Chapter 11
Eleven
GARRETT
Nine Days until Christmas
Aidyn leaves early the next morning to help Ramon with the breakfast crowd. I know this because he sneaks into my room first to give me Advent kiss number sixteen.
“Only nine more days until Christmas, love,” he whispers as he kisses me. And then he’s gone.
He lets Lanie sleep in.
I was tempted to sneak into his room last night. Not even for sex. Or not just for sex. I miss sleeping next to him. Something that’s more difficult to explain when I live in Mule Creek instead of visiting.
Once Lanie is dressed, we leave my parents and go for breakfast. Jane is already there with her boyfriend. He seems nice enough, but he doesn’t stay long because he has to get to work.
Lanie abandons us and sits with some friends from school, leaving Jane and me at the table alone.
“How did things go last night after I left?” she asks, looking over the menu.
My answer is automatic. “Good.”
Every part of me focuses on Aidyn. He’s not currently in the dining room. But I’m listening for his footsteps. The spicy scent of cardamom from his shampoo. The flash of his red hair and the sound of his grumpy voice.
“Liar,” she says with a laugh. I glance up, and she’s shaking her head. I think back to her question. “I know what Mom and Dad are like.”
Do you? But I don’t say that. “It was fine.”
And then, every one of my senses picks up on Aidyn’s presence.
“Do you know what you want?”
His abruptness is because of Jane. Not me. Unless…
He takes Jane’s order.
“And you—Garrett?” His hesitation and the slight warmth in his voice tell me I was right the first time. He almost called me love. Which makes happiness bubble inside me, but I hate that he still has to hold back. “Can I have eggs over easy and pancakes?”
“It’ll be out in a minute.” He smiles at me and glares at Jane.
She sighs. “Do you think he’ll ever forgive me?”
“Not sure.” I watch him as he walks back to the kitchen. God, he fills out those pants nicely. Then I remember Jane. I cough. “Don’t give up on him, okay?”
“What’s going on with you guys?”
I jerk my head up. “What? Nothing.” But Jane figured it out all those years ago. How had I forgotten that? Except she didn’t figure all of it out on her own. Turns out Emily knew about my crush on her husband.
But Jane guessed we were together when we worked through our issues at her wedding to Isaac.
She leans in closer. “Did you fuck it up?”
“Why do you assume it was me?” She obviously thinks we’re no longer together. Who can blame her? It’s been seven years.
“Because, my dear brother, there’s absolutely nothing Aidyn Christy could do that you wouldn’t forgive him for.”
I start to argue, but it’s so damn true. “Am I that obvious?”
“You still give him moony eyes and watch his ass every time he walks away.” She shrugs. “Does anyone else notice? Probably not.”
At least there’s that. When Aidyn brings out food, I’m self-conscious. Not wanting to look at him for too long.
“Are you okay?” he asks, giving me a confused look.
“Fine.” Do I sound breathy? Jesus.
“You don’t sound okay.” He glares at Jane as if it’s all her fault.
“I’m fine.” I smile so he knows I mean it. He shakes his head.
And when he walks away, I keep my eyes on my food. Jane laughs.
“What’s so funny?” Zye asks, slipping into the seat beside me.
“Garrett.” Jane laughs again, and I give her a warning look. That causes her to laugh even more.
Miles sits across from Zye. “You’re hosting family Christmas this year?” At my nod, he says, “Last year, everyone went their separate ways. I’m glad we’re all together now.”
Zye smiles at him, and it’s so full of love that I look away. I feel like I’m intruding. Would they be okay with Aidyn and me being together? I can’t imagine them being opposed to it. The town loves Aidyn. His grumpiness is endearing. Because the man has a big heart.
A scrape on the floor next to me has my head jerking up as Aidyn pulls out a chair. It’s the closest to me, and consequently, the farthest away from Jane.
He sets his coffee on the table and then his ass in the chair. As he settles in his seat, he seems to notice everyone staring. “What? I can’t sit with my family in my own diner?”
“It’s the breakfast rush.” Zye narrows his eyes as if this is somehow a trick. “And you can, but you usually don’t.”
“And we haven’t ordered…” One look from Aidyn and Miles’s voice trails off.
“Ramon can handle it. And Jake will take your order.” His gaze shifts to Jane. “If there’s a reason I’m not wanted—”
Everyone rushes to reassure him, including Jane.
But I’m more subtle. I place my hand on his leg.
Not so high to cause an incident, but high enough to make a point.
It’s part reassuring. And part claiming.
He sneaks me a glance and clears his throat.
“We have this Christmas thing to plan.” He points a finger at Zye.
“Don’t think you’re getting out of it. Just because it’s at Garrett’s house doesn’t mean he does everything. ”
“Planning is in my job description—and Garrett’s.” Zye smirks at Aidyn and turns to me. “What do you need?”
I open my mouth, but Aidyn responds first. “What he doesn’t need is emus running around causing chaos.”
“I’m fine with— Oh no. What a shame.” Zye pats Miles’s hand.
Miles gives him a sad puppy-dog look. “I hate to leave Justine alone—”
“Babe, she’s been alone before. She’ll be fine.”
This look is more wounded. “But it’s Christmas. And Justine is family.”
Aidyn shakes his head, probably regretting this entire conversation. I squeeze his hand under the table and smile at Miles. “I own a farm. Justine is welcome—”
“As long as she stays outside.”
“That’s fair,” Zye says with a nod.
“But her presents—”
“It’s fine.” I squeeze Aidyn’s hand again to keep him from responding to Miles. “Justine can play outside with the chickens, but she can come in and open presents with us.”
Jane laughs. “This Christmas is going to make Zyageddon look like a picnic. And I’m here for it.”
“Not cool.” Zye pouts, and Miles kisses the side of his face.
“What is wrong with you?” Aidyn says loudly as the server—is this Jake?—stops at our table.
His eyes get big. “Uh…I can come back.”
“No.” It sounds like a command, and Jake looks ready to bolt. “These two have already ordered.” Aidyn points to Jane and me. “You need to take their order…” he says, and Jake nods. “And mine.”
His mouth drops open. And he snaps it shut. “Yes, sir.”
“Don’t call me that.” Aidyn combs his fingers through his beard. “This isn’t your first day, lad.”
“It’s my second.”
Aidyn takes a deep breath and nods. “You’re doing fine. Take our orders.”
“Yes, s— Mr. Christy.” He nods rapidly.
Jane rolls her lips and amusement shines in her eyes as she catches my gaze. Young Jake—is he in high school?—takes the orders and Aidyn has him read them back. As soon as Aidyn nods for him to go, the kid darts off, almost knocking into another server.
“Jesus, Joseph, and Mary. I should probably go back—”
“No.” My voice is a little too loud. I’m glad I’m not prone to blushing when all eyes at the table turn to me. “He has to learn sometime. And we’re planning Christmas.”
It has nothing to do with me wanting my secret boyfriend to eat breakfast with me in his diner. Or the fact that I don’t want to let go of his hand.
Our food arrives as we talk about who’s coming and not coming. Roz will not make it. Nat will be disappointed to hear that. They spent Christmas with Zye and Miles last year, but they have a Christmas-themed show running in Vegas this year.
“Rainn and Mac are a maybe. But I wouldn’t count on them.” Zye adds ketchup to his eggs, and Aidyn winces. “Mama Gladdie invited them and Hettie to Christmas, so I think they’re going there.”
Rainn is Zye’s brother. He and Mac got drunk-married in Vegas last year, which was awkward since Mac had been Rainn’s best man at his wedding. The wedding that imploded and caused the Zyageddon hashtag to start trending again.
A Vegas wedding. The idea has merit.
“What?” Aidyn asks in a low voice.
Everyone else is arguing over how many people we should invite and not paying us any attention. “Wanna go to Vegas?”
Aidyn laughs—the deep, full laugh I love so much—and, I swear, the entire diner goes silent.
As they stare, I’m a little irritated that they assume Aidyn’s grumpy all the time.
But that emotion is overridden by my happiness at being the one to bring out this side of him.
I put that joy in his eyes. That smile on his lips.
The smile drops as he glares at everyone at the table and the diner. “What are you all staring at? Eat your food and mind your own business.”
At Aidyn’s grumpiness, order is restored and the sound of people eating and chatting returns, including at our table. The chat turns to the menu. Turkey or ham or both. Even Aidyn gets drawn in.
All except for Jane. Her eyes are on me. She raises a brow in question.
My stomach does a nervous dance, but it’s not unpleasant.
Excitement versus fear. I should be upset that she’s apparently figured it out.
But I’m not. If it wasn’t for Aidyn wanting to keep this on the down low, I’d stand on this table and announce to the diner and every resident of Mule Creek that I’m in love with Aidyn Christy.
And since Mrs. Weppler is eating breakfast with her granddaughter, it wouldn’t take much to spread it around town.
I nod to Jane, and she grins.
Aidyn wouldn’t be happy with the confirmation, but I can’t keep doing this. I’m thirty-eight. Aidyn is going on forty. Life is too short to waste time worrying about what other people think.
This is going to happen. And I’m not waiting another year. I have a man I love who loves me back. And the ring is in my pocket.
Aidyn squeezes my hand. His face is scrunched with worry. “Everything okay, love.” His voice is low. Just for me.
“Everything’s perfect.”
It might be bumpy at first, but we’ll get through it. Because I can’t keep denying the truth.
Yes, Aidyn Christy is my brother-in-law. But he’s also mine.
Nine Days until Christmas
After breakfast, where nothing really gets decided except that emus are allowed at the family gathering, we head to my place to put up the outdoor decorations.
While I’m not a fan of the holiday, I’m not opposed to putting up Christmas lights.
Mostly because you don’t have to be inside with a crowd of people you can barely tolerate on the best of days, as you attempt to make it through the holidays without an altercation.
Those incidents used to involve Aidyn, so I guess it’s not all bad.
But staying in your car, looking at pretty lights and not dealing with people, is a plus in my book. Aidyn is skeptical.
“Have you ever put up Christmas lights before?”
The lights are in a package and they easily slide out. “No. But how hard can it be?”
He snorts. “I don’t want to spend the evening in the emergency room.”
I stop and watch him. He’s reading the directions on the back. “You’d stay with me in the ER?” I lean in and kiss him.
He tries not to smile, and it’s adorable. “I was talking about me.”
“How are you getting injured again?”
“Heart attack from worrying about you.”
I put my hands over my heart. “Babe, that’s so sweet.”
“Or you could fall on me.”
“That’s not as sweet.”
The others arrive soon after, and I regret inviting them since it means keeping my hands to myself.
Miles is good with tools and is a big help in putting the lights up. Zye directs us, and I go along with it. Normally, I’m the one in charge, but I don’t care enough about the decorations to push it.
But if we’re talking about Aidyn’s ass or the way he moans my name when I’m gagging on that monster cock of his—those things I care about.
Red versus blue and Santa versus snowmen? Not so much.
My parents show up after that. I’m not sure where they’ve been, but I am sure that I don’t care. I immediately regret them returning in the middle of our decorating.
“Garrett, dear, you need more lights on the front of the house.”
I ignore my mother. Not that she’s deterred at all by that. She seems to take it as a challenge.
Every time I go up on the ladder, Aidyn frets. Has he always been like this, or is it due to what happened with Emily?
But we finally get the lights strung up, and I flip the switch in a big ta-da moment.
Zye claps, and Jane smacks my arm with a “Good job. You did something right.”
But Aidyn…Aidyn grins, and the joy that gives me could light up the entire town until Christmas.