A Christmas Promise Page 18

  I’m doing the right thing. I hope.

  The center of the table was so full, it was difficult to find a spot that wasn’t covered by a dish or plate of food. A gloriously brown turkey, its skin crisp and succulent, sat in front of Dad. A deep bowl of mashed potatoes, another with carrots, and yet another with turnips and parsnips, surrounded it. Cranberry sauce, gravy and dressing filled up the gaps. Naomi had brought out the wedding china, white with a gold trim, and the best wine glasses. The silverware gleamed. Tall red candles stood in elegant candlesticks, their flames flickering, the light dancing on the walls. Micah sat facing his dad, Naomi to his right and Greg to his left.

  It was perfect. Well, almost.

  Micah raised his glass. “To family.” His words echoed around the table. The toast over, he sipped the chilled white wine, relishing its citrus flavors. Then he smiled. “I’m starved,” he lied.

  Naomi snorted. “No change there then.” Then she attacked her turkey with gusto.

  Greg hadn’t taken a bite yet.

  Micah indicated the food with his fork. “Hey, come on. We slaved all afternoon on this.”

  Greg put down his wine glass and stared at him. “What’s wrong?”

  Micah blinked. “Wrong? Nothing’s wrong.” His pulse sped up.

  “Sure.” Greg folded his arms. “That’s why I’ve had this feeling all day that you’re hiding something. Several times I caught you looking at me, and you seemed so… sad. And before you remind me what today is, no, it’s not that. It’s something to do with me.”

  “Don’t do this. Not now.” Micah set his jaw. It was Christmas Day, for God’s sake, a day that held enough pain for them. He wasn’t about to add to that by spoiling the atmosphere with an outburst.

  Greg stared at him. “Do you really think I could enjoy this food, knowing you’re hiding something from me? Like I can’t see it in your face? Tell me, Micah. Please?”

  Micah drew in a deep breath. “Do you really want to know?” He pushed his plate aside. “Of course I’m sad. Because right now, this is perfect. Dad got it right this morning. You’re one of the family now.”

  Greg arched his eyebrows. “And this makes you sad?”

  “You’re damn straight I’m sad!” Micah fought to draw breath into his lungs. “Because there will come a day when you leave here. I’ve known that ever since you spoke with that detective. And when you walk out that door, you’ll be taking my goddamn heart with you!” His chest heaved, and his throat hurt, but they were as nothing compared to the ache in his heart.

  Dad’s breathing caught, and beside him, Naomi smothered a gasp, her fork clanging as it hit her plate.

  Greg gaped at him. “That’s it? That’s what’s bothering you?” He shook his head. “Why in hell would I want to leave here, when that means leaving you?”

  Micah froze. “What?”

  “Don’t you think those same thoughts haven’t been going through my head too? But there was damn all I could do about it, not while I’m still banged up like this. That didn’t stop me from doing a little research.” Greg glanced across the table to Naomi. “Could you go to my room, please, and fetch your dad’s laptop from the nightstand?”

  “Sure.” Naomi scooted away from the table.

  Dad cleared his throat. “I didn’t want to say anything before now, but—”

  “You didn’t have to,” Greg interjected. “I got the message loud and clear yesterday. You didn’t say it in so many words, but the meaning was clear—’You’re gonna hurt my son.’ And I couldn’t do that, sir. How could I hurt him?” Greg’s gaze met Micah’s. “I love him.”

  Everything just… stopped.

  “You love me?”

  Greg smiled. “Of course I love you. You’re amazing. I’ve only scratched the surface of knowing you, and I can’t wait to learn more.” He stilled, and Micah knew what he was waiting for.

  Slowly, he reached for Greg’s hand. “I love you too. And I don’t want to lose you.”

  Naomi gave a little sob from the doorway. “That was probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.” She came over to Greg and handed him the laptop, before bending low to kiss his cheek. Then she scooted back to her chair.

  Greg pushed his plate to one side to make room. He booted up the laptop, then turned it to show Micah a series of bookmarks. “Look at these vacancies. Product Manager. Efficiency Consultant. Account Manager. Pretty much any corporate job I can find. Do you know what doors an MBA opens? Oh, Lord, just about anything.” He grinned. “And these are just the tip of the iceberg.”

  Micah peered at the screen. “These… these are all companies in Wyoming.”

  Greg’s grin hadn’t diminished. “Duh. Why would I look anywhere else, when I already have a house in this State? A house, I might add, with a large upstairs room that gets lots of natural light. Perfect for turning into, say, an artist’s studio.” He reached for Micah’s hand. “That’s if there’s an artist who wants to come live with me. Know anyone who might be interested?”

  Micah caught his breath. “Seriously?”

  Greg nodded. “I don’t know when—or even if—this police business will get cleared up, but I’m prepared for whatever happens. What I am not prepared for, however, is leaving this house without you at my side.”

  “I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you,” Naomi said quietly. “Wyoming doesn’t have a hate crimes statute.”

  Greg breathed deeply. “Then we’ll prosecute them for assault if we can. But that doesn’t matter right now. All that matters right now is Micah’s answer.” He locked gazes with him. “Want to start a new life with me?”

  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.�
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  “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

  By K.C. Wells

  Learning to Love

  Michael & Sean

  Evan & Daniel

  Josh & Chris

  Final Exam

  Love Lessons Learned

  A Bond of Three

  Le lien des Trois

  A Bond of Truth

  First

  Debt

  Dette

  Il Debito

  Schuld

  Waiting for You

  The Senator’s Secret

  Out of the Shadows

  Step by Step

  Collars & Cuffs

  An Unlocked Heart

  Trusting Thomas

  Someone to Keep Me

  (K.C. Wells & Parker Williams)

  A Dance with Domination

  Damian’s Discipline

  (K.C. Wells & Parker Williams)

  Make Me Soar

  Dom of Ages

  (K.C. Wells & Parker Williams)

  Endings and Beginnings

  (K.C. Wells & Parker Williams)

  Un Coeur Déverrouillé

  Croire en Thomas

  Secrets – with Parker Williams

  Before You Break

  An Unlocked Mind

  Personal

  Making it Personal

  Personal Changes

  More than Personal

  Personal Secrets

  Strictly Personal

  Personal Challenges

  Une Affaire Personnelle

  Changements Personnels

  Plus Personnel

  Secrets Personnels

  Strictement Personnel

  Una Questione Personale

  Cambiamenti Personali

  Piú che personale

  Segreti Personali

  Strettamente personale

  Es wird persönlich

  Persönliche Veränderungen

  Mehr als Persönliche

  Persönliche Geheimnisse

  Streng Persönlich

  Confetti, Cake & Confessions

  Confetti, Coriandoli e Confessioni

  Connections

  Connexion

  Saving Jason

  Per Salvare Jason

  Jasons Befreiung

  Island Tales

  Waiting for a Prince

  September’s Tide

  Submitting to the Darkness

  Le Maree di Settembre

  In Attesa di un Principe

  Lightning Tales

  Teach Me

  Trust Me

  See me

  Love Me

  Lehre Mich

  Vertau Mir

  Sieh Mich

  Liebe Mich

  Il Professore

  Fidati di me

  A Material World

  Lace

  Satin

  Silk

  Spitze

  Double or Nothing

  Back from the Edge

  Switching it up

  Scambio di ruoli

  Anthologies

  Fifty Gays of Shade

  Winning Will’s Heart

  Who is Tantalus?

  For those who like their stories intensely erotic, featuring hot men and even hotter sex….

  Who don’t mind breaking the odd taboo now and again….

  Who want to read something that adds a little heat to their fantasies….

  …there’s Tantalus.

  Because we all need a little tantalizing.

  Tantalus is the hotter, more risqué alter ego of K.C. Wells

  Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Tantalus/e/B01IN33IZO

  Playing with Fire (Damon & Pete)

  A series of (so far) four short gay erotic stories:

  Summer Heat

  After

  Consequences

  Limits

  About the Author

  K.C. Wells started writing in 2012, although the idea of writing a novel had been in her head since she was a child. But after reading that first gay romance in 2009, she was hooked.

  She now writes full time, and the line of men in her head, clamouring to tell their story, is getting longer and longer. If the frequent visits by plot bunnies are anything to go by, that’s not about to change anytime soon.

  E-mail: k.c.wells@btinternet.com

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld

  Twitter: @K_C_Wells

  Website: http://www.kcwellsworld.com

  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k.c.wells/

  Blog: http://kcwellsworld.blogspot.com

 

 

 
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