“Jet!” Cathy yelled. “There are children present.”
“Hard to miss them, Mom. And if it wasn’t for sex, they wouldn’t be here.”
“Can I have the sex?” Greg asked, holding a now sleeping puppy in his lap.
“Sex is yucky,” Hannah announced.
“First of all, how would you know that?” Ron asked.
“Because I see Mom and Dad kissing all the time. It’s gross.”
“Hey, let her keep thinking it’s gross and yucky. Then I won’t have to stand on the deck with my shotgun,” Max said.
“I want sex, too!” Oliver announced.
Max grabbed his five-year-old’s shoulder. “Not until you’re twenty-five.”
“Dad!” Hannah cried. “You told me I had to wait to date until I was thirty! How is that fair?”
“Life isn’t fair, my darling daughter. Best to learn that now,” Max answered, his lips quirking as he tried to hold back his laughter.
“I told you fifty,” Ron reminded her.
Hannah rolled her eyes.
“Well, there you go. Your father was out ruled by his father.”
“Dad!”
Max shrugged. “He outranks us all.”
Ron clapped his hands, getting everyone’s attention. “And as the supreme ruler of this house, I agree with my brother, we should all go for a walk.”
“What? Now?” Teddy whined. “It’s cold out. And snowing. And winter. And brr.” He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered.
“Yes, now, before we eat,” Ron said. “We can work up an appetite.”
“We can’t eat if there’s no food,” Teddy grumbled under his breath.
“When have you ever starved around Mary Ann?” Adam asked him.
“Never.”
“I told you to eat breakfast.”
“I was saving space for dinner.” Teddy made his way over to Carly, who was standing by the car seat, where Levi was sleeping. “I can stay with the baby.”
“He’s going on the walk. I brought plenty of layers for him and we’re going to strap him to Matt’s chest again. My husband is like a walking, talking furnace.”
“Well, that I have to agree with. Matty is very hot. And when he’s broody, he’s smoldering.”
“Everyone bundle up,” Adam’s dad yelled.
Teddy’s lower lip jutted out. Adam approached him and dragged a thumb over it. “Baby, it’s just a walk. You aren’t going to die. It’ll be fun.”
“How do you know I’m not going to die? We could be attacked by a rabid pack of rabbits. Haven’t you ever watched a horror movie before?”
Adam put his lips to Teddy’s ear. “I’ll protect my Teddy Bear. I promise.”
“Oh,” Teddy breathed. “Don’t make me hard in front of the children.”
“Good idea. Put on your coat and your five thousand winter accessories that are color coordinated and get ready.”
“I’ll have you know those accessories are vital to my winter survival.”
“You live in Manning Grove, not the arctic circle,” Adam reminded him.
Teddy sighed and moved with the rest of the family toward Randall as he stood by the closet and handed out coats, gloves, hats and scarves to their owners.
Adam stood back and Max paused next to him, whispering, “We got it from here. Just take a breath.”
Easier said than done.
“Okay, let’s go,” Adam heard his father say in his best retired cop’s voice. “As soon as you’re dressed appropriately, go outside on the porch. Let’s keep this orderly and organized.”
If Adam wasn’t so sick to his stomach, he’d laugh. Retired or not, you can never remove the cop out of the man.
He purposely stood at the back of the pack. His father handed out the last coat to Max, who waited for Randall to walk outside first. “I’ll keep him out,” his cousin mouthed.
Adam nodded, pulled out his cell phone and said loudly, “You go on ahead. I need to make a quick call.”
“What?” came a screech from outside on the porch.
“You all go on. I’ll catch up.”
“Who are you calling on Christmas?” Teddy shouted back into the house.
Max shut the door firmly, cutting off Teddy’s complaints.
Adam turned and sprinted up the stairs as fast as he could. He was either going to throw up or his heart was about to explode.
He wasn’t sure which would be worse.
* * *
“I told you something suspicious is going on,” Teddy hissed at Amanda as everyone else filed down the porch steps and headed down the snow-dusted stone sidewalk. “Who is he calling on Christmas? Everyone he would talk to on a holiday is here.”
Amanda hooked her arm in his and pulled him along. Teddy wanted to dig in his heels, run back inside and demand to know who Adam was talking to.
“It’s nobody,” she said. “Probably work.”
He twisted his neck to glance at Max who was coming up the rear. “Why would he call into work today? The freaking chief is right here with us!” His voice was getting higher the more he melted down.
“Dunn had a question about a case they were working together, that’s all,” Max said. “Remember, everyone else is working today so we could all spend Christmas together. Dunn did a selfless act by volunteering to work and is missing out on Christmas morning with his family. If he has a damn question, then Adam can spend a couple minutes answering it. Teddy, stop being so goddamn selfish.”
Teddy pouted at Max’s scolding. “Well, how is he going to find us?”
“He’s a cop. He’ll find us,” Amanda assured him.
“Look down,” Max ordered.
Teddy looked down at the ground as the group rounded the back of the house and headed toward a row of trimmed evergreens like a herd of sheep with Chaos circling them, making sure everyone stayed together.
“He’s not going to lose us,” Max said.
True. With the group they had, there were plenty of footsteps, even in the light dusting of snow. “I should go back and keep him company.”
Amanda tugged him along, almost pulling his arm out of the socket. “No, he’ll catch up quicker without you to slow him down.”
“Fine,” Teddy huffed. “If we have to send out a search party... And then we find my Adam frozen like a popsicle...”
“Then, bonus, he’ll be stiff forever,” Amanda said, yanking him along.
Twenty minutes later, his nose was numb, they were still walking with no end or Adam in sight. He’d texted his fiancé five times with no response. “I don’t like this. Someone needs to go back and look for my fiancé.”
Everyone ignored his panic, like he was just a silly boy, and kept walking. Like they didn’t care that Adam could be found frozen to death amongst rows of Christmas trees or... or...
Having an affair.
A whimper escaped his lips.
“Stop it,” Amanda hissed at him.
“He might be whispering sweet nothings into another man’s ear right this very minute and no... one... cares!” he wailed.
“If he’s sticking his dick in another man’s ass, I’ll shoot him myself,” Max growled.
“Oh.” That outburst was surprising, coming from Max. “Thank you for defending my honor,” he purred and batted his eyelashes at the man.
“It’ll be self-preservation. Because there’s no way I can listen to you whine like this the rest of our lives.”
“Teddy, you need to stop fussing.” Amanda also sounded like she was losing patience with him. “Adam is not cheating. He loves you. He’s trying to make detective, so he’s going above and beyond right now.”
“Yeah, what my smart wife said,” Max said. “Now, can we please enjoy this walk in silence?”
“Maybe we should be singing some carols while we walk to drown out the yipping coyotes,” Ron suggested from up front.
“What coyotes?” Teddy asked in a panic. “See? The coyotes could hunt Adam down and eat him
like a snack. Because he is a snack. But he’s my snack.”
“Oh good lord,” Amanda muttered.
Teddy cupped a hand around the side of his mouth and yelled, “Adam! Are you out there? Are you lost? I’m here, lover! Call my name.”
“Teddy!” Adam’s sister, Jet, yelled back to him. “You’re ruining a perfectly peaceful winter walk. My brother is fine.”
“Did you hear from him?”
Jet rolled her eyes and kept walking. Well, fine, then, if she didn’t give a hoot about her brother.
Up ahead, Ron waved his arm in the air and the pack hooked a left.
“I’m not sure why we’re only walking through rows of trees. That’s all we can see. Trees, snow and looming death!”
Amanda jerked his arm as they cut through a couple rows, the snowy evergreen branches brushing against them and sending a cloud of crystals up into the cold air.
As they broke into a small clearing, Teddy stumbled to a stop. Amanda released his arm and moved out of his way so he could have a clear view of the open circle.
His heart began to drum a beat in his chest.
Little white lights, strung in the trees around the perimeter, were lit under the dusting of snow, creating a soft glow, even in the daylight.
Rainbow-colored rose petals were sprinkled on top of the snow-covered ground.
Teddy sucked in a breath of frigid late December air.
Kaleidoscope roses! He had talked about getting them for his wedding bouquet. But they were spread all over the ground instead. Who would do such a thing?
“Oh... my... God!” he squeaked and slapped a hand over his mouth as his fiancé appeared between two snow-covered evergreens. Adam looked as handsome as ever in a well-fitted dark suit with a boutonniere made of a single kaleidoscope rose and tuft of baby’s breath.
What the hell was going on?
His lover held a small bouquet of the same colorful roses in one hand.
Teddy tried to swallow, but he couldn’t. He was too choked up.
“Did I die on the walk? Is this gay heaven?” he managed to ask Amanda.
“Yes. You made it in,” she answered. She lifted her chin towards Adam. “Go claim your eternal reward.”
“Is this what I think it is?” he whispered, his voice beginning to thicken as his fiancé moved to stand under an arch made of dried woven vines and covered in twinkling white lights and evergreen boughs.
“It’s actually a sacrifice. And we volunteered you,” Amanda told him. “There’s a pentagram drawn under the snow. Max, grab him so he doesn’t escape.”
Teddy laughed through the tears that were building and shoved Amanda gently. As she took a step back to catch her balance, he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into his chest, hugging her close. “You helped do this, didn’t you?”
“Maybe,” she murmured. “But we all played a part.”
“Was this why he was on the phone so much?”
“Yes.”
“I never thought it would happen,” Teddy whispered.
“I know,” she whispered back.
“Adam really loves me.”
“Of course he does. We told you that. He told you that. You were the idiot who questioned it when no one else did. Now, go get your husband. He’s waiting.”
He released his bestest friend in the whole wide world and squealed, “Oh... em... gee! I’m getting hitched!”
“Not if you don’t go over there!” Amanda yelled at him, giving him a push.
Chuckles rose around the circle where everyone he loved and the most important people in his life stood. Waiting. Watching. Ready to witness Adam and him get married. To commit to each other for the rest of their lives.
To start a family of their own.
Adam was putting a ring on it.
Finally.
Best. Christmas. Ever.
He clapped quickly and skipped over to where Adam stood waiting patiently, lifting the bouquet as Teddy got closer. Teddy snatched it up and put the roses to his nose, inhaling their delicate scent.
They were perfect.
This was perfect.
Everyone in that circle loved and supported them. And it was a bit overwhelming.
A tear slid down his cheek.
“Teddy bear,” Adam murmured, using his thumb to wipe it away. “Be happy.”
“I am.”
“Are you surprised?”
“Floored. You look so handsome and I’m just in these rags. If I would’ve known, I would’ve dressed in my best.” Teddy waved a hand over his clothes.
Adam rolled his suck-you-in-and-never-let-you-go blue eyes. “You’re never in rags. And if you would’ve known, it wouldn’t have been a surprise.” Adam grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. Teddy, of course, did not resist getting up close and personal with his lover. “I love you, Teddy bear,” he whispered.
And didn’t that cause another tear to leak from his eye? “I love you, too, lover. I can’t believe you pulled this off.”
“This isn’t everything. I have more surprises.”
Teddy’s mouth gaped open. “What? More than making me your husband?”
“Yes. But they have to wait. We need to say our vows first.”
That sounded like music to Teddy’s ears. He was beginning to think this day would never come. It did. “Do you have rings?”
“Of course. I want everyone to know you’re taken.”
“I want everyone to know you’re taken.” Teddy grinned. He glanced around. “Well, who’s going to marry us?”
As if on cue, a portly man with gray hair stepped out from between the trees, wearing a parka over a suit.
“Judge Thomas was kind enough to take some time out of his holiday to help us out,” Adam said. “He’s the local district magistrate.”
“Are we ready to begin?” Judge Thomas asked.
“Wait! I have one thing to say first.” Teddy released Adam’s hand and turned to face everyone.
“Just one?” Matty asked, a crooked grin on his face as he bounced gently with little Levi strapped to his chest in the sling.
That reminded Teddy he needed to hurry. Today wasn’t only about him. Today was about his whole family. Every single one of them standing around that circle.
“I’m so sorry for complaining the whole time on the walk. I had no idea today’s death march would lead me to my little slice of heaven.”
Smiles became wider and sniffles louder. Wives and husbands held hands. Kids leaned into their parents. And the dogs played tag with each other through the rows of trees, the newest puppy doing her best to keep up.
If there was one dry eye left at the end of the ceremony, Teddy couldn’t tell because everything went blurry for him after Adam declared his eternal love and devotion to him.
Then he did the same.
Teddy was now officially a Bryson.
Someone needed to pinch him to make sure it wasn’t only a dream, but a dream come true.
Chapter Twelve
Matt & Carly
Carly sat on a folding chair near the small makeshift dance floor situated on the ground level of the barn, giving a hungry Levi a bottle. It had been hard work to transform the old barn into a wedding reception winter wonderland. But they had miraculously pulled it off.
The interior was actually breathtaking.
Because the barn wasn’t heated, they had rented some portable heaters and placed them around the big, open space. Like out where the ceremony had been held, white lights were strung everywhere, giving the rustic barn a romantic glow. Boughs of evergreens and winterberries decorated the walls. A small lit Christmas tree, full of handmade ornaments made by the kids, sat in one corner, with wedding presents tucked underneath it.
Christmas music played softly from unseen speakers.
Poinsettias had been placed along the center of the long rustic table on a Christmas-themed table runner. They alternated with deep red pillar candles encircled by sprigs of winterberries, emitting a delicate c
ranberry aroma. The table was wide enough so Teddy and Adam could sit next to each other at the head of the table, while the rest of the family sat down the length.
Another table stretched along one wall, where the caterers were currently setting up a buffet. A two-tiered wedding cake, with two groomsmen standing on the very top, sat on a single table safely out of the way of both dogs and children. One of the figures on the cake topper wore a police uniform, the other a teal tux and pink cummerbund with a leg kicked up behind him as they kissed.
Carly had it specially made and shipped. She’d worried it wouldn’t make it in time, but like everything else today, its arrival went off without a snag.
Levi’s first Christmas was a happy, but emotional day, for everyone involved. And it wasn’t even half over yet. They still had dinner and dancing, along with games with the kids later, as well as picking at leftovers.
By the time they were done, everyone would be exhausted, have stuffed bellies, and be ready to climb into bed and sleep until New Year’s.
As she glanced around the barn, she marveled at how far this family had come in the past few years. She might have been the last wife to join the family, but she helped deliver the first Bryson grandchild. And then all the children after that.
Even her own son.
She glanced down at Levi’s chubby cheeks as he suckled the bottle, his eyes barely open. He would fall asleep soon with a full belly while everyone else got to fill their own.
She hardly had time to eat this morning, so she was starving, and the food that the caterers were putting out smelled and looked delicious. The table was full of Teddy and Adam’s favorites.
For such a cozy and private wedding, Adam had spared no expense. How he pulled it off so Teddy—who liked to be in everyone’s business—didn’t find out, was another miracle.
A miracle just like her son.
Levi’s eyelids were now shut and even though his little Cupid’s bow shaped lips were still moving, he was finished. She put the bottle down and before she could burp Levi, Matt was there, carefully taking him from her arms and putting the baby against the towel on his shoulder he’d pulled from the diaper bag.
“I got it. We’re about to eat.”
A Bryson Family Christmas: Brothers in Blue, book 4 Page 18
