Happy and Merry: An M/M Holiday Romance Collection Page 15

  “Thank you. I’m glad you like it.” Loren took the wine bottle Gabe offered. “Oh, nice. How about I open this and we have a glass by the fire?”

  “Yeah. Great.” He sat on the sofa Loren indicated as Loren disappeared into the kitchen. Gabe was hard. Anticipatory. Waiting.

  Loren came back in with two glasses of wine and set them down on the coffee table. “What were you and Ian up to today?” he asked, sitting beside him.

  Loren’s lively face mesmerized him, his pleasing floral scent tickled Gabe’s nose, and the candle flames swayed and danced. Gabe breathed in, wanting to gather up this moment and place it alongside a growing number of lovely Loren memories.

  “We got a tree and decorated it.”

  “Oh, that’s sweet. I bet Ian loved that.”

  “He seemed to enjoy it, when he wasn’t running around in circles.”

  Loren laughed. “That kid.”

  “Do you celebrate Christmas?”

  “No. I mean, we were raised Christian, but I’m not a believer or anything. These right-wing Evangelical Trumpers give me the creeps.”

  “Me too. I like the Christmas traditions, though. Especially for Ian.”

  “Traditions are good.” Loren took a sip of the wine Gabe brought. It was one of his favorite Oregon pinot noirs. “This is delicious.” Then Loren put his glass down and fixed Gabe with those deep blue eyes. “Are we doing this?”

  Gabe knew exactly what “this” he meant. “Yes,” he said, and rid himself of his glass to take Loren into his arms, his heart pounding like he was running a race.

  They kissed gently, and Gabe reacquainted himself with the softness of Loren’s lips. Then Loren sank down and pulled Gabe on top of him. Their kisses grew deep and urgent and they ground together, hardness matching hardness.

  Loren was soft and fragrant and hard and commanding, pushing all Gabe’s sexual buttons until he was wallowing in sensation, gasping, and barely aware of anything but Loren’s tongue in his mouth and Loren’s cock grinding against his. He pulled away to get some air.

  “Damn you,” Loren said breathlessly.

  “Huh?”

  “You’re already the most amazing guy I’ve ever been with. And now you’re knocking me out with the way you kiss. Don’t break my heart.”

  “I won’t,” Gabe replied. “Ian already told you where I stand. And I’m not going anywhere. Okay?”

  “Yeah. Okay. Me neither.”

  “But we could take it slow. For Ian’s sake.” Gabe smiled into his eyes. “How about I kiss you for the next hour, and then we’ll see where we go from there?”

  “Bastard.” Loren huffed out a husky laugh and pulled him down for another searing kiss.

  Epilogue

  Two Months Later

  Ian leaned on Gabe’s shoulder, blankie in hand, to listen to his bedtime story. He wore his favorite flannel nightgown, and Gabe drank in his warm, sweet presence. Reading to Ian was one of Gabe’s favorite things to do. It was pure joy.

  Gabe opened the book, one recommended by Loren about having two daddies, and began to read.

  “And that is how Patrick got to have two daddies. The End.” Gabe closed the book and snuck a peek at Ian. He was sucking his thumb but still had his eyes open. “What do you think about that?”

  Ian removed his thumb. “If you marry Loren would he be my daddy? Or my mommy? Or my mommy-daddy?”

  Gabe wanted to shake his head in wonder. This kid. “I guess it’s up to you and him to decide what he’ll be. But I don’t know yet if Loren wants to marry me.”

  “He will. You have to be really nice to him, then he’ll want to. And then you have to ask him.”

  “Do you…. Would it be okay with you?”

  “Yeah.” Ian yawned.

  “Why?” Gabe was pushing the point, but he wanted to be sure.

  “I love Loren. We play dress up all the time. And he lets me borrow his jewelry.” And with that, Ian snuggled in closer and closed his eyes.

  Six Months Later

  “I’m going to pee my pants.” Loren clutched his bouquet and let Mia fuss with his wedding dress. She’d sewn it, and it was beautiful.

  “You just peed. Relax. It’ll all be over soon.”

  Nita crooned the first line from “We’ve Only Just Begun” from the corner, but stopped singing when Loren shot her a death glare.

  She and Mia were stunning in their goddess gowns, also sewn by Mia, and all three of them wore flower crowns.

  The door burst open, and in ran Ian, resplendent in his angel gown and wings.

  It killed Loren in a good way that, of all the dresses and gowns Ian could have worn for his and Gabe’s wedding, he’d insisted on the angel gown, crooked hem and all. And the wings, of course. No halo, though. Mia had fashioned him a crown of flowers too.

  “Loren-mommy-daddy. You look nice. Like a fairy princess.”

  “Thank you, Ian-bunny-rose. You look beautiful. Like an angel. Is Gabe-daddy ready?”

  “I think so.”

  Nita rose from her chair. “I’ll go make sure he’s still breathing. Mia, you do the same for Loren.”

  A few minutes later, Mia and Ian escorted Loren down the stairs. They were in the house Loren grew up in. Dad, Nita, and Gabe stood in the hallway, watching the procession. Out in the backyard were drag queen friends and hospice coworkers, Ms. Bailey along with some parents and their kids, neighbors who’d known Loren and Mia since childhood—all the people who formed the heart of community in which Loren and Gabe were raising Ian.

  Gabe wore a dark suit and a flower crown, and he was so handsome, Loren’s knees wobbled. He radiated happiness and love, his dark eyes fixed on Loren. Mia nudged him, and Loren realized he’d stopped moving. He concentrated on beaming love back to Gabe, and that got him down the rest of the stairs.

  Gabe took him in his arms. “My queen. You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

  “So are you, my prince.”

  “You ready for this?”

  The fear rose, but Loren let it crest and disappear. They’d been together for eight months, living together the last six months, and that was enough time for Loren to be certain. Being with Gabe truly was like a fairy tale, but one without the dramatic travails before the happy ending. Gabe was steady and serene and exuded zero drama. He was perfect—a wonderful partner, a passionate lover, and a stellar parent. Ian seemed happy as a clam with the situation, and being his parent was pure joy. Loren kept letting go and allowing himself this miracle.

  He let go once again. “I’m ready.”

  They turned to Ian, and when he came in between them, Gabe and Loren each took a hand. Gabe nodded to Nita, who signaled the string quartet to start the music.

  Nita, Mia, and Dad walked together down the flower-strewn path at the head of which waited Sister Delilah, fierce drag queen and ordained minister. She’d gotten herself ordained from one of those internet churches specifically to be able to marry them.

  As Loren and Gabe walked slowly down the path with Ian, passing friends and neighbors, all the people who had stood by them and made a safe space for them, their family waiting ahead, Loren marveled at his life.

  Ian’s hand clung to Gabe’s, and Gabe glanced over at Loren, his beautiful person who had agreed to join them forever. As they passed Ms. Bailey, she winked at him and he smiled. It had all started with her giving Gabe that damn pattern. A pattern for an angel—and Gabe now had two of them by his side.

  They reached Sister Delilah, the music stopped, and they waited to begin the ceremony. Ian was to remain between them as they said the vows—vows that formalized them being a family, although they already were one, stitched together with love and play and story books. And dress up. Lots and lots of dress up.

  His mother passed through his mind, but Gabe didn’t miss her. She was the one missing out. He looked at Nita, and she beamed at him with watery eyes that he would tease her about later. She’d been determined not to cry. Both Mia and Loren’s dad, Eric, were tea
rful too. Uh-oh. Loren was a crier. Gabe checked on him, and Loren met his gaze, his beautiful sapphire eyes dry and clear with such love and certainty that a shiver ran down Gabe’s spine and his own eyes prickled.

  “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life,” intoned Sister Delilah. “But not just get through it. To celebrate it, give thanks to the heavens and the earth, our glorious Mother and Father, the gods and goddesses who have brought together this family. This family of Gabe, Loren, and Ian, who are here to show us their unique pattern of love, and to show us what living true to ourselves is all about.”

  Tears dribbled down Gabe’s cheeks. Then he heard Ian’s small voice.

  “It’s okay, Daddy. Don’t cry.”

  Sister Delilah smiled, and light laughter ran through the crowd. “Tears are wonderful, Ian. They water us like plants and let our emotions flow out.”

  “Oh,” said Ian solemnly. “Go ahead and cry, Daddy.”

  More laughter.

  “Thank you, Ian.”

  Loren said, “We love you, Ian, for taking care of us.” He was still dry-eyed and brilliant, like a warrior goddess.

  Ian dropped their hands and pulled them toward each other. “You should hold hands now.”

  Gabe took Loren’s hand, and Loren gently brushed the tears off Gabe’s cheeks. They turned to Sister Delilah, who was dabbing away a tear of her own.

  “Onward,” Sister Delilah said, casting a beneficent smile on them. She raised her arms and said to the gathering, “Onward into a new future. The wisdom of the children shall lead us where we need to go.”

  Then she gave Ian a loving wink. “And I thank you, Ian, for showing us the way.”

  ***

  Thank you so much for reading Happy and Merry. I hope you enjoyed reading these holiday stories of love, family, and acceptance as much as I enjoyed writing them.

  ***

  If you need more warmth in the winter months, my Shores Series can help. Cruise ships, tropical islands, scuba diving adventures, and M/M happily ever afters await!

  All the Way to Shore – Runner up for Best Bisexual Book, Rainbow Awards 2017

  What happens when a cruise ship romance crashes on the rocky shores of reality?

  Jonathan Vallen, a gentle musician who loves to garden, is failing miserably at running his father’s Boston company. When hotshot executive Marco Pellegrini takes over, a humiliated Jonathan moves to Cape Cod and spends a year transforming from an insecure duckling into a sexy swan. Jonathan meets Marco again on an LGBTQ Caribbean cruise and when Marco doesn't recognize him, Jonathan pretends to be someone else for the week—Jonah Rutledge—someone good enough to be loved.

  Back on land, the romance crashes when Marco discovers who Jonah really is. While Marco struggles to understand the deception, Jonathan resolves to win back Marco's trust.

  Was their cruise ship romance merely a fantasy or the answer to their hearts’ desires?

  If you like boss/employee, ugly duckling to swan, hidden identity, and tropical breezes, you’ll love All the Way to Shore.

  About the Author

  After years of hearing characters chatting away in her head, award-winning author CJane Elliott finally decided to put them on paper and hasn’t looked back since. A psychotherapist by training, CJane writes sexy, passionate LGBTQ romances that explore the human psyche. CJane has traveled all over North America for work and her characters are travelers, too, traveling down into their own depths to find what they need to get to the happy ending.

  CJane is bisexual and an ardent supporter of LGBTQ equality. In her spare time, CJane can be found dancing, listening to music, or watching old movies. Her family supports her writing habit by staying out of the way when they see her hunched over, staring intensely at her laptop.

  CJane is the author of the award-winning Serpentine Series, New Adult contemporary novels set at the University of Virginia. Serpentine Walls was a 2014 Rainbow Awards finalist, Aidan’s Journey was a 2015 EPIC Awards finalist, and Sex, Love, and Videogames won first place in the New Adult category in the 2016 Swirl Awards and first place in Contemporary Fiction in the 2017 EPIC eBook Awards. Her contemporary novel All The Way To Shore was runner up for best bisexual fiction in the 2017 Rainbow Awards.

  Want more CJane Elliott stories? Visit my author page on Amazon. Sign up for my newsletter for special sales and upcoming releases.

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