Page 231 of Becoming Us

“Remember,” Noah said, rubbing his eyes, “we have the secret weapon.”

And thank god for that. “Mom?”

“I got him!” her voice rang out from the hall.

I sighed and patted Elio’s back. “Wait for us to open the gifts?”

“I’ll try my best, but things are already getting out of control!” she called back.

Noah snorted. “I’ll go,” he said, stretching—his shirt lifting just enough to show the warm skin of his lower back.

“I’ll change his nappy and be right out. Wait for me?”

He nodded, leaned in to press a kiss to Elio’s shoulder, and then rose on his toes to kiss my lips. “Love you.” His voice was still thick with sleep.

I watched him shuffle out of the room, swaying lazily as he raked a hand through the back of his unruly hair.

Smiling to myself, I shifted Elio to one arm, reached for his things, and set him gently on the bed to change him. His dark-brown eyes met mine, blinking in confusion, then clouding with instant disappointment.

“Let me guess, you want?—”

His eyes filled with tears, and then came the almighty wail: “DADA!”

After the presents under the tree had been thoroughly massacred, and all that remained was a tower of cardboardboxes and shredded red-and-green wrapping paper, we managed a semi-nutritious breakfast to hold the kids over until the rest of the grownups showed up. Since we were in Whitefish, Montana, not everyone could make it—just Holly, her partner, Ezra, Pax, and Colin.

My mom and I were in charge of cooking while the rest stayed in the living room, playing with Jude. Noah was still trying to get Elio down for a nap.

He walked in looking exhausted but cheerful, dressed in a Christmas sweater that was both ugly and—somehow—flattering. He grinned when he caught my eye and stepped in close, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his cheek against my back.

“He’s down?” I asked.

“For now, yeah. He’s down.” He turned to my mom. “Do you need help?”

“No, sweetie.” She balanced a plate of cookies in her hands. “I’m taking these out for them. Why don’t you try to nap too?” she said with a kind smile.

His face pressed close to me again. “I’m good. Maybe I’ll just nap here.”

She smiled and left with the tray.

“You really should sneak in some sleep,” I told him.

“I promise I’m okay. I’ll just crash early tonight,” he said, yawning mid-sentence.

“Want another cup of coffee?”

He shook his head and hopped up onto the counter beside me. His eyes did a slow sweep over me before settling into that signature side smile that still—after all these years—wrecked me.

“You know what I want?” His hands found my hips, steering me into the space between his legs.

I placed the jar I was about to open on the counter and rested my palms on his thighs. “Something appropriate, considering we’re in a tiny house with my mom, our kids, and our friends?”

He chuckled, grabbing my apron strings to pull me closer. “I’m horny as fuck,” he whispered, lips brushing my ear.

“It’s been a while.” My hands drifted up to his waist like they had a mind of their own. Alone time was rare, especially with a clingy two-year-old. “And I have a feeling it’s going to be an even longer while before we find someplace appropriate.”

He groaned, fingers dragging over the nape of my neck to give my hair a gentle tug. “I don’t want appropriate.”

His lips curved into a small pout, and those molten eyes locked onto mine, melting me all over again. “All I can think about is dropping to my knees and having you feed me your?—”