Page 8 of Home For Christmas

Seconds later he was scurrying from his spot to where I was in the kitchen. I knew I’d made the right choice when I saw the broad grin around his thumb and the excitement in his eyes. “Ice cream!” he cheered as he hurried to the island and waited for me to slide the bowl over toward him.

Derek wasn’t one to inhale treats, and most of his ice cream had turned into a soupy mixture at the bottom of the bowl by the time he was done, but the blinding smile didn’t dim the entire time he ate his dessert. It was the perfect way to end a long, boring day at work.

As I washed his face and hands clean of the sticky remains, Derek yawned again. I definitely didn’t need to worry about the sugar keeping him up that night. It was barely nine and I was certain he’d be in bed by ten, without a care in the world. And while he dreamed of his brothers’ arrival and the fun they’d have together—more likely than not the mischief they’d cause—I’d hold him close while thinking about what needed to be done before Saturday morning.

Chapter 3

Derek

December 11th

Ellie had picked the kids up from the house shortly after they’d gotten home from school, and Colt and I had gone out to an early dinner in town—alone—and were finally back at home. I was sitting on the couch with my blanket in my hand and thumb in my mouth while I figured out where we’d take Jasper, Harrison, and Greg for their bachelor party the next evening. I’d gone shopping while the kids were at school and grabbed extra lube for the spare rooms while I was at the store so we were ready for the weekend.

I felt moderately bad for springing their visit on Colt earlier in the week, but it had been decided at the last minute and I knew that he was a natural worrier. He did the same thing every time someone visited the house. So if I hadn’t told him until everyone had tickets and I’d already called Zander and their third-in-command, Bennie, to see if they could cover his shifts this weekend, it was only to save him some stress.

The doorbell rang as I clicked on the link for Vortex, a popular gay club in the Nashville area. I cringed thinking about the first time Jasper had been to The Stick Pony with us back in Oklahoma. I hoped like hell this time would be more fun for him because no one should be miserable at a gay club. Then again, he’d hooked up with Greg for the first time that night, so it hadn’t been all for naught.

“That’s the contractor, buddy. Put your laptop away.”

I hated to admit it, but Daddy was right. We needed a place for guests to stay, especially my brothers. I loved them dearly, and even though it had been amusing the last time we’d heard Harrison, Jasper, and Greg having sex in the spare room at midnight, it had maybe been more than I’d needed to know about my best friend and my brother. I was just going to ignore the voice in my ear telling me that it was likely well-deserved payback for our many trips to Oklahoma and California. Though Dec and Ty’s house was big enough that we could have a sex party in the spare room and they’d never hear us.

Come to think of it, we were the only house that didn’t have a dedicated area for guests. Yeah, we needed to rectify that. I shut the laptop and left my blanket on the cushion to join Daddy at the door. Colt. To join Colt at the door. I repeatedly got myself into trouble when “Daddy” slipped out by accident. Thankfully, it was almost always around people who knew he was Daddy to me.

“Hey, Travis.” Colt greeted the guy as I made it to the door.

Travis was probably near Daddy’s age with a similar amount of gray hair. He had the same warmth and I liked him immediately. He’d done work on the house before but I’d usually been on tour or working, so I didn’t know him. He looked really familiar and I couldn’t shake the feeling I knew him already.

I took his coat and hung it up on the hook by the door while Daddy ushered him into the dining room. The table was plenty big enough to spread out on and the lighting was perfect. He’d also lit a fire in the small fireplace earlier so it was warm and inviting. The little Christmas tree in the corner reminded me that Jasper needed decorations for his house. I wasn’t going to have time to shop before they got here tomorrow morning, but I’d make some time before we left the next Friday evening.

“So, what are you looking for?” Travis asked us as we settled into the seats. I’d pulled my chair a little closer to Daddy’s and he’d wrapped his arm around me. It was going to be hard to focus on the task at hand instead of sinking fully into his embrace. I was already feeling closer to little than big after a week of adulting.

“Nothing too elaborate,” Colt started.

“Big rooms. Lots of soundproofing.”

Travis blinked at my bluntness but didn’t react negatively.

“Oh, and my brothers both like our bathtub. One room needs to have a tub big enough for three men.”

“Overshare, buddy,” Daddy whispered into my ear. And his calling me buddy wasn’t helping me stay big.

I looked over at Travis, who was fighting not to grin. “Oops.”

Travis waved off my slip. “It’s okay. I am not one to judge. My friends are in a ménage relationship. There’s very little you can say to shock me.”

“That’s where I know you from!” I yelped in surprise. “You were at the diner after the football game last month! You’re friends with Trent and Logan! Remember, Daddy?”

Colt dropped his head but patted my leg softly. “Buddy, company.”

I could feel the blush spread over my cheeks and down my neck. I’d gotten so excited I’d forgotten we had someone new in the house.

Travis was smiling broadly at us. “It’s okay. I’d overheard you that day. Your secret is safe with me.” Then he looked directly at Colt. “My boyfriend and I have an unconventional relationship as well. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Caleb would love getting to spend time with Derek at some point.”

My eyes went wide. Was he saying what I thought he was? I looked over at Colt to find him looking as surprised as me. “I was so tired after the game I must not have recognized you. But I think maybe we could talk at some point to see if Dare and Caleb have similar interests. It’s been in the back of my mind that it’s something he’d benefit from, despite it being a bit difficult to find people to trust. Hell, my deputy was on me earlier this week as well.”

I scrunched my nose up. How much did Zander know? And what had he been asking Daddy?

Travis nodded knowingly. “I get it. We can definitely talk at some point, but for tonight let’s get to these plans. Sounds like you two have a lot of ideas.”

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