Ryan’s jaw dropped. “You’ve never had snow at Christmas?” He realized he was practically shouting and flushed at his overreaction. “Sorry. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday.”
“The most wonderful time of the year? Well, you’re Canadian, so it’s understandable,” Cary replied playfully. His smile faded. “Nah, Christmas was just never a big deal. I got presents and everything, but it’s never been a big special day with walking in a winter wonderland and all that.”
“I’m sorry.” Cary seemed uncharacteristically melancholy about it. “Hey, you’re more than welcome to join me and my family in the Great White North.”
To Ryan’s surprise, Cary’s face lit up. “Really?”
The invite had slipped out, and he hadn’t really been serious, but the thought of actually spending Christmas with Cary had Ryan’s stomach flip-flopping. “Of course. I’m flying home tomorrow, and we’re going up to our cottage on Friday. More snow than you can shake a stick at.” He knew he should limit the time he spent with Cary off set, but… But I can still look even if I can’t touch.
Again, Cary’s smile disappeared, and he slumped back against the cushions. “Man, I wish I could, but Amanda will kill me if I try to back out of the spa. Besides, I wouldn’t want to intrude on you and your family.”
“It wouldn’t be an intrusion at all. My parents keep saying they want to meet you. You’re my best friend out here.”
Cary’s expression was unreadable. Pleased, maybe? “Really? Thanks, man. That’s nice to hear. You know you’re my boy too.” He punched Ryan’s shoulder lightly.
Ryan cleared his throat and pretended his whole body wasn’t on fire. “Well, the invitation stands if you change your mind.”
They smiled awkwardly at each other. Things had always been totally comfortable between them, but now that they’d kissed on set, Ryan felt on edge. If he relaxed, he was afraid he’d do something that would cross the boundaries without even thinking about it. Now any kind of touch barring a shoulder punch seemed too intimate. He’s not your boyfriend. It’s all pretend.
Their eyes met, and Ryan swore a current surged between them, shooting up his spine and then right down to his dick. Cary licked his lips, and they stared at each other in the silence. Ryan could feel the heat from Cary’s body beside him on the couch, and Cary seemed to be leaning into him.
A soft knock on the door was followed by a PA calling out, “Ryan? We’re ready for you.”
The strange mood broken, Cary drained his bottle. “See ya next year.” He stood, then pulled Ryan up into a straight-guy hug, slapping his back with a thump.
“Right, see you next year. Merry Christmas.”
As he walked to set, Ryan decided it was a good thing they had three weeks until they had to be back in the second week of January. Time to get this crush on Cary under control. Between work and their friendship, they had a good thing going, and Ryan was damned if he was going to mess that up.
Chapter Two
Ryan’s cell buzzed on the seat beside him as he pulled off the highway into Parry Sound’s mall—which was more of a glorified plaza. He scanned the busy lot for a parking space and glanced at the display. His stomach somersaulted ridiculously, and he quickly pulled into a spot by the huge snowbank created by the snow plows at the edge of the lot.
He swiped his finger across the screen. “Hello?”
“Hey, man. It’s Cary.”
“Hi.” Say something! “Um, what’s up? Everything okay?”
“I kind of did something a little impulsive.”
“Okay. What did you do?”
“I’m at Pearson right now.”
Ryan blinked. The cold must have blocked his ears. “Pearson? Airport? In Toronto?”
“That’s the one. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for two days, but you never picked up.”
“Shit, sorry. There’s no service out on the bay.” Ryan’s heart thumped. Cary’s here.
“You said the invite stood and some stuff happened and I really needed to get away. But you were probably just being polite, being Canadian and all, so I’ll just catch the next flight home and—”
“No!” Ryan cleared his throat and took a breath. “Of course you’re still welcome. I can come pick you up, but it’ll take me about two hours to drive down to the airport.” He checked his watch. They’d miss dinner, but shouldn’t be back too late.
Cary chuckled. “Dude, I’m renting a car. Don’t even think about driving back down here.”
“But the roads are slippery. You’re not used to the snow.”
“I’ll be fine. I went four-wheeling in Aspen once. Just give me the address and I’ll GPS it.”
Palms tingling, Ryan gave Cary instructions on how to reach his family’s cottage on Georgian Bay, since there wasn’t a street address. It was an hour outside of the booming metropolis of Parry Sound (population 6,191) on country roads that would be dark before too long. “Use your brights once you get off highway sixty-nine. Unless it’s snowing and there’s a whiteout, because the brights will just make it worse.”
“I’ll be fine, Ry. Don’t worry, the California boy will go slowly.”
“Let me give you the number for the cottage in case you get delayed. We have a landline.”
When Cary had all the details Ryan could think of, they said good-bye and hung up. After pulling out his mom’s shopping list, Ryan hurried toward the grocery store, his boots crunching on the salt in the parking lot. As he walked through the sliding doors, he caught a glimpse of his reflection and realized he was grinning like a fool, but he couldn’t help himself.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner you were inviting a guest?”
Ryan’s mom, Maureen, glared at him with hands on hips. Her glasses had slipped down her nose, and flour dusted her cheek. Her dark hair was starting to go gray, and with a festive red-and-green apron on over her plump form, she resembled Mrs. Claus just a bit. Her English West Country accent always came out more when she was agitated. “I’ve only made a casserole for supper!”
“Because I didn’t know. I didn’t think he’d actually come, but his plans fell through.” Ryan hadn’t allowed himself to speculate too much about what might have happened and what it meant for Amanda and Cary’s relationship. “And a casserole is fine, Mom.”
“Look at this place! You’re helping me clean up, young man.”
Gazing around at the tidy kitchen, Ryan’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh yeah, Mom. It’s a real pigsty.”
“Go straighten up the living room. What does he like to eat? Is he one of those vegantarians?”
“It’s just vegan, and no. He eats meat. You don’t have to make anything special.”
Leaving behind his grumbling mother, Ryan straightened up the wood pile by the large stone fireplace that dominated one wall of the living room. The cottage was an A-frame, narrowing at the top to a point, built with stone and wood and furnished in a style he thought of as “comfy country.” Not fashionable by any means, but warm and welcoming, with a thick rug by the hearth on the wood floor and a soft couch against the opposite wall. Two armchairs and a love seat framed the couch and a wagon-wheel coffee table.
The main floor was decked out for the holidays, with garlands and wreaths and stockings hung by the chimney with care. The only thing missing was the Christmas tree, which Ryan was going to cut down the next day, December 23. He wasn’t sure why it was family tradition to get the tree each year on that date, but it was.
Ethan and Amy zoomed by him on their way from upstairs to the kitchen. “I still don’t get why there’s no cable here,” Ethan groused.
At eight and six, Ryan’s nephew and niece already owned more technological gadgets than Ryan did, yet it never seemed to be enough. But Ryan remembered his own complaints as a kid. Ethan and Amy were both dark haired and round faced—the spitting image of Lisa, and therefore Ryan as well. They always joked that Ryan could kidnap them and pass them off as his own.
“I’m boooo
oored!” Amy whined. “Can’t we watch a movie?”
“Oh yes, it’s a hard life, I know,” Maureen replied. “You get one movie a day and you’ve used your allowance already. The cottage is for family time. You little devils spend enough time glued to your phones and TVs and computers. And if you’re bored, I’ll find you some work to do! Or I’ll have to tell Santa you’ve been naughty.”
As the kids continued to whine in the kitchen, pestering their grandmother for shortbread cookies, Ryan’s sister came downstairs with a duster in hand. She pulled her long brown hair up into a ponytail and smiled slyly. “I hear there’s a guest coming.”
Avoiding Lisa’s gaze, Ryan put another log on the fire. “Yeah, my friend Cary. From the show.”
With a glance to the kitchen, where their mom was giving the kids jobs as her helpers, Lisa whispered, “I know exactly who Cary is, little brother. You guys did the kissing scene last week, hmm?”
“What? How did you know that?”
She rolled her eyes. “There’s this thing called the Internet. A reliable source told TMZ that—”
“Ugh, I’ve heard enough. And Lisa, we’re just friends.”
“Uh-huh. But you want more.”
Marching to the cupboard to pull out the vacuum, Ryan scoffed. “Why would you say that? He’s straight.”
“Why would I say that? Because you’ve been mooning over him for over a year! You may be an award-winning actor, but you’re not fooling me.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “I’m not an award-winning actor.”
“Teen Choice awards totally count, little brother. Even if it’s for Cutest TV Heartthrob. You beat out some stiff competition for that title.”
Barking out a laugh, Ryan jammed the vacuum plug into the wall and pulled out the cord. “We’re friends. The end.” He stepped on the button on the back of the vacuum, and it roared to life.
Lisa stepped close, still keeping her voice low. “He’s going to have to share your room, you know.”
Ryan swallowed hard. “There are two beds up there. It’s no big deal.”
“Sure. No big deal.”
“Lisa, please. Just…don’t.”
She dropped her teasing tone. “I’m sorry. I promise I won’t embarrass you in front of your friend. It’s just that I’ve had years of practice, and it’s a hard habit to break.” She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Although she was five years older, Ryan had been taller since he was thirteen, much to Lisa’s chagrin. He gave her shoulder a knock. “Okay, squirt.”
“Hilarious. Come on, let’s get this place clean—well, cleaner—while Mom keeps those two busy.”
“Where are Dad and Tony?”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “Ice fishing. Where else?”
Ryan chuckled as he vacuumed the rug. Lisa’s husband Tony and their father were two peas in pod when it came to fishing. “It was good of you to marry the son Dad always wanted.”
“Bite your tongue, Ryan Patrick Drake!” his mother yelled back from the kitchen.
“Mom, I’m kidding!”
Ryan and Lisa shared a glance and burst out laughing. Lisa tugged on her earlobes, their old signal from childhood that their mom was listening. Ears of a hawk, Lisa mouthed, and they both chortled.
“What’s so funny?” Their mom stuck her head out of the kitchen doorway.
Dissolving into giggles, Ryan and Lisa went back to their tasks. When they were finished, Ryan went up to his room to make sure it was neat and ready for Cary’s arrival in—he checked his watch for the umpteenth time—forty-three minutes. Give or take.
The second floor housed his parents’ master bedroom, two guest rooms, and the cottage’s main bathroom with tub. There was a small toilet on the main floor, but everyone had to take turns showering on the second floor. Ryan clambered up the ladder to the third floor loft, which had been his room since he was a kid.
The ladder led into the middle of the room, which was the top of the A-frame structure. There was just enough room to stand along the center of the narrow room, with the walls slanting in on either side. To the left of the ladder was Ryan’s single bed and small dresser under the window at the end of the room. There was a window on the other side as well, and an identical single bed and dresser.
When they were little, the bed to the right of the stairs had been Lisa’s, until she turned twelve and deemed herself too mature to share a room with her little brother. Over the years cousins and friends had slept there. Now it would be Cary. Going over to his bed, Ryan flopped down, gazing at the familiar slanted walls and the old space-themed wallpaper. When it got dark, the glow-in-the-dark solar system stickers would appear.
Even though he made a very good salary now, his parents had refused his offer to renovate the old cottage. His father, Jack, had simply furrowed his brow at the idea, while Maureen had fluttered her hands and told him to save his money, because God knew an actor’s income was never steady and Space Academy could be cancelled at any moment.
Ryan smiled to himself. No matter how many teenage girls put his face up in their lockers, his family always treated him as same old Ryan. At least they had let him pay for a new deck overlooking the expanse of Georgian Bay.
He just hoped Cary wouldn’t feel too out of place. He grew up in mansions, and an old single bed in a cottage would be way outside his comfort zone. Not to mention Ryan’s comfort zone. Sometimes he’d get hard just looking at Cary, let alone sharing a room with him. Seeing him undress. Hearing him breathing, knowing he was only feet away…
Groaning, Ryan stood. He needed a cold shower, but going out to the shed for more firewood would do the trick. He checked his watch. Thirty-seven minutes.
By the time Cary was seventy-four minutes late, Ryan thought he might vomit. Snow was falling, and clouds obscured the moon and stars. The snow wasn’t heavy, but the roads would be slick, and Cary wasn’t even used to much rain in LA, and—
“You’re going to wear the carpet out.” His mother handed Ryan a hot mug of tea. “He still had to rent a car, and if he’s driving slowly, he’s bound to take a bit longer than usual. He might have stopped for coffee along the way.”
“I know, I know. But…he’s not used to snow. Winter driving can be dangerous.”
She patted his cheek. “Aren’t you sweet to be so concerned about your chum.”
As if on cue, footsteps thumped on the porch. Ryan raced to the door and threw it open. He sighed. “Oh.”
His father’s laugh boomed through the cottage from the small mudroom where they kept their boots and snow shovels. It wasn’t insulated but helped keep out the cold from the main building when people were coming and going in the winter months. “That’s a fine greeting from my only son.” He held up a cooler. “We caught an even dozen, Mo.”
Maureen took the cooler, laughing and squirming away as Jack tickled her. “Get those cold hands away from me!”
Tony followed and unzipped his coat. “Everything okay, Ryan?”
“Huh?” Ryan realized he must have been frowning. “Yeah, fine. My friend’s late.”
“Your friend?” Tony stooped so he didn’t bang his head passing through the doorway. At six-five, he often had to watch where he was walking.
“Cary. From work.”
“The cute one?”
Lisa cleared her throat from the couch, where she was supervising the kids’ game of Candyland. Her eyes twinkled. “Should I be jealous?”
Rolling his eyes, Tony kissed his children and then planted a big one on his wife. “Babe, you know I don’t swing that way.” He glanced apologetically at Ryan. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
Ryan laughed. “Let me guess. Maria’s a fan?” Tony’s teenage sister was always glued to Ryan’s side at family gatherings, asking him a million and one questions about Hollywood. He tried to tell her it wasn’t as glamorous as it seemed, but she was unconvinced.
“Think I can get an autograph for her? She’s going to be so jealous wh
en she finds out I spent Christmas with not one, but two TV stars.”
Ryan glanced at his watch again. “Yeah. Sure.”
He heard Tony ask Lisa, “What’s up with him?” but Ryan didn’t hear her response as he raced to the window. He could hear a vehicle approaching, and headlights flashed past as a large SUV pulled up.
Ryan took a couple of deep breaths as he put on his coat. Still his stomach clenched, and he was a pile of jittery nerves.
It’s the same old Cary. Your straight friend. Get a grip.
In the mudroom, he yanked on his boots and then hopped down the few steps to the ground, closing the glass storm door behind him. He waved and approached Cary’s rental. Cary killed the engine and opened the SUV door. “Is this a good spot to park?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. Did you find the place okay?”
Cary got out and pulled Ryan into one of his patented back-slapping hugs. “Yep, your directions were good. Just took me a while to get out of the airport. Realized I’d better not show up at Christmas empty-handed, so I hit up the airport stores.” He stepped back and spread his arms, displaying his hooded black parka. “Also bought my first winter coat. And Jesus, do I need it!” He shivered.
Ryan grinned. “You’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.”
“So that makes you Dorothy, huh?” Cary elbowed him playfully. “Can you help me with this stuff?” He opened the back of the SUV.
“Holy crap! Did you buy out the entire airport?” There were at least a dozen shopping bags.
“Well, I wasn’t sure exactly who was here, so I got a variety of gifts for different ages and stuff.”
“You really didn’t have to do that.” Ryan’s heart sank. “We don’t have anything for you.”
“Are you kidding? Letting me spend Christmas here is more than enough.” He peered around at the snow-topped trees. “It’s beautiful. Like something out of a movie.”
“Boys! Dinner’s almost ready!” Maureen’s voice rang out from the mudroom door.
Gay Romance Holiday Collection Page 32