“It’s officially Christmas.”
He raised his head and glanced at the clock. “So it is.” He looked at me. “What’d you ask Santa for?”
I kissed him lightly. “You.”
“DAD.”
Silence.
“Dad.”
Silence.
“Dad, holy shit, wake up!”
Felix grunted.
I opened my eyes and rubbed the sleep away. Felix was draped over my body, nestled deep into the comforter and refusing to move. I looked at Alan standing at the side of the bed.
“What?” I asked, voice horribly groggy-sounding.
“It’s Christmas,” Alan said, almost offended. “And it’s nearly eight! I’ve been waiting for you guys to get upforever.”
“Go make coffee,” Felix muttered from his nest of warmth.
Alan rolled his eyes. “Don’t fall back asleep.”
“We won’t,” I said.
Alan was walking to the door when Felix called louder, “And no peeking at the tree!”
“I won’t,” he said in return.
Felix sat up on his elbow when the door shut. He looked positively delicious in the morning.
“Why can’t he look at the tree?” I asked.
“Huh? Hmm. Tradition.” Felix untangled himself from me and the blankets, then walked into the bathroom naked and beautiful.
After Alan had gone to bed the night before, I’d helped Felix set out his gifts under the tree and fill his stocking with lots of silly goodies. I included my own present for Alan, which I’d gotten only a few days ago. Scarlet and I had taken a drive south to some of the bigger cities that had legitimate instrument shops. As for Felix, he’d insisted no gifts for us. He didn’t need or want anything but for me to spend Christmas with them, and honest to God, that’s all I wanted as well.
I climbed out of bed, got dressed in my discarded pajamas, and drew back the curtains from the massive window. My breath caught. The second-story view looked down over a small snowy clearing sprinkled with towering birch trees. Farther ahead, the forest grew denser—an untouched wild. Chickadees circled the bird feeder below, beside the outdoor patio, and a lone deer was making its way through the deep snow.
Felix came out of the bathroom. He tugged a sweatshirt over his head and looked toward me. “I like that.”
I looked back out the window. “The view?” When he didn’t answer, I turned to him again.
Felix had a dreamy expression. “Seeing you stand there,” he corrected. He scratched at his cheek absently and turned to the dresser. He opened a drawer, grabbed something, and quickly shoved it into his sweatshirt pocket. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”
I raised an eyebrow.Okay….
I washed up in the bathroom and headed to the kitchen a few minutes later. Alan was standing in the doorway, impatient and telling Felix to move faster. It was cute that he still got psyched about Christmas morning. I messed Alan’s hair as I walked into the room. Felix finished pouring two cups of coffee and offered one to me.
“You’ve got your sweet nectar—can we go now?” Alan asked.
“Yes, yes,” Felix murmured. He put an arm around Alan’s shoulders and walked him toward the living room.
“Wow!” Alan exclaimed, face lit up like a young child’s. He grabbed the stocking hung on the wall and sat down beside the tree. He dumped it out and began sorting through all the weird junk Felix packed it with. “Dad, again with the tube socks?”
