EPILOGUE
Christmas was better than Thanksgiving.
Not because I thought the holiday was superior, but because it had gone more smoothly than Thanksgiving.
No hospitals, no beatings, no runaway boyfriend.
Everything was as it should be.
The alarm on my phone vibrated at seven, and I slipped out of bed to start on breakfast.
By the time the casserole was bubbling in the oven, I realized my timing was perfect—I could let them sleep a little longer.
I watched the minute change from 8:34 to 8:35 before walking back to the bedroom.
Five extra minutes of rest seemed like the most generous Christmas gift I could offer that early in the morning.
Beckett rubbed his eyes and yawned. “I didn’t think breakfast would be quite so… early,” he mumbled, his voice still thick with sleep.
Neither of us had managed much rest—Christmas Eve jitters had kept us tossing and turning well past midnight.
Today’s not just a big today; it’s the big day.
We’re being introduced to Theo’s parents as his boyfriends. He hasn’t even mentioned seeing anyone or being polyamorous. He had no idea how they’d respond to the news, but I knew they’d be happy.
Unlike either of our parents, Theo’s wanted him to be happy. Truly happy.
“Nope. We’re on a schedule, and I have a plan. We’re going to open gifts after we eat, but then I have a special gift for you.” I winked.
For Christmas this year, we’d all agreed on giving experiences rather than objects. What was the point of more stuff when what mattered was time together?
Though I had to admit, my present for Beckett was going to top everyone else’s. I’d let Theo in on the plan weeks ago—I’d need his help to pull it off once we finished opening everything else.
The casserole disappeared quickly—Beckett shoveling forkfuls into his mouth while I nibbled cautiously. My stomach needed to stay relatively empty for what I had planned. Once our plates were clean, we migrated to the living room and arranged ourselves around the couch, the anticipation building.
“Let me start,” Theo announced, reaching beneath our modest Christmas tree to retrieve two envelopes. He passed them over with a proud smile. “I got something for all of us to enjoy together.”
Beckett tore his envelope open while I worked mine open at a normal speed.
Get ready…we’re going to the Science Center After Dark series next Saturday!
We’d mentioned wanting to check out the Science Center’s after-hours events for months, but never actually committed to a date.
Watching Theo beam with satisfaction over his perfect gift choice warmed me from the inside—especially since museums and educational exhibits weren’t exactly his scene.
He’d chosen something that spoke to us rather than himself.
Beside me, Beckett’s eyes lit up. Though he’d grown disillusioned with formal education lately, his fascination with scientific concepts remained strong enough that he’d registered for an advanced course next term.
“Alright, my offerings next,” Beckett announced, rubbing his hands together. “And I’ve gone the personalized route.”
Beckett disappeared into his room, returning moments later with two flat, rectangular packages wrapped in shiny paper, each about the size of an envelope. “It felt wrong not wrapping a gift, so I did.”
I eagerly ripped open the wrapping paper, savoring that satisfying tear.
Inside lay folded papers that revealed themselves to be tickets—two passes to that indie film festival in Tacoma I’d casually mentioned months ago.
My heart swelled. Not only had Beckett remembered something I’d mentioned once in conversation, but he’d gotten just two tickets.
A perfect afternoon for him and me, without dragging Theo along to something he’d only complain was “pretentious garbage for people who pretend to understand symbolism,” as he’d put it during our last movie night debate.
“What’d you get?” Theo asked. “I got tickets for a meet and greet with characters from my favorite show in a few months!” Theo was literally vibrating with excitement. “Three tickets. Are we all going?”
“Of course,” Beckett answered. “You don’t get to meet them by yourself. I’d die of jealousy.”
“I got tickets to a film festival for Beckett and I,” I answered, smiling.
“Oh, thank God I didn’t get those,” Theo said, chuckling. “You two feel free to go by yourselves.”
Theo was the hardest to think of a gift for. What do you give the guy who has everything? Especially when he held different interests from us.
I turned to Theo, pulling out my phone to show him the confirmation email.
“Check your inbox. I arranged for you to have one-on-one time with that pastry chef from downtown—the one with the viral videos you like. Three weeks, two sessions each week. After those cookies you made last month, I figured you might want to level up your baking game without dealing with a room full of strangers.”
Theo’s face lit up, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I did enjoy making the cookies. This is amazing, thank you.”
I looked at Theo with a knowing smile. “Beckett, Theo is going to help me get your gift ready, okay? Give us a few minutes.”
Except I was already partially ready…because I pulled a Theo this morning.
Ten minutes later, I found myself on my hands and knees on my bed, a cute little bow perched on my ass with Theo’s help.
My skin prickled with vulnerability, memories of that one disastrous attempt years ago threatening to surface. But this was different. This was Beckett.
“Present’s ready!” Theo shouted. He stepped back to admire his handiwork. “Damn, I don’t really top, but right now I wish I did.”
“So I don’t look ridiculous?” I asked, turning around to look at him. I felt silly. Did I mention I had a plug in my ass? A small one.
Theo and Beckett acted as if they were the best thing in the world, but mostly, I felt too nervous to enjoy any feeling. I felt…awkward. Vulnerable. Bare.
Beckett’s footsteps approached, and I could tell the moment he entered the room by the way he said, “Holy fuck.That’s so hot.”
“Your gift is my ass. First time, so take it easy, but I want you to know that I love and trust you enough for you to be the first person I trust with this. With me.” It wasn’t like I protected my anal virginity because I thought it was something special; I just wasn’t ready to try again after my first attempt was awful.
But Beckett was nothing like him—nothing like the straight guy who wanted to experiment but didn’t know what he was doing.
“So fucking hot,” Beckett said.
He yanked his shirt over his head and moved toward the bed. His fingers grazed my skin as he peeled away the bow, making me wince slightly where Theo had pressed the adhesive firmly against my flesh to keep it in place.
“The best gift,” he murmured, his palms warming my skin as they glided over the curve of my ass, gently easing me open.
“Holy fuck, you’re plugged.” Beckett groaned.
“Half measures, as always. Such a small plug to take such a big dick,” he said, throwing my own words back at me from the first time I’d topped him.
I chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s get to it, we have a family event after this,” I reminded him.
“Let me,” Theo said.
Behind me, I heard the rustle of denim and the soft thud of clothing hitting the floor. Theo must be helping Beckett undress. From the quick glance I’d stolen earlier, Beckett certainly didn’t need any assistance getting excited about his Christmas present.
“And before you say anything. I did a bunch of research, and this is the position I’d like to be in,” I said.
The mattress shifted as Theo joined me, stretching out alongside my body. He rested on one elbow, his face close to mine. “Mind if I stay for the show?” His voice dropped to a playful murmur. “Or better yet—participate?” His eyebrows wiggled suggestively.
“Of course,” I answered. “Oh, Christ,” I said, feeling the plug slowly removed from my hole, leaving me feeling empty while I clenched around nothing.
Theo’s hand found me, half-hard, and began to stroke me back to fullness. The snap of the lube bottle’s cap cut through the quiet, followed by the mattress shifting under Beckett’s weight.
I gasped at the first press of his finger inside me.
My fingers dug into the comforter while my body adjusted to the unfamiliar sensation.
Just when the strange pressure began to feel normal, Beckett eased in a second finger, then gradually a third.
This slow, careful preparation—my first time—was made bearable by Theo’s steady rhythm, but even more by the knowledge that it was Beckett opening me up like this.
Beckett leaned forward, his breath warm against my ear. “Are you doing okay?” he asked. “We can stop anytime you want.”
I shook my head. “No! Don’t stop. I—I like it more than I thought.”
“Mmm, I can tell. You’ve started to push back against my fingers like you don’t want me to leave this tight hole.
You just want it filled, don’t you?” His voice dropped low, the sultry sounds filling my ear as I let out grunts and groans, starting to melt into the sensation as his fingers moved within me.
I hadn’t even realized my hips were pushing back, silently begging for more.
“I do,” I said, breathless. “Please. Fill me. Make me feel good,” I pleaded.
Something else inhabited my body then, a creature I couldn’t recognize. The voice coming from my throat—all that pitiful mewling and desperate bargaining—belonged to a stranger.
“Soon, baby,” he said.
The lube cap clicked open again, followed by the slick, rhythmic sound of him preparing himself.
I looked back, wanting to see his face, and I found him with his lips parted and his head tilted back. It almost made me wish I could face him, but I couldn’t. Not only because I read this was the best position, but because I wasn’t ready to be fucked while face-to-face. Not my first time.
Maybe my second, if there was one.