Page 9 of Mistletoe and Mayhem
“Merry Christmas, Ozen,” Avery whispered against his chest.
Ozen smiled, kissing the top of his mate’s head. “Merry Christmas to you, my love. And thank you.”
“For what?”
“For giving me the greatest gift I could ask for.”
Avery hummed, nuzzling his chest, a yawn escaping him as he asked, “You mean the adoption thing?”
“No. I mean being mine.”
He was pretty sure Avery had fallen asleep before hearing his answer, but he didn’t mind. He was just happy to cuddle. It wasn’t until Avery groaned and poked his side that he realized he was wrong. He jumped, surprised.
“Ozen! You promised!”
He barked out a laugh. He got the feeling Christmas was going to become his favorite holiday.
Story Two - Yuletide in the Peaks
CHAPTER ONE
“Merry Christmas!”
Isaac blinked in surprise, accepting the box from Avery as he sat down across from him in the cafe. They’d said they would meet up for lunch, but never said anything about exchanging gifts.
“What’s this?” he queried, looking over the red and green plaid paper with the big bow on top.
Avery was busy unlooping an incredibly long scarf from his neck that Isaac eyed with some jealousy. It looked warm, and it was freezing outside today. He folded it as he explained, “It’s a human custom for this time of year. We give gifts to the people we care about.”
“Aw, Avery. You shouldn’t have,” Isaac cooed, then glanced at the box again, an eager grin spreading across his face. “Can I open it?”
Avery waved him toward the box with a laugh. “Go ahead! I hope you’ll like it.”
He tore open the box with gusto, gasping at the set of books inside. “They’re so pretty! What are these?”
“Special editions of my book,” he replied sheepishly. “You’ve always been a big supporter of mine, and I thought you mightlike them.” He shrugged awkwardly, a flush overtaking his cheeks.
Isaac wasn’t sure why he was embarrassed. They were amazing gifts. Both books were hardcovers, with new covers and gold foil lettering. And when he turned it over, he squealed. “They’ve got sprayed edges!”
The more excited he got, the more Avery relaxed, snickering as Isaac hugged them to his chest. “Yeah, that had been a fun surprise for me, too. My agent mentioned it, and I said I liked the idea, but I hadn’t realized she took that as consent and ran with it. They’re kind of pretty, though.”
Pretty was an understatement. The edges matched the original color covers, with silhouettes of the characters in gold.
“Avery, this is amazing. Thank you so much.” He glanced down at the books, then back at his friend, frowning. “Now I feel bad. I didn’t bring you anything.” He winced at the reminder. “I haven’t done my gift making yet.”
Cocking his head, Avery asked, “Gift making?”
As he carefully set the books back in the box to keep them safe, he explained, “I don’t celebrate Christmas. That’s a human thing. But there is a gift exchange for the Yule holiday my family always celebrates. It has to be hand-made, or with your magic, and nature-based. I usually make spell bags, but I just realized I haven’t even started yet. I’ve been busy…”
Graduating from his law program and passing the bar had only been part of it. Once he started working with Maverick as a junior partner, he hit the ground running with his career. He understood better why Maverick was such a grouch all the time. He was busy!
“That’s okay,” Avery shrugged, unconcerned. “I didn’t really expect you to get me anything anyway. Ozen suggested celebrating the holidays this year the way my family would have,and gift-giving was part of that. I just wanted to get things for my friends.”
Well, that wouldn’t do. Avery was a sweetheart and a great friend. He deserved gifts, too. In all honesty, Isaac had forgotten entirely that the holiday was even approaching. He glanced at his phone for the date and blanched.“Oh, gods.”
“What? Do you need to head back?”
Isaac shook his head, still staring at the screen. “I just realized what today is. I haven’t even started on my gift making, and I’m expected to visit Maverick’s family at the end of the week.” He looked up at Avery, wide-eyed. “I don’t even know what to make for them!”
