Page 34 of Home For Christmas

“We can always go back and forth. There’s nothing to say we have to stay at Jasper’s or Mom’s,” Derek thought out loud. “But that being said, we definitely need stockings at both houses.”

Ty’s suitcase was filled with gifts for his brothers that he thought I hadn’t seen him pack, and I was certain none of them would want Marla and Brice to see them. So stockings at Jasper's was a must.

With our assignments given, Derek clapped his hands together. “That leaves you guys to get whatever it is you want… or just go eff around for a while.” Derek winked toward Jasper, who ended up turning an adorable shade of pink that had nothing to do with the cool air around him.

Derek looked at the clock on his phone. “Early dinner at four? That should give us plenty of time to shop and still miss the dinner rush. Hopefully, Daddy will be able to get his scone before then.”

Colt rolled his eyes, but I noticed that no one, not even their kids, blinked an eye at Derek’s casual slip of the tongue. We said goodbye as everyone began walking different directions down the block.

Ty and I stopped at the coffee shop and ordered a coffee. We’d gotten up way too early, and if we were going to survive a day of shopping, we were going to need the caffeine. As we stood in line, Mason became agitated and I scooped him up, offering him comfort as we waited for our drinks.

“Declan?” The deep voice from behind the counter sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place the face. It took me a few seconds to figure out the man at the pastry cooler had been the one to speak.

A hard look at his face and I started to put pieces together. “Joe?” Joe had been the quarterback of our high school football team. We’d never been as close as Ty and I, but he’d been close enough to call a friend through high school.

“Man, how are you?” he asked, coming around the counter and wiping his hands on his apron.

“Doing well, thanks,” I responded as I shifted Mason to my other side to shake Joe’s offered hand.

He looked between Mason and me, then over to Ty, whose attention had been turned to Meadow. “You look good.”

I smiled, a genuine one that reached my eyes. I glanced back over at Ty. His shirt had ridden up in the back and I could see a thin line of red trying to peek out the top of his pants. I tugged his shirt down slightly, and he ended up looking over at me, then to Joe. I watched his eyes crinkle as he tried to place the guy. “Thanks. Ty, you remember Joe from high school?”

Ty’s eyes widened in recognition as he stood up with Meadow in his arms. “Hey.”

I stepped closer to my husband, wrapping an arm around his waist. That time, Joe’s eyes widened, but to my surprise he smiled. “I heard you two finally got married—congratulations! Looks like you’ve got your hands full.”

“Finally got married?” Ty asked, confusion written all over his face.

Joe laughed heartily. “We all thought you two were together from freshman year. When it got out that you moved to California, we were certain it was to be with Declan. I can honestly say people were shocked it took so long for you to get married.”

I finally found my voice. “How the hell do you know all this?”

Joe grinned. “Mrs. Scott talks about you all the time.” He blushed slightly. “Not just you and Ty but all you guys. Here, let me get you guys your drinks and a pastry.”

He busied himself behind the counter, then he called something over his shoulder to the young girl working the register and guided us toward a seat near the back. During our impromptu coffee date, we learned that Joe had opened the shop a few years earlier, had recently married, and he and his wife were expecting their first baby—a girl—in February. By the time we left, I somehow had his contact info in my phone and he’d made us promise to give him a call next time we were in town so we could have dinner.

Ty smiled the entire way to the first shop, excited by how easy conversation had been with Joe. His happiness dimmed slightly as we started to shop; shopping with toddlers in tow wasn’t the easiest feat. Thankfully, Ty and I were seasoned veterans and had assistance from the double stroller Marla had remembered to throw into the back of the SUV. One day we wouldn’t need the clunky thing, but for the time being, I was thankful to have a place to secure the kids so they couldn’t wiggle their way out in the middle of a store. Meadow was well secured by just the waist strap, but we’d learned the hard way that our escape artist needed the full five-point harness secured at all times. A bag full of snacks, a few sippy cups, and a tablet with their favorite videos all helped ease the way.

We’d made three stops back at the SUV by three thirty—twice to put shopping away, the third time to change diapers. Thankfully, Meadow and Mason had both fallen asleep, and Ty and I were making our way toward the last store at the end of the block. “I’m jealous of Derek and Colt right now,” Ty said as he covered the kids up with a blanket he’d pulled from the diaper bag. “Their kids are past this stage.”

“It will get better. They’re still little. But the next stage will bring its own set of challenges. Think about Carter. He wants to run through every store, and he’s too big for a stroller. That is going to be Mace. He’s going to be a terror when we can’t strap him into a stroller. And there’s no ‘naptime sex’ for Derek and Colt anymore, either.”

Ty shuddered at my words. “Oh yeah, definite downsides.”

I leaned over and kissed his head before pulling the door to the shop open. It was an action I thought very little of in California and hadn’t even processed until I heard a disgusted snort from a customer inside the shop.

Even in a small town the size of Pleasant, we hadn’t met everyone. One glance at Ty told me he had no idea who the woman was either. “Sorry to offend your delicate sensibilities,” Ty remarked as he slid his hand into mine.

She huffed but left the store without another word. “It’s changed so much. I can see that and I know that. I’m not afraid to be gay in Pleasant anymore, not like I was in high school. Then we run into that.” Ty sighed as he looked around the shop. “It’s like a church threw up in here,” he whispered to me.

Looking around, I couldn’t say Ty was wrong. There were religious ornaments and decorations everywhere. I had no idea what to make of what I was seeing, but it wasn’t anything that looked like it would fit Jasper, Harrison, or Greg.

“Your parents would love this place,” Ty whispered, like he was afraid raising his voice might summon them.

I chuckled. He wasn’t wrong, though. My parents never liked the pomp and circumstance around the Christmas holidays, but I was willing to bet they’d been to this store if they knew about it.

“You know, Jasper’s more minimalist anyway,” Ty continued. “We’ve already bought a lot of stuff for him today. He might have a heart attack if we bring more Christmas stuff into the house. It already looks like Greg and Harrison have brought more changes to it than I ever thought he’d accept. His house actually feels homey now, and I can honestly say I never thought I’d see the day. He’d been living there for years before he even had a guest room, and I think that was only because Kayla moved in.”

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