Chapter 27
Caleb
Sam’s curled up on the couch with a throw blanket around his shoulders, half-heartedly watching Home Alone. He’s been quiet since dinner, and I know that look. It’s the same one I’ve seen after his mom forgets to call on his birthday.
“You okay, buddy?” I ask, sitting beside him.
He shrugs. “I just thought today would be more fun. It’s Christmas Eve.”
“I know,” I say gently. “I miss Benji and Emma too.”
He leans his head on my arm and sighs. He hated learning they’d be with their mom tonight, and I know the more our relationship progresses, it’ll always be hard for him the nights they’re gone.
I glance at the clock, hoping I can fix this even slightly.
“Hey,” I say, grabbing my phone. “Do you want Nash to come over? Would that be more fun? We could do our own Christmas Eve stuff. We could bake something, if you want. Or play a game.”
Sam lifts his head. “Yeah. Can we play Uno?”
I smile. “We can definitely play Uno.”
Any chance you’re free? Sam’s missing your kids and I’m missing you.
He replies instantly.
Nash:
Me too. I’ll bring cookie dough. See you in 20 mins, baby.
“Alright, Nash is coming, and he said he’d bring cookie dough.”
Sam’s face lights up, and I'm relieved he’s excited. “Awesome! I hope it’s chocolate chip.”
I ruffle Sam’s hair as I stand. “Let me turn on the fire. You can go clear the table so we’re ready for a cookie-and-card battle when he gets here.”
Sam’s already tossing his blanket aside and racing to the kitchen drawer where we keep the cards. I head to the fireplace, flipping the switch to ignite the gas logs, and the room instantly feels warmer—not just from the heat, but from the shift in mood.
By the time Nash knocks at the front door, I feel like I can breathe again.
It’s not that anything’s wrong—Sam and I have always had a good time on our own.
We’ve built a life that works for just the two of us.
One that I’m proud of. But ever since Nash and his kids stepped into our world, something inside me shifted, and I think Sam feels it too.
Nash didn’t just fit into our world; he brought something with him that made it bigger and somehow better.
There’s something grounding about having him here for both of us, because the moment Sam sees Nash standing in the doorway, his face lights up. For the first time in a long time, we both have someone else we can lean on. Someone who gives us more than they take and makes us feel important.
Nash makes me realize I’m allowed to dream past the walls I’d built around our lives, and it feels like that extra space is what we both needed.
“Merry Christmas Eve,” Nash says cheerfully as he steps inside.
“Hi, Nash!” Sam grins, running over. “Did you bring chocolate chip cookie dough?”
“Chocolate chip and sugar cookie,” Nash confirms. “Thought we could get creative.”
“Awesome!” Sam beams before turning around and heading back into the kitchen. “Come on, I’ll get the pan out!”
We both chuckle at his enthusiasm, but I can’t ignore the sense of relief and peace I feel knowing the positive effect Nash has on Sam.
Nash leans forward to give me a quick kiss. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I murmur. “He’s so much happier you’re here, and so am I.”
He reaches for my hand, interlocking our fingers, and kisses me again before pulling back. “Me too. I’m so excited we get to spend Christmas Eve together. Now, come on, before we keep Sam waiting any longer.”
We walk hand in hand into the kitchen. Sam’s already got the trays spread out, and Nash sets the dough on the counter while I turn on the oven. We pull apart the cookie dough piece by piece to line the baking tray and pop them in the oven.
“I went easy on you this time with the premade cookie dough,” Nash says as he nudges me with his arm.
“After the cinnamon rolls, thank god for that.” I play along, but truthfully, I’d make anything he asked for from scratch.
“Alright, timer is set,” Nash confirms as he pops the tray of cookies into the oven.
“Let’s play Uno while we wait!” Sam exclaims. He’s got the deck ready to go on the table. Sam deals and makes sure we know the rules. “Stacking +2 cards is allowed.”
“You’re a monster,” Nash says, pretending to gasp.
“I learned from the best,” Sam shoots back, looking at me, and I’m smiling so hard my face actually hurts. This isn’t how I imagined Christmas Eve going, but it’s already better than all our other Christmas Eves.
After we eat the cookies and play multiple rounds of Uno, Sam finally starts to yawn between turns.
“Ready for bed?” I ask him, assuming he’ll ask to stay up a little longer.
“Yes!” He turns to rush off toward his bedroom. “Santa’s coming!”
I chuckle as I get up to follow him, and Nash surprises me by coming with me.
“No reason for you to do bedtime by yourself while I’m here,” he assures me, and knowing he wants to help makes my chest ache.
“Thanks, Nash.”
After Sam brushes his teeth and changes into his pajamas, I lay next to Sam in bed while Nash sits on the foot of the bed.
“I pulled out our signature Christmas Eve book earlier,” I tell Nash, holding it up.
“The Night Before Christmas!” Sam adds excitedly.
“That’s a good one,” Nash says, smiling at me as I begin to read to Sam until he drifts off. We sneak out of his room, shutting Sam’s bedroom door behind us.
“Do you want to be Santa now or later?” I ask Nash.
“Hmm, I vote later, because there’s something else I’d rather do with you right now,” he says, pulling me in the direction of my room.
I smile, and there are so many emotions running through me.
I can’t believe I’m finally getting to experience a Christmas with someone I love…
because I do love him. The realization makes me pause.
It’s only been weeks, and yet my life is undeniably better with him in it.
I feel fuller, and happier, and safer. I trust Nash, and I’m so excited for our future together.
When we get inside, he turns toward me. “You always get this quiet at night or is something wrong, baby?”
I let out a quiet laugh and try to sum up what I’m feeling.
“No, nothing’s wrong. Just… before you came, Sam was quiet, and I could tell he was sad.
But the second you walked in, he lit up.
And watching how easy it is for him to be happy around you made me realize just how much you already mean to us. Both of us.”
Nash leans in and presses a kiss to my temple. “That makes me really happy to hear. I got lucky with you both.”
My throat tightens. I want to tell him we’re the lucky ones, but before I can say anything, he kisses me. His warm lips meet mine like he’s trying to tell me he’s got me, that he’s here because he wants to be, not because I asked.
My hand curls around the back of his neck, holding him there, needing to feel him as close as possible as his tongue glides against mine.
My stomach flips as he guides me toward the bed until I fall backwards.
He climbs on top of me, grinding down on me.
My hips tilt instinctively toward the weight of him.
The kiss deepens as his hand slips under my shirt, fingers warm against my skin, and I swear my whole chest cracks open under the weight of how much I want this—him.
When he finally pulls back, he rests his forehead against mine, and I feel his breath fan across my lips.
“Do you want me to blow you?”
“Yes,” I breathe. I don’t even hesitate because I’ll always want more of him. Always.
He stands quickly and begins undressing, and I follow suit—my eyes tracing every inch of his gorgeous, toned body. I can’t help licking my lips as he pushes his underwear down, revealing a trail of dark hair that leads right to his hard, waiting cock.
Nash climbs back on top of me, fully naked now. The second his hand cradles my jaw, I melt into his touch, into the kiss that deepens between us. His tongue nudges at the seam of my mouth, and I open for him easily again. Then he shifts, rolling over me, his hips pressing down.
“Mmm,” he murmurs against my lips, his hips continuing to grind slowly against mine. “So hard for me already.”
He bites down on my lip, and I whimper before he licks it and shoves his tongue back into my mouth. Him treating me like he can do anything to me is unbelievably hot, and I can’t get enough of it.
Nash’s hand slides under my ass, giving it a squeeze, and just the pressure of his palm has my hips thrusting for more of anything he’s willing to give me.
“Does your cock need attention, Cay?”
I nod. “Please.”
“Say it, baby.”
“Fuck, Nash… Please touch me. I need you.”
He leans in to kiss me again before he shifts lower. His mouth brushes over my jaw, then my throat, his breath hot against my skin. My chest arches when he sucks one of my nipples into his mouth and bites just enough to make me gasp.
When he reaches my stomach, he doesn’t go straight for my cock.
He teases me—lips dragging across the inside of my thigh as he places open-mouthed kisses that make me twitch—before he sucks one of my balls into his mouth, then the other.
By the time his mouth hovers over the head of my cock, I’m already shaking and squirming.
“You deserve to be adored,” he murmurs as he presses one single kiss to the tip of my cock. “You’re the best Christmas gift I’ve ever received.”
And then he sucks me into his mouth, and holy fuck, it’s everything.
Hot and wet. Pressure and rhythm. The glide of his tongue flicks over my head before he takes me deeper, wrecking me with each suck and stroke.
I can’t keep still. My hips twitch up, and his hand comes down to hold me there, and it only turns me on more.
The groan that rips out of me is embarrassingly loud, but I can’t bring myself to care. Not when he’s got me falling apart like this.
“Give me a pillow,” Nash says, lifting his head just long enough to speak before taking me back into his mouth.
I grab the one next to me and hand it over, heart pounding.
But the second he taps my hips for me to lift up, I hesitate with this gnawing awareness that I’m not ready for more.
I hadn’t showered since this morning—Sam and I had spent the day together doing everything and nothing, and inviting Nash over was spontaneous.
I’m not experienced enough with someone else to not feel self-conscious yet.
Not when it comes to this, and I know I need to say something or I won’t enjoy myself.
“Nash…” I say quietly, voice a little unsure. “I want to keep going. I really do. Just… not all the way tonight. At least, not unless I’ve had time to prep better. I’m sorry, I just—”
He pulls off my cock slowly, pressing a kiss to the inside of my thigh like I hadn’t just interrupted him.
“That’s okay,” he murmurs. “Thank you for telling me.”
His eyes are looking up at me, but there's no disappointment in them. Just that same softness he always gives me as he brushes his knuckles down my hipbone.
“Do you want to take a shower?” Nash asks.
“Yeah,” I say, a little fast. “That’d help.”
He smiles, all understanding, and tugs my hand lightly. “Come on, then.”
We leave the bed, and somehow, the moment feels just as intimate—maybe even more—as we move into the bathroom. Nash fiddles with the temperature, pulls off his boxer briefs, and looks over his shoulder.
“One second,” Nash says, before turning back into the bedroom.
I step into the shower, and a moment later, Nash is there. He wastes no time reaching for the soap, lathering it in his hands before running them down my chest, my arms, my back. He drops his hand lower and gives me a questioning look as his hands start massaging my ass.
The trust I feel with him is unlike any level of trust I’ve experienced before, so I nod, giving him permission as he begins to rub his soapy fingers over my hole, massaging in circles.
When he finally presses in with one finger, my body welcomes him easily, the slickness helping him slide right in.
“Jesus, baby,” he groans. “Your hole’s eager for me, huh?”
A flush crawls over my skin, but it’s not embarrassment this time; it’s need. It’s want. It’s so consuming, I can’t swallow it down.
“Yes,” I breathe. “More… ready for more.”
He slides in a second finger, scissoring them open, then a third. My hips rock into his touch, chasing the pressure, the stretch, the heat. I can’t remember what the hesitation felt like earlier because all I feel now is him everywhere.
“I want more,” I beg. “Please, Nash.”