by C. W. Gray
Sonny squealed and bounced in Leo’s lap. “Miles told me it was hers. I’m glad she wants to meet me.”
Leo grunted. “Watch the goods, sunshine.”
“Sorry.” Sonny squeezed his cheeks and kissed him. “You know I like your goods.”
“That you do.”
Sonny bit his lip. “I can tone it down while we’re there and just wear my guy stuff. I’ve been digging my jeans and your hoodies lately anyway.”
“No.” Leo shook his head, brow furrowing. “You dress however you want to dress. Grandma and Grandpa asked me all kinds of questions because they don’t know anyone that’s genderfluid, but they want you to be comfortable. To be honest, Grandma has a few more pieces of jewelry for you. She’s been hoarding all kinds of things for years and loves passing it on to family.”
Sonny gave him a serious look. “Am I family?”
Leo kissed him slowly, savoring the warm taste of Sonny’s lips. “You’re my family, Sonny.”
Chapter 9
Sonny waved goodbye to Miles and his parents after dropping off presents at their house. One thing Christmas and winter solstice had in common was giving gifts. It was a nice way to show your loved ones that you cared.
Miles would appreciate Sonny’s old grimoire. A witch needed to explore their personal magic and creating grimoires was part of that. Miles would like the spells Sonny had created when he was his age.
He had already given gifts to Aaron and Gemma, but he still needed to say goodbye to Myrtle. It was strange not spending the holiday with his friend and mentor, but finally meeting Leo’s family was too good to pass up.
He knocked on her door. “Open up, woman! It’s Santa Sonny.”
Myrtle opened the door and glared at him. She was still dressed in her nightgown and robe. “It’s too early for this shit, Sonny.”
“I’m leaving in fifteen minutes,” he said, pouting. “Don’t you want to say goodbye?”
“You’re going away for a week, not a year.” Myrtle huffed and pulled him into a hug. “I’ll miss you, boy-o, but I’m glad you’re moving forward with your cat-bear. I expected the two of you to be married with ten kids by now.”
“It’s been a month and a half, Myrtle,” Sonny said dryly. “Plus, I’m not having ten fucking kids, woman. Don’t put that out into the universe.”
Myrtle cackled. “Well, when you eventually move in together in ten years, I suggest you combine your apartments. His is right below yours. We could add a stairway and do a little remodeling.”
Sonny hugged her again and kissed the side of her head. “You’re the best mother, you know that, right?”
Her thin arms tightened around him. “You’re a good son.” She pushed him back. “Now get out of here. Toddlebug and I have to pack for the beach. Hester says it’s cold, but it ain’t snowing there so she don’t know shit.”
Sonny rolled his eyes. Myrtle and her sister were too much alike and were constantly competing with one another.
“I love you. Take your present.” He shoved a wrapped box at her. “Goodbye.”
“Hold it, I got yours around here somewhere.” She turned and set the box on a side table.
Sonny shook his head as he looked around her cluttered apartment. “Do we need to have an intervention, Myrtle? Your clutter multiples every five seconds.”
“Don’t you get uppity, witch.” Myrtle shot him a hard look. “Half this shit is stuff for the store. We need to expand.” She held up a small bag. “This is your Christmas gift. It’s a potion of my own making. It’s a calming potion. You can bake it into anything you want.”
Sonny blinked. “Seriously? I thought you said those were too expensive to make and pot does the same thing.”
“That’s why it’s a gift, goober.” She shook the bag. “Now take it and get moving. It’s been more than fifteen minutes.”
“Shit.” Sonny grabbed the bag and hugged Myrtle one more time. “Tell Hester I said hi.” He ran up the stairs and hurried into his apartment.
Leo sat on the couch, Flufflepuff in his lap.
“I’m sorry. My bags are ready. I was just saying goodbye to everyone, and then Aaron wanted me to try this new videogame. I lost track of time.”
Leo smiled. “It’s no big deal. I already loaded your bags. You know it’s just for the week, right? That’s six nights and seven days.”
“Yes, but you said to wear whatever I want and sometimes I want to wear a skirt or leggings, sometimes I want my jeans and hoodie, and sometimes I want to mix the two.” He waved his hands around his head. “Welcome to genderfluidity.”
Leo laughed. “Okay. Luckily, I pack light, so we balance out. I packed Flufflepuff’s bag too.”
Sonny looked around the kitchen, then gave Leo a look. “Did you get my insulated bag?”
Leo blinked, eyes widening in innocence. “What insulated bag?”
Sonny put his hands on his hips and stared down his nose. “The one full of honey cakes.”
Leo shrugged. “I may have seen it, and I may have eaten all of the honey cakes. Maybe.”
“All of them?” Sonny snorted and quickly packed some ingredients. “I’ll have to make a fresh batch when we get there.”
“Was that supposed to be enough for everyone?” Leo looked doubtful. “We may need to stop at the store for more stuff. There’s a lot of us, sunshine.”
An hour later, they were on the road in Leo’s truck. Their bags were in the back with a cover over the bed since it was snowing again.
Sonny watched the city slip by as they entered the suburbs. “Sometimes I wish I had a house so I could have a garden in the yard.”
“Is that something you want one day?” Leo asked, glancing at him before his eyes went back to the road.
“I don’t know. I’m no garden witch,” Sonny said. “That apartment is my home, and I love everything about it. It’s my space. A place where I’m safe and can just be myself with no one judging me.”
Leo reached over Flufflepuff’s carrier and took his hand. “I know how you feel. Your apartment is my safe place too. I’m learning how to be comfortable with myself.”
Oh, honey bear, let me be your mate. Sonny somehow kept the words in and reminded himself to keep it simple. He didn’t want to scare Leo away with his desperation. “It’s not my apartment anymore, is it? It’s become our home.” Way to keep it simple, Sonny.
Leo grinned. “Yeah. It is. Does this mean I can move in?”
Sonny told his heart to stop beating so fast. He didn’t want to have a heart attack. “Yes. We’ll move everything as soon as we get back home.”
“Myrtle won’t like having to find another tenant.” Leo didn’t sound all that concerned. The bear almost seemed smug.
Sonny thought about her suggestion. “She might like us to renovate a little and join our apartments.”
Leo looked shocked. “Seriously?”
“Well, yeah. We could redo some space and have more room and a larger kitchen.” Sonny liked the thought of that. He liked the thought of Leo sharing his home. “I would tie you to a chair and make you stay with me forever if it wasn’t illegal.” Shit, did I say that aloud?
Leo snorted, then started laughing. “Bondage fantasies? I’ll try it with you, sunshine.”
Sonny flushed and buried his nose in the bright red scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. Today he was feeling a bit more androgynous than usual, so he wore fashionably torn jeans, low-heeled boots, and a cream-colored sweater. His cuff bracelet caught the light and he admired it again. Leo’s grandma had good taste.
“Tell me more about your family,” Sonny said, wishing he had put Flufflepuff next to the door so he could sit beside Leo.
“My parents are Katrin and Jesse. They met when my mom was in school. My dad lived on his parents’ farm and worked in a small auto shop in the closest town. Mom was on a road trip with her friends when their car broke down.”
“Aww.” Sonny’s bottom lip popped out and his eyes widened. “That sou
nds like a romance movie.”
Leo chuckled. “They met and knew they were mates right away. Mom’s parents weren’t thrilled. They’re from Germany and had wanted her to marry a bear from their homeland. They weren’t too keen on an American.”
“That didn’t stop her,” Sonny said and stuck his fingers in Flufflepuff’s carrier to pet her side.
“Nope. They mated the next day and it was done.”
“Aaron says shifters don’t do weddings,” Sonny said. He heard the sadness in his own voice but couldn’t help it. Handfasting was an important tradition for witches.
“No, we normally just mate.” Leo looked completely unconcerned while Sonny was quietly dying inside. He had designed a handfasting dress when he was twelve, and Aaron had promised to dance the bunny boogie at his wedding. “Mom’s parents moved back to Germany when I was six. They’re nice and all, but we aren’t close. Dad’s parents, on the other hand, would keep us in their pockets if they could.”
Sonny forced his attention away from his dashed dreams. “You said they weren’t happy when your parents moved to the city.”
“Nope, but they accepted it.” Leo shrugged. “That’s what parents do, right? They let Dad and Mom start their own dream. Grandpa and Grandma were raised in the country and always planned on farming. That was their dream.”
“What’s your dream?” Sonny leaned over Fluff’s carrier and watched his mate carefully.
Leo eyed him in amusement. “I’m simple enough. I want to work at the garage and have a family of my own. What about you? You love Myrtle’s shop, don’t you?”
Sonny nodded. “I guess I’m also simple. I want to run the shop and help people. I want my own family too.” We fit perfectly, honey bear. Be my mate. “What about your brothers and sisters?”
“Coleen is great with the customers. She’s a beta and loves socializing of all kinds. She has a good head for marketing too. Rosemarie is her twin and an alpha. She’s the exact opposite in personality. She likes nothing better than being alone with her head in the engine of a truck. Then there’s Thorwald. He’s older than me, but younger than the twins. He’s an alpha and loves the omegas. Mom and Dad worry that he’ll never want to settle down. Then there’s Niels. He’s the youngest and the only omega. He loves working at the shop, but he writes too. One day, he’ll be famous.”
Sonny counted in his head. “There’s one more, right?”
“Burkhart,” Leo said. “He’s the eldest and an alpha.”
“What’s he like?” Sonny watched his mate, puzzled. Leo had been open about the others.
Leo was quiet for a moment. “You have to promise not to fall in love with him.”
Sonny covered his mouth to hide his laughter, but it spilled over anyway.
“You laugh, but it happens all the time,” Leo said, making an annoyed sound. “He’s a lot like me in that he’s laid back, but he has fucking abs of steel.”
Sonny leaned back in his seat and cackled like the witch he was. I need to stop spending so much time with Myrtle.
“I’m serious,” Leo said, shaking his head. “He’s all quiet and brooding too. Omegas go crazy for him.”
Sonny wheezed for a moment, then caught his breath. “I promise I won’t fall in love with your brother.”
“Thorwald too. He’s good-looking and takes after Mom’s side of the family, so he’s blond and buff.”
Sonny snickered. “Blond and buff.”
“Do you know how many boyfriends I’ve lost to them?”
Sonny sobered, frowning. “They took your boyfriends?”
“Well, they didn’t really take them,” Leo said slowly. “They never dated them, but four of my past boyfriends broke up with me in the hopes of hooking either Burk or Thor.”
“Oh,” Sonny said. “As long as they aren’t being cruel. I’d have had to try out Myrtle’s favorite curse on them.”
“Turning their dicks into snakes?” Leo shuddered. “I love her, but Myrtle scares me sometimes.”
“I promise I won’t fall in love with your brothers,” Sonny said. “I make no promises about falling in love with your Grandma. If she gives me pretty, shiny things, I’m hers.”
Leo smiled fondly. “I’ll share you with her.”
Sonny bit his lip. “How do your parents and siblings feel about me?”
Leo watched the road in silence, eyes wide.
“Leo?” Sonny narrowed his eyes. “How do they feel about me?”
“Uh, well… The thing is…” Leo trailed off.
“Leo!”
“They don’t know,” Leo said, squeezing the steering wheel. “I haven’t told them about you.”
Sonny felt tears fill his eyes. He sank into the seat. “Are you ashamed of me?”
“What?” Leo cursed and started weaving through traffic. “No, I’m not ashamed of you, sunshine.” He pulled to the side of the road and put the truck in park before turning to Sonny. “I’ve been worried my family will scare you off. Dillion never took their teasing well, and he thought they were too lowbrow or something like that.”
Sonny sniffled and punched Leo’s arm. “I’m not Dillion. He’s an idiot, but I’m not.”
Leo reached over the carrier and cupped his face. “Swear you won’t run once you meet my family. Please?”
“I swear I won’t run,” Sonny said. “If they’re truly terrible, I’ll turn them into pecan pies, but I won’t leave you.”
Leo’s smile was shaky, but he pulled back into traffic. “I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t regret it, sunshine.”
By the time they got to the farm, Sonny was tired of looking at the snow-covered trees. There were too many of them. “I hate trees.”
Leo chuckled. “How can you say that? You’re a witch and love all that nature stuff.”
“Trees ate my mother.” Sonny yawned. “Plus, they’re boring.”
“Wow. Here I thought your mother lived a few blocks away,” Leo said dryly. “I never knew of this tragedy you speak of.”
“Seriously though,” Sonny said, glaring at the woods around them. “Gnomes live in forests and they kinda hate witches. At least that’s what Myrtle told me.”
Leo turned onto a long, rough driveway. “Be honest with me. Besides your trips to Myrtle’s sister, have you ever left the city?”
“Once.” Sonny bounced in his seat as the truck hit a particularly deep hole. “My parents made me go to a summer solstice camp for kids. It sucked big time. I found all the poison ivy patches and a racoon tried to eat Flufflepuff.”
Leo pulled the truck to a stop outside of a large farmhouse decorated in lights. “How old is Fluff?”
“I got her when I was nine,” Sonny said. “Familiars live longer than regular pets.”
“Oh,” Leo said, then frowned. “Shit, here they come.”
In seconds, the truck was surrounded by big, dark-haired bears. Oh, there’s a blond. Must be Thorwald. “There’s more than five of them.”
“My cousins are in there too, along with my aunts and uncles.”
“Leo,” Sonny said, growling. “I haven’t even met your parents yet. Won’t they be mad at you for springing this on them at the last minute?”
“They’ll be fine, sunshine,” Leo said, giving him a nervous smile. He glared and beat on the windshield when one of the smaller ones slid onto the hood of the truck. “Go away!”
“Hi.” A woman appeared at Sonny’s door and opened it. She unbuckled his seatbelt and picked him up out of the car, carrying him in her arms. “I like your boots. Are you Leo’s witch? You made our parents traumatize us.”
“Damn, Leo,” Thorwald said, opening Leo’s door and punching his shoulder. “Your witch is hot. Nice job.”
The largest of the bears raised his hands in the air. “I’m the witch’s secret Santa! I have the perfect gift for him.”
“That’s not fair, Burk,” an older woman said. She stood on the porch and watched them all in amusement. “You were already given a secret Santa,
and I just happen to have a gift for Sonny.”
“You know him?” a tall blonde woman asked. She was one of only two blondes. Leo’s mom. Katrin.
“Yes, I do.” The older woman smiled at him. “I’m Janine, sweetheart. Leo’s grandma. That’s Rosemarie who’s carrying you. Bring him into the house, Rose. It’s cold out here.”
“I have his cat,” Burkhart said, holding up Flufflepuff’s carrier. “It’s cool. We met a few days ago.”
The man beside Janine smiled at Sonny. “I’m Ronald, Leo’s grandpa. Welcome to our home, Sonny.”
Chapter 10
Leo watched the door while Sonny unpacked. He didn’t trust that his family wouldn’t chase them into the bedroom and ask more questions or say rude things.
“I can’t believe your sister carried me into the house.” Sonny snickered and hung a dress in the closet. “What do you think Burkhart is going to give me for Christmas? How can he possibly have a gift for me without knowing I was coming?”
Leo ran his tongue over his teeth and narrowed his eyes. Did the doorknob just twitch?
“It’s just noon. What do you think we’ll do today? Christmas is a few days away, but the winter solstice is tomorrow. I didn’t see a tree downstairs. I thought your family always did a tree. Oh, do you think they’ll mind if I do a few blessings and hang some mistletoe?”
Leo smiled as Sonny rambled. He’d noticed his mate’s nerves, but Sonny was handling it well. Dillion would have already run for the hills or would have been complaining non-stop. My sunshine isn’t Dillion.
“I really like Janine and Ronald.” Sonny slipped under his arm and hugged him. “I wish my grandparents were as accepting as yours.”
Leo closed his eyes and snuggled his witch. “They’re not so bad.” The door flew open and Rosemarie and Niels came in. “These two, on the other hand…”
“Can you make a potion to turn someone green?” Niels asked, sitting on the bed. “I’m asking for a friend.”
“Forget him,” Rosemarie said, shoving Niels to the side to steal his spot. “He’s just mad at Thor. I have a more important question. There’s this omega named Kate that just started working at the coffee shop down the street. She’s a black bear shifter. Can you do a spell to see if she likes me? I think she may be my mate.”
