by Christi Snow
“Oh?” His mother looked a little confused and then mildly curious before her eyes flared with understanding. “Oh! Okay. Well, that’s...” she fumbled with what to say for a moment.
Luke stepped forward to interject something, but Daniel gave him a slight shake of his head. His mom was a good person. They needed to give her a moment to work this out in her mind.
That happened even faster than Daniel expected.
Her face broke out in a wide smile and she cupped Daniel’s cheek. “That’s good. Really good.” She stared at him intently for a moment and then her eyes filled with tears. “I can see it in your eyes, the peace that hasn’t been there, even before everything happened. You’ve found your soul, your happiness again, haven’t you?”
He nodded mutely.
His mother knew him better than any person on this planet.
“And the music? Is it back, too?”
“Yeah,” he said, his voice thick. “The music came right on the heels of that happiness. It’s good, Mom.”
She nodded and stood up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “Yes, it is.” Then she turned to Luke and did the same to him. “Very good. Welcome to the Compound, Luke. You’re planning to stay for the holiday, correct?”
“Yes, ma’am. That’s the plan as I understand it.”
“Good. The main house always has food and more desserts and sweets than any one hundred people could handle. I expect all of you to make liberal use of it. There’s also a music room there that is off-limits to the littles running around. That’s where you’ll find the alcohol. We’re a loving family, but there are a lot of us and it’s the holidays. Sometimes a little nip helps to take the edge off, if you know what I mean.”
Luke laughed and for the first time since his cousin and entourage showed up at the cabin, Daniel felt like he could breathe. Maybe this would all work out okay.
Luke glanced over at him, a calculating look in his eye. “I’m thinking we’ll need to go kidnap Austin and search out that room sometime soon. What do you think?”
Agreed.
There were two of them against one of Austin. The stubborn man had no chance of winning this battle.
There was too much on the line.
AUSTIN
The next day, Austin had successfully avoided the Gresham clan and both Luke and Daniel, but today he couldn’t avoid it. Brady and Emily had disappeared to “take a nap”, but there had been enough pheromones flying around the cabin for him to realize he needed to get out quick before he heard the unmistakable soundtrack of his sister having sex. No one needed that information about their siblings living in their brain.
So, now he wandered the Gresham Compound.
In a word, the place was impressive. He was no stranger to wealth, but wow...this place impressed even him.
There had to be at least twenty cabins housing all the various members of the family, but they set each back in the trees to give the semblance of privacy. In the very center of the complex stood the double story main cabin. Emily had pointed it out the night before as the meeting place for everyone. The large log cabin with the full wrap-around porch supposedly held kitchens, meeting rooms, music rooms, and even guest rooms. It was big enough to house the entire family for gatherings. Christmas trees twinkled in the windows as snow fell silently outside. He could see people moving inside.
It felt...peaceful.
But he didn’t want to run into Luke or Daniel. Not yet. So, he walked in the opposite direction, following a cleared path lined with gas-lit lanterns like they had lining the streets in photos from the mid-eighteen hundreds.
The night before Brady had said that Daniel didn’t feel secure enough on his prostheses to wander around the rough paths of the property too much, so Austin figured he was safe from possibly running into him.
Austin inwardly cringed at the cowardice of that.
But he kept remembering the grief on Daniel’s face yesterday when Austin said he wanted to go back to New York. Austin didn’t want to do anything to cause Daniel pain. Daniel had lived with too much pain—both mental and physical—already in his short life.
And it wasn’t like he didn’t want to stay. God, he wanted it so much. But imagining he could have a life with Daniel and Luke was a fantasy, and he had to live in the real world with his very real responsibilities. That did not include living out what most would consider kinky fantasies in a ménage relationship.
The trail went around the corner and he stumbled to a halt.
Seriously? As if this place needed to get any more perfect.
In front of him sat the perfect outdoor skating rink, complete with rails and benches surrounding it. There were even a couple of cold and empty fire pits. But he could imagine winter evenings out here skating with breaks for hot cocoa and s’mores. Off to the side sat a small building which probably housed a small Zamboni (because this ice was definitely groomed) and other supplies, like skates and blankets.
“Austin!”
He turned to the sound of the deep male voice and discovered a huge, white gazebo hidden along the edge of the forest that he hadn’t noticed before. Daniel’s mom and dad stood in the doorway with a blanket wrapped around the two of them. They waved him over.
While he had seen Timothy at company parties over the last year—since Timothy Gresham often worked with Hodges Media in their musical branch—he hadn’t seen Stephanie since that day in the hospital after the plane crash.
He knew them both socially and professionally, but that hadn’t prepared him for running into them as their son’s lover.
He squared his shoulders and approached them. This was why he got paid the big bucks, right? He could bluff his way through any awkward social situation.
He pasted on a big smile as he reached the structure, reaching out to shake Timothy’s hand. “Hi. I’m so sorry. I didn’t even see this over here.” He waved at the gazebo and now that he was closer, he could see that this beautiful open-air building had a huge fireplace with a flue that ran to the roof in the center with a fire blazing so it would stay warm and cozy.
Very romantic and he was interrupting the couple in front of him. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I stumbled on the skating rink. I thought I was just following a path. I didn’t realize what it led to.”
Timothy shook his head. “It’s no problem. Come in and join us. It’s much warmer in here. Steph had just been saying a little while ago that she hoped we’d see you. We’re excited that you’ve joined us for the holiday.”
Before he could argue, the couple disappeared into the shadows of the enclosure. He didn’t want to be rude. He could do this, chitchat with them for a bit and be social while not mentioning the fact that he lusted after their son. Besides, he’d been walking for a bit, and the promised warmth from the fireplace tempted him.
He followed them inside where he discovered that instead of benches around the circumference of the circle, there were small outdoor loveseats and chairs, along with a pile of blankets, pillows, and beanbags that he assumed were for the kids to sit on. “This is nice.”
Stephanie nodded. “We have a holiday schedule for the family. Everyone has a day when they’re in charge of making sure the ice skating area is all set up and then taken down at the end of the day so nothing gets damaged by the weather. It works, and we all enjoy this little retreat away from the chaos of the house. And when everyone comes down to skate, we all love having the fire and heat inside here. It’s open, but enclosed enough so it stays warmer.”
Austin shook his head in wonder. Looking around, the area could easily sit twenty adults. “The whole place is fantastic. You should be proud of what you’ve built here.”
Timothy laughed. “Luckily, my grandfather had the foresight to set it up. I honestly don’t think we’d be as close as we are as a family without this forced holiday escape with everyone for two weeks each year. It’s a mandatory thing if you carry the Gresham name.”
Stephanie had been sitting sedately beside Timothy on
their loveseat up to this point, but now she sat forward, sent a quick apologetic glance at her husband, and then focused in on Austin. “We’ve done enough chitchatting to be polite, right?”
His stomach sank. “Um, sure?” He wasn’t sure where she was headed with this, but he got the very distinct gut-wrenching feeling that it was nowhere good.
Her grin reminded him of a shark’s. “Good. My son is a good man.”
Oh, no. Did they know he’d been fucking Daniel? And Luke?
“Steph...” Timothy’s voice had a warning tone to it.
“What? I’m not doing anything that isn’t my right as a mother. My boy has been through enough this last year. He doesn’t need anymore pain.”
That was one thing they definitely agreed on.
“Agreed,” Austin said. That one word had both parents swinging around and studying him. He took a deep breath. “I don’t know what you know. I think we can all agree that the details need to stay way off-limits, but I concur...Daniel deserves the utmost in happiness and joy. That’s why I set it up so he and Luke would be stranded in that cabin together. I want them to be happy and I think they should be together.”
Stephanie frowned. “But...wait. What?” She exchanged a look of confusion with Timothy. “I thought the three of you...” Her voice trailed off before it could tread into that territory that no parent wanted to step.
He felt the blood drain from his face. Oh god. Even with the fiasco at Hodges Media, he wasn’t equipped to handle a situation like this. To know these two wonderful people who he respected and worked with knew anything about his sex life... This was his nightmare.
He had to defuse it. “What happened between the three of us in that cabin I think needs to stay private. I don’t regret it, but it won’t happen again. Luke and Daniel are good together. They’re meant to be, and I think given some time alone they’ll see that, too. I have other priorities in my life that don’t include complicated relationships.”
Stephanie tilted her head at him. “It’s only complicated if you make it that way.”
Austin barked out a harsh laugh. “Mrs. Gresham, I apologize for my bluntness, but you don’t understand. I’ve been at the center of a sex scandal before and that situation was completely vanilla compared to this one. Your son doesn’t need that in his life right now and I sure as hell don’t want to put Hodges Media through that. They deserve better from me. Daniel and Luke think right now that they need me in the middle, but they’re wrong. They’ll be good together, just the two of them.”
“What if you’re wrong?” Stephanie asked. They watched him closely as if both parents were daring him to say that he’d hurt their son like that.
“I have to believe that I’m not. I was never meant to be part of them. It was just some terrible luck that put me there.”
“Or was it good karma?” Stephanie asked again. “You have a good soul, Austin. Just because you’ve seen what’s between Luke and Daniel and are trying to push them together despite your feelings proves that. You’re allowed to be selfish, too.”
God, he wanted to be, but he shook his head. “Not this time.”
Timothy patted the top of Stephanie’s hand just as she took a deep breath to prepare for arguing with Austin more. “Hon, why don’t you go up to the main house and see what else needs to be done to prepare for Santa tonight? Austin and I will be back in a little while.”
She pressed her lips together, looking torn. She wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but then she nodded. “Okay.” She stood and sighed at Austin. “It’s Christmas Eve. Tonight is crazy with the kids, but it’s wonderful to take part in even as an adult. Sometimes it’s fun to have a simple reminder about the magic of believing by watching the children. Please come and join in. I promise, it’s a child event, but there’s plenty of adult beverages and holiday spirit to make it fun for absolutely everyone.”
“Thank you,” Austin said. “I’ll be there.” Because no matter what, these kind people had opened their home to him and they loved their son and wanted him to be happy. They may not agree or understand Austin’s argument, but he understood where they were coming from...because he loved Daniel, too.
And wasn’t that a kicker? He was pretty sure he’d been halfway in love with Daniel for the last year, but the last week had just pushed his emotions deeper. And somehow that depth of feeling now also included Luke, too.
Loving the two of them was way too easy.
Leaving them would be the hardest thing he’d ever do.
“Good.” She nodded and patted his hand. “Dinner is at six-thirty, and all the festivities will follow afterward.”
The two men watched her follow the path around the pond, making sure she didn’t slip and fall.
When she disappeared around the bend, Austin wondered how quickly he could escape the all-knowing gaze of her husband.
But Timothy didn’t even give him a chance. “This has been a rough year for her,” he said.
Austin didn’t know what he could say to that so he nodded. No parent having almost lost their child would have come away from that unscathed. “I imagine it’s been hard for both of you.”
“Yes.” Timothy cleared his throat. “You know, I was working for Hodges Media when all that drama went down between you and that disgusting journalist. I can understand why that’s made you leery.”
Austin hated that anyone still remembered those details, much less someone like Timothy Gresham who he respected so much.
He was about to apologize again for his part in the whole situation when Timothy spoke again.
“The reason that made such an impact at the time was because they set you up to be such a large target. You were the youngest CEO ever to be named for such a powerful company. People were gunning for you. They were envious of the opportunity they had given you, and it thrilled them when you revealed that you were human. But no matter what anyone said, that’s all it was. You made a mistake in trusting someone with your heart and it cost you, but there is nothing wrong with being human. In fact, more corporate America needs leaders like you. Your big heart makes you a worthy man to run the company that I enjoy working with.”
“Thank you. Hodges Media is an amazing company. I’m just lucky to get to work there every day.”
“Furthermore, I think you’ll find that now that you’re older and more established and accepted as CEO—hell, you’ve more than proven the naysayers wrong over and over at this point—this relationship between Daniel, Luke, and you will provide less of a controversy than you expect.”
“Are you kidding? People are more judgmental than ever before.”
Timothy shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. There will always be those who enjoy tearing you down and they would do that whoever you chose as a partner, but I’ve never taken you for a person who really cared what others thought. Personally, I’ve always found your professional integrity to shine through all that other bullshit. There has never been a single day—not even in those controversial early days with you onboard—that I ever questioned my decision to go with Hodges Media.”
“Thank you for that. It means a lot.”
“And, hell, man...” Timothy continued. “You run a media company. I’m sure there is a person or two in your employ who could offer you expert advice on how to go public with this without it blowing up in your face.”
“Maybe...” Austin considered his PR department. He employed some of the most brilliant minds in the business.
Timothy stood and cupped his shoulder in a firm grasp. “Make sure you consider all the different aspects of it. You’re not getting any younger and I will guarantee you one thing. While you build your empire, it gives you something in the way of satisfaction, but when you’re on your deathbed, that empire won’t be the thing standing there holding your hand and reminiscing. You’re human. You need love and relationships as much as anyone else. In fact, I’d argue that with your high-power job that you probably need it more. You’ve earned it. Maybe it’s time you tell Sant
a your Christmas wish.”
And with that, he walked away leaving Austin alone in the gazebo built for romance as the night began to fall and the snow began to fall harder.
He wanted to believe it was possible.
He didn’t want to spend his life alone. With every minute he spent away from his two men, he became more positive about what he wanted and needed, Luke and Daniel by his side.
Could he have it all with them? Timothy had made some good points. He’d been running Hodges Media as the CEO for almost ten years now, but he’d devoted his life to it for all of his adult life, putting everything else—including relationships—into a far away second place. Hadn’t he given up enough?
He knew for a fact that both Emily and James would encourage him to pursue love over running their company and had been telling him that for years.
But more than anything else, he didn’t want to be alone anymore, especially after experiencing how amazing life could be with Luke and Daniel.
He looked out on the falling snow.
Yes, it almost always snowed in the Colorado Rockies this time of the year, but snow had brought him to Luke and Daniel and it fell thick and fast again.
It had to be a sign.
Christmas Eve.
He needed some Christmas magic right now to sort through the mess he’d made. Would Luke and Daniel even forgive him for walking away?
Maybe he should make a last-minute ditch request of Santa.
He needed a miracle.
Chapter Nineteen
DANIEL
Daniel entered the living room of the main lodge with a smile on his face. He’d left Luke in one of the back guest rooms, under the care of his mother who had taken over getting Luke ready for his Santa duties. The two of them had shooed him out of the room, stating that he’d become more of a pain in the ass than a help when he’d started laughing at Luke’s already large frame in Santa’s fat suit.
