Chapter Twenty #3
Micah laced their fingers and smiled. “That’s the best Christmas present you could ever give me.” He got up, moved closer, and leaned over to kiss Greg on the lips, not bothering how long it lasted.
Until Dad coughed. “Not that I wanna interrupt or anything, but our Christmas dinner is getting cold.”
“And considering how much time I spent on it, I’m gonna be pissed if it’s ruined just because you two can’t keep your hands off each other,” Naomi added.
Micah broke the kiss, chuckling. “Point taken.” He sat down, unable to tear his gaze away from Greg. Micah smiled. “I seem to have gotten my appetite back.”
“I’d like to propose a toast.” Greg raised his wine glass. “To Joshua and Hayden, who brought us together.”
Joshua swallowed. “I hope wherever he is, he’s at peace. Because his letter brought a little of that into my life.”
Micah echoed Greg’s toast, his heart soaring with joy. Right then, he had so much to be thankful for.
Micah rolled over in bed, and encountered cool sheets where Greg had lain. He sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. The blue LED display showed it to be two in the morning.
Greg was sitting in a chair, facing the window, wrapped in a comforter. Outside, the world was an almost eerie blue, moonlight reflecting off the snow.
“Hey. Couldn’t you sleep?”
Greg turned his head toward Micah and smiled. “It’s snowing.”
Micah chuckled. “Yeah, well, it does that a lot around here.” He shook his head. “Although I don’t suppose you have much snow in California.”
“Not really.” Greg’s eyes shone in the reflected light. “But I could get used to it.” He sighed. “I’m sorry about the way I sprung things on you at dinner. I wasn’t going to say anything until I had something definite to share, but there was no way I could keep quiet when you were clearly hurting.”
Micah got out of bed and knelt beside Greg’s chair. “I understand that now.”
Greg stroked his hair. “And besides, there’s a lot to do before we can even think about moving. It’ll probably be summer before we finally move to Jackson.”
Micah blinked. “Summer?”
Greg chuckled. “Yes, Mr. Artist. Someone has a show this spring in Gillette, remember?”
What amazed Micah was that he had forgotten. “Okay, you got a point there.”
“And then there’s my mom to consider. We need to take a trip to California, but that’s after I break the good news to her. I don’t want your first visit to be too much of a shock.”
“Yeah, that might be a good idea.” From everything Greg had said, it didn’t sound like his mom was going to freak out.
Greg gestured to his leg. “This is what needs to happen first. Once the cast is off, and I’m fully mobile, then I can start filling out those job applications in earnest. And I’m not going to do that if I’m not one hundred percent fit.
” He gazed out at the snow. “You’ll love Jackson.
The Teton Pass is so beautiful. Just think of it.
A whole new world to explore and be inspired by. ”
“Talking of exploring… come back to bed?” Micah grasped his hand.
Greg nodded, and Micah helped him back to the bed. He pulled the comforter high, then snuggled up to him, his head on Greg’s chest. “I think until we move? I’m sharing your room. It’s easier than trying to get you up the stairs.”
Greg snickered. “You’re not thinking about those stairs. You’re thinking about putting more distance between us and your dad and sister.”
Micah snorted. “Hey, you know what they’re like. Do you blame me? At one point this evening, after dinner, it actually crossed my mind to move us into the studio.”
Greg stilled. “Seriously?”
“Uh huh. I thought about it for all of ten seconds, before I realized the only place I could put a bed would be up the ladder on the higher level, and somehow I couldn’t see you climbing that every night.”
“Only if you want me to break the other leg.” Greg put his arm around Micah and held him close. “This will do just fine.”
A comfortable silence fell, and Micah drank in Greg’s reassuring presence, his warmth, the feel of his body against Micah’s. A drowsiness stole over him, helped by the beat of Greg’s heart against his ear. “You wanna know what I was thinking about that night, right before I found you?”
“What?” Greg sounded equally sleepy.
“My mom. I guess it makes me happy to think she had a hand in this somehow. Like she was bringing us together.” He chuckled. “Maybe Naomi was right after all.”
“About what?”
“Oh, she was talking about the magic of Christmas. I told her there was no such thing. Well, looks like I got it wrong. Christmas works its own magic.” He chuckled again. “Only don’t tell her I said that.”
Greg kissed the top of his head, his hand moving gently on Micah’s back. “Your secret is safe with me.” He sighed. “I believe in magic and miracles.”
“You do?”
“Sure. What was you finding me that night, if it wasn’t a miracle? Of course, there is an alternative theory.”
“Oh?”
Greg sighed, his breath stirring Micah’s hair. “Maybe this is Fate stepping in.”
“What do you mean?”
“Our dads never got the chance to see where their love might take them. Maybe we’ve been given that chance. I for one, want to make sure we never waste a moment of the time given to us.” He tilted Micah’s chin and kissed him on the lips. “And that’s a promise,” he whispered.
The End