Page 20 of Home For Christmas

Declan’s large hand rubbed over my ass. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. Here, take some Advil.”

With my eyes pinched shut, I groped around until I found Declan’s hand and the pills he was holding. I swallowed them dry, only just noticing how awful my mouth tasted. “Did you let me lick an ashtray last night?”

“Colt and Greg are making breakfast. Bacon, eggs, and potatoes. Should be the perfect hangover cure.”

“How the hell are you not as miserable as I am?” I complained as I pushed the blankets off me. When had I gotten into this nightie? I ran my hands down my body, feeling the way the satin rubbed my skin.

I must have made a sound because Declan laughed. “Yeah, it wasn’t easy to get you into that thing. You were basically a giggly goofball last night but wouldn’t go to bed unless you were wearing it.”

I definitely didn’t remember that. “Can you pull the drapes shut,” I begged. I still hadn’t opened my eyes again, but the light filtering through my lids was more like a stabbing pain. After some shuffling around, the room darkened and I sighed as I cracked my eyes open. “Ugh, so much better. Thank you.”

With the light gone, I could finally focus on more than the stabbing feeling in my eyes. A train sounded from somewhere in the front of the house, meaning Derek was probably awake. I couldn’t help but wonder how it was that he was functioning enough to be playing with something that made noise. Voices were also filtering down the hallway, laughter mingled with talking. I must have been the last one awake. Growling and muttering to myself, I rolled out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. “Shower, then function.”

“Coffee will be waiting,” Declan told me, but at least he kept his normally drill sergeant-like voice to a whisper before heading out of the room. I sighed and continued toward the bathroom. Emerging from the room twenty minutes later, I was more awake and smelled a hell of a lot better than when I’d gotten into the shower.

I pulled on one of Declan’s sweatshirts that I found in the suitcase and a pair of sweatpants I was pretty sure I’d gotten in high school, not even bothering with underwear. The outfit had been worn soft over time and reminded me of being wrapped in a hug. Thanks to brushing my teeth and the mouthwash I’d found in the bathroom, I no longer felt like I’d swallowed ash, and with the Advil doing its job, my head was no longer at risk of splitting in two. That wasn’t to say I felt great, but I was certainly better.

I hadn’t realized just how late it was until I made it to the living room to find everyone else sitting around the giant table eating breakfast. How my brothers could drink like fish and look that fucking good in the morning pissed me off. Derek’s messy blond curls hadn’t been touched by the shower yet, his pajamas were still on, but he was sitting at the table with a sippy cup in front of him and a mountain of food on his plate.

Jasper and Harrison both had equally large portions of food, and my stomach hurt looking at it. Declan patted the seat next to him where a plate had been set out with a small serving of breakfast.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Derek teased.

“Morning,” I mumbled. Looking around the table, I could accept that we were the strangest group of guys I’d ever seen. No one blinked an eye at Derek’s plate, sippy cup, or the diaper that was obvious beneath his snug pajama pants. The elf slippers on his feet were a cute addition. Greg stuck out with the tattoos covering his arms, Declan looked out of place with his huge bulky muscles, and Colt towered over us all. And there I was, the petite guy who looked like he was playing dress up in the too baggy sweats. I had to look up at every guy in the family, and it wouldn’t be long until I was looking up at the kids as well.

I hunched over my plate, hoping the greasy goodness would do the trick and the remnants of my hangover would be gone before long. I’d inhaled half of the food before I spoke again. “What’s the plan for today?” We didn’t have to be at the airport until ten that night, and from what I’d understood, we were taking Jasper, Greg, and Harrison with us. Whirlwind trips were nothing new for any of us, but this one had definitely been rushed together.

“Kids are coming home around one.” Derek put his cup down and looked at his fingers. “I’m sticky, Daddy.”

Colt pushed his chair back and headed toward the sink. “You wouldn’t be sticky if you didn’t eat so much with your fingers.”

Derek had spent most of the breakfast dipping his bacon, sausage, and potatoes into the ketchup cup on the side of his plate. I was pretty sure I’d heard Colt say the same thing over and over again since the first time I’d met him. Derek had never been great at using utensils reliably. Growing up, our dad would lose his mind at how Derek picked at most things with his fingers. Once Colt came into his life, Derek’s constant need to pick at things made so much more sense.

Colt was back to wash Derek, and his cup, down. “You need to go get a shower, buddy.”

Derek nodded and headed out of the room without another word while Colt began cleaning dishes up.

“I can’t imagine being so comfortable in that outfit,” Jasper mentioned as Derek headed toward their room. There’d been a time that I would have been annoyed by Jasper’s statement, thinking that he was making fun of Derek, but today I knew he was simply stating a fact. Truthfully, I couldn’t imagine being comfortable in his pajamas, but I also knew he wouldn’t be comfortable in the satin nightie I’d woken up in. Our lifestyles worked for us, and while it had taken a bit of time for us to end up on the same page, we all accepted that there were different things that made us tick.

It took almost two hours for the rest of the group to shower and be ready for the day. Ready was clearly a loose term because none of us looked fully functioning. We had no real plans until the kids came home later, and I had to admit that I was excited to see my niece and nephews. Once we made it to the ranch, insanity would take over everything and getting any quality time with them would be like pulling teeth. Horses, cows, machinery, and Nana and PapPap kept them preoccupied. That being said, I would enjoy the quiet until they arrived.

“Have you all gotten decorations yet?” I heard Derek ask Harrison as I dozed against Declan on their super comfy couch.

“Decorations?” I mumbled through the fog in my brain.

Derek sounded closer when he spoke. “Jasper had no Christmas decorations.”

My left eye cracked open and I searched for Jasper. “How is that even possible? You are a Scott, aren’t you?”

Jasper was sitting on the recliner when I finally found him and I watched as he shrugged a shoulder. “Easy. I always went to Mom and Dad’s for Christmas. Why did my house need decorations?”

“Um, because it’s Christmas,” I responded, finally waking up more.

“Your point?” Jasper retorted. “My house was a bed and a couch.”

That would have been a terrible way to live so much of your life. “What about the last two years?”

Jasper shrugged. “Spent the first year here, then last year Harrison was on tour all December. The tour bus got decorated.”

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