.
It was a new watch with a blended gold and silver wristband. He held it up and admired it before looking at my sister. She merely shrugged before going back to handing out more gifts.
Jeremy’s eyes widened as he set his watch next to me before he stood from the couch.
“I forgot something upstairs.”
He rushed off before anyone could stop him. Mom and Dad had gotten him something, and so had I, so we ended up just setting the gifts in his spot until he came back. He had something stuffed inside my hoodie pocket when he returned, a flush painting his cheeks. My curiosity was piqued, and I wanted to know what he’d brought back with him.
We opened the last of the gifts. I ended up with a few new books, some more clothes, and Mom and Dad splurged and bought me a new laptop for work. It wasn’t something they could normally afford, so I was very thankful.
Leah got a pretty necklace from Jeremy. She’d smiled so big when she’d opened it, immediately removing it from the packaging and putting it on. It was a small rose pendant with a pink gem of some sort in the middle of it. Theway it had made Jeremy smile made something melt in my heart. Maybe it was a little odd to get butterflies because my sister did something to make him happy... but weird twin things... remember.
By the time everyone had opened everything, Jeremy still hadn’t pulled what he’d gotten from his pocket. I prodded his shoulder as Mom got up and went to the kitchen, Dad following her. “What did you have to rush off for?”
The blush came flooding back, racing from his cheeks down to his neck. “I didn’t get the chance to wrap my gift for you.”
