Christmas Magic (Believe Book 2)

by Shea Balik

  Tim lived paycheck to paycheck. So spiriting him away from a day’s pay would impact Tim’s day to day life. Nick wished he’d thought of that before he’d arranged the day with Mr. Sullivan.

  “I’m sorry, Tim.” Nick hoped the sincerity he was feeling came through. “I should have thought about what taking you away from work for a day would mean. If you’d rather, we can do something on your next day off.”

  He’d been trying to make it better, but the red flush that crept up his neck and into his face told Nick he’d probably made things worse by bringing it up. The darted glances Tim shot his boss’ way confirmed his suspicion.

  Unsure what to do to help, Nick stood there lamely wishing he could start this day over again. Thankfully, Mr. Sullivan seemed to catch on to the problem.

  “Nonsense, boys. Tim is on the schedule and will be paid accordingly.” Mr. Sullivan rubbed a hand over his well-trimmed beard. “Nick has told me his plans for your date and I consider it directly related to your job.”

  Curiosity filled those blue-grey eyes, giving them a light that had been missing since Tim walked in the store. “What…” he started to ask before Mr. Sullivan held up a hand to stop him.

  “It’s called a surprise, Tim.” Mr. Sullivan chuckled. “I, for one, am not about to ruin it by telling tales. Now shoo. Both of you. Go have some fun and I expect to hear all about it tomorrow, Tim.”

  Instead of letting Tim continue to try and explain his reasons for needing to stay, Nick picked up the black tote, slinging it over his shoulder. Then he grabbed Tim’s hand and led him outside, happy to get the chance to give Tim a piece of his childhood.

  He tried not to take it personally when his attempts at small talk were met with one word answers or silence. All Nick could hope for was that Tim would change his tune when they got to the park and he showed him the surprise.

  “I’m so glad it finally stopped raining,” Nick commented as if he hadn’t noticed Tim’s bad mood. “I was afraid I was never going to have the opportunity to do this with you.”

  There was a subtle shift in Tim’s stride. Instead of being stiff and just far enough from Nick to touch, he softened a bit as the curiosity returned.

  Nick hid the smile that was trying to break free as he waited for Tim to break down and ask the question he was practically vibrating to ask. But his boyfriend remained stubbornly silent.

  Two could play that game. Well, not the silence part. Now that they were finally on their way, Nick was too damn excited to stay silent. But he could tease Tim with just enough information about their date to poke his curiosity until not even grumpy Tim would be able to keep it in any longer.

  “I swear it’s as if Mother Nature herself knew what I was planning and gave us the perfect day for it.” On their next step, Tim moved slightly closer but kept his lips sealed.

  That was okay. Nick had plenty more to say. “I just hope I have the stamina. I probably should have been doing more cardio in preparation.”

  Tim’s brows pulled together as his mind worked overtime to figure out what Nick was talking about.

  Too happy to keep the chuckle inside when he saw Tim open his mouth, then shut it swiftly as if suddenly remembering his determination to be mad at Nick. Not wanting Tim to think he was laughing at him, Nick added, “Not that a couple of weeks of cardio would help much when I’ve spent years sitting at desk.”

  That got him a sideways glance.

  “I wonder if one of those energy drinks would help?” Not that Nick was about to have one. Those things tasted awful and he wasn’t about to put chemicals into his body that ultimately wouldn’t do him any good.

  “Okay, seriously.” Tim stopped in his tracks, having finally given in to his curiosity. “What do you have planned?”

  Victory coursed through Nick’s body at having finally gotten Tim to talk to him. He wasn’t about to give away the surprise, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t celebrate the small win. He stepped closer to Tim until they were nose to nose and murmured, “I want to give you something special. I promise, you will enjoy it and with any luck, there will be plenty more surprises just like it in the future.”

  Then he leaned in to capture Tim’s lush mouth in a soft kiss. They were in public, so Nick kept it innocent but he did linger. How could he help it, when Tim tasted so damn good?

  When he was ready to pull away, he took Tim’s hand and pulled him along. “Come on,” he said with a huge grin on his face. “It’s time to go play.”

  CHAPTER 9

  “Play?” Tim asked even as Nick pulled him in a very fast walk toward Freedom Park.

  From the moment he’d been woken up at three that morning to fill in at the café, nothing today had gone as Tim had planned. He had hoped to sleep in a bit before heading to Klassic Toys. So, being woken up in the middle of the fucking night put him in a bad mood before the day had really even started.

  By the time he’d walked into the café, Tim had managed to put a smile on his face by thinking of the extra money he’d make. So when the first customer didn’t tip him, Tim didn’t take it personally. By the third one, he had found it hard not to chase them down and tell them he had bills to pay.

  If he had, maybe his bad mood wouldn’t have lingered. It didn’t help that instead of being first cut, Lindsay had whined to their boss that she had her period and didn’t feel like being there. Tim swore she’d used that same fucking excuse the previous week. She wasn’t having cramps, she was still hungover from a night of partying too hard. Bitch.

  It wasn’t until he’d left the café and thought about being able to create another window display to replace the train, that Tim finally had a genuine smile on his face. He loved Klassic Toys. If he had any experience with toys or kids, he would gladly have taken the full-time job Mr. Sullivan had offered and quit the one at the café.

  But his grumpy mood returned when he realized what Nick had done. The last thing Tim wanted was for Mr. Sullivan to fire him because Tim’s boyfriend wanted to go out on a date when he had to work. It wasn’t right – no matter what Mr. Sullivan tried to use as an excuse for allowing it.

  On the other hand, Tim couldn’t deny being curious as hell. Nick was constantly surprising him, in a good way. When he had no idea what to do when Mr. Sullivan asked him to design a window from something he remembered of his childhood, Tim had nearly had a heart attack.

  He’d been sure he would be fired when Mr. Sullivan realized Tim couldn’t do what was asked of him. Unless the man had meant for him to design a bedroom with a boy sitting on his bed bored out of his fucking mind.

  But Nick had gone above and beyond by giving Tim an experience he would remember for the rest of his life. He never would have imagined a rollercoaster could be so much fun. Or that he’d treasure the stuffed teddy bear Nick had won him playing that silly game where he hit some plastic animal popping up out of a hole.

  When he’d finished that window the following week, Mr. Sullivan wasn’t the only one with tears in his eyes. It was the first time Tim honestly knew what it felt like to be in one of the scenes he’d created, and he owed that to Nick.

  Which was probably why the hints of another surprise that could have something to do with the toy store piqued Tim’s interest when he should have insisted on staying at work. Who could blame him, after Nick had shown him a world he hadn’t even known enough to dream about, the last time he surprised him?

  Between Nick’s heart stopping kiss and his teasing tone when he suggested they go play, Tim couldn’t help the excitement that built within him. He was sure this was exactly how it would feel as a kid on Christmas morning. Well, for those who actually received presents, anyway.

  Giddy, he didn’t even bother to stop the laughter that spilled out as they started running once they’d entered the park. The sun was shining, the breeze blowing just enough on his cheek, and the sounds of kids playing only increased the joy that welled up within him, until Tim was sure he was floating across a grassy area of the park.


  Near a picnic table, Nick dropped the two bags he’d been carrying and turned to pulled Tim into his arms, spinning them both around. It should have been stupid and childish, but Tim had never felt freer than he did in that moment.

  He didn’t even care who was watching them, which considering it was a beautiful Sunday day, there were tons of people milling about. And when Nick kissed him, Tim threw his arms around Nick’s neck and kissed him back for all he was worth.

  He was too happy to be self-conscious. Not that he typically was anyway, but then again, he’d never had anyone in his life who’d wanted to show affection in public. It was a first for Tim and he was discovering he enjoyed being with Nick and not wondering if anyone was paying attention to them. No. Not giving a damn if anyone was watching.

  This was Tim’s life and if people didn’t like it, they could leave.

  “I can’t believe I’m finally getting to do this with you,” Nick said a little breathlessly from the kiss. “I’ve been planning it for over a month but something always seems to get in the way.”

  That was it. Tim was sure his heart was melting as it seemed to constantly do around Nick. The man was the most romantic and sweetest person Tim had ever known.

  Curious but also on cloud nine as Nick continued to hold him close, Tim smiled up at the man he was beginning to love. “Are you finally going to tell me why you dragged me here?” he teased.

  Nick grinned at him but instead of telling him, he let Tim go and reached for the black tote that he’d gotten from Klassic Toys. With a flourish that would put any magician to shame, Nick unzipped the bag and pulled out two plastic wrapped…

  Tim gasped. His gaze going from those packages to Nick’s beautiful brown eyes. “Are those…?

  He hadn’t believed Nick’s grin could get any bigger but it did as he nodded enthusiastically. “Yep,” he said with a self-satisfied tone. “Two kites.”

  Tears stung Tim’s eyes as his gaze returned to the brightly colored kites in the clear packaging. “You got me kites?” There were no words. No way for Tim to ever express…

  “I love you,” he blurted out without thinking. The moment the words left his mouth, Tim wanted them back, except… he didn’t. Not really. It was just that he hadn’t meant to say them so soon, but now that he did, he knew he wasn’t just starting to fall in love with this unbelievably kind and generous man, he was head over heels in love with him.

  Arms once more encircled his waist as lips pressed against his in a fierce, demanding kiss that had Tim panting when Nick pulled back. Those sweet brown eyes stared down at him with so much damn love, Tim knew what Nick was going to say before he said it.

  “I love you, too. More than I ever thought it possible to love another person.” Then Nick was grinning again. “Now, let’s go fly a kite.”

  ****

  There wasn’t a step of figuring out how to fly a kite that Tim didn’t thoroughly enjoy. From opening the package of the rainbow colored kite with its brightly multi-colored tail to tying the knot of the string onto the little loop so it wouldn’t float away.

  Tim had no idea just setting up a toy could be that much fun. But, even if it started raining right then, he still would have cherished the memory for the rest of his life. But it wasn’t raining. The sun was shining and the breeze was blowing. Perfect weather for flying kites, according to Nick.

  “That’s it,” Nick encouraged. “Run just a little further and then let go of the kite above your head so the wind can catch it.”

  It was like magic as Tim held tightly to the plastic holder with the string wrapped around it in one hand, while the other let go of the kite, just as Nick instructed. There was a tug on the string.

  “Unwrap more string so it can go higher,” Nick called out as he raced along behind Tim, his own rainbow colored kite just starting to lift into the air.

  Tim did as he said and sure enough, his kite went even higher. He was positive those around them were pointing and making fun of him while he ran, but in the end Tim didn’t care. That was especially true when he stopped, turned and looked up. His breath caught in his throat as he stared up at the bright colors dancing across the sky.

  The pictures he’d looked at to create his window display didn’t begin to convey the emotions of this moment. He could come up with hundreds of adjectives to describe what he was seeing, yet none of them would do this instance justice.

  “Hey.” Nick reached over and wiped a tear from Tim’s cheek. “You okay?”

  Tim hadn’t realized he was crying, nor could he find the ability to stop. “Yes,” he managed to say around the lump in his throat. “It’s just…” Words failed him.

  How did he explain exactly how truly special all of this was to him? It was as if Nick were giving Tim the childhood he’d missed, one piece at a time.

  Nick’s hand cradled Tim’s cheek as he leaned in and pressed a light kiss to his lips. They hadn’t been paying attention to their kites, which was how Tim learned they weren’t necessarily going to stay up for the entire day just because he’d gotten it airborne.

  Laughing they picked up their kites. “Come on,” Nick said. “Let’s go eat and then we’ll see if we can get them to fly again.”

  A part of Tim wanted to skip eating and try again to get his kite in the air, but his stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. The café had been busy that morning and Tim hadn’t had time to eat, so he was pretty hungry.

  He followed Nick to the picnic table and helped him to spread out the sandwiches, homemade chips, and drinks. When they sat down, Tim decided to sit next to Nick. He wanted to be close to the man who had given him so much.

  Putting a hand on Nick’s knee, Tim gave it a squeeze. “Thank you,” he said with as much love and sincerity as he could put into those two words.

  He knew he’d managed to say the right thing when Nick smiled at him like Tim had just given him a gift instead of the other way around. “You’re welcome,” Nick told him before kissing him again.

  CHAPTER 10

  After confessing their love for each other, Nick had made it his mission to give Tim the childhood he’d never had. Plans of going camping and making smores, or teaching Tim to ride a bike, or just playing board games all weekend long, were put on hold as they both had too much work to take any time off.

  For Tim, having an entire weekend off from all three of his jobs to go camping meant possibly not being able to pay his bills. As much as Nick wanted to offer to give Tim the money he needed, he knew his boyfriend was too proud to accept Nick’s help.

  Not that Tim was the only one working long hours. Nick’s promotion had him putting in even more hours than before to prove himself. Their free time was so limited they had begun dating through text messaging instead of seeing each other.

  If Nick wanted face time with Tim, he usually had to eat dinner at Rockin’ Robins one of the nights Tim was working. Unfortunately, that didn’t exactly lend itself to having a conversation.

  But it wasn’t until he received an unexpected call that Nick had realized just how bad things had gotten.

  “This is Nicholas Snow,” he answered his phone without even looking at the display to see who it was.

  “And this is Theresa Snow. You know? Your sister. The one who you’ve seemed to forget existed. Although, now that I’m here with an upset and crying Tim, it seems you aren’t aware that anyone but you exist any longer.”

  Nick’s wanted to groan at his sister’s theatrics. That was until he heard Tim’s voice in the background. “I am not crying. Don’t you dare tell him that.”

  But even somewhat muffled, Nick could hear that his sister had been right. Tim was crying.

  “Really?” Theresa said. “Then why are there snot bubbles coming out of your nose?”

  “There are not,” Tim said with as much indignation as his despair would allow. “You take that back.”

  Nick felt like an ass. Had he really made Tim cry because he hadn’t been around enough? They both had
to work too much. Nick assumed Tim understood that was the reason they hadn’t been on a date in… Nick glanced at his calendar and frowned.

  Had it really been nearly three months since their date with the kites? After that, it had been hit or miss on actually going out on a date, and those were usually rushed lunches in between one of them getting back to work.

  Nick blamed himself. Once more, he’d managed to be too engrossed in his work to notice he was letting someone down. Theresa had no trouble reminding Nick of his brotherly duties, but Tim apparently didn’t have that same compulsion when it came to dating.

  Since Nick’s promotion, it had seemed like there were a never ending string of new clients, many of whom were fairly large and requiring much of his attention. It made coordinating his and Tim’s free time that much more challenging. In the end, it had become easier to just text back and forth and see Tim whenever Nick could make it to the diner for a bite to eat.

  He’d been so focused on proving the company had been right to promote him, that Nick had left his personal life fall to the wayside once more. Even now, it was Friday at eight and he was still at work. Instead of going to the diner as he’d tried to do at least once a week, he’d forgotten the time and ended up working through dinner. Something had to give and Nick had to be the one to make it happen.

  “Where are you?” he asked his sister.

  “Rockin’ Robins,” his sister told him with a smile in her voice. “See you soon.”

  The phone disconnected. Nick shouldn’t be surprised that his sister had managed to manipulate him into leaving work. She had a knack for it. In this case, she was right.

  Nick had been working too much and not leaning on his team enough. He’d tried so hard to not be like Howard, who had used the team for his own gain, that Nick ended up still being a bad boss and not trusting that his team could help.

  That was going to change. Unfortunately, it would have to wait until Monday, but Nick was confident with their help, they’d be ready for Friday’s meeting with the new client even if he took part of the weekend off to spend with Tim.