Chapter 31
31
Colt Bishop
“ K nock, knock!”
My head snaps up just in time to watch William walk through my front door, looking every bit like he belongs. My lips curve into a grin as our eyes meet across the room. Wearing an adorable smile, he closes the door behind himself, kicking off his shoes beside where mine sit. He’s in red and black buffalo plaid pajamas that fit him just right, and he’s holding a small gift bag in his hand.
“Merry Christmas, Doc,” I murmur as he approaches me.
Stopping right in front of me, he sets the bag on the bar, a hand landing on my hip as he leans in, bringing his mouth to mine. “Merry Christmas, baby.”
I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing him call me that. We kiss slowly for a moment, tongues brushing lazily, lips moving in synchrony. It’s easy to get lost in William and the way he makes me feel.
Pulling apart, William glances down at the counter at what I was working on before he came over. “What’re you making? ”
“Homemade cinnamon rolls.” I smirk when surprise takes over his eyes.
“Well, you’re full of surprises, aren’t you? I didn’t know you could bake.”
“Truthfully, I can’t.” I snort. “My mom came over last night and helped me make the dough, then gave me step-by-step instructions on how to bake them this morning.”
“I’ll be sure to thank her the next time I see her,” William muses, hand still on my hip as his finger dips beneath my shirt, rubbing soothingly on my skin. Goosebumps spread from the contact. “Who does she think you’re baking for?”
“I don’t know.” I laugh. “She didn’t ask. I’m making enough to send some home with you for your dad.”
He chuckles, the sound deep and delicious. “Of course, you are.”
“Your father kind of loves me, you know.” I can’t help but huff out a laugh when he rolls his eyes, staring at me exasperatingly.
“I hadn’t noticed,” he deadpans. “I swear, he loves you more than he loves me.”
Chuckling, I say, “Well, can you blame him?”
The smile fades from his face, and he’s got a look in his eyes that sends a shiver down my spine. “No, I guess I can’t.”
Suddenly, my throat is tight. A giant lump blocks my airway as my heart gallops in my chest. He doesn’t mean it that way, I chastise myself as I clear my throat and get back to assembling the cinnamon rolls. The oven beeped a few minutes ago, letting me know it’s properly pre-heated.
William doesn’t love me. He can’t. It’s way too soon.
What if he did, though? I can’t deny the way that thought makes me feel… alive. Exhilarated. Happier than I th ought possible.
But there’s no way.
Taking a seat at the bar, William watches me roll the cinnamon-stuffed dough into pinwheels, placing them in a baking dish. We talk about this and that, and something about it feels so domesticated. So right. We’re going over to my parents’ house later on this afternoon for a Christmas dinner, but we wanted to spend this morning together since we won’t exactly get to be together when we’re with them.
To be honest, despite how nervous I am to tell them, I’m almost more ready than anything else. Ready to have it out in the open so we don’t have to hide. I’m ready for him to park in my driveway again instead of down the block out of fear of my parents driving by and seeing his car here. As much as I love spending time together here or at his place, it would be nice to go out together in public, hold hands, watch him freely, no matter who we’re around. Touch him when I want. Kiss him, even at my parents’ house.
After I stick the cinnamon rolls in the oven and set the timer, William and I meander into the living room, where his gift is waiting for him. He grabs the gift bag he came in with off the bar, handing it to me before he sits on the couch beside me.
“You first,” he murmurs, a smile splitting his handsome face. The sight takes my breath away.
A thick layer of nerves coats my stomach as I take the bag stuffed with light blue and white tissue paper. The idea of William putting this together sends a rush of dopamine through my veins. I can’t explain it.
“It’s nothing fancy,” he warns. “I’m not the greatest gift giver, but I saw it and thought of you.”
Plucking out the tissue paper, I place them on the coffee table in front of us, peeking inside the bag at the baseball cap sitting inside. A smile tugs at my lips as I pull it out. It’s all black except for a circle shaded like a sunset with a bull rider on the front. Rodeo Legend is scrawled underneath.
When I glance up at William, he’s wearing a nervous grin. “I’ve been meaning to get a new hat, and this is perfect. Thank you.”
“It’s not much, but?—”
“Stop.” I chuckle. “It’s exactly what I need, and I love it.”
The idea of William shopping for me, then picking out something he likes that he also thinks I will like fills me with such pride and glee.
“I got you one other gift,” he murmurs as he pulls an envelope out of his pocket, handing it to me, a boyish grin on his face.
My stomach does a somersault as I open it up, pulling out the contents inside. As I take in what it is, my eyes widen. “No way!”
William chuckles. “I checked the rodeo schedule, and it works out perfectly. The venue is only about an hour from the location you’ll be in.”
“This is perfect.” Glancing up at him, I can’t help the wide smile on my face. He got me VIP tickets to one of the biggest country music festivals around here. “I love every single artist performing here. Thank you, William.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You’re going to be able to get time off of work, right?” I ask, wanting to make sure he can come with me.
“You don’t want to go with one of your friends?” he asks.
“Hell no.” I snort. “You’re coming with me, Doc.”
He breathes out a laugh. “Then yes, I can get time off work.”
Placing the hat on my head flipped around, I set the bag and the envelope on the table, grabbing the other gift bag, and handing it to William.
“Okay, so this is technically for you, your dad, and for Winnie.” I chuckle already, beyond excited for him to open this. “You may think it’s dumb or silly.”
Eyeing me warily, he pulls out the red tissue paper, placing it beside the others on the table. With a peek in the bag, his shoulders shake with laughter. “You’re joking.”
“Oh, come on. They’re cute, right?” I chuckle as he pulls out the pajamas I got for all three of them with sweet Winnie’s face all over. “You guys will all match!”
“Oh, just what I’ve always wanted,” he says, while trying to hide a bright smile.
“Your dad gave me your sizes.”
“Of course, he did.”
“Grady can take family photos,” I suggest, which wins me a scowl. Rising off the couch, I pad down the hall, opening the closet, pulling out one last wrapped gift. “Okay, I got you one more thing. This one’s just for you.”
William’s gaze dips to the large, wrapped square in my hand, his eyes lifting to meet mine, an unreadable expression floating between them. I hand it to him, sitting down beside him as I watch as he tears the paper bit by bit, almost reluctantly, before revealing the twenty by twenty-four inch frame. His jaw tightens as his eyes get glossy, his gaze jumping to mine.
“Where did you get this?” His voice is hoarse.
My lips quirk. “Guess.”
Breathing out a laugh, he deadpans, “My father.”
I nod. “I noticed you don’t have any family pictures around your house, and he showed me this one of the three of you after your graduation from med school. I asked if I could borrow it to blow it up for you.”
“Colt…” His throat rolls on a swallow. “This is… I don’t even know what to say. I didn’t even know this picture existed. Thank you.”
My nose stings, a lump forming in my throat. “You’re welcome.”
Gently resting the picture frame against the table, he wraps a hand around the back of my neck, pulling me into him, his soft lips crushing mine. So much is poured into this one bruising kiss. Like he’s trying to convey to me without words how much this means to him. How much I mean to him. This kiss gives me goosebumps. It has my heart pitter-pattering. My skin tingling. It’s a kiss I’ll feel for the rest of my life. A kiss they make movies about.
By the time we pull apart, we’re both a little breathless and a lot turned on, but we don’t take it any further. This morning isn’t about that. It’s about so much more. William’s hand stays anchored around the back of my neck as his eyes meet mine, a smile curling his swollen lips.
The timer goes off, signaling the cinnamon rolls are done, and it’s not until right then that I realize how incredible the house smells. I’ve been so caught up with William that everything else was muted. I grab them out of the oven, then the homemade icing out of the fridge. While I work on frosting them, William whips us up some hot cocoa… the real fancy kind—from a packet. He even tops them with miniature marshmallows and drizzles some caramel on top.
Both of us at the dining room table, that I literally never use, we dig in.
William groans sexily as he takes his first bite. “Christ, Colt. These are amazing. ”
“They really are,” I say, kind of surprised by myself. I mean, I know my mom made the dough, but I didn’t burn them or anything. “Maybe if I can’t make it back out on the circuit, I can moonlight as a baker.”
Once we finish, William helps me clean up the kitchen. It all has me wondering what it would be like to do this on a regular basis with him… like every day. Six months ago, an idea like that would’ve probably freaked me out. But now? It sounds pretty fucking incredible.
“As much as I don’t want to, I should get home,” he murmurs with a sigh while drying his hands on a dish towel. “I have to pick my dad up before we go to your parents’ house, and we probably shouldn’t show up together anyway.”
Joking, I say, “Maybe we tell ’em today. Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad! Meet my new boyfriend.”
“Oh yeah, that’ll go over well.” William chuckles. “Maybe let’s not tell them on Christmas.”
“That’s probably smart. Can’t have my dad losing his cool over the honey-glazed ham,” I tease.
“After the new year?”
“You’re sure?” I ask. “What if he doesn’t forgive us?”
Something in William’s features softens. “He will. First of all, he’s your dad, and I don’t think there’s anything you could do that would be unforgivable in his eyes and, secondly, we’ve been friends for nearly as long as I’ve been on this earth. It may take some getting used to, but I can’t see this being the one thing that breaks a nearly four-decade-long friendship. I’m more than sure about you, Colt.”
That one sentence settles so much inside of me. I’m more than sure about you, Colt.
With one last long kiss, William leaves. Grabbing a towel from the closet, I hop in the shower and get ready, taking my time since I still have a couple of hours until I have to leave. I decide to wear the hat he got me, smirking to myself, knowing that it’ll be our little secret tonight.
I get to my parents’ place around two, and I’m the first one there. Conrad, William, and Roger should be the only other people coming over. Conrad spends every Christmas with us, and he has for years. Helping my mom in the kitchen to kill some time, I prep the ham for her before sticking it in the oven, then peel a ridiculous amount of potatoes while she gets the sauce ready for her famous scalloped potatoes. By the time we’re finished, I’ve worked up a sweat.
“Thanks for your help, honey.” My mom smiles wide at me, and I return it.
“Anytime, Mom.”
With a beer in hand, I head out to the living room where I can hear everyone has arrived. My gaze connects with William’s right away, and we share a small smirk before I say hi to everybody. My family always does a white elephant gift exchange, and this year is no different. The afternoon passes quickly; lots of laughter and joking, drinking beer, and watching the game until it’s time to eat.
At the table, William and I sit directly across from each other, and this time, it’s his foot that finds mine under the table. Oh, how the tables have turned. I wonder how next Christmas will go. Will we still be together? Is William right? Will my dad learn to accept it whenever we tell him? I sure as hell hope so. I don’t think I’d forgive myself if their friendship was ruined, even if I’m starting to think my feelings for William go much deeper than just like . As I’m watching him from across the table, eat his food and mingle, I have a gnawing suspicion that I might, in fact, be in love with him. Despite telling myself just this morning that that’s impossible. That it’s too early.
It may be, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
After dinner, I spot William coming out of the bathroom, and I smirk as I approach him. My dad’s in the kitchen, doing the dishes, and my mom and everybody else are outside. She wanted to show them her new garden that she and dad are going to plant after winter is over. So, it’s just him and me in this hallway.
“Fancy running into you here, Doc,” I drawl, loving the smile on his face.
“Seems we have a tendency of meeting outside of bathrooms in houses we really shouldn’t be.”
Our first kiss comes back to me. Well, our first kiss after he moved home. I can’t even hide my grin as I glance up, pointing innocently at the mistletoe hanging in the hallway. My mom has always been a sucker for mistletoe. She hangs it all around the house every year.
William breathes out a laugh. “You’re going to get us in trouble, aren’t you?”
Holding up my hands innocently, I say, “I don’t have a clue what you mean, but it is bad luck to not kiss somebody when you’re under the mistletoe.”
“It is not bad luck.”
“Yeah? You willing to risk that?”
Shaking his head at me, grin plastered on his face, William snakes an arm around my waist, hauling me into him as he presses his lips ever-so gently to mine. It’s a kiss that’s over before it even really begins, but my insides light up from it anyway.
“Merry Christmas, Doc,” I murmur against his lips before we pull apart.
Passing by me, William leans and whispers into my ear, “Merry Christmas, baby.”