“You might want to clean it off first.”
He finishes up with the table and is drying his hands, when Ben unhooks the plastic panels and they hit the floor with the clatter. From between two of them skitter two large black spiders. Alex leaps back with a sharp yell and shoves a chair between himself and the eight-legged guests.
“Get them out. Get them out!” He backs away when one turns in his direction. “Ben! Get them out.”
As if on cue, the kids all tumble into the kitchen as Ben scrambles after the spiders.
“Spideys!” Ally shrieks in glee and races after one.
“Spiders!” Jamie leaps to scoop up the other.
“Get. Them. Out.” Alex yells. Today is turning into the longest Christmas Eve in history and they still have bath time and stories to go. Lucy holds her arms up and when he obliges, swinging her onto his hip, she rests her cheek on his shoulder.
“Daddy, spidey’s go ou’side,” she murmurs in a sleepy voice. Jamie and Ben have succeeded in doing just that at last and are checking the rest of the panels for anymore intruders.
“Yeah baby girl, spidey’s go outside.” And stay there, he mutters to himself as he takes her upstairs for her bath.
♦ ♦ ♦
“Do you think they’re asleep?” Ben asks. Alex yawns and stretches, checks his watch, and nods.
“Lulubug was out before I even turned the light off.” Alex stretches his legs, so his feet are in Ben’s lap. “Ally didn’t seem too far behind.”
Ben jerks his head toward Jamie’s room. “How do you think he’s doing?”
“I’m pretty sure he knows about Santa.” Alex puts his mug on the floor then slides his arm under his head. Grins when Ben scowls. “He seems fine to me. He was having fun tonight.”
“You don’t think he wishes he was with his real family?”
“You’re my real family.” Alex drop his head back to look, upside down, at Jamie. Neither of them had heard him open his door or approach. “I know it’s not legal or anything and that technically I’m not really anybody’s kid, but you guys and the girls are my family.” He pauses, then chewing his lip adds, “and Leo.”
Alex stretches one leg out and snags a bean bag with his toes. Pulls it closer and looks back at Jamie.
“Come and sit down.”
As he comes around the end of the sofa, Alex is surprised to see he’s holding a large carton. Kneeling down, he puts it on the coffee table before slumping back into the bean bag. “I… I made you something.” He looks from Alex to Ben and back again, then runs his hand through his hair. He’s letting it grow out a little and it softens the sharp angles of his face. “I mean I got presents too but I made you something.”
Alex swings his legs around and he and Ben sit up, curious. They already have several of Jamie’s sketches around the house but whatever this is, it’s much bigger. Jamie continues in a small voice.
“When we were walking the other day, Ally found all these shells and I thought maybe they could be used to make something.” He carefully reaches into the box to remove its contents and set it on the table.
It’s a Christmas tree made from driftwood and shells, that stands about a foot high. The pieces of driftwood appear to have been bound together with fine wire and each ‘branch’ decorated with a variety of shells. At the top is a small sun-bleached starfish.
“Did you get the instructions online?” Ben asks, leaning forward to examine the tree. Jamie shakes his head. “You made it up out of your head? Man, my mom would have loved this.”
Beaming at the praise, Jamie’s shoulders relax, and the tension leaves his face. He doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to go to bed, instead sits and watches Ben examine the driftwood and shell tree. Alex checks the time again. It’s not yet nine.
“Why don’t you two find us something to watch and I’ll get some eggnog.” Ben looks up from the ornament, eyes hopeful. “Yes, and some cookies.”
When he returns, they’re still flicking through the options and bickering. Alex puts the tray down, vetoes Die Hard, and selects The Santa Clause. Grumbling, Ben sits back with his eggnog and nibbles on a cookie.
“Die Hard is totally a Christmas flick.” A fine shower of crumbs sprays from his mouth as he speaks, and Alex brushes them off his pants leg with a scowl.
“Eww, how old are you? And no, it isn’t. It’s a film that takes place at Christmas. Not the same thing.” He settles back, feet once more in Ben’s lap. “Besides, I am not spending tomorrow listening to you two quote Bruce Willis endlessly.”
By the time the film ends, Alex is struggling to stay awake. It’s been a long and somewhat tedious day and he’s warm and comfortable on the sofa, full of eggnog and cookies. Ben’s looks half asleep too, head lolling against the back of the sofa and one hand rubbing Alex’s foot.
“Well, there hasn’t been a peep from upstairs, I guess we can do their stockings.” Alex smothers a yawn with the back of his hand. He grins at Jamie over the top of his fingers. “You’ll have to go to bed too, buddy, so we can do yours.”
“Mine?” Jamie’s blue eyes widen in surprise. “I’m too old for that.”
“Not in this house, you’re not.” Ben stands and gathers the cups onto the tray. “Now scoot so we can get them done and so you don’t see Daddy kissing Santa Clause.”
Jamie groans and Alex bats Ben’s ass with a cushion. “You’re an idiot.” Standing, he pulls Jamie into a hug. “Go to bed so Santa can come.” Throws a warning scowl in Ben’s direction and mouths the word behave.
Jamie pulls away from him and turns toward his room, then come back, tiptoes and kisses each of them on the cheek.
“I love you guys.”
Ben chuckles. “What’s not to love? We love you back. Now go to bed.”
When the door closes behind him, Alex turns to Ben. “You’re a good guy for an idiot, you know that?” Ben smirks. “If we can stay awake, Daddy might actually kiss Santa tonight.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Alex is drifting off, sated and sleepy, when Ben groans.
“You okay?”
“I’ve just realized that in a few days we’re going to have dispose of that damned tree. What the hell are we going to do with it?”
“We?”
“Baby, come on.” Ben whines. “It’s huge.”
Alex sniggers and presses a kiss to Ben’s shoulder. “I know. I told you it was too big. But would you listen? No. You bought it anyway.”
“We had to have a tree.”
“I know. But did we have to have that tree? The girls would have been fine with one of the smaller ones.” Ben shifts against him with a sigh. “Sweetheart, it’ll be fine. Hell, I’m sure Leo’s dad would be happy to help you chop the thing up if it comes to it.”
“Yeah that would work. Chainsaw it into chunks.”
Oh great, now he can worry about Ben and a chainsaw. Pushing that thought from his mind, Alex closes his eyes again. “Stop worrying about it and go to sleep. The girls will be awake early.”
“I swear I’m never playing fetch with Dork Dog in the house again.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” Sleep is creeping back up on him again. “I love you.”
“What’s not to love?” Ben lifts Alex’s hand to his mouth and kisses it. “Merry Christmas baby.”
“Merry Christmas idiot.”
FIN
♦ ♦ ♦
BONUS STORY: WRAPPED WITH LOVE
(Jesse & Drew)
The flurries of snow aren’t bad enough to make driving impossible, but they are making it difficult. Too heavy to risk going fast, they’re not heavy enough to just ignore the last few things Drew needs to buy. He has almost an hour before Frank Johnston brings Jesse home from the farm and at this rate Drew is going to spend the entire time trying to get to the supermarket that’s only a mile from their house. Won’t there be enough chocolate tomorrow when their families get here? How badly do they really need extra cookies? Drew sighs. There will be so much choc
olate tomorrow Drew knows he’ll have to find inventive ways to hide the damned stuff. Hell, it’s going to take Ray, Erin, and Drew’s combined efforts to ensure Jesse doesn’t eat it all the minute he sees it. Even so, it’s Christmas, and a sugar rush is a small price to pay for making Jesse smile.
The lights at the entrance to the supermarket parking lot appear in the gloom and he turns in. It takes three complete circuits before he can find a space and of course it’s at the other end of the lot. Drew winds his scarf around his throat and makes his way to the entrance, trying not to slip. A trip to Emergency is not on his list.
Inside he sends Jesse a text, letting him know he’s at the supermarket and then one to Frank, telling him the same thing. Satisfied nobody will panic at his absence if they get to the house before him, he grabs a basket, takes a deep breath, and joins the crowd inside the store. He bypasses the cookie aisle and goes to the baking section, praying they still have the thing he’d seen in the flyer this morning - and that his guess that Jesse will love it is right.
The aisle is less crowded than some of the others but Drew suspects it’s because there is little left on the shelves and his heart sinks. He pushes past a couple arguing over bread mixes and scans the ransacked shelf for the thing. Midway along he sees them. Boxed kits for making Christmas cookies. Everything is included – ingredients, cookie cutters, and decorating supplies. Drew’s skills in the kitchen are limited to opening cans and ordering takeout. Jesse on the other hand is a reasonable cook and Brenda Johnston has recently started teaching him to bake. Drew’s pretty sure the only thing they’ll really make tonight is a mess but he’s also sure Jesse would love it.
“Christmas present for a future baker?” asks an older woman as she adds one of the kits to her trolley. “My granddaughter’s arriving in a few hours and I thought we could do this together.”
Drew smiles and gives her a shy smile. He doesn’t know why he tells her the truth, other than it’s Christmas and he wants to be like Jesse and believe that people can be good.
“It’s for my husband. He’s learning to bake, and I think he’d like one of these.” He bites his lip before continuing. “We’ll probably just make a mess, but he’ll have a lot of fun.”
If the woman finds it curious – or shocking - that he’s buying a child’s kit for his husband she doesn’t show it. Instead she pats his hand.
“That’s the spirit. You have a lovely time dear and Merry Christmas.” She starts to turn away, then looks back to add, “or holiday or however you celebrate.”
Unable to speak around the lump in his throat, he smiles again and nods. On impulse he adds a second kit to the first and makes his way to the cashier. What’s a bit more mess at Christmas?
♦ ♦ ♦
The lights are all off at the house, so Jesse knows Drew isn’t home yet. That’s good because it means he can feed Sadie and Scamp and maybe even have a shower before he gets here. Then they can spend the evening doing fun stuff. Hopefully he might even be able to convince Drew to open some presents. Tomorrow Mom and Dad are coming and so are Drew’s family. Jesse can’t wait to give Mandy her present. Sarah said it was okay to organize with Frank to give her riding lessons at the farm and she’ll be Jesse’s first real student. Frank will help him, but Jesse will be the one to really teach her to ride. Drew says it means they’re both teachers now and even though Jesse knows that’s not really true, it’s still a thought that fills him with so much pride and excitement he almost feels fuzzy. Just not bad fuzzy. Good fuzzy.
“Do you have your key Jesse?” Frank stops the truck and waits, hands on the steering wheel while Jesse hunts in his back pack for the chain with his keys. He holds them up with a triumphant grin and from the back seat comes an answering bark. Frank’s eyes sparkle. “Someone wants to go inside. Come on, get her leash and I’ll walk you both in.”
Jesse doesn’t need Frank to walk him in. He’s not a kid; he’ll be twenty-eight next year. And… he’s married to Drew. But Drew explained that Frank doesn’t do it because he thinks Jesse is a kid, he does it, so he can be sure everything is okay. Jesse isn’t sure there’s a difference, but he thinks he understands and if it makes Frank feel better then he doesn’t mind. Hefting his back pack over his shoulder, he gets out of the truck and opens the back door.
Sadie is nearly seven months old and nearly the size of a small Labrador already. She goes to work with Jesse each day and spends some of the day learning to be around people and animals and some of the day either in the barn or in the house with Brenda. Jesse’s favorite part of the week is on a Saturday afternoon when Drew picks him up. The two of them take Sadie and George – Frank and Brenda’s Leonberger – for a walk around the farm. If Jesse could find a way to teach Scamp to walk on a leash too, so she could go with them, it would be perfect.
He stops to let Sadie pee by the side of the path leading to the front door, then takes her up the steps, followed by Frank. Once the door is unlocked, he gropes for the switch to turn the lights on. Even though it’s not even four, it’s dark already. Frank says it’s the snow storm that’s coming and Jesse isn’t sure how he feels about that. Regular storms frighten him, but he’s never been in a snow storm, so he doesn’t know how it will be.
“Frank, are snow storms scary?” Jesse turns in the doorway. Frank nudges him inside, follows him, and shuts the door.
“We’re going to freeze out here on the porch.” Frank pushes the hood of his parka back and reminds Jesse with a hand signal to take Sadie’s leash off. “Scary? The wind can get a bit loud but they’re not like regular storms, Jesse. Are you worried?”
Biting his lip, Jesse gives a small nod. What if the storm hits before Drew gets home and it is scarier than a regular storm? What if Drew gets stuck out in it and something happens to him? Frank shrugs his jacket off and hangs it on the coat hook by the door.
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll stay with you until Drew gets home okay? Just in case.” Frank holds his hand out for Jesse’s coat and scarf. “Let’s hang this up and then we’ll feed your girls. If Drew’s not home by then, we’ll make some cocoa.”
♦ ♦ ♦
As they put the milk on to heat for cocoa, headlights sweep across the living room windows and Sadie rushes to the door, barking. Scamp shimmies up the pole to her cat cave and glares at the pup from its depths. Jesse hurries to grab Sadie’s collar and a blast of cold air hits his face when the door opens. When he and Frank left the farm, the snow had been light and fluffy. Now it’s heavy and driven; the wind is getting up and Jesse is glad Drew’s home.
Drew comes in, carrying a paper bag. Snow sticks to his ponytail and his glasses and Jesse can even see a flake on his eyelashes. How did it get there?
“You have a snowflake on your eyelashes.”
“Kisses please.” Drew leans forward to be kissed, then snakes his arm around Jesse’s waist. “Hi Frank.”
“The cocoa is ready, Jesse. You boys should drink it while it’s still hot. I’m going to head home while I can still get through.”
Drew nods. “I think that’s wise. It’s really setting in.”
Jesse glances over his shoulder toward the window. He doesn’t like the idea of Frank being out in the storm either. As if reading his mind, Frank pats his shoulder.
“I’m going to be fine. I’ve got good tires and I’m heading straight home. It’ll be slow, but I’ll be alright. I’ll get Brenda to text you when I get in, so you know I got there safe.”
Mollified, Jesse takes Frank’s coat off the hook and hands it to him. Frank takes it and puts it on, then opens his arms.
“Come here and let me give you a Christmas hug.” After a brief, hard hug Frank holds him at arm’s length. “Like I told you, the wind might get a bit noisy but there’s nothing really to worry about so I want you to have a nice evening with Drew okay? And I don’t want to see you out at the farm until the third, remember? You mind me now.”
“Yes sir.”
“Good man.” Frank gives
Drew a quick hug then grasps the door handle. “Merry Christmas both of you.”
Drew holds the door open while they watch him go to his truck and get in, then he shuts it and locks it. Jesse leans against his back, peeking over his shoulder, arms around his waist. As the truck disappears into the gray, he rests his cheek against Drew’s shoulder blade and smiles when Drew covers his hands with his own.
“Frank said snow storms are sometimes noisy.” He presses against Drew, seeking warmth and reassurance. It’s Christmas and that means presents and chocolate and lots of time cuddling with Drew. Sadie, and Scamp. He doesn’t want to spend it in bed and frightened.
“What if you spent it in bed with me?” Drew asks drawing him around so they’re looking at one another. Jesse thinks about this prospect for a minute.
“Well I suppose that would be okay. You’re sometimes noisy too. Especially when I - mmmfffff.”
The kiss is warm and tender, and Jesse can feel Drew’s smile in it. He’s still not sure how he feels about snow storms, but he knows how he feels about this. Slipping his arms around Drew’s neck he presses against him, deepening the kiss. Searches for the elastic holding Drew’s ponytail and tugs it free so he can bury his hands in the long tangles of hair. He makes a small whining noise when Drew breaks away.
“I have a surprise, but first you have to shower.”
Jesse remembers the bag Drew was carrying and looks around. “Surprise? Like a present? Can I have it?”
He makes a dive for the bag but Drew scoops it up and holds it behind his back. “Nope. Shower while I reheat the cocoa. Then food. Then surprise.”
“You’re bossy.” Jesse scowls. He doesn’t want to wait for his surprise. He wants it now.
“And you smell like cows. Shower.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Stepping into the shower, Jesse remembers he has a surprise of his own for Drew. The thought sends a little shiver up his spine and a wide-open smile spreads over his face as he pours shower gel in his hand. He had to get Jody to help him with it because he didn’t think he could ask Frank and Brenda with this kind of surprise. Or Mandy or Dad. Besides, Jody helped him with the one for Drew’s birthday, so it wasn’t quite so embarrassing. This surprise involves soft blue satin and bows, and Jesse hopes he chose right. The red and the black looked exciting on the website Jody showed him – certainly the man in the picture seemed excited to be wearing them and he’s never, ever admitting to Drew he looked at a picture of a man with a hard-on with Jody – but Jesse doesn’t think he’s ready for those ones. The pale blue ones seem… better. He washes his hair quickly, rinses off, and hurries out of the shower.
The Night Before Christmas: A collection of four short Christmas Eve stories Page 5
