Leo presses play and starts singing the intro. Nix’s voice is deep, and it vibrates along Jay’s nerves, pulling at his heartstrings. He’s written lyrics about loving Jay. About how Jamie is Nix’s guiding light. About how he can’t get enough of Jay. About how much he is loved to the point of distraction. Jay can’t contain his tears, his feelings pouring out in every drop with every note.
“Because I love you,” Nix almost whispers the last words and finishes to a standing ovation from his mates. He tackles Jay back onto the couch and kisses his face. “What did you think, Mr. Rockstar?”
“It was perfect. Holy fuck.”
“Yeah?” Nix asks and presses his forehead to Jay’s. He has to cross his eyes to see Jay clearly. It makes him smile. “That’s the smile I love.”
“It’s so good. Please tell me you have arecording.”
“Yup, but unlike another phone stealer I know, it’s on the drive.”
Leo pipes up, “I stuck it in yourSongs-I-Wrote-That-Fucking-Suckfolder.” Because he knew Jay would never look there. “Hey, who’s next?”
“Me,” Gideon says. He hauls a big, square box out from behind the tree. It’s awkward, not heavy, but the alpha still knocks a few ornaments to the floor and nearly trips on Doodle, whom he’d stepped neatly over going in, but had already forgotten was there in the ten seconds it had taken for him to get back out.
“Fucking-fuck,” is muttered under his breath, but he doesn’t let it stop him. He places the box on the floor in front of Leo, whose mouth opens and closes as he struggles for words.
“You hadme?”
It’s Grayson’s turn to cover Rowan’s mouth to prevent yet another innuendo from ruining their moment. Jay’s reminded once more that Luca and Rowan are two of a kind.
“Yes, just open it.” His mate’s voice has a tinge of begging laced through the snark.
Leo just stares, though, a myriad of micro-expressions passing over his face until he sighs; giving a nod, he peels back the wrapping paper covered with cavorting cats.
Jay has to chuckle at the irony.
When Leo pulls back the bubble wrap, he freezes. Looking at Gideon, his lower lip wobbles.
“Let’s see it. The suspense is killing me.” Gideon flashes Rowan a look that implies he will be doing the killing if he doesn’t zip it.
“Gideon,” Leo whines, but he pulls the gift out of the box. It’s a vase, modge-podged in pressed flowers in every shade and variety.
Jay recognizes the petals of yellow and red roses. There are violets and the petals of peonies. Of sunflowers and daffodils. Of purple irises, and so many Jay can’t name but has certainly seen in vases around the house. Gifts from Leo to Gideon, for every occasion and no occasion at all.
They knew Gideon kept some flowers pressed into books, but this sheer number is staggering. That he would keep these tokens of Leo’s affectionand then be willing to part with them as a gift in return is even more romantic. Leo must think so, too, because he bursts into tears. He holds his arms out to Gideon, who goes to take the vase, but Leo hands it to Finn and tackles Gideon to the ground instead.
“I think he likes it, Sugar—you were worried about nothing,” Luca chimes from Finn’s lap.
“Yeah” is all Gideon says, as he kisses Leo’s hair and rubs his back.
“Shit, that is going to be a hard act to follow,” Grayson says, as he climbs to his feet, the long pink scarf unwound but still dangling from his neck. He slides a large box from behind the tree.
Jay accepts the vase from Rowan so he can have a closer look. He hadn’t been able to see it from where he was seated, but Gideon had inked tiny hearts with a gold pen on each flower. Nix points to the bottom where Gideon had said simply:I love Leo Costas. Forever, Gideon.Leo hadn’t seen that yet. Goddess help them when he does.
Grayson has pushed the box across the floor, letting it come to rest in front of Finn. Of all Jay’s mates, Grayson had worked the longest at his gift. It must have arrived after Rowan’s under the tree last night, before Grayson had slipped into bed with him. Luca gets up and tries to join the Leo-Gideon pile on the floor, but Rowan makes him a better offer, probably to save the person in charge of feeding them from being permanently damaged.
Leo sits beside Gideon but hasn’t let him go, his tear-stained cheek pressing off and on into his alpha’s shoulder.
“Okay, Finn. I hope you like them…it.”
Finn slides off the top of the box.
Jay can see navy blue leather from where he’s sitting, but he can’t see what it is.
“Grayson.” Finn reverently takes what looks like a journal from the pile. For a stack that big, there must be at least twenty in the box. If Jay didn’t know better, they looked to be made at an expensive bookshop rather than in the art studio behind their house.
The blue leather looks soft, and it hasDr. Finn Merrittembossed on the front. “I can emboss the dates when you’re done using them if you want.Just let me know,” Grayson whispers when Finn hasn’t even twitched an eyelid in response. He cracks the binding to look inside.
