A Touch of Christmas Magic (Peppermint Hollow #2)

5. Kai

CHAPTER 5

KAI

“Nice afternoon.” A voice startled both of us from our dozing on the patio.

Nearly knocking over my beer, I jerked to a more upright position just as Colby grunted awake beside me.

Francis Sullivan leaned against the back fence and gave a little wave with his friendly, old-man smile. “Didn’t mean to scare you. Just taking Miss Priss for a walk and thought I’d say hello.” He ran his hand over the head of his feline companion. The cat was decked out in a pink diamond collar and a matching halter leash.

I knew Colby was dying to ask if the cat was the same one from back when we were kids, and I willed him not to open his mouth. Poor Francis had been reduced to tears a few weeks ago when he reminisced about his first and second Miss Prisses from so many years ago.

Colby, flipping on the charm, stood and made his way to the fence. “Mr. Sullivan, it’s great to see you again.”

Francis squinted his eyes and studied Colby. “Well, I’ll be. I thought you were just a friend of Kai’s come to visit. But it’s Colby Burke as I live and breathe. Son, I haven’t seen you in years. Are you here to see your dad?”

Colby’s cheeks pinked deliciously. “Nah, decided it was time to come home for good. This one,” he nodded toward me, “said we could stay with him for a bit.”

You can stay with me forever if I have my way.

“You brought your wife?” Francis asked, always in others’ business.

Colby cleared his throat. “Um, no. No wife. Just me and my baby.”

I thought Francis’s brow might shoot up so far it would forever be lost in his comb-over.

“Baby? No wife?” Francis tutted. “I’ll have to come over for tea some afternoon and hear that delectable story.” The cat squirmed in his arms as if to express her opinion that today not be that day. “Without Miss Priss, of course. She can only tolerate the outdoors for short periods of time. She’s very sensitive.”

I joined them at the fence. “Come on over when you see us out.”

Francis eyed the two of us, back and forth, definite opinions and questions forming. But he just nodded. “I’ll do that. Have to say, it does an old man’s heart good to see the two of you back together. You were thick as thieves way back then.”

“Never really stopped,” Colby said. “Kai can’t go a day without talking to me.” He bumped me with his shoulder.

“Whatever.” I elbowed him. “Colby missed small-town living so much, he begged me to bring him home.”

Giving Colby shit—and him dishing it my way—made my heart happy. We hadn’t missed a day of talking to each other since we were five, even if it was just quick texts during our busiest, most hectic times, but having him right beside me hit differently.

Francis grinned. “Ah, yes. I see everything is right in the world now that CoJack has reunited. You two always were the quintessential peas in a pod. I’m happy for you; may all your hopes and wishes come true.” He gave a wink. “Christmas is coming, and we all know just how well the holiday magic works in these parts.”

He put Miss Priss down, allowing her to stretch before she pranced through the grass toward the house behind mine, Francis shuffling behind her.

“What the hell is he on about?” Colby muttered.

“You know the rumors around town, about the Christmas magic.” I shrugged. “Just an old man entertaining himself.”

Colby grunted.

“But you do need to get rid of your flair for getting Scrooge-y around the holidays,” I said, poking him in the arm. “We’ve got a baby now and she’s gonna grow up thinking Christmas in a small town is the best damn thing in the entire world.”

Colby froze, his eyes boring into mine. For a split second, I thought he was angry, but then a soft smile lit up his face. “ We’ve got a baby, huh?”

My cheeks heated, but I didn’t care. “I mean, I don’t think it’s such a stretch for me to love my best friend’s baby like my own,” I mumbled.

He shook his head. “It’s appreciated. All of this…it means more than you know. When I left?—”

The back door opened and Dad stepped out. “Return is all taken care of. Final receipt is being emailed.”

The rest of the day and into the evening was spent with the grandparents doting over Elsie Mae, and all of us chatting and hanging out like an evening together was something we’d been doing our whole lives.

I watched Colby glow as we all loved on his baby. Watched him bask in easy conversation with his dad—something that had been sorely missing during his childhood. And I kicked myself for not demanding he return home years ago. He needed this, needed his family.

Huffing a sigh, I admitted that bringing him home years ago would have been a disaster. He wasn’t ready; he would have fought tooth and nail, and I may have lost my best friend. And if he’d come home back then, he wouldn’t have Elsie now. I knew he’d been shocked and terrified of becoming a father—and even more so to being a single father—but I also knew having a baby had changed Colby in a way he’d never seen coming.

And despite longing for him to be back home for all those years, this was one of those instances where the timing was just right. Colby was home now because life had a funny way of working out in mysterious and perfect ways.

“I’m so excited about Christmas,” Emory squealed as he poured more candy in the bucket about a month later.

Colby, Elsie, and I had settled into our new cohabitation with the ease of two guys who had known each other their whole lives and were learning the ways of being a parent.

Colby hadn’t batted an eyelash when I’d indicated we’d share my big bed and keep Elsie in her little bed in our room. If he’d realized he had me all tangled in his arms every morning on our road trip, he didn’t act like it. And it was getting harder and harder to pretend like we didn’t wake up all octopused together ever since he’d moved in. He had to know, right? We’d always been physical with each other. We were exhausted from work and parenting. Waking up in his arms was very much what I wanted to do every single day, but it was also the worst and best torture ever.

But if Colby didn’t mention it or act like it was an issue, I wasn’t going to ruin what we had. Even if it probably wasn’t purposeful on his part.

We were asleep.

Neither of us were dating or getting any action other than our right hands.

It made sense that two tired, touch-starved guys would gravitate toward each other during the night.

That was my story, and I was sticking to it.

Glancing at Colby on our first Halloween together in several years, I couldn’t help the way my heartbeat increased. Was I a complete fool? Yeah, probably. But it was better to live with the deep ache in my heart for my best friend than to try to live without him by my side.

The Halloween night was typical for October in the Midwest. Why did the holiday always have to turn out cold and wet? We’d opted to hang with Emory and Ivy, and their dog Magic, at the auto shop since the garage was heated. Kids who stopped for treats loved the decorations Emory had insisted on putting up, and their parents appreciated the ten percent off coupons Ivy handed out.

Magic, a gorgeous Black Lab—full name: Christmas Magic—had taken to Elsie like a guard dog from the first moment we let him sniff her. He was always near whoever was holding the baby and watched her with sharp, lovey-dovey eyes. This time next year, Elsie and Magic would be inseparable. At least, that’s what the dog was longing for, I could tell.

I had Elsie strapped to me in the baby wrap, and we all enjoyed mulled wine, smiling at the little ones who braved the cold to show off their costumes and collect sweets. The baby wrap—really, just a simple piece of cloth with a couple metal loops…and some didn’t even have the hardware—had been a lifesaver over the last month.

I’d watched several videos about baby-wearing and built on the little bit I’d learned when I first bought the wrap. Colby and I took turns wearing Elsie around on days when Allison or Mom didn’t have her. Keelie, our godsend babysitter, came for about four hours each day our parents couldn’t watch Elsie. The schedule seemed to be working for everyone, and our business had actually grown since Colby came home, but having the baby wrap had proved to be a blessing. We agreed Elsie would get her tummy time and playtime, but wearing her close to our chests felt right for the time being.

The thought of next year’s Halloween had my heart all aflutter. Would Colby still live with me? Would we take a dressed-up Elsie around the neighborhood with Magic by her side? Or would he have moved on and want to spend the evening with his new girlfriend?

Pulling myself from the sobering thoughts, I absorbed what Emory had said. “Christmas? Don’t you even want to give a moment of thought to Thanksgiving?”

Ivy grunted. “Em’s veins pump red and green. He’d celebrate all year if we let him.”

“Thanksgiving is crap. I love the whole idea of being thankful and gathering with friends and family, but I’m not about continuing—or even starting—a tradition based on the annihilation of a whole group of people.” Emory shook the bucket of candy, grabbed a piece of chocolate, and returned the treats to the little table where tiny grabby hands could easily reach. Magic lifted his head as if to check for any dropped goodies, but huffed and went back to dozing, keeping his ear on any peeps Elsie might make.

“Fair point,” I said.

“You guys decorate for Christmas?” Colby asked. “I remember being in awe of the house as a kid.”

Ivy huffed but threw an arm around Emory’s shoulders and nuzzled his boyfriend’s cheek. “If I had my way, no. But Emory’s a spoiled brat who somehow gets his way, so yes, we decorate.”

Emory’s cheeks pinked. “I do the inside—I like to include some of the vintage items that were left in the attic when Ivy moved in.”

“And by vintage, what he really means is The Creeps.”

Emory rolled his eyes. “Ivy nicknamed some of the older, more unique pieces The Creeps because he’s?—”

“Swear to god, Em,” Ivy warned, love and fun in his voice. “You know damn well those things are creepy as hell. The Santa and Nutcracker are the worst.”

Emory just laughed. “We hired someone to do the outside last year and it’s totally the way to go.”

“We’ll decorate inside for sure this year. I want to see Elsie in awe of the pretty lights on the tree.” I kissed the top of her sleeping head. “Not sure on the outside, depends on what Dad has in the garage.” I wrinkled my brow. “Come to think of it, I don’t remember seeing the Christmas decorations when I was moving shit in. Mom may have tossed everything.”

“We can make a weekend of it,” Emory offered. “I’ll help you, you help me, while the Scrooges grunt and groan.”

Ivy started to protest, but Emory shrugged as he smiled sweetly at his boyfriend. “Or you can go Black Friday shopping with me. We could make a whole day of it. Up before the sun, spend the entire day at the mall and shops. Not fall into bed until late that night.”

Colby shot Ivy an amused look and the tattooed man pretended to shudder. “You and Kai have a blast with the decorating, Em. I’ll be in the garage. All. Day. Maybe all weekend.”

“Hey,” Emory’s brother, Trevor, said as he walked into the garage and ladled himself some mulled wine. Magic jumped up to inspect the new arrival and sniff him up and down, likely smelling Trevor’s two dogs on him. “Had a lot of kids come by?” The man was the typical boy-next-door. Very attractive, successful, and I knew from high school, really smart. But I also recognized someone who was flushed and flustered when I saw it.

So did his little brother, and he swooped in with gusto.

“Why are you so…” Emory gestured vaguely toward Trevor.

“What?” Trevor asked, gulping more wine. “I’m not.”

Emory’s big brown eyes narrowed behind his glasses. “You are. Your cheeks are pink and you’re all…ruffled.”

“I’m not ruffled.”

“Leave the man alone, Em,” Ivy said, grabbing his boyfriend around the waist and pulling him to sit on his lap. For a moment, his best friend looked relieved by the save. “Trevor is a big boy. When he wants to tell us about the secret he’s keeping from us, he will.”

Trevor’s wide eyes landed on his best friend. “I’m not…” He swallowed and finished off his wine. “Um, just wanted to stop by and say hey.”

Emory squirmed on Ivy’s lap. “Just in the area and wanted to see us, huh?”

“Yeah,” Trevor answered absently. “We still doing the Friendsgiving thing?”

“Yep. You’ll be there?” Emory asked.

“Yeah.” Trevor ran a hand through his hair. “Can I bring a friend?”

“You know you can. Maybe actually bring this one? Last Christmas you were supposed to bring a friend and ended up coming alone.”

“That was…this is different.”

“You’re always welcome to bring anyone you want,” Ivy said, his eyes catching his friend’s and communicating something meant just for Trevor. They reminded me of the friendship Colby and I had.

Even though my heart begged for what Colby and I had to be more .