by Shea Balik
Christmas Gift
Believe 3
It’s Christmas and time for those who celebrate to spend hours finding the perfect gifts for those they love. Which also means long lines, angry and rude shoppers who are willing to fight so they can buy their own gifts at fifty percent off and dealing with overworked and irritated store employees who are out of patience and good cheer. Right?
Except this year, Patrick and Cabot have discovered that the best gift of all doesn’t require any shopping, lines, or rude people. Just the willingness to open one’s heart. For they are not only giving the greatest gift of all, they’re receiving it, too. A family.
Join them on this journey as they discover what the true meaning of giving is. It will take believing in the magic of Christmas, but in return they just might receive the most amazing Christmas Gift ever – a happily ever after.
Copyright ©2019 Shea Balik
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover by: Harris Channing
Edited by: Avril Stepowski
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHRISTMAS DAY
Believe Series
CHAPTER 1
There was nothing that prepared the sleepy little town of Winter, Michigan for Christmas like the Holiday Festival. Every inch of their small downtown was decorated to the hilt, including the thirty-foot white pine that grew in the town’s park at the eastern end of Main Street.
Cabot Spencer should know because he was one of the many volunteers who spent countless hours last weekend and much of the following week turning their sleepy little town into a wonderland of lights and decorations. He’d even had the honor of putting the star on top of their town’s beloved tree.
It meant not having time to make a proper Thanksgiving meal for himself, but Winter being the giving and friendly town that it was, made sure those volunteers without family had a place to go for the day. Each home opened their doors to neighbors and friends to invite anyone they knew to celebrate the day.
As much as Cabot loved to cook and bake, he appreciated not having to make all the foods he loved on Thanksgiving for only himself. It would have made the reality that he was all alone in the world too depressing. That was something Cabot hoped to never have to let himself wallow in, especially on a day set aside for being grateful for what he did have.
“I know you love penguins, Maya. Why don’t we try to win you one?” The most deliciously handsome man with dark hair, that might have been black, spoke. It was hard to tell since most of it was covered with a stocking cap to keep him warm in the cold evening air.
He had a little more facial hair than Cabot did, but it was still well groomed. He couldn’t see his eye color from this distance, but Cabot didn’t need to, for color was secondary in his book to what this gorgeous man had – a smile on his face that not only reached his eyes with a bright sparkle, but it seemed to radiate from him.
There was nothing more sexy than someone who smiled in Cabot’s book, and this guy was sex on a stick. That he was doing his best with the little girl, who was using her long hair as a shield to hide her face from the world, made him even more attractive.
The man was kneeling next to a little girl bundled up in a pink winter coat. And, sure enough, on her head, she wore a penguin hat, including flaps for her ears that looked like the penguin’s flippers. She was totes adorbs.
The boy who stood behind her, rolled his eyes and looked like he would rather be anywhere else. Well, he, much to his chagrin, reminded Cabot a lot of himself at that age. If he had to guess, the boy was eight or nine, while the little girl was closer to five.
“She can barely throw the ball,” the boy taunted. “There’s no way she’s going to get it all the way to the star.”
That statement wasn’t exactly a lie. The festival game he was currently in charge of wasn’t easy for little kids. Since she hardly reached the counter, Cabot would allow her to stand on it, but the penguin the man had been talking about was only given away when the ping pong ball contestants were encouraged to throw, sank into the yellow cup.
To make this a ‘holiday’ game, the cups had been painted green, red, purple, pink, blue and of course, the one yellow. They were arranged in the pattern of a tree, with green being the predominant color and only earning the contestant a small, very cheap, holiday gift like erasers, pencils, or lollipops.
There were two each of the red, purple, pink, and blue cups, which were spread throughout the tree to represent lights and they earned whoever was playing a slightly better prize like holiday themed sugar cookies make from the local bakery, a bracelet, or a kids’ game like paddleball or a frisbee.
The decent prizes were only for those who could sink that ping pong ball into the yellow cup. Hanging from the back of the booth were various winter stuffed animals. The polar bears were the most popular, but penguins and reindeer came in a close second.
Cabot just heard the girl’s voice, but it was too faint for him to make out what she was saying to the man who was still encouraging her to play. It wasn’t until the stranger spoke that he understood what she’d asked of him. “You want me to play?”
Yes. Cabot gave an internal fist bump to himself. He’d feared the threesome would pass him by and he wouldn’t be able to meet the gorgeous man. Cabot thought he knew everyone in their sleepy little town, but this man and the two kids he couldn’t remember seeing before. It would be a shame to miss out now.
Cabot had to hold back the cheer that nearly erupted from his mouth when the man nodded. “I can do that. But you and your brother know I’m not good throwing balls.”
&n
bsp; The boy snorted and rolled his eyes. “We sure do. In three months you’ve broken two lamps, four glasses – causing us to move to plastic – and a TV.” The brat was grinning a bit too gleefully as he ran down that list. “I take it back,” he told the man and little girl. “I think Maya has a better chance than you do, and she can barely reach the counter.”
Cabot was half-tempted to rush over to put his hand over the kid’s mouth before he talked the man out of playing. But apparently the handsome stranger was willing to do anything to put a smile on Maya’s face. “Maybe all that happened for just this moment,” the guy said. “Making it my turn to finally hit what I’m aiming for.”
The boy started to laugh so hard he nearly slipped on the slick, snowy ground. It had snowed the night before. Thankfully it had been after Cabot and the other volunteers had set up for the festival, but it left the roads and sidewalks challenging to navigate. It didn’t help that they hadn’t been able to bring in a snowplow with all the booths already in place.
A group of volunteers had started to shovel but they’d quickly realized it was a losing battle when it started to snow as they were doing it. On a positive note, their festival really did look like a winter wonderland. He just hoped no one got hurt on the slippery ground.
“Whoa,” the sexy man said as he reached out to steady the boy. “Careful there, Liam. I’d hate to end the night with a trip to the emergency room.”
The boy looked almost mutinous as he said, “Why? Afraid Mrs. Sanchez will decide you aren’t fit to take care of us?”
Cabot’s ears perked up at hearing that. As a ward of the state from the age of five until his eighteenth birthday, Cabot knew well why the boy was acting the way he was. He’d feared the man was the kids’ father, which might mean he was in a committed relationship. But talk about being fit to care for the kids? That screamed they were under the state’s care.
It gave him some hope. What was he saying? Whether the kids were his or not, the guy with the beautiful smile and unwavering positive attitude, had to be taken. Who wouldn’t want a man like him? Cabot sure as hell did.
“What I don’t want,” the man said to Liam, “Is for you to get hurt. I don’t think Mrs. Sanchez or the judge will fault me because you slipped on the ice, but it would break my heart to know you’re in pain.”
Awww fuck. Gorgeous smile that lit up the night. Sweet to a painfully shy little girl. And a kind heart. Talk about the whole damn package.
As the man stood up and took Maya’s hand, he missed the way Liam smiled in relief. In fairness, it only lasted a second and the kid was doing everything in his power to put on a mask of indifference, but it was obvious, from Cabot’s perspective anyway, that Liam had been testing the man and he’d passed.
“Did I hear someone mention wanting a penguin?” Cabot said as the trio approached. He reached over and plucked one down from its hook. “I’ve got one right here. All you have to do is get the ball into the yellow cup.”
He held up three ping pong balls. “So, who’s going to try first?”
The handsome man pulled out his wallet and handed Cabot ten dollars. Cabot stuffed the bill into the apron he wore around his waist and started to pull out change but before he could even start counting, the man held out his hand. “Keep it. The odds are it will take more than ten for me to sink this ball.”
Cabot let out a small chuckle. Then he held out his hand. “Cabot Spencer,” he introduced, praying the man would do the same.
Warmth encircled his hand as the man, who had pulled off his glove first, took his firmly. “Patrick Fisher.”
A name. Grateful for that much, he stepped aside and gestured to the line of cups. “They’re all yours, Patrick.”
The first throw went sailing over the cups and into the booth that was behind them. Sarah, who was manning the hot cocoa station spun around in surprise when the ball had landed in the cup she’d just started to fill.
With an eyebrow raised, she fished the little ball from the cup and held it out to Cabot. “This little ball can’t possibly be yours.” Then her eyes flicked down to where the apron crossed over his groin. “I’m sure you’re much bigger.”
Thankfully, Liam had been too busy laughing his head off and Maya was giggling to have heard the innuendo in her voice. Sarah was one of those people who didn’t care who overheard her, even if they were kids. Then again, it would probably go over their heads. The only reason Cabot knew what she meant was because, even though he was gay, she still was trying to get him into bed.
Not about to get into some twisted conversation with a woman he tended to avoid as much as possible, Cabot took the ball from her hand and mumbled, “Thanks.” Then he turned back to Patrick, only to find his caramel eyes glaring daggers at Sarah.
Huh. Maybe he had a chance with the handsome man after all.
CHAPTER 2
Patrick had no idea how to explain the rush of irritation he was feeling at the flirty woman who was openly checking out Cabot’s groin. He had no right to get defensive, yet, that was exactly what he was feeling.
He didn’t even know if Cabot was gay. He’d never been good when it came to guessing anyone’s sexuality. Who was he kidding? He sucked at it. Then again, he usually couldn’t tell if someone was flirting either.
Which only made the woman’s obnoxious leering even worse. Who checked out a man so blatantly in front of children? It was disgusting.
Sure, Patrick had checked out Cabot too, but he’d made sure to do so subtly. With Liam around, he had to. If there was one thing he’d learned since he’d begun the adoption process of the two siblings, it was they had no filter. That, and Liam tended to take some sort of joy in ratting him out if he did something like check out another man’s ass.
The last time had been when Mrs. Sanchez was at the house. Not that Patrick had checked anyone out in front of her, but Liam made sure to bring it up when she’d performed the previous home visit. Thankfully, she hadn’t even batted an eye at Liam’s statement. In fact, she’d reassured Patrick that it was fine to date. Even going so far as to encourage him to do so.
All thoughts of Mrs. Sanchez, Sarah, and even the kids flew from his head when Cabot walked right up to him and handed him the errant ball. “Why don’t you try that again, hon. We’ll just call it a practice throw.”
Did Cabot just wink at him? Patrick wasn’t sure as he stared, dumbfounded at the gorgeous smile that had caught Patrick’s attention in the first place. He hadn’t picked this game, one that he knew he had no chance of ever winning, just to humiliate himself. Nor had it been for the penguin, although it was Maya’s favorite animal.
But there were plenty of other games that were featuring the stuffed animal that he might even have an albeit slim possibility of coming out victorious. Yet, the moment his gaze had landed on Cabot, Patrick knew he had to meet the man with a smile that was brighter than any Christmas tree.
“Oh, uhm,” he stammered. “I mean, thanks. That’s kind of you.”
He heard a big huff of annoyance from the direction of Sarah. There it was again, another wink. “Ignore her. She’s just being grinchy.”
Patrick nearly wobbled when his knees went weak as Cabot’s smile somehow grew even bigger. “You have an amazing smile,” he said before he could stop himself.
“That’s sweet of you, hon,” Cabot said as he leaned in just a bit closer.
Patrick had nearly leaned himself, but all that changed when he heard Liam. “Oooohhhhh. Wait until I tell Mrs. Sanchez you were flirting with another man right in front of us.”
Heat bloomed in Patrick’s cheeks. Was it possible to actually die of embarrassment? Considering nothing had happened after the whole school had seen him get a hard on when he was a sophomore in high school and the football team had come out in their tight pants, Patrick doubted he’d be so lucky as to drop dead now.
Thank God for little girls. Maya tugged on his coat for attention. “I thought you were gonna win the penguin?”
Cabot
chuckled. “Good point. Let me get out of your way.”
When the handsome man with the most stunning smile Patrick had ever seen stepped to the side, despair flooded him. No way was he ever going to sink the ball into the yellow cup. But he’d made a promise to try. It was the least he could do.
Praying for a miracle, Patrick started to throw ball after ball. Clearly God wasn’t listening.
“You know what?” Cabot said as he came back with the last set of three balls for his ten bucks. “I think the problem may be that the penguin isn’t for you.” Then he turned to a sullen Maya. “Since you want the penguin, I think it should be you, who throws the ball.”
Maya scooted behind Patrick’s legs, hiding herself as best she could. But Cabot apparently wasn’t deterred. He actually put the penguin on the counter and had it speak to Maya, begging her to please win him.
Slowly, she came out from behind Patrick’s legs and edged a bit closer to the counter. Mr. Penguin nodded at the three balls that Cabot had set on the table. “Can you try, for me?”
Patrick had no clue how, but Cabot had gotten Maya to not only walk up to the counter, but she actually nodded and said, “I’ll try, Mr. Penguin.”
Cabot had the penguin jumping up and down in excitement. When Patrick lifted her up to the counter, Cabot had stepped to the side, but he’d stayed close. Usually that would have had Maya trying to hide in Patrick’s arms, but she took one of the ping pong balls Patrick had picked up to hand to her.
With far more force than Patrick imagined she had, Maya threw the ball. The moment it left her hand, Cabot moved in front of them, blocking their view. The next second, he walked to the other side of the little area and shouted they had a winner at the exact same time Patrick heard Sarah shout, “Ow. What the fuck?”
He looked from the cup, which had a ball sitting in it, to Sarah, who was rubbing the back of her head and glaring at Patrick and Maya. Confused, until he saw a ping pong ball roll across her booth, Patrick found himself smiling at Cabot’s neat trick.
