Page 20 of 27 Kisses

The cold air is sharp and wakes me out of my stupor.

“Christ, Garrett.” He grabs my chin and forces my gaze to his. “Breathe, love.”

I nod, gasping as the cold air hits my lungs. After a few deep breaths, I give another nod. “I’m okay.”

“Are you now?” Along with the worry, there’s a spark of amusement in his eyes.

“I’m fine,” I say, my tone sharp. His brows raise, and I shake my head. “Sorry. I’m okay. Thank you.” I turn to go back inside, and he grabs my arm again, more gently this time.

“Aidyn, I’m fine. It’s fine.” And I laugh, sounding hysterical and proving I’m not actually fine.

“I know Christmas isn’t your thing?—”

“Isn’t my thing?” And now I’m yelling. “My Christmas plans usually consist of eating leftovers and watching Netflix. I know fuck-all about trees and decorations and fig pudding.” My chest squeezes painfully as memories flash?—

Wrapping paper strewn about. Jamming the Santa hat down on my head. “Oh wait.” I pick up the small package. “One last present.”

I shove the memories down, deep down, where they belong. Where I can’t find them. And shake my head. “I can’t do this.”

“You can, love.”

“But I don’t fucking want to!”

He tenses, and I brace myself for the explosion. Aidyn should yell at me. I fucking deserve it. Instead, he gently captures my face in his hands. “I’ve got you, love.” At his questioning look, I nod. “Now, hear me out.”

I nod again—is that really all I’m capable of?—and he swipes the tears from my face. I never cry. What the hell?

“We talked about doing something for Lanie, remember? Now it’s just gotten a wee bit bigger.”

I can feel my resistance slipping away. What choice do I have? Unless I kick my parents out, Christmas will be at my house. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it. “Using your daughter to manipulate me is low.”

“Fuck off,” he says, his voice gruff, but his eyes are full of emotion. Worry. Love. He brushes his lips against mine. “Don’t do it if you don’t want to. You’re a grown-up.” He gives me a crooked grin. “Almost forty…”

I laugh. “Fuck off.”

As I try to pull away, he wraps his arms around me. “You can’t blame me for wanting to spend Christmas with my boyfriend.” This kiss is longer, and I grab his shirt. Afraid to let him go.

“Fuck, Aidyn. You don’t fight fair.”

“Are we fighting? Because there are usually appliances involved.”

I lean against him. “I don’t know what I’m doing. And I fucking hate not knowing.”

“I’ll help you, darlin’. You just have to ask.”

I sigh. “Fine. This is me asking.”

“That wasn’t so hard.” This kiss is full of promises, and I’m slightly disoriented when he stops. “And you’re forgetting the best part.”

“There’s a best part?”

He drops his hands and steps back, a grin on his face. “There is. If I’m helping my clueless brother-in-law with the family Christmas, I’ll have to spend a lot of time with him. So much time.”

Maybe this isn’t a bad thing. I can do this. I tilt my head to consider his words. “Will any of this time be spent naked?”

“Completely naked. Except for the Santa hat.”

Six