Chapter 11 Mattie #2
Toby nodded. “I get it. I’ll probably like old people stuff when I’m your age too.”
“Painting isn’t old people stuff,” I said. “It’s my job. It’s how I make money.”
“And he’s very good at it,” Sam added.
“Well, you both should work on hand-eye-coordination and play some video games from time to time,” Toby said as the next race started.
He was halfway down the track before Sam and I even realized the game had started again.
I came awake slowly in the quiet darkness of my bedroom. It was still early on Christmas Eve morning, and Sam was in my bed.
“Did you sneak out of your house?” I murmured into his chest.
We’d finished video games with Toby at a decent hour, and Sam had declared everyone needed a good night’s sleep. Toby had disappeared to his room while Sam and I made out like horny teenagers in his kitchen.
Until Toby came down for milk, scolded us for breaking rules, said he’d need bleach for his eyes, and stood with his hands on his hips until I pressed a final kiss to Sam’s lips, and ruffled Toby’s hair before slipping out the front door.
But now, Sam held me close, his warmth surrounding me, and his soft breathing tickling my cheek.
“I did. Toby will sleep until noon if I let him, but I left a note to tell him where I am in case he wakes early.”
“Mmmm, I like waking up with you.”
“I finalized everything for the grant and submitted to Darcy about an hour ago. Now we wait.” Sam trailed his hand down my bare hip.
“I think everything looks great, we worked hard. You were amazing. Even if we don’t get the grant, the effort we put into making the site and the town better was worth it.”
“Agreed. It needed to be done, and it will benefit the town in the future.” Sam pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Just remind me never to take a deadline so near to the holidays.”
We dozed for a while, enjoying the lazy closeness.
“Are we going to see the gingerbread house display?” I asked later, my words sleepy as the sun began to peek through the windows.
“We are,” Sam mumbled. “Toby wants to go grab brunch first, then we’ll head over to the community center. I think a lot of people entered the contest.”
“So, we have some time?”
Sam chuckled as my words registered. Then he groaned and sucked on my earlobe. “Plenty of time.”
Christmas Eve sex with the man I planned to spend the rest of my life with turned out to be slow and gentle as we rocked each other’s worlds.
Afterward, we lay tangled together, sweat and cum cooling on our skin while we caught our breaths, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that my future was mapped out with Sam in Sugar Pine.
I hadn’t come to town with Christmas wishes and hopes of a forever love, but that was exactly what I’d found.
Our phones buzzed.
Toby: Gross. Hurry up. Let’s go eat.
Sam groaned.
I laughed.
We rolled from bed and jumped into the shower.
Thirty minutes later, Toby rolled his eyes at us as he threw on his hoodie.
“It’s cold out,” Sam warned.
“I’m good,” Toby muttered.
Sam started to argue, but I caught his eye and shook my head.
Toby headed down the front steps.
“It’s freezing out here,” Sam complained.
“I saw a thread on the single dads’ forum about preteens and teens.
Hoodies, all the time. Just a hoodie in the cold, and still wearing it when it’s hot.
There was a lot of talk regarding the psychology of it all, but basically, it’s normal.
We’re just going to the diner and community center, so it’s not like he’ll freeze to death.
Don’t fight it. The forum dads actually said the more parents fight it, the more the teens often dig in their heels. ”
Sam huffed and rolled his eyes, but kept his mouth shut as we followed Toby down the steps.
Our first stop was the little diner for brunch.
They’d gone all out with the gingerbread theme.
Gingerbread pancakes, gingerbread French toast, gingerbread chai latte and dark roast from One Lump or Two, and a gingerbread cinnamon roll.
The brunch menu also included sugar plum treats from the bakery in the form of tarts, crumble, and coffee cake.
Toby’s face lit up mid-meal when his phone buzzed. “Can I hang out with Jasper at the gingerbread thing?”
Sam nodded. “As long as you two stay in the community center and remember your manners.”
Toby agreed and spent the rest of the meal chatting about the various people he knew who had entered the contest. Amazing what the promise of time with a friend could do for a person.
We paid the bill and headed out into the cold, crisp Christmas Eve morning. Luckily, the sun was warm. We most likely wouldn’t see a single snowflake for Christmas this year, but the sun was a decent trade off.
The Gingerbread House Extravaganza turned out to be bigger and better than the three of us had originally imagined.
“And they’re going to make it bigger next year?” Sam asked in awe.
“We’ll have to think about entering a category,” I said. “Let’s pick one today; we’ll need a year to plan.”
“As the brains behind the whole thing, we shouldn’t be allowed to win,” Toby said. “But maybe we can enter in the Family Fun category.”
My heart warmed at the look of love and pride filling Sam’s face as he watched his nephew. Toby shrugged and muttered, “What?” before looking at his phone.
A few moments later, Jasper found us near the entrance and gave a quick hello before Toby dragged them off in search of gingerbread hot chocolate and the winning entry.
As Sam and I wandered the exhibits and took in the different entries for each category, we decided that Sugar Pine, and the surrounding towns, had a vast amount of talent.
“Just think, this is what came together with very little time to plan. Can’t imagine how much folks will expand their creativity next year.”
Toby and Jasper met us in one of the rows and declared they’d found the overall winner for sure. But they also walked with us for a bit, and pointed out the houses they thought should win their categories.
We ran into Darcy and let him introduce us to some folks as he bustled about and gushed about all the amazing things Sugar Pine had to offer. When we finally made our excuses and cut away from the mayor, Toby asked if we could just get food at the event rather than going home to cook.
“I’m good with no dishes,” Sam said.
We ate and laughed, visited with Sugar Pine residents old and new, and enjoyed our Christmas Eve outing both as a couple and a family of three—even though we were sadly missing our fourth.
Toby didn’t mention his mom, but there was a bittersweet catch in his voice when he took her call later that night. He ran off to his room to talk, catching Tabby up on all the happenings, and celebrating Christmas Eve with her from a thousand miles away.
“You wanna come over tomorrow morning?” Sam asked as he walked me to my door.
Yes.
Yes, I wanted to spend Christmas morning with Sam and Toby.
But…
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“You’re not intruding. Toby likes you more than he likes me most of the time. He’d be glad to have you there.” Sam pressed kisses along my jawline.
I groaned, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Let’s play it by ear.
If he asks for me, I’ll gladly be there.
If he doesn’t, you two just enjoy your Christmas morning together, and I can come over later.
” I brushed a kiss over his lips. “You don’t have many more Christmases with him home, take advantage of them. ”
“God,” Sam groused. “Why don’t you just stab me in the heart? We don’t have many more Christmases with him home. But I get what you’re saying. I’ll see how he wants it to play out. Either way, you’re coming over at some point. I’m not spending Christmas Day apart if I don’t have to.”
“Sleep tight. Maybe Santa will bring you everything you wanted.” The kiss was longer, slower, and hotter this time.
“I already have everything I want,” Sam whispered against my lips. “I love you, Mattie. I get not wanting to overwhelm Toby, but this isn’t just a fling. You’re part of our family, and I want to share the moment with you.”
“I love you,” I said, nuzzling his nose. “Just see how Toby wants to play it. He’s already missing his mom; I don’t want to trample all over his Christmas morning.”
“Okay, we’ll see. But be prepared for an early wake-up.” Sam kissed me, slapped me on the ass, and headed toward his side of the duplex.
“Wait, what? How early?”
The love of my life, the man I’d fallen for way back then, and found again for our very own second chance at forever, just laughed.