Page 105 of Mr. Frosty Pants

Christmas Day

After the traditionalStevens Christmas breakfast, Joel cornered Jonathan Stevens on the back porch of the Stevens’s carefully decorated house across the lake. “I owe you an apology,” he said, stuffing his hands into his jean jacket pocket and straightening his shoulders.

“Do you?” Jonathan said, turning to him with a gleam in his eye. He wore a Bloody Mary-softened smile and a thick coat against the cold. He nursed a third one. “I was rather thinking I owed you the same thing.”

“Last year, I promised that I’d be out of your life by today. That didn’t happen.”Thank God.

“I knew it wouldn’t then,” Jonathan said. “If anything was going to make my son determined to be with you, it was your lack of certainty in him. But he’s devoted to you. He’s like me in too many ways, I suppose. He saw what he needed in you, and he wasn’t going to let you go.” He nodded toward the windows of the house. Joel saw Casey, Courtney, and Deanna laughing in the kitchen as they decorated Christmas cookies together. “That’s how it was with Deanna.”

“I’m sorry that I…” Joel trailed off. He wasn’t sure what he should apologize for anymore. “I guess I’m not sorry that I was wrong.” He also wasn’t sorry that he’d been less than honest entirely with Jonathan to make sure Casey got to finish at NYU.

“I’m not either. I am, however, sorry for what I said last year. The way I behaved. I’m sure I have a lot to still make up to you both, but it looks like I’ll have a lot of years ahead to do that.”

“If Casey has his way.”

“And if you let him.”

Joel smiled and nodded. “I plan to.”

“Come on,” Jonathan said, motioning with his nearly empty Bloody Mary glass. “Let’s go inside. They’ll want help eating the cookies.”

Taking one last look at his trailer across the lake and the unfinished first story of the log cabin that would be his and Casey’s home soon enough, Joel followed Jonathan inside.

“Where are wegoing?”

“You’ll see.”

Casey drove Joel through the old neighborhood, past the bus stop and toward Mr. Maples’s yard where the Blow Mold Nativity scene stood. “Remember when we stole the baby Jesus?”

“What? Are you planning on doing it again?”

Casey stopped the car in front of the house and got out, his heart pounding.

Joel jumped out behind him. “Seriously?”

Casey shook his head and took hold of Joel’s hand and dragged him toward the scene. As they reached Mary, Joseph, and the baby in the manger, he got down on one knee.

“Marry me.”

“I… Well… Okay.” Joel gazed around in confusion. “Why here? Why now?”

“I was already in love with you, but I knew it without a doubt that night we stole the baby Jesus and I kissed this Mary for ‘practice,’ wishing like hell I could kiss you instead.”

Joel laughed. He squeezed Casey’s hand. “I knew I was in love with you when I was jealous of your lips on that plastic glowing statue.”

“I want to be with you forever.”

“I know.”

“So, say you’ll marry me.”

“I’ll marry you.” Joel grinned his crooked, happy smile, the one that made Casey’s heart sing. Then he dropped to his knees as well. “Only if you agree to marry me too.”

Casey laughed, gripping him by the lapels. There, in sight of Mary, Joseph, and the precious glowing baby Jesus, he kissed Joel silly, basking in their love and determined to hold onto it forever.

THE END