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“Shh,” I told him. “Don’t talk. Just relax.”
I increased the pressure slightly, letting the circles flare outward and inward. As my middle and index fingers worked their magic, I let the tips of my other fingers just barely graze his skin.
“I used to do this for my sister,” I told him softly. “She got theworstmigraines when she was young.”
I shifted again, moving higher as my lower fingernails tickled his jawline. “It was the only thing that stopped her from crying sometimes,” I said, remembering. “My mom used to pay me by the half-hour.”
Kade sighed in what seemed to be pleasure or relief. Possibly both.
“Where is your mom?” he murmured.
“Cleveland,” I answered. “And shh! I told you not to talk.” Leaning forward, I bent my head and planted the softest, sweetest kiss on his cheek. “Talking spoils the magic.”
For the next twenty or so minutes Kade sat motionless between my legs, purring like a kitten as I rubbed the pain from his tired head. The coal stove glowed orange and yellow with a life of its own. The barely-flickering flames gave off wave after wave of penetrating, soothing heat.
Eventually my stomach growled noisily. The room was so silent, it came out loud enough to make Kade chuckle.
“Where are the others?” I finally asked.
“They went out,” Kade said groggily. “To your place, actually.”
“Myplace?”
“Uh huh.”
My hands stopped, as I sat up perfectly straight. “What the hell would they be doing at my place?”
Kade reached up and placed his hands over mine. He began urging them back into the circular motion again, until I took over.
“Getting something they forgot,” he answered.
I’d wanted to ask him about his brother, but I also wanted him to be the one who brought it up. Based on the one side of the phone call I’d heard, it seemed like it could be a touchy subject. But this… this was the last thing I thought we’d be talking about.
“What else could they possibly be getting?” I asked, totally intrigued. “You guys already took everything with you the other day.”
Slowly Kade shook his head. “Not everything.”
Almost as if on cue I heard the roar of an engine outside. A truck pulled up — Brock’s truck by the sound of it. I could hear voices too. He and Valerio, barking orders at each other.
“I… I don’t understa—”
The door flew open, and the two of them began dragging a Christmas tree inside. A very large, strangely half-decorated, douglas fir.
“My tree!”
With a pair of grunts they pulled it all the way in, leaving a trail of broken garland and pine needles in their wake. Half the Christmas bulbs were missing. Half the ones that were still there were shattered.
Valerio tossed the tree stand onto the floor, then wiped his hands together. He looked very pleased with himself.
“You went back… and got mytree?” I just couldn’t believe it.
“Hell yeah we did,” said Brock. “It wasyourtree, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, but—”
“Yes but nothing,” said Valerio. “Think we were gonna let your douche of an ex-boyfriend enjoyourhard work?” He laughed. “Not on our watch.”
Brock wiped his forehead with a flannel sleeve. “We stopped at the yard on the way here to cut another foot off the bottom,” he said, “but I think it’ll fit in the Great Room.” He pointed through an archway, to an unfinished area of the house. “Once we get it all hooked up it’ll be good as new again.”
