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I stepped forward and embraced her, Aubrey’s body feeling so good against mine that I wanted to scream. She smelled good too, like cinnamon and pine.
The rest of the guys greeted her and the twins, hugs and happiness all around.
“I bet you guys are tired,” she said. “Get your handsome butts in here and let me show you the surprise. Well,surprises.”
“I normally hate surprises,” Marcus said. “But I have to admit that I’m a little intrigued.”
“He’s right about that,” I said as we all entered. “You tell him you have a surprise planned for his birthday and he’ll practically bust out the interrogation kit to get you to talk.”
We stepped into the entry hall, the delicious scents of cinnamon and pine and food cooking in the oven swirling around us.
“Holy crap,” Adam said. “This is something else.”
The inside of the house was all kinds of Christmassed out. Greenery ran down the stair rail and up across the balcony, bits of tinsel here and big red bows there. Candles were lit, bathing the room in soft lighting. Christmas carols flowed in from another room.
“This is amazing,” Mac said. “You did all this?”
“With a little help.” We turned to see Aggie at one of the other entrances to the room. “Welcome back, guys. I was in the kitchen finishing up dinner, otherwise I would’ve come to greet you.”
“Hey, Aggs!” I said, stepping over to her and wrapping her up in a big hug. “You helped?”
“We helped too!” Henry exclaimed happily.
“Yeah!” Hattie added.
“They really did,” Aubrey said. “You should see the tree… any ornament that’s knee-high was their doing.”
“There’s a tree?” Mac asked.
Aubrey grinned. “Come on and take a look.”
Together, we headed into the den. The sight that greeted us there was unbelievable. A huge tree was in the corner of the room, festooned with lights and ornaments, a big star on top. A fire roared in the fireplace, and there were even a few presents.
“This is amazing,” Adam said. “How…?”
“Yeah,” I said. “We hadmaybea box of Christmas stuff.”
“I kinda cleared out the holiday store downtown,” she explained. “Don’t worry – got most of it delivered. Same with the tree.”
“What’re you boys doing standing around?” Aggie asked. “Get some glasses of whiskey in those big hands of yours! Dinner’s pot roast with all kinds of sides, some fresh, homemade ice cream and apple pie. My finest feast if I do say so myself. Should be another thirty minutes, so get comfy and I’ll call you in when it’s done. Oh! And there’s eggnog, the boozy kind.”
“Thanks, Aggie,” I said. “And all of you.”
The rest of the boys shared similar sentiments.
“It’s our pleasure,” Aubrey said. “Figured you guys deserved a little Christmas cheer when you came home. Now, sit. I’ll get the whiskey.”
The room was so full of warmth and love, I thought my heart might burst. Henry and Hattie climbed up onto the couch, telling us all kinds of stories about what they’d gotten up to while we were gone. Aubrey passed out the drinks, and the next half an hour flew by as we sat wrapped up in love.
By the time Aggie rang the dinner bell, I was starved out of my mind. We piled into the kitchen, gathering round the big farmer’s table, the surface loaded with all kinds of good stuff. There was pot roast and veggies and fresh bread – the exact kind of meal a man wanted when he came home.
We piled our plates high, cleared them off quickly, then piled them once again. As much as we ate, there was still plenty of room for pie and ice cream, along with a tall glass of bourbon eggnog. We stuffed ourselves full, the buzz from the food and booze just right.
When the meal was done, Aggie put the kids and then herself to bed. We were more than happy to offer her a room for the night. After that, we headed into the living room for a nightcap.
“Does she know?” I asked after Aggie had said good night to all of us and gone off to bed.
Aubrey smiled. “Oh yeah. Figured it out that first day just like I said she would. She’s totally cool with it.”
