“You, Carter Greene, have brought more to my life than I ever thought possible. You’ve brought laughter and joy, romance and lust, fun and family. You challenge me, drive me crazy and turn my world upside down on a daily basis, but I wouldn’t have it any other way because you are my whole world.” My vision swam as his words went straight to my heart and I swiped my eyes with my hand. I crawled up the length of him until I hovered just inches from his face and his hands moved to cradle my head.
“Not only did you save me from that fire, you saved me from the path I’d been on. Like you, I thought I was happy, hanging out with my band and having meaningless encounters with complete strangers. I thought that was the life of a rock star and I suppose for some, it is, but it wasn’t what I really wanted.
“I grew up with parents who were crazy about each other. I watched Caleb fall in love. I felt him falling in love, and I wanted to experience that same feeling for myself, I just never thought it was possible for a guy like me. Then you came into my life, pulling me from the flames, my Superman.” I smiled as Ryan rolled his eyes slightly then my face grew serious again. “You are everything to me. You’re my best friend, my lover, and my partner in every single thing I do. I cannot imagine taking this journey with anyone else, nor would I want to.”
I ended my words with a soft kiss to his lips. Ryan tilted his head, deepening the kiss, and soon he was rolling us both so that he was lying on top of me. I held his stare when he entered me moments later, our bodies speaking for us and our souls strengthening the bond that had been forged long ago.
I winced at the twinge in my ass as I sat down at the island counter in my parents’ kitchen a while later, but I had to chuckle when I caught Ryan doing the same. There was no better way to spend a day, in my opinion, than in bed with my husband. But I was grateful that we liked to switch things up or one of us would have been pretty miserable right then. Ryan elbowed me in the side just as Mom asked us how our day had been.
“We just stayed at home and took it easy. It was just what I needed,” I answered.
“Me too,” Ryan said, his hand coming down to rest on my thigh. I reached under the counter and linked our hands together.
The sounds of several voices filtering in through the front door had us scrambling from our seats to greet the new arrivals. Emma and her family had arrived at the same time as Micah and Landon and they were all struggling to get their coats off while also holding their overnight bags. Ryan and I rushed forward to help them and I took the pie pan out of Emma’s hands. Even though it was covered in foil, I could tell it was freshly baked because it was still warm to the touch. I peered up at her through my lashes and gave her a hopeful grin.
“Yes, twerp. It’s blackberry,” she said with a laugh. She knew that it was my favorite, so she made it every year.
“What about…”
“Right here. Did you honestly think I’d forget?” she said, holding up a tub of vanilla ice cream. I smiled and leaned forward to kiss her cheek.
“This is why you’re my favorite sibling,” I announced.
“Ummm, hello! I’m standing right here,” Landon complained, and Emma and I both laughed.
“You bring me pie and we’ll talk,” I teased.
“Manage a guy’s entire career and all he wants is pie,” Landon muttered jokingly as he started to walk past me. I reached up and tousled his hair, making him scowl at me.
“You know I love you, big guy,” I cooed at him, puckering my lips for a kiss. Landon turned and looked at his husband.
“You’ve been trained to kill with your bare hands, right?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Micah answered with a smirk. Landon looked at me and then back at his husband.
“Have at it,” Landon deadpanned. With that, he turned and trudged up the steps with their bags.
“No killing over our new carpets. You boys take that stuff outside,” Dad joked and we all laughed.
Michelle and her crew showed up next, followed quickly by Caleb and Giovanni. They talked about how slick the roads were on their way over and I was grateful that everyone had made it there safely.
Caleb and Giovanni went to the kitchen to help Mom finish dinner, and I plopped down on the couch next to Ryan and pulled little Ricky onto my lap as we watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It had always been my favorite of all the animated Christmas specials and even as an adult, I refused to miss it.
“I like that,” Ryan whispered in my ear. I gave him a curious look, not sure what he was talking about. “You, holding a kid. Have you ever thought about that?”
“Why, Ryan. Are you asking if I’d consider having kids with you?” I asked sweetly.
“Not now, of course, but maybe…someday?” His tone was hesitant, and I felt myself grin.
“I would love to have children with you. Not just someday, but in the very near future,” I answered honestly.
The smile on Ryan’s face was nothing short of radiant and it made me want to drag him upstairs and find the nearest private room, so I could have my filthy way with him. I loved him so much and I wanted us to experience every single thing that life had to offer, including having children.
Ryan leaned forward and kissed me, a slow, lingering kiss full of promises. My head was spinning by the time he was done, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his side as we continued watching the show. I smiled as I heard the contented sigh that came out of him moments later. Does life get any better than this?
Mom called us all to the table just as the cartoon ended and I carried Ricky into the dining room, giving him a kiss on his cheek before handing him off to his father. I sat down next to my husband just as Caleb and Giovanni carried in the last of the platters.
They’d worked with Mom on the menu and the three of them had gone all out this year. There was ham, turkey, homemade noodles and dressing. Nearly every vegetable imaginable, along with rolls and tiny individual cranberry tarts. It was more food than we’d had in Christmases past, but then again, our family had grown considerably over the last year.
We took turns passing the various dishes around the table until everyone’s plates were full and then we dug in. Dinner was filled with lots of laughter and teasing as memories were shared and new ones were made. Of course, there was a lot of talk about Santa’s visit that night and whether or not he’d be able to fit the dollhouse Sarah wanted in his sleigh.
After dinner, Ryan, Landon, Micah and I offered to clean up while everyone else went to the living room, so Dad could read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas to his grandchildren. I smiled at the possibility of him reading that story to our child next year. I looked up as Landon handed me another plate for the dishwasher and caught him wearing the same goofy grin. Hmm. Maybe there’d be more than one addition to the family. I was happy for him and Micah. They’d both been through hell and back and they deserved nothing but happiness.
By the time we had cleaned everything up and started the dishwasher, all the kids had been changed into their pajamas and put to bed. Michelle and Jason were the last to walk back downstairs and we all looked at each other. It was completely quiet for a few seconds as we listened to be sure the kids were settled and then we all grinned. It was the moment we’d all been waiting for.
Soon, there was a flurry of activity as we raced to the trunks of our cars to retrieve the multitude of gifts we’d brought. Mom and Dad pulled endless piles of colorfully wrapped gifts out of the hall closet and we took turns placing them all under the tree.
Caleb and I sat on the floor to stuff the stockings for the children while Giovanni wrote out a note to Sarah from Santa, thanking her for the delicious cookies she’d left for him. He stuffed a cookie in his mouth, being sure to leave crumbs on the plate and Caleb and I laughed.
“What? I didn’t want her to think Santa didn’t like them. It’s all about the details,” he explained which only made us laugh harder.
We’d just finished filling the stockings with fun littl
e toys and books and hanging them back on the hooks underneath the mantle when Dad and Micah came in from the garage. They were carrying a very elaborate, wooden dollhouse and I heard Caleb gasp beside me.
“Dad, you said you were going to make a dollhouse for Sarah, but I never expected something like this,” he said.
“It’s remarkable,” Giovanni added, moving forward to get a better look.
“Eh, it gave me something to do.” I could see the pride in Dad’s eyes, but as usual, he was modest.
“Don’t let him fool you,” Mom said, wrapping an arm around her husband’s waist and looking up at him adoringly. “He spent hours out in his garage making sure every detail was just right and that there would be no splinters that might hurt Sarah. When he wasn’t doing that, he was online, shopping for tiny furniture and a large family of dolls to go with it. If I’m not mistaken, there are the same number of dolls as people in this family,” she said with a grin.
“Aww, Dad. You didn’t have to go to all that trouble, but thank you. I know she’ll love it,” Caleb said, walking over to hug our father. Dad hugged him back and then we all got back to work.
It was late by the time we had finished getting everything ready and the dollhouse, along with a couple of other larger items, wrapped for the kids. It had been a busy couple of days and it would be even busier the next day so we all said goodnight and crept quietly up the stairs to go to sleep.
I followed Ryan into my childhood room and shut the door, watching him as he wandered around, touching things and admiring the old posters of popular boy bands from when I was in high school. Ryan had been in my room before on several occasions, but never to spend the night.
“So, have you ever had a boy in your room other than me?” he asked, waggling his eyes at me playfully.
“As a matter of fact, yes. There were numerous occasions,” I told him, biting my cheek to keep from laughing as his face fell. “Eventually though, Caleb got his own room and that was the end of that,” I ended with a dramatic sigh. Ryan’s eyes narrowed and then he picked up a pillow from the bed and hit me in the face with it while I laughed.
“Funny guy,” he murmured, but I could see the smile tugging at his lips.
“Come on. Let’s hurry up and get changed. I have one other tradition and I want you to come with me.”
Ryan gave me a curious look, but then he unzipped our overnight bag and set to work changing into his pajamas. When we both were finished, and had brushed our teeth, I took his hand and led him back downstairs. I didn’t bother to turn on any lights as I led him over to my old piano in the corner and pulled out the bench, so we could sit.
I checked the time on my watch.
Midnight.
Perfect.
I ran my fingers over the smooth, black and white keys and closed my eyes. Then, I began to play, just as I did every year, knowing that my mom was smiling in her room. I heard Ryan sigh next to me as he recognized the song, but neither of us said a word as we listened to the gentle chords of “Silent Night” and let the peace and quiet of another beautiful Christmas Eve fill our souls.
I woke, feeling like something was off. The bed felt different and the mattress wasn’t quite as comfortable as I was used to. I cracked my eyes open and looked around, suddenly remembering where I was and why. A smile stretched my face. My first Christmas with Landon.
I looked over at the man that was asleep next to me. We’d fallen asleep, wrapped around each other, but sometime in the night, he must’ve gotten too hot because he was on his back with one arm thrown over his eyes and the blanket bunched down around his waist. Perfect. I sat up and very carefully pulled the blanket down the rest of the way then lowered myself on top of my husband. Landon’s eyes slid open and a lazy grin lifted the corners of his mouth.
“Good morning,” he whispered as I began to lay soft kisses along his chin and up his jaw. He turned his head and tried to capture my mouth, but I pulled back, shaking my head at him.
“Not just any morning, baby. Merry Christmas.” Landon’s eyes opened wider and his smile grew.
“Merry Christmas,” he echoed, happily.
“I thought maybe we could enjoy a present all our own before everyone wakes up,” I whispered as I resumed kissing him.
“What did you have in mind?” he moaned as my lips trailed down his neck. His breath quickened, and I could feel his rapid heartbeat against my chest.
“I’ll do everything, you just lie there and enjoy.” I chuckled when he let out a moan. “Oh, and try to be quiet,” I reminded him.
Landon lifted his hips, so I could tug his pants down and then I did the same to mine. I pressed him back down against the pillows as I took both our cocks in my fist and began working them up and down. I could hear someone moving around downstairs and I knew we didn’t have much time, so I kept up a relentless pace with my hand, swallowing his moans with my kisses.
He whimpered beneath me and I could feel myself nearing the end, so I shifted down the bed and sucked his cock down until it hit the back of my throat. He tasted delicious, like salt and skin and Landon and I moaned with him inside my mouth. I continued stroking my dick, getting myself off to the wanton sounds of my man.
Suddenly, Landon tensed, and his cock grew larger, stretching my lips even farther. His hips lifted off the bed and he let out a strangled cry as his cum filled my mouth and shot down my throat. The taste was enough to send me over the edge and I rested my forehead against his thigh as I shot my seed into my hand. I was still shaking when Landon pulled me up and kissed me then took my hand and licked it clean, sucking on each of my fingers and eliciting a groan.
“Best Christmas present ever!” Landon exclaimed. I chuckled then buried my face into the curve of his neck and let out a contented sigh. He wouldn’t be hearing any arguments from me.
We forced ourselves out of bed a few minutes later and headed to the bathroom. After a quick shower together, and brushing our teeth, we wrapped towels around our waists and headed back to our room. We came to a stop, however, when we ran into Carter in the hallway. I held my breath, waiting for some teasing comment to come out of his mouth about us showering together, but instead, he passed by with barely a glance our way.
“Hey, Carter! What’s up? You don’t look very good,” Landon said, concern lacing his words. I took a closer look and frowned when I saw Carter’s pale face. His eyes were wide, and he looked as if he were about to be sick.
“I went downstairs to get some coffee going,” he told us.
“What’s wrong, Carter? You’re starting to scare me,” Landon said, reaching for his brother.
“Let’s just say…I saw Mommy doing more than…kissing Santa Claus,” he choked out. Landon and I shared a look and then we were laughing, great wracking laughs that had us doubling over, trying to catch our breath.
“You both suck. I’m going to need therapy for this,” Carter grumbled as he walked off, probably to try and find some sympathy from Ryan. Landon and I were still laughing as we made our way to our room to get dressed.
I could smell something delicious cooking as we made our way down the stairs, but we could hear excited chatter coming from the living room, so we headed in that direction. Landon’s parents and sisters, along with their husbands and children were there, talking and enjoying cups of coffee while they waited for everyone else to join them. A chorus of “Merry Christmas” rang out as we walked in.
Once everyone was downstairs, we grabbed fresh cups of coffee then gathered around the tree while Rick passed out presents. Sarah was thrilled with the dollhouse and even more excited once she discovered the family that went with it. I watched as she held each figure up to her fathers and gave them a corresponding name of one of her family members.
Ricky and Katherine Elizabeth were still too young to really understand what was going on. The two of them were more interested in the wrapping paper and gift boxes than the toys that were held inside, but they were happy and that was all that mattered.
>
“I can’t wait to have one of those,” Landon said quietly from beside me. I looked over and smiled as I saw him watching his nieces and nephew with a sappy grin.
“Who knows. Maybe we’ll have one by next year,” I mused. Landon turned his head, offering up his lips and I kissed him eagerly. I wrapped an arm around him and he leaned into my side as we continued watching everyone unwrap their presents.
An hour later, the gifts had all been opened and everyone was happy and hungry. We helped lay the food out on the table then dug into the warm cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit, and cheesy sausage and egg casserole as we talked about some of our favorite gifts.
Sarah had beamed when Giovanni opened the coffee mug that she had made for him with her handprint on it. I’d smiled at my best friend as he’d gone on and on about how much he loved it and then kissed his husband and little girl. I could see the emotion in his eyes as he ran his finger over the tiny handprint and then wrapped it back up and laid it gently in its box, as if it were made of the finest china. I knew Giovanni well, and I knew that to him, it was probably even better than that.
Ryan loved the new set of top-of-the-line power tools that Carter gave him, especially when Carter explained that there were plenty of things for Ryan to work on around their house now that they’d be there for more than a few weeks at a time.
Emma and Michelle each loved the spa weekends that their husbands had booked for them and I was touched when Rick gave me his grandfather’s old handgun. He explained to me that his grandfather had been a decorated veteran and had used that gun in wartime. I was honored that he would trust me with something so special, but my eyes burned when he told me that rather than sit in an old case, collecting dust, it should be with a member of the family that also served to protect others.
It had been an incredible morning, but one of the best moments was when we presented Rick and Kathy with a gift from all of us along with the words we had chosen to say.
Ever-Greene Page 9
