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“Can we have a big Christmas tree this year?” Dawn asked as the end credits rolled. She flopped back against the sofa and gave Aled big puppy dog eyes—which now just looked sweet, since she’d washed all her smeared make-up off in the shower. “And can we decorate the house like the Nelsons down the way do?”
Aled laughed and was about to tell her yes to the Christmas tree, but no way to the outside lights, when he caught Jamie’s eye. He looked curious and maybe a little hopeful, and it had Aled second-guessing his instincts. It was time for changes, after all, and the best way to start was with little ones.
“If you want to take the initiative and be in charge of outdoor Christmas decorations,” he told Dawn, “then you can do whatever you’d like.”
“Really?” Dawn sat up abruptly and blinked at Aled. “You would really let me put lights all over the house?”
“If you buy the lights and put them up yourself, with help,” Aled emphasized, holding up a hand. “It needs to be your project.”
“And you mean it?” Dawn asked again, as if she still didn’t believe him.
Aled laughed and shook his head. “We need to make changes around here, and that involves letting everyone grow up as much as they’d like,” he said, feeling a little sheepish that he might have just contributed to Dawn staying dependent by coddling her. He reached out and brushed a hand over the side of her face with brotherly affection. “I need to let you take charge of more things yourself so that you can build confidence.”
For a second, Aled wondered if Dawn would have a problem with that or if it was too much. But after her initial shock, she smiled broadly and leaned in to kiss Aled’s cheek.
“This is brilliant,” she said, pulling back and hopping off the sofa. “I’m going to call Jeremy right now to brag about it, and to get him to commit to helping me tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? No!” Aled called after her as she rushed out of the room. “It’s way too early for Christmas decorations. Wait until next week at least! Or, I don’t know, December?” he finished, dropping his voice to a mumble.
Jamie laughed at him. “Well done,” he said beaming at Aled with an exhausted but cozy smile. “You’ll have her doing up the house like you’re a bunch of garish Americans before too long.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Aled said.
The film was over, and now that Dawn was upstairs, bothering Jeremy, the living room felt quiet. The air started to charge with expectation as Aled leaned his elbow against the back of the sofa and turned to study Jamie.
Even tired and wearing a borrowed T-shirt and pajama bottoms, which were just a bit too big for him, since they were Aled’s and he was thicker around the middle, Jamie was gorgeous. His slightly too long hair was tousled, and his body had a certain heaviness to it that said he needed a nap.
Or maybe he needed something else to invigorate him a little before they called it a night.
“Will you spend Christmas with us?” he asked, surprising himself a little. He was tired himself, after the fraught evening, and it was making him unguarded.
Jamie’s expression lightened. “What, here? With your family?”
“Yes, of course,” Aled laughed. “You’re practically part of the family at this point, and it’s my understanding that you might not have anyone else to celebrate with.”
That was another unguarded blurt. He hadn’t spoken to Jamie about his family since Ronny had let the cat out of the bag that they’d disowned him. At the time, Aled had figured that if Jamie hadn’t mentioned it straight out, he probably didn’t want to talk about it at all. And the sad look that flitted across his face as Aled brought them up, in a sideways sort of way, said just about everything Aled needed to know.
“I haven’t really celebrated holidays like that for years,” Jamie said, rubbing a hand over his face and knocking his glasses askew. He straightened them as he went on with, “It was so hurtful when they evicted me. Not even my sister would have anything to do with me.”
Aled scooted closer to him and reached for his hand, twining their fingers together. He didn’t need Jamie to speak the words to understand why Ronny had seemed so appealing to him at that point. If his family had rejected him, he would have scrambled for any port in the storm, even if it was a bad decision.
“I happen to have a spare sister who adores you, if that’s what you’re looking for,” he said, playing with Jamie’s fingers while smiling at him. “You could borrow her. I’ve got a brother who likes you as much as anyone, too.”
Jamie grinned back and scooted closer to Aled, close enough to slide one of his legs over Aled’s so that he sat almost straddling his lap. “I adore Dawn as well,” he said. “And Jeremy. Dawn doesn’t feel it yet, but she’s so strong and resilient. Given a bit more time, she’ll grow into a fabulous young woman.”
Aled sighed and watched his and Jamie’s hands as they played. “She’s a little old to still be growing into who she is.”
Jamie shrugged one shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong with delayed development as long as it’s still development,” he said. “Especially considering the circumstances.”
“I’d rather not talk about or think about the circumstances tonight,” Aled said, gazing at Jamie with increasing heat. “They’ll always be a part of who we all are, but…I don’t know, I feel like this fall has been some sort of watershed and that we can all move on now.”
“That’s a good, healthy way to look at the situation,” Jamie said with a nod.
Aled smiled at him with a warmth that felt like it came from his core. “Dawn and Jeremy are going to be okay,” he said. “I carried them as far as they needed to be carried, and now I think it’s my time to have what I want.”
“And what do you want?” Jamie asked, not so much to find out, but like a therapist asking a leading question to get to the answer they both knew was already there.
Aled grinned wickedly, then hooked Jamie around the waist and pulled him close. He slanted his mouth over Jamie’s with command and went straight to thrusting his tongue between his lips to claim him.
