Page 35 of A Dye Hard Holiday
“My surprise seems kind of small compared to yours.”
“No way, Sunshine. This,” he gently placed his hand over my heart, “is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. I can’t help but notice that there’s room for more little apples on that tree.”
“Just in case.”
“I love the way you think.” Gabe pulled me to him for a kiss that kept us upstairs longer than we planned, proving that my mother was right, as usual.
“YOU NEVER SAID ANYTHINGabout us beinginthe parade,” Josh said between gritted teeth as he held Destiny’s little wrist in his hand, helping her wave back at the crowd. The twins were a big hit with their cute little sweaters and hats.
“Did I forget to mention that? The officers wanted to have a float this year, and I thought it was a great idea.”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Gabe. If I’d known you were going to literally parade me all over town, I would’ve fixed my hair or put on a hat to cover up the mess you made of it.”
Complaining wasn’t the type of sound that vibrated along my dick when I had fisted my hands in Josh’s hair. No, he moaned and urged me to fuck his face. He loved a little roughness, and I gave it to him. Of course, I couldn’t call him out on it, and his wicked smile said that he knew it.
“Smile at Grandma!” I said, pointing to where my mom stood beside my dad, Bertie, and Bill on the sidewalk filming the procession. “Wave for the camera!”
“I’m going to get even with you,” Josh managed to say around a smile.
“Looking forward to it, Sunshine.” I loved his brand of justice.
Blissville might’ve been a small town, but we sure knew how to celebrate the holidays. The streets were lined with people who came to hear the marching band play their Christmas favorites, see Santa throw candy out of an ornate sleigh that was pulled by horses instead of reindeer, and the floats built by the local businesses. My favorite float was Books and Brew’s ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, but Edson and Emma’s diner was a close second since they didA Christmas Storytheme complete with a giant leg lamp. Kyle’s Santa Paws float was pretty damn cute too, and I was happy to see Mark smiling shyly on the float with Chaz, Kyle, and the staff from the animal hospital.
I was surprised that Curl Up and Dye hadn’t entered a float, but Josh had chosen a different way to advertise each year. He sponsored the hot chocolate and popcorn so that his salon logo appeared on the Styrofoam cups and popcorn bags in a festive silver and gold font Josh only used for Christmas. He also donated salon packages that the village commerce council raffled off to raise money for their next community event. His salon packages typically raised over five thousand dollars, which would go toward the Fourth of July fireworks.
“Y’all need a better theme for your float next year,” Josh said once we reached the end of the parade route.
“I said they wanted a float, not that they had great ideas,” I whispered in his ear. I snapped my fingers and pointed at him when an idea occurred to me.
Josh looked at me warily. “Watch that thing; it could go off.”
“You like it when that happens,” I quipped then hooked my free arm around his shoulders to pull him and Destiny tight against me and Dylan. “I have an idea.”
“Famous last words,” Kyle said as he approached. “Don’t fall for it, Josh.”
“Oh, I know this well.” Josh stopped and rounded on me. “No, I’m not designing a float for you next year. If I wanted to whip the town’s ass with an amazing float, I’d do it for Curl Up and Dye. You need to plan this better next year, darling.”
“Oh, next year I’m going to bring it,” I said boldly.
“Is this a cheer competition?” Chaz asked, but neither Josh nor I acknowledged him since we were locked in a standoff.
“I would wipe these streets with you, Gabriel.” Josh gestured up and down the street flamboyantly.
“Challenge accepted, Joshua.” I stared into my husband’s eyes without blinking.
“This is sounding and looking a lot like foreplay,” Kyle said to Chaz.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Chaz replied.
“What’s foreplay?” Mark asked, pulling our attention to him.
“Um,” Kyle said, his eyes bugging out a bit.
“It’s kind of like an appetizer for grownups,” Chaz said after realizing that Kyle was at a loss for words. “We’ll have this conversation in a few more years.”
“So, it’s about sex then. Gross!” Mark’s queasy expression made me smile. The look of horror turned to pure joy when he saw the Dorchesters approach. “Daniel!”
Daniel Dorchester smiled just as broadly when he spotted Mark. The boys greeted each other with a big hug then walked ahead of us with their arms looped together as we headed to the hot chocolate booth.