Chapter Twenty-One
TEDDY
Teddy held Ciaran tight in his arms. The past two days had gone by in a blur.
He and Ciaran cooked in the kitchen. Geoff and Ciaran played video games.
Teddy and Geoff played chess while Ciaran was working on the webpage.
Then, in the evening, the three of them cuddled on the couch together to watch movies.
He kissed the back of Ciaran’s neck, and the hair there tickled his lips.
How did I fall for you so fast?
“Good morning, Teddy Bear.” Geoff kissed the back of his neck.
“Good morning,” he whispered.
Ciaran grabbed his arm and pulled it tight. “Morning, Teddy Bear.”
Teddy smiled. Only Geoff called him that, but it sounded beautiful coming from Ciaran’s lips.
“Morning, dear.” Teddy kissed his neck again. “Did you sleep well?”
“I did.” Ciaran let out a pleasant groan.
“Shall we get breakfast going?” Teddy asked.
“Let’s go.”
“You two make breakfast. I’m going to shower first,” Geoff said.
Teddy turned and kissed Geoff. Ciaran slid out of bed, walked around it, and bent to give Geoff a kiss.
“Good morning, dear,” Geoff said.
“Good morning, honey.”
Teddy and Ciaran made their way to the kitchen. They grabbed flour, sugar, and salt from the cupboards, once more in sync with each other’s movements.
“Should we put fruit in the pancakes?” Ciaran asked.
“I think we have some blueberries. Do you want to prepare them?”
“I’m on it.”
They continued moving around the kitchen, preparing breakfast.
Teddy stopped and gave Ciaran a deep kiss. “It’s so nice to do this with someone. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too,” Ciaran admitted, smiling. “I don’t remember the last time I was this happy.”
“You don’t think we moved too fast?” Teddy stared into his green eyes. Such beautiful eyes.
“I thought so at first,” Ciaran said. “But it just feels right. I can’t imagine being with anyone else now.”
“I’m glad.” He gave Ciaran another kiss and continued preparing hash browns.
When they finished, Ciaran went into the living room to tell Geoff that breakfast was ready. He was reading Then She Was Gone. “Looks like a good book,” Ciaran remarked. “Breakfast is ready when you are.”
Standing, Geoff placed his bookmark, stretched, and strode over to Ciaran. He put his arms around him and gave him a kiss. “I’m glad you said yes.”
“So am I.”
They made their way to the dining room and sat down to eat.
“Did you put blueberries in the pancakes?” Geoff asked before swallowing a forkful.
“It was Ciaran’s idea to add fruit,” Teddy replied.
“These are fantastic,” Geoff pronounced.
“Thank you,” Teddy and Ciaran said together.
“I’ll take care of the dishes,” Geoff offered when they’d all had their fill.
“I won’t argue,” Teddy said before he and Ciaran gave Geoff a kiss, leaving him to do the dishes.
“So, we usually open gifts on Christmas Eve,” Teddy told Ciaran. “And we got you something, too.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Ciaran said.
“When we knew you were staying, we wanted to make sure you got something.”
“I didn’t get you guys anything.” Ciaran’s face dropped.
Teddy pulled him into a deep kiss. His tongue moved into Ciaran’s mouth and found his tongue. They stood there for a moment, locked in passion.
Teddy broke the kiss and said, “You are the best gift we could ask for.”
“I feel the same about you and Geoff.”
“I’m going to shower and then I’ll check out what you’ve done with the website.”
“I think I’ll shower, too.”
“Why don’t you join me?” Teddy asked, smirking.
“Are you sure?”
“We talked about this,” Teddy said. “We all have to be okay about spending time with each other without one. I’m sure Geoff will kiss you when you go on hikes.”
“I guess you’re right,” Ciaran admitted. “It’s still new.”
“Well, let’s try. And if you don’t want to again, it’s okay.”
“Let’s go.”
They undressed, and Teddy let Ciaran get in first. This was the first time Ciaran had used their shower. He was still getting used to being with them.
“Okay, sit on the platform, and I’m going to wash you up first.”
Teddy soaped up the rag and gently lathered Ciaran’s body.
“That feels nice,” Ciaran moaned.
“It’s wonderful,” Teddy agreed. “Having someone just pamper you.”
After he rinsed Ciaran’s body off, he shampooed his hair and massaged his scalp.
“Oh wow,” Ciaran murmured. “We need to do this more often.”
“We can do this as often as you like,” Teddy offered. “Until the busy season, that is. Then you’ll be on your own, because Geoff and I will have a lot to do around the cabin.”
“I’m okay with it once a month if it feels like this.”
“I’m sure we can arrange that.”
They switched, and Ciaran lathered, rinsed, and washed Teddy’s hair. His gentle fingers caressed his head. It was intoxicating.
“You guys will have more time,” Ciaran observed. “Because I’ll be around to help.”
“That’s true,” Teddy said. “We’ll rely on you to keep the website up-to-date, and you can assist me in the kitchen. That’ll be a huge help.”
They dried, dressed, and headed to the living room to find Geoff back in his chair, reading.
“Did you guys enjoy your shower?” he wondered, smiling up at them.
“It was heavenly,” Ciaran said. “Teddy knows how to use that pulse just right.”
“So, you and I get to shower next time, right?” Geoff said. “I want to run my fingers through that hair.”
“Anytime,” Ciaran replied, grinning.
Teddy spent the rest of the morning working through the website while Geoff and Ciaran shoveled snow out of the driveway.
“He’s really improved the efficiency of our site,” Teddy said to himself. “I wonder what else he can do.”
He went through and saw reservations for January. With just a few clicks, they were instantly added to the calendar. One reservation had changed, and another single click updated the calendar.
Damn, this is amazing.
Once Teddy finished, he stood, stretched, and headed to the kitchen to make an easy lunch for them. Turkey-and-Swiss sandwiches, chips, and soda were a quick go-to.
He stepped outside to find Geoff and Ciaran clutching each other, laughing. Teddy didn’t feel jealous. It was sweet to see.
This was the right choice.
“So, I find you two on the ground laughing again,” Teddy laughed.
“It’s his fault,” Ciaran said breathlessly. “I was shoveling snow, minding my own business, when he threw a snowball at me.”
“I told you I accidentally threw snow from the shovel too hard,” Geoff laughed.
“Accident, my foot!” Ciaran exclaimed. “It was a ball.”
“Okay, fine. I did it—and I’m not sorry.”
Teddy stood there watching them, his arms crossed. They acted like two teenagers who’d just fallen in love.
The same as we acted.
“Okay, well, lunch is ready. Get cleaned up, and we can eat and watch a movie.”
Teddy went back inside and set the drinks and plates of food on the coffee table.
“What to watch?” he mused to himself. After a quick debate, he settled on A Charlie Brown Christmas.
The three men sat on the couch together, their plates on trays, and watched as Charlie Brown learned the true meaning of Christmas.
“This cartoon never gets old,” Geoff said.
“It’s a classic,” Ciaran agreed.
They spent the afternoon lounging and reading.
“When is our next reservation?” Geoff asked.
“The next one on the calendar is January fourth. It’s a Friday,” Teddy said.
“Will the storm be gone and cleaned up by then?” Ciaran asked.
“Yeah,” Teddy replied. “The worst is over now. They should have the roads cleared within a week.”
“So…” Ciaran stopped. Teddy and Geoff looked at him.
“What’s the matter?” Geoff asked.
“Well…” he hesitated. “When did you want me to move in?”
“Whenever you’re comfortable,” Teddy answered. “We don’t want to rush you. You have a life in San Francisco, so we can’t just hurry you along.”
“I think it’ll take me a few months to get everything situated, moved out, and ready to come here. Is that…is that okay?”
Teddy and Geoff enveloped Ciaran in their arms.
“You take however long you need,” Geoff said.
“We’ll wait for you,” Teddy assured him.
“Thank you.”
They cuddled up on the couch. Teddy laid his head in Ciaran’s lap, while Ciaran lay against Geoff. Three bears starting a life together, one they’d never thought possible.