Chapter 20
“You can’t just not come home for Thanksgiving! Son, you will not just…leave!”
Ryder put his phone on mute and put it on the bed to keep packing for their trip.
“Ryder? Are you hearing me? Hello?”
“Oh, he hears you.” Mister Charlie rolled his eyes and set their coats on the bed as well.
“I do. She’s really pissed.” Ryder shook his head and sighed. “Roper is heading to Hawaii.”
“Did he decide that after you told him you weren’t going home?”
“Ryder? Are you still there?” His uncle was on the phone now.
“He did. He’s a coward.”
“Goddamn it, Ryder!”
Ryder jumped, his heart hiccupping, and he reached for his phone, automatically.
“No.” His hand landed on top of Charles’s hand. Charles picked up the phone and hung up the call. “I’m turning it off, and we’re leaving it here.”
He searched Charles’s eyes. “It’s okay? I don’t want to hurt them, but I’m so excited.”
“They don’t seem to care if they hurt you, but I do.
I won’t allow anyone to speak to you that way.
That’s not love. The phone stays here, you can bring your other one.
They don’t deserve to be a part of our holiday.
” Mister Charlie shut it off just like he said he would and set it on the dresser. “Done.”
“I—Yes, Sir.” He took a deep, deep breath, letting it stretch his lungs, then he blew it out. “Do we need anything else?”
“Yes, I need to know if you’re all right.” Mister Charlie stepped closer and rested a hand on his bicep.
“It’s hard, huh? But I’m tickled as all get out to go on this trip with you. I really am.” Ryder hadn’t even done anything this…utterly selfish and wonderful, ever.
“You’ve made a choice to finally do something for yourself, and they’re not happy about it and are trying to make you feel like it’s a mistake.” Mister Charlie pressed a hand to his chest. “You’d know if it was a mistake. You’d feel it, here.”
“I hate that they hurt, but I don’t regret going,” he admitted.
“I am very much looking forward to it as well. We have an amazing suite; you’re going to love it. At least, I hope you will love it.” Mister Charlie bent and kissed his cheek. “Finish up. The car will be here soon.”
“Yes, Sir. Are you sure we’ll have enough to do?” he teased. They could spend hours and hours just talking, playing cards. They enjoyed each other’s company.
“I’m sure we’ll manage. After all, one day we’ll spend eating our own body weight in turkey, and the next we’ll be in bed all day sleeping it off. We could always try to break our record.”
“Are you talking about lazing in bed records or multiple orgasm records?” It was an important distinction.
“Why not both? We could make them one and the same. The bedroom has a fireplace and a Jacuzzi tub, and room service is included so, in theory, we wouldn’t have to go anywhere at all.”
“Ooh…snow. Fire. Bubbles. I might just pop one off now…”
Mister Charlie laughed. “The car will be here any second, but I’m happy to watch if you can hurry…”
He cracked up, wrapping his arms around his lover. “Thank you, Mister Charlie. For being you.”
He got a big bear hug in return. “Mhm. You too, my love.” Charles’s phone rang, and he could feel it vibrate against his hip. “That’s the car, I bet.”
“We’re going to go play!” He might have bounced. “I’ll grab the bags.”
Mister Charlie answered the phone while he wrestled their bags downstairs. “We’re on our way. Yes, plenty of time. Oh, Ryder is on his way with our luggage. I’m sure he’d appreciate the help. Thank you.”
He grabbed his coat and started moving bags to the landing. It was almost like getting ready to ride.
He glanced at his phone. “Sorry, Momma. I needed to do this, for me.”
Mister Charlie picked up a suitcase and carried it down the stairs. “We have about a three-hour drive, so we can look at the brochure on the way and make some plans if you want to.”
“Sounds perfect.” He smiled, nodded. “Happy Thanksgiving, Sir.”
Charles stopped moving and smiled at him. “Happy Thanksgiving, Ryder. I’m so glad we’re doing this.”
“I am too. I love you, Sir. Let’s go play.”
They were out the door and getting comfy in the car in no time, and Charles had an arm around him as they left the lake house behind.
He didn’t even start sitting apart from Charles. No, he snuggled right into his lover’s side. He knew how his man was on long car rides. Charles would be dozing before too long.
“What are you looking forward to the most, lover?” He was eager to see the snow, to relax, and not deal with fighting and politics.
“Letting you be as pampered as I usually am. You won’t have to cook, clean, make a bed…nothing.”
“I’ll just get to love on you. It sounds like heaven.” Nothing to do but be…a couple.
“Mhm. Something to celebrate and be thankful for. Have you ever been skiing?”
“I have, sort of. I’ve done the Cowboy Downhill in Steamboat Springs a few years. I only fell eighty times…”
“This sounds like one of those things I need to look up on YouTube.” Mister Charlie liked to tease him.
“Totally. Look up rodeo twins crash and burn on the slopes.” He cracked up.
Charles pulled out his phone and grinned at him. “Oh, did you mean later? You probably meant later.”
He grabbed Charles’s phone and found the video. He wasn’t ashamed; he thought it was hilarious. He’d rolled down the damn slope.
“Oh, my goodness. Oh. Ouch.” Charles grinned, then chuckled, then laughed out loud.
“I know. We were snowballs. It was great.” They had had a ball goofing off.
“That looks like fun. Painful, but fun.” Charles put his phone away. “When is he coming to visit? I think he should come to New York. I wouldn’t mind if you’d like him to join us for Christmas. Europe can wait.”
“That would be fun. Roper would love that. He’s going to be in almost as much trouble as I am.” Ryder was the ‘good’ one. Roper always got in more trouble.
Charles snorted. “I will be even more unpopular with your mother than I already am. You should feel free to make whatever invitation you would like. Just let me know what the plans are.”
“I’ll talk to him after our vacation. I’m officially out of pocket until next week.”
“Mm. Yes. You’re officially in my pocket until then.”
“Oooh… I like your pocket, my love.” He liked it a lot.
“Me too.” Charles hunkered down a little in his seat and closed his eyes. “Me too.”
He leaned against Mister Charlie’s shoulder, grabbed his book, and settled in. He had nothing to worry about but his man.
Charles woke up when the car stopped moving. He’d been dozing—well, who was he kidding, he’d fallen asleep—and the whole trip had gone by quickly.
He often felt a little car sick on long drives, but he’d never admit to that. It seemed better to just doze off and let Ryder think he was a fuddy-duddy.
He was a bit of a fuddy-duddy anyway.
He stretched and sat up, smiling at Ryder, who was so excited he could almost feel his lover vibrating from across the back seat.
Ryder had devoured his book, and he was zipping through the final chapters.
“This resort comes highly recommended.” It had a high price tag, but it was off the beaten path, and they would be treated like kings.
“Does it?” Ryder grinned at him. “It’s gorgeous. Just like a storybook. I approve.”
Ryder was right, it did look like a storybook. A-frame snow-covered roofs, warm light in the windows, running cedar, and twinkling white lights made it feel festive too. He slid out of the car and held a hand out for Ryder.
Ryder took his hand and stood, holding on. “Do I need to grab the suitcases?”
“The only thing you need to grab is me.” He put an arm over Ryder’s shoulders and pulled him hip-to-hip.
They climbed up the wide front steps, shivering a little until they got through the front doors to the lobby where it was warm and smelled like a wood fire.
“Welcome.” A middle-aged woman stood behind the shining wood counter. “Mr. Martin, you made exceptional time.”
“I confess I dozed off so it was a very quick trip for me.” He glanced at her nametag. “Ah, Valerie. You’re the one I spoke with on the phone. This is my partner, Ryder Vales.”
“Mr. Vales, pleased. We’re so glad to have you as our guests. I have all of your room information and keys here. You have a lovely suite, and we’re at your service.”
He reached for the keys. “Thank you. Two questions, where is dinner, and could we have hot cocoa and marshmallows delivered to the room please?”
Valerie smiled warmly. “Dinner is at seven, and you’ll have an assigned table for the duration of your stay. It has a lovely view. I think you’ll like it. And cocoa will be up shortly.”
“Perfect. Thank you very much.” He watched as their luggage made its way down the hall.
Ryder held one hand out to shake. “It’s been grand to meet you. Thank you for the warm welcome.”
Ryder might have thought his mother was a handful, but she did something right raising her boy. He was a pleasure to take anywhere.
Valerie’s smile was surprised and pleased. She shook his hand. “Very nice to meet you, too. If you want anything special while you’re here, just give me a call.”
“Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate it.” Then Ryder was at his side, arm twining with his. “Cocoa, huh? How fancy.”
“Fun. Less fancy, more fun.” He tucked that arm close as they followed their luggage into the elevator. “Do you know how kind you are? Everyone tells me so, everywhere I go.”
“Am I? I just treat folks like I’d want to be treated, but that’s nice to hear.”
“That makes you special. Not everyone does that. I appreciate it.” He was surprised at the size of the place as they got off the elevator.
It had looked much smaller from downstairs, but up here there were sitting areas, big windows, and the hallways were nice and wide.
Their room was far enough down the hall to be free from elevator noise, and the bellhop let them in.