“Everyone, this is Trent,” Dare said, gesturing his hand between Trent and the rest of us. He was completely unaware of the tension he had created with his guest, and I wanted to keep it that way.
Trent looked over the food on display and said, “Oh, damn. I was hoping you made that amazing apple pie for dessert, Josh.” Yep, the dumb fuck had a death wish.
I knew damn well that Josh hadn’t been a virgin when we met, but neither was I. We each had lovers in our pasts and neither of us owed an apology for the choices we made before we knew the other existed. It wasn’t rational to be so angry about the other guy’s existence, but I was furious. I hated the idea of that fucking prick touching Josh or making him come, but I couldn’t really pitch too much of a fit with my ex-boyfriend—the one I had moved to Blissville to be with—sitting at our dinner table with us. But, there were two big differences between Kyle and Trent: Kyle was invited, and the gleam in Trent’s eyes said he was there to start trouble. If it was trouble he wanted; then it was trouble he would get. But first…
“You made him my apple pie?” I asked Josh, whose face was almost devoid of color. “My apple pie?” Okay, so I was irrational and slightly insane. I felt the eyes of our guests jockeying back and forth between me and the newcomer.
“Baby, it wasn’t your apple pie when I made it for him,” Josh said calmly. On some level, I realized he was right, but I felt as if Trent had walked into my house and kicked me in the nuts. Trust me, a man takes exception to that!
I stood up from my chair, tossed my napkin on the table, and pointed to Dr. Dickhead. “You come with me.”
“Gabe, please…” Josh’s hand snagged my wrist before I could leave the table.
I looked down at his face and saw the silent plea in the hazel eyes I adored. I pulled his hand to my lips for a kiss. “I won’t be long, Sunshine.” I glanced back at the doctor who wasn’t looking quite as smug as when he first walked through the door. “With me.” I turned and headed toward the kitchen, knowing that he’d either willingly follow me or I’d drag him by the scruff of his fucking neck. I’ll give him credit though; he didn’t make me wait long.
“Do you realize whose house you’re standing in, Trent? Can I call you Trent?”
“Uh, sure.”
“I’m going to need you to be a little bit more specific,” I said, sounding like I was interrogating him. Hey, the bad cop never went away; he bided his time until he was useful again. “Are you saying ‘sure’ that you know whose house this is or that I can call you Trent?”
“Both,” he answered nervously.
It wasn’t just my tone of voice; I used my entire body to intimidate that little weasel. I stood tall with my back ramrod straight and my chest slightly pushed out. I could break him with my bare hands but hoped it wouldn’t come to that. It was highly frowned upon for police captains to rough people up. I could almost hear Josh’s snark comments about another IA investigation.
“Why are you here, Trent?”
“Dare invited me.”
“I know that part, but why did you accept? Furthermore, why did you walk in with that smug look on your face?”
“I wasn’t aware that I had a smug expression on my face, and I thought dinner at Josh’s house sounded good. He’s a phenomenal cook.”
“I know damn well that my husband is amazing everywhere, so I don’t need you to start ticking off his attributes.”
I crossed my arms over my chest as I remembered the way Trent had hurt Josh in college by making him feel that he wasn’t good enough to introduce to his friends and family as anything more than an acquaintance. I saw the admiring glances he aimed at Josh the night that we ran into him at the hospital when Sally Ann gave birth to Adrianna and again when he walked in as Dare’s guest. I knew fucking well it was no coincidence that he chose Blissville for his pediatrics rotation. It was best he knew where things stood to save himself from looking like an ass.
“Your breakup with Josh wasn’t amicable so why the hell did you think it was a good idea to come here? Better yet, how’d you meet Dare to get an invite?”
“Um, my breakup with Josh was a long time ago,” Trent countered coolly. “It’s obvious he’s moved on and very happy, or maybe not, if you think dragging me in here and warning me away is warranted.”
I took one step toward him and he took two steps back. His little spark of bravado fizzled out beneath the menacing look I aimed at him. “He’s deliriously fucking happy,” I groused, “but I’m not here to speak on his behalf. My husband can handle himself just fine. I want to be sure you’re not taking advantage of Dare’s kind heart.”
“I met Dare when I went to Curl Up and Dye to schedule a haircut last week.”
Josh didn’t tell me that Trent had showed up at the salon. I thought we had cleared the air and there would be no more secrets or attempts to keep me from losing my shit, but apparently not. The very thought of Josh touching Trent’s hair made me want to punch the doctor in the face. I knew it wouldn’t have the same meaning as when Josh massaged my scalp or ran his fingers through my hair when we kissed or made love, but still. He wasn’t getting my motherfucking pie, and he would need to find someone else to cut his stupid fucking hair.
“I stopped in to see Josh, but he wasn’t there, so Dare scheduled me an appointment with some other guy named Robin.” His words relieved the tightness in my chest.
“Wren.”
“Excuse me?”
“Wrong bird, dumbass. His name is Wren.”
“I’m not a dumbass,” Trent argued defiantly.
“Your actions today don’t back that up.” I held up my hand to cut him off when he opened his mouth to speak. “I’m not going to make a bigger scene than I already have, so you’re in luck. You can stay, eat our food, drink our beverages, and join in on the conversation with our friends and family because this year is special to all of us for one reason or another. Do not look at my husband like he’s on the menu again. Don’t assume he’s the same guy you knew years ago, and don’t insinuate that your shared past actually means you know him, because I promise that you don’t know the first thing about Josh Roman-Wyatt. So, Trent, the question is: can you eat dinner with us and behave?”
“You kind of sound like Clint Eastwood,” he replied with a crooked smile. “Yeah, I’ll be good.”
“Welcome to our home,” I said somewhat cordially. “Grab a plate and dig in.”
I remained in the kitchen after Trent left because I knew that Josh was hovering by someplace close and would want to speak with me. I was prepared for him to lecture me about my behavior, but instead he pushed me back against the counter and ravaged my mouth.
“Oh my God! I shouldn’t encourage your ridiculous behavior, but it’s so fucking hot. It makes me want to drag you and your knuckles upstairs and show you just how much I belong to you.”
“Okay,” I said, wrapping my arms tightly around him. “I’ll let you.” I had never been so disappointed that there wasn’t a hidden staircase that led to our bedroom.
“Gabe, one day you’re going to realize that there’s no other man on this earth that I’d rather give my body and my apple pie to more than you.”
The comment about the pie made the ridiculous jealous feelings stir inside me again. I could tell by Josh’s smile that he knew it too.
“Gabe, I was only eighteen years old when I dated Trent. I didn’t have access to bourbon, so the pie he remembers is not the same pie that I make for you.” He ran his hands through my hair, and I practically melted into a puddle on the kitchen floor.
“You’re not cutting his hair either.”
“What are you talking about?” Josh asked.
I repeated what Trent had said. Josh snorted when I got to the part where he butchered Wren’s name.
“Let’s go enjoy our first Thanksgiving dinner with our babies,” Josh said softly. “The nonsense with Trent doesn’t matter. I won’t be cutting his hair, and he can’t cause trouble if we don’t let him.�
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“You’re right,” I told Josh, earning a shocked expression. “Hey, I admit when I’m wrong.”
“Uh huh.”
“It just happens so rarely that you can’t remember, Sunshine.”
All eyes were on us when we returned to the dining room—well, all except Trent’s. He kept his eyes on his plate of food while Dare looked worried and dejected beside him. I smiled at Dare so he’d know the things that transpired between Trent and me were not his fault. If anything, Dare was another victim of Trent’s narcissistic personality. Dare reminded me of a younger Josh, and I found it unlikely that Trent had a change of heart when it came to flamboyant men. But you did, the pesky voice in my head reminded me. Shut the fuck up, I shot back.
I felt terrible when I realized that our guests were waiting for us before they ate. Josh worked so hard to prepare the delicious meal, and it sat getting cold while I acted like a jackass. I reached for Josh and tugged him to me once more. “I’m sorry that I ruined your delicious dinner.”
“You didn’t ruin anything; you were just being you. Besides, how do you know it’s delicious?”
“You made it,” I said as a matter-of-fact. I looked around the room at our guests. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting.” I received various looks in exchange. The knuckle draggers in the group understood where I was coming from, even if they didn’t realize the extent of Trent’s past with Josh. The rest of the adults were a little more level-headed and wore bemused expressions. I was happy that I didn’t see disappointment on our mothers’ faces. In fact, they looked almost proud of my assertiveness. My two favorite little faces smiled up at their papa like I did a great thing.
“Let’s say grace so we can eat,” Meredith said. We all joined hands and bowed our heads. “Heavenly Father, thank you for the bountiful blessings you’ve given each and every one of us. Thank you for the love you’ve brought into our lives, for it is the greatest gift of all time, and one that never stops giving. We ask for your continued blessings and guidance in our lives today and each new day that follows. Please help us to realize the beauty in the world so that hate will never dwell in our hearts. In Jesus’s name, we pray.”
“Amen,” we collectively said.
Then all talking ceased as we dove into our food like half-starved animals. I reached beneath the table and squeezed Josh’s knee to let him know how much I loved every bite I crammed into my mouth. By the second round, lips started to loosen up to include other activities like talking. No one was quite sure how to approach the topic that was on everyone’s minds. Okay, all but one.
“How do you know my son?” Bertie asked Trent.
“We met at college,” Trent said cordially.
“Oh? Josh never mentioned you,” she replied. I couldn’t have loved her more unless she pulled a gun out of her purse and shot the prick. Bertie was not a gun-toting mama, so that is one fantasy I knew wouldn’t come true.
Trent blushed because Bertie’s comment could’ve come across that Trent was so insignificant that Josh never mentioned him. I wanted that to be the case, but the truth was that Trent, following so closely after the horrible relationship with Billy I-Hate-Myself-For-Being-Gay Sampson, really did a number on Josh. It was like Josh had told me. Billy was ashamed of being gay, but Trent was ashamed of Josh. I might not be the most perfect man on the planet, but compared to those two dumb fucks, I was quite the catch.
“Well,” Trent said sheepishly, “I didn’t treat Josh very well, so it’s not surprising that he didn’t tell you about me.” Trent darted a quick glance in my direction before he looked at Josh. “It’s really my only regret in life.” Did he mean that losing Josh or mistreating him was his biggest regret? “I’m sorry, Josh.”
“Fucknugget! Fucknugget!” Savage squawked. The bird’s timing was impeccable as always.
“Please excuse Gabe’s bird. He has terrible manners,” Josh told Trent. Hey, at times like these, I’ll gladly take responsibility for Savage’s dirty mouth.
“Dirty Bird!” I said, but my voice lacked admonishment. I was in awe of my feathered friend.
“Bite me!” came Savage’s reply.
“Bad Bird!” Sassy squawked accusingly.
“Cockbadger!”
Trent’s slack-jawed expression was priceless, but the outlandish behavior barely got a response out of the rest of our guests since they were so used to it.
Josh just shook his head and talked over the crazy birds. “Thank you, Trent, but as you can see, I’m very happy. You really shouldn’t give it another thought.”
Yeah, what my husband said, asshole.
“Thank you for being so forgiving.” Trent then looked back at me and offered a wry, but non-threatening smile. “I hope to have a fraction of this kind of happiness someday.” I decided I would take that as a compliment and not his plan to steal my man and kids.
There was quite a bit of grumbling about the missing apple pie, but there was enough pumpkin crap to go around. I had to admit, Josh’s homemade cinnamon whipped cream made the stuff tolerable, but it would never replace the love in my heart for his boozy apple pie.
Trent and Dare left not long after they finished eating. Dare looked like a kicked puppy, which made me dislike Trent even more. I hated that Josh 2.0 got his hopes dashed by the doctor. Once they left, the mood resembled that of our normal gatherings and the shenanigans ensued. Barbs were traded between spouses, complaints about sports were lobbed like weapons, and Josh took all our money in poker.
It was a wonderful evening, but I admit to being happy when our guests started going home. I heard Dorchester tell his wife that I was hoping to get lucky, and while that was true, I had an apple pie to devour first. I ran to the kitchen when the last car pulled out, not caring how ridiculous I looked. By then, I had learned where Josh stashed the good stuff. I yanked open the cabinet doors so hard that I nearly ripped the hinges off. I found a folded note in the place where I expected to find my pie.
Gabriel,
Your pie is upstairs in our room along with the very special whipped topping I made to go with it. I will feed the pie to you naked on your lap AFTER we put our angels to sleep.
Love,
Your Sunshine
Having that mini fridge in our bedroom suite had sounded silly when Josh first mentioned it, but it was another example of his evil genius. I took the steps two at a time, both eager to tuck our kids into bed, and get to the good times that I knew would follow.
Josh had already wrangled Dylan into his pajamas, so I got our princess ready for bed. She looked up at me with so much love and joy that it took my breath away. It was my turn to read, so I picked up the thick illustrated book beside their bed and settled with Destiny in one glider while Josh held Dylan in the one beside me. I held the book out so Dylan could see the colorful pages while I told them all about Winnie’s latest adventures.
They were fast asleep long before I finished the chapter, but I kept reading so that my voice followed them into their dreams. I didn’t need the holiday to remind me to be thankful for Josh and our kids, but I couldn’t deny that somedays were extra special. Love and pride welled so full inside my chest that it nearly hurt to breathe.
My blessings extended to the privacy of our suite where my husband pressed his naked body to mine and fed me the most delicious boozy apple pie topped with homemade whipped cream that had vanilla liqueur and a splash of cinnamon whisky in it.
“I have a surprise trip for the entire family tomorrow,” I told Josh after both my stomach and dick were content.
“We’re not singing Christmas carols, are we?”
“That’s a damn good idea, but not what I had planned.” I didn’t wait for Josh to guess again. “We’re all going to the tree farm to chop down our family Christmas tree. We get to ride in a sleigh and everything.”
“Oh man. We’re totally going to end up with a Clark Griswold kind of Christmas.”
“Get back in bed,” Gabe demanded sleepily. “There cannot possibly
be a good enough deal worth getting out of bed at four o’clock in the morning.”
I rolled out of bed before he could get his hands on me because he would make me late for shopping with our moms, Mere, and Chaz. “You’ll be thanking me come Christmas morning,” I said smugly as I made a dash toward our bathroom. “Go back to sleep. You’re going to need the energy for the lumberjacking you’ll be doing this afternoon.” I still couldn’t believe that Gabriel Roman-Wyatt wanted to pack us all into a sleigh and ride out in the frigid cold to cut down a frigging tree. Where had this even come from?
I smiled when I came back into our bedroom after a quick shower and found him sound asleep once again. I ran my hands through his silky hair and kissed his cheek before I left our room to meet our mothers in the kitchen.
“Come on, Josh, we’re going to miss all the good stuff,” my mom whined.
“Here’s your coffee, sweetie,” Martina said, handing my favorite travel mug to me. Martina wasn’t as enthused as my mom about our early morning excursion into the crazed crowds.
“Did you see the Toys ‘R’ Us ad?” my mom asked. “There are so many things we want to buy for our angels.”
“Mom,” I calmly said as I led them to the garage where Duchess was parked. “Gabe and I don’t want the holidays to be about presents and material things. We’re all about the experiences.” Once the words left my mouth, I realized that was why Gabe wanted to do the tree thing. I had to admit, it sounded old-fashioned and sweet.
“I understand and approve of the sentiment,” my mom agreed.
“I’m so glad you understand.” Gabe and I worried that they’d take it the wrong way.
“Of course, I understand, but don’t expect me to listen,” she said sassily.
“Mommm,” I whined.
“Listen, as you so eloquently stated yesterday, you and Gabe are responsible for raising the little monsters. Our job as grandparents is to spoil them rotten.”
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