And here they were, hours later, still side by side, enjoying time with their families and friends. Kaleb shifted his eyes around the room, watching his brothers as they interacted with those around them. Travis was on the opposite couch, Kylie tucked up against his side with Gage sandwiching her in on the other side. They were smiling, all three of them and Kaleb found himself smiling at them. It was nice to see Travis so damned happy.
The man truly was a different person these days. He beamed with pride when he talked about the two loves of his life. His shift in mood was definitely welcome, especially as they put the finishing touches on Alluring Indulgence. Travis was certainly much easier to work with. It was about damn time Travis found the happiness that he deserved and based on the way Kylie and Gage stared at him with nothing but love on their faces proved that they’d all three found what they’d been searching for.
But, on the other hand… Kaleb glanced over at Ethan who was sitting on the edge of the fireplace hearth, his head down, hands clasped between his spread legs. Although Ethan appeared to have cleaned up for the occasion, he looked tired. But true to form, Ethan had been his usual loner self all afternoon, limiting how much he spoke and that included the conversations he shared with Blake. His friend.
Yeah, right.
Kaleb couldn’t help but wonder when Ethan was going to finally let them in. He loved his brother with everything that he was, and it hurt to know that Ethan kept a substantial part of himself concealed, although the rest of them knew what was going on. They’d always known. But Ethan refused to admit it for whatever reason.
But, that was the thing about Christmas. Miracles did happen, and Kaleb could only hope his brother would find his miracle soon.
♂♀
Zane
“Nobody ever said who goes first,” Zane reminded the room, watching as everyone toyed with the gift in their hand, but their attention was more on the conversations going on around them. Not that he minded, but he was ready to get on with it.
“Relax,” V whispered against his ear, her breath teasing him. He knew she did it on purpose too.
“I am relaxed,” he answered, keeping his voice low. “But if you’d like to help me out, I know of a place where I can get you naked and screaming my name in just under three minutes. That’ll help release an entirely different sort of tension.”
“You better behave.” V swatted his thigh as she laughed.
“Fine. Have it your way.” He grinned and then linked his fingers with hers.
Complete. That’s what he was.
Even more so now than when he woke up that morning. After hours and hours of searching the internet and walking mindless miles through store after store, Zane hadn’t been able to figure out what to get V for Christmas. That was until he talked to his father.
Armed with the advice his father had bestowed upon him, Zane went to a jewelry store in the mall and purchased a simple heart shaped charm on a thin platinum chain. After all, V wasn’t much into jewelry, but as soon as he saw the heart, he thought of her. There were a couple of diamond chips on one edge of the heart, but nothing extravagant. From there, he’d had the charm engraved to say “Mine Forever.”
Based on V’s enthusiastic reaction that morning, she had loved it. Which had been almost the best present he could’ve asked for. At least he had thought so. But that was before she handed him a slender envelope with his name scrawled across the front.
After opening the glued edge, he watched her carefully as he pulled the card out, a small piece of tissue paper falling out along with it. When he looked down, he nearly lost his breath.
A wedding invitation.
Their wedding invitation.
After all this time, V had never confirmed a date with him, but the invitation had all of the details listed out, including the date. And according to her, they’d be getting married less than a month after Zoey’s and Kaleb’s son was born.
Right then and there, she’d made his world spin out of control. He hadn’t thought he could love her more than he already did, but to know that there was a date set and a wedding in the works, he hadn’t been able to control himself.
Squeezing her hand, Zane glanced over at V. He smiled. There was no need to tell her why he was so happy. She knew. He knew she did. Because they were connected. Two hearts that beat as one.
“I love you,” he said, just because he wanted to tell her.
♂
Sawyer
Happy go lucky had a time and a place and Sawyer knew he was supposed to be the one to keep everyone smiling and laughing on days like this. But based on what he saw as he looked around the room, his witty antics weren’t needed. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen a group of people smile quite this much.
The twins were bickering back and forth over Jessie, laughing and joking as they did while she stared at them both like they were crazy. The subtle glances she shot in Braydon’s direction weren’t missed either. Not by him, and probably not by Braydon or Brendon. Sawyer wondered what was going on there, but it wasn’t his place to ask.
From his perspective, they appeared to be acting normal, keeping up a front, but he could see a storm brewing underneath. He knew his brothers well enough to see that there was tension between them. And whatever it was, it was huge. Something was about to change in the twins’ world, and he had a feeling that Jessie was going to be at the center of the epic shift.
Sawyer wasn’t sure he’d want to be anywhere within a twenty mile radius when that happened.
His attention was diverted when he saw movement out of the corner of his eyes. There on the couch, Kaleb and Zoey were looking at one another like they were the only two people in the room. And perhaps in their minds they were. Their love for one another was so obvious, it radiated outward from where they sat. Sawyer couldn’t help but wonder what that sort of love felt like. On top of that, he couldn’t imagine he would ever even remotely come close to feeling that way about someone.
Sure, he had a good idea that there was one woman who could make him look like a complete and total sap and not give a damn who saw, but… well, he just didn’t know if he’d met her yet. And quite frankly, maybe he just wasn’t ready to let go of his wild and crazy ways.
Either way, this year, Sawyer would have to settle for enjoying what his brothers had found, living vicariously through them. And truthfully, this was all he actually needed. To be here, with all of the people he cared about, was what made Christmas so special. A day when nothing else mattered but the love of family and friends.
“You all right?” Greyson interrupted his thoughts.
“Yup. You?” Sawyer turned to look at his friend who had dropped down on his haunches beside where Sawyer was sitting on the fireplace hearth.
“Good. Thanks for inviting me.”
“Anytime, bro. Anytime.” It wasn’t like Sawyer could imagine a holiday without Greyson. They’d been attending one another’s family functions since they were in elementary school. And he hoped that they’d continue the tradition for years to come.
“What’s going on after this?” Greyson asked, obviously trying to appear casual.
“No idea.” Sawyer had a good idea that he knew what Greyson was about to ask, but he figured he’d let him work for it.
For long seconds, Greyson appeared to be interested in the goings-on in the room, but finally he pushed to his feet and thrust his hands in his pockets, looking down at Sawyer.
“Wanna head over to Moonshiners after?”
“Sure. Why the hell not.” Wasn’t like he had anything better to do. And if he was lucky, maybe he’d find Ms. Right Now to pass the time with.
Because he sure as hell wasn’t going to get what he wanted for Christmas this year.
Chapter Twenty Three
♂♀♂
Travis
For the first time in as long as Travis could remember, he sat quietly on the couch in his parent’s living room listening to the chatter and reflecting on the events o
f the last few months. It was true, this time last year, Travis had no idea what happiness even was. He had personally sabotaged his own for so long, he hadn’t even thought it was in his future.
Until Kylie and Gage.
Sitting here now, with Kylie’s warm body pressed up against his side, Gage’s comforting hand resting on his shoulder, Travis felt as though his life was finally back on track. Or hell, maybe it was just going in the right direction for the very first time. Either way, he felt as though he was right where he was supposed to be.
“What do you want to do after this?” Kylie asked, looking up at him.
“Well, I’m kinda thinking we should go home and check out your new Christmas present,” Travis whispered to his wife.
“Technically, that was your Christmas present,” she said with a shy grin.
“Not that one, the other one.” As it would seem, Gage found an online special for adult toys and he must’ve spent a small fortune.
“Yeah?”
“Hell yeah,” Gage added.
Travis chuckled.
Christmas wouldn’t have been complete without a few sex toys wrapped up and put under the tree. At least that was Gage’s philosophy and who was Travis to argue with that logic. It made sense. And now it would seem that Kylie probably had the largest vibrator collection in the entire state of Texas. What the hell she needed them for, he had no idea. It wasn’t like they didn’t keep her occupied with the real thing often enough.
Travis glanced over at Gage. Well, at least Gage was getting some enjoyment out of the toys. He did seem to have a penchant for using them on Kylie. And Travis couldn’t complain.
"Or…," Gage said, glancing around to see if anyone else was listening. “We can use the new camera you got me.”
“That’s not what I had in mind when I got that for you,” Kylie corrected him.
“No?” Gage acted as though he were confused with her intentions.
“No,” Kylie said with a sweet smile just for Gage. “It’s to use at the resort. For security purposes.”
“Hmm.” Gage paused, pressing his back deeper into the couch. “I still like the camera idea,” he said with a pout.
“There’s always the webcam on the tablet she got me,” Travis added, squeezing Gage’s shoulder like he felt sorry for the guy. “I hear those are a big thing right now on the internet.”
Thanks to his wandering thoughts, he had to adjust his position on the couch.
Kylie slapped his leg playfully.
No, she didn’t have to worry about any of that. They might like to tease her a little, but Travis had no intention of letting anyone see what goes on behind closed doors. These two belonged to him and only him.
“I think Sawyer should go first,” Zane hollered from across the room. The conversation slowly died, and a chorus of agreement followed.
Travis watched Sawyer, noticing the sheer fear written across his face. Yes, of all of them, Sawyer probably should be the most concerned about what potential gift was in that gigantic box sitting at his feet.
“Why me?” Sawyer asked, clearly trying to divert the attention.
The room got quiet as Sawyer began ripping paper off of the box slowly, his face turning an interesting shade of red already. Who would’ve thought?
Once the box was open, Sawyer peeked inside, his brow furrowing.
“What the hell is this?”
“We can’t see it,” Zane informed him. “Whip it out and show us.”
That comment got the room laughing and Sawyer turning another shade of red.
“What’re you laughing at?” Sawyer asked, directing his attention right at Greyson who seemed to be enjoying the joke. “It’ll be your turn in a minute.”
“Yeah? Well, at least mine’s small,” Greyson retorted, holding up the small box in his hand.
Another round of laughter exploded.
“That was probably too much information,” Brendon said. “But don’t worry, we won’t share that with anyone else.”
“And Greyson, just keep in mind, it’s not about size, it’s about how you use it,” Zane offered.
“You would know.”
The sexual innuendos continued as Sawyer retrieved the items from the box at his feet.
“What the hell is that?” Travis asked, glancing over at his mother when he realized he had cursed. She didn’t seem to be paying him any attention, but he did get a glare from his father.
“It looks like a metal detector,” Beau offered.
Another item was pulled out of the box. Sawyer held it up for all to see.
“And a stud finder.”
“Sorry, man. We didn’t know which way you were swinging these days, but I thought we could help you find what you’re looking for,” Brendon said seriously.
“Thanks, man. I’m sure I’ll find it now,” Sawyer laughed, grinning at the twins.
“Travis’ turn,” Zane called.
“Bullsh –” Before he could get the curse out, Kylie’s hand shot over, effectively covering his mouth.
Travis’ head jerked toward his youngest brother. He did not want to know what was in the box sitting on his knee. He damn sure didn’t want to open it in front of his parents or Kylie’s.
Grabbing the small gift that had been placed in front of him, he picked at the edges of the paper as he glanced around the room. He had no idea who drew his name this year, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. The idea of secret Santa with this group was kind of scary, all things considered.
“What did you get?” Zoey asked.
Peeking inside, just in case it was something that would make his mother want to run and hide, Travis studied the small cluster of bottles.
“Need some help?” Kylie asked sweetly, staring up at him from her position at his side.
“No, I don’t need any help,” he growled. Lifting the bottles out of the box, he held them up.
“Neon Warming Message Lotion,” Travis said, reading the description. He had no idea what the rationale was behind that one, but he figured he’d find out soon enough.
“You like it?” Zane asked, and Travis cringed. Now he’d find out exactly what the reason was.
“I’m sure I can find something to do with it, thanks,” he said in a rush, putting the box on the floor at his feet.
“Well, I figured with all of those moving parts, you might need something to help you find your way in the dark.”
Travis glared at Zane, but everyone else laughed, including Curtis, whose booming chuckle resounded over everyone else.
“Next,” Kaleb called out when the laughter died down somewhat.
“I say it’s Ethan’s turn.”
“Nuh-uh,” Ethan added. “Zane can go next.”
Travis knew this was only going to go downhill from there, so he sat back and sent up a silent prayer that this would not get out of hand.
♂♀♂
Brendon
Brendon pulled Jessie in close to his side as he rested on the arm of the couch close to where Kaleb and Zoey were sitting. The room was full, and there was limited seating, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Granted, it could be at each other’s expense considering this secret Santa idea had taken a remarkably quick detour to the naughty.
Then again, this was a Walker family holiday, so Brendon shouldn’t have expected much less.
Watching as Zane opened the gift he’d been presented, Brendon held his breath. There was no telling what was in that large flat box or whether it was even appropriate for present company, but they were all about to find out together.
Zane slowly slid the item out of the box before holding it up for everyone to see. “What is it?” he asked.
“It’s a net,” Ethan explained.
“What the he–” Zane paused, “What the heck do I need a net for?”
“Because we’re still waitin’ for you to catch her,” Ethan said, nodding toward V.
“Shut up,” Zane said, grinning from ear to ear as he
tossed the net on the floor. “I caught her. Look, this proves it.”
Pulling a folded piece of paper out of his pocket, Zane held it up for everyone to see. “March twenty-second,” he said proudly.
A round of applause replaced the laughter.
About damn time, Brendon thought to himself. He knew those two would eventually tie the knot, but he was wondering if they would all have to wait an eternity for that to happen.
“Congratulations, Bubba,” Braydon said over his shoulder.
Zane just grinned from ear to ear.
“Who’s next?” Gage asked.
“How about one of the ladies this time?” Zane suggested.
“The bride to be,” Jessie added.
V glanced over at them, frowning.
“Good idea. V, what did you get?” Sawyer said.
With hurried movements, V quickly retrieved the item from the gift bag sitting on the floor at her feet. When she pulled out the bottle everyone remained silent, waiting to hear what it was.
“Wine,” V said with a laugh. “Thank God.”
“Figured you’d need it,” Beau told her from across the room.
“Well, you were right.” Setting the bottle back in the bag, V leaned back and entwined her arm with Zane’s while he pretended to pout. They shared a quick kiss and then the game moved on to the next person.
Brendon glanced over at Jessie. She seemed to fit in perfectly in this family. And it was days like this when he wondered whether his way of life was keeping him from something more. Although, there was no reason he should want more than he had. But, if he honestly thought about it, in the long run, Jessie could probably make him truly happy.
It was just too bad he was having a hard time convincing his heart of that.
♂♀♂
Braydon
Standing behind the couch, Braydon kept one hand on the small of Jessie’s back. She was sitting partially on Brendon’s knee, so he had to be careful in case his brother moved, but he couldn’t help himself. He needed to touch her. The feeling was overwhelming him. Suffocating him to the point of exhaustion.
Holidays With the Walker Brothers Page 16
