“But it’s my first Christmas with a soul mate. Last night…and this morning, were fun. What woke you so early?”
“My hard-on.” Cort grinned at him for a second. He glanced at the clock beside the bed and groaned. “We have breakfast with the others in less than an hour.”
“First, I have something for you.” Grey rolled away and reached to the side of the bed to grab the small package he’d stashed there. He sat up and handed it to Cort.
Cort scooted up to lean against the headboard. “I didn’t get you anything.”
“This is for both of us.”
Cort opened the box and stared at the two platinum rings, his eyes wide. “They’re beautiful.”
Grey took one out of the box and placed it on Cort’s ring finger. “The handfasting ceremony was great, but I wanted something to show the world that we belong to each other.”
Cort shifted his gaze from the ring on his hand to Grey. “This is perfect.” He took the other ring, slid it onto Grey’s finger, and leaned over to kiss his mate.
The kiss lingered and Grey loved the softness of Cort’s lips. He pulled away to stare into his eyes. “I promise to love you always and do my best to protect you. I promise to do my best to communicate so you always know where I stand or how I feel. I promise to make you smile as much as possible.”
“I promise those same things and to also be patient when you need your alone time. I’m looking forward to a life with you, Grey. I love you so much.” Cort grinned. “Who knew we could be so sappy.”
Grey groaned and flopped onto the bed. “You had to go and ruin the moment,” he teased, chuckling.
Cort just laughed. “Speaking of ruining the moment, we don’t have much time, I’ve got dried cum all over me and need a shower. How about you join me?”
“You didn’t get enough?”
“Of you? Never.” Cort smacked a kiss on his lips and scrambled from the bed. He had to avoid a couple of boxes since they’d moved all his things into the small apartment. “I’ll give you a blowjob in the shower,” he taunted.
“I’m up!”
One shower and a fantastic blowjob later, they were dressed and headed to the main house. Once inside, Grey stopped, taking in all the changes. The guys had decorated a tree—one with a nice-sized root ball so it could be replanted after the holidays. It sat in a huge, wooden bucket and he couldn’t help but grin. Clay and his love of nature.
Wiley had brought his decorations with him, so there were lights strewn about and different kitschy items dotting the room. A small, ceramic village sat on the coffee table, complete with miniature superheroes. Someone had Christmas music blaring from their phone, and the house smelled of bacon, turkey, and cinnamon rolls.
Warmth filled him. All of them had formed a family and were celebrating together in style. He walked into the kitchen to find Dane cooking the bacon and Clay sitting at the breakfast table with Lucien, Baer, and Wiley. Ruby lay at Baer’s feet, and even Queenie had joined the party, sort of—she was asleep on the new couch in the family room.
Calder was busy mixing something in a bowl. “Cake for later,” he said as he set the bowl on the counter. Calder fit in well with the group, settling in like he’d lived there longer than mere weeks. He and Lucien seemed to get along the most and spent a lot of time out practicing together. “Wait until you see the turkey Clay got. Thing is massive.”
“It smells good.” Grey walked to one of the ovens, opened it, and burst out laughing. The turkey took up the entire space. Heat poured out of the oven along with the most delicious scent. “How are you cooking it?”
“Butter and white wine,” Clay answered. “I soaked that cheesecloth in both.”
Grey’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. “You?” Clay was not a cook under the best of circumstances.
Clay smirked and flipped him off. “Dane was there the entire time, helping me.”
“Smells incredible.” His stomach growled, and he sneaked a piece of bacon.
Cort had headed to the coffeepot and was busy pouring them each a mug. He thanked him when Cort handed him one. It was his Fuck Off. I’m Writing! mug, and he grinned.
“There are cinnamon rolls coming up shortly,” Wiley said. “We didn’t do a big breakfast because we’re eating a huge meal early. Clay and Dane got the turkey in at the crack of dawn this morning.”
“We’re having all the traditional dishes. Stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, and Calder made some kind of brandied cranberry thing.” Lucien rubbed his hands together. “I can’t wait.”
“And Dane and I made pies yesterday.” Wiley took a sip of coffee and reached down to pet Ruby’s nose. “Pecan and pumpkin.”