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“She sounds like a trooper.”
I grinned. “She’s amazing. I literally could never ask for someone better to be mymàe.”
A knock sounded on the front door right before it swung open. Cameron sighed. “That’s either Jay or—”
“Cam!” a boy called out.
Cam smiled. “That would be Jay. You mind chilling in the living room until dinner is done? The boys and I always cook together.”
“Of course not,” I assured him. This was his house and his tradition. I was just grateful that I got to experience this with him. To now be a part of the family they’d created.
Getting up from my barstool, I followed him out of the kitchen, watching as they hugged each other. He looked at me over Jayden’s head.There’s beer in the fridge, he mouthed.
Oh, thank fuck. I could use a beer—or a few—after going without for weeks while on deployment. I dipped back into the kitchen just as I heard Draven and Ethan enter the house. When I came back out, Nikolai looked like I’d handed him a million-dollar lottery ticket as I handed him one of the beers. “Cam has informed me that we’re kicked out of the kitchen, so we have the TV until dinner is done.”
“And then Christmas movies!” Jayden cheered, making me chuckle.
I turned to look at them, loving the rosy glow on Cam’s cheeks. He was so happy surrounded by his family. And I couldn’t wait to extend my family to him, too.
“Come on. You make the best pie,” Cam said, grabbing Jayden’s hand. Draven grunted when Jay latched onto his hand too, tugging him behind them.
Ethan chuckled. “Play nice, boy,” he called after Draven.
Draven shot him a middle finger over his shoulder, but there was no denying how smitten he was with Ethan, especially when he looked over his shoulder to make sure Ethan wasn’t upset with him, a light blush staining his cheeks. Draven was the polar opposite of Jayden and Cameron, but they fit well together.
Ethan just smiled at him, making Draven’s pale cheeks even rosier than they’d already been.
“Football?” Nikolai asked, leading the way to the living room.
“Fuck yes,” I groaned. “I don’t even give a damn if it’s reruns. I’m desperate for normalcy.” My pa wasn’t a huge fan of American football, but I was. But despite him not being a fan of it, he andMàestill paid for me to play the sport in middle and high school.
Being first generation Thai-American had its challenges, but I’d found my spot, andMàeandPadid their best to help me fit in and adjust while keeping some of our Thai traditions.
“This is the life,” Ethan said as we took seats on the couch. I grabbed the remote to turn on the TV, flipping through the channels on YouTube TV until we found a football game. He looked toward the kitchen. “Christmas, football, food, and a perfect boy.”
Nikolai and I both raised our beers into the air. “I’ll drink to that,” Nikolai said.
We all swallowed some beer before getting comfortable, the sound of our boys’ laughter drifting in from the kitchen.
Yeah…I could definitely get used to this.
EPILOGUE
Cameron
“Amree, can you bring me the stepstool?” I asked as I held fake mistletoe in my hand. I wanted to hang it from the ceiling near the front door.
He limped out of the kitchen with the stepstool in his hand, frowning at me. He’d injured his ankle badly enough to need surgery a couple of months ago during physical training at work, but it wasn’t going to be the same again. There were talks of his career ending.
I was worried for him, but he was already moving on to the next thing just to be prepared for his career ending.
“What are you—” He chuckled when he saw the mistletoe in my hand. He set down the stepstool before grabbing the mistletoe from me. My cheeks heated when he raised it above his head, raising an eyebrow at me.
“Well?” he asked.
I leaned up on my tiptoes and lightly pecked his lips, a blush staining my cheeks. He softly laughed before gripping the back of my neck and tugging me forward. I stumbled into him, my palms smacking against his toned chest. “I think I deserve a better kiss than that, naughty boy.”
I arched a brow at him and slid my arms around his neck, playing with his hair. It was a little longer now. He’d let his hair grow out on top to be a little longer but kept his sides and back shorter but also longer—just enough to keep him within regulation. But when he didn’t have his hair gelled back—like now—he had a strand that hung down over his forehead, making him look even better than he had when we met.
