by Ariel Tachna
Carlos smiled at the sound of Ned’s voice. He hadn’t really doubted Ned would call, but he’d started to wonder how late it would be before he did. “Did she finally fall asleep?”
“Finally.”
“Great. I’ll be over in a minute.”
“The door is unlocked. Just come on in so the knock doesn’t disturb her.”
Carlos slipped on his sandals and grabbed the two bags of gifts. He’d reorganized so he could carry everything in one trip. He locked his door and pushed open Ned’s.
A spindly Christmas tree sat next to the couch with a few ornaments and more popcorn garlands decorating it. “We went to Goodwill over the weekend.” Ned took one of the bags from Carlos and led him toward the tree. “I couldn’t afford anything nicer, but at least we had fun making the garlands.”
“And there will be plenty underneath it in the morning,” Carlos said. “I brought wrapping paper if you want to wrap any of it, or it can all be from Santa. The presents from Diego’s kids are already wrapped, but since they decorated the paper themselves, I left it.”
Carlos opened the first bag and pulled out those gifts.
“These are so cute,” Ned said.
“Juana, Diego’s wife, is very creative. She’s passed it on to the kids.”
“I see that.”
“The rest of this bag is all clothes.” Carlos handed the bag to Ned to open or put where he wanted. “Everyone was guessing on sizes based on age, so hopefully they’ll fit.”
“Do you have any bows?” Ned asked. “We can put a bow on the bag and let that be the wrapping instead of trying to wrap things separately, since I don’t have boxes to put them in.”
“There are some bows in the other bag with the toys,” Carlos said.
Ned opened the bag and pulled out the bows. Carlos fixed one on the sack of clothes while Ned placed the toys around the Christmas tree.
“You could wrap the puzzle,” Carlos said. “It’s in a box.”
“No, I don’t think I will. If I wrap it, she’ll think it’s from me, and it’s not. Maybe she’ll say it’s from Santa instead of from whichever family bought it, but I can’t take credit for something I didn’t do.”
“Melissa wouldn’t know if you did.”
“No, but I would.”
They finished setting out the presents and stood back to survey their handiwork. “Not a bad haul,” Carlos joked.
“Far more than I expected to be able to give her this year. I can’t thank you enough.”
Carlos shook his head and put his hand on Ned’s shoulder. “The only thing I did was carry them over here. And she deserves it.”
Ned put his hand over Carlos’s and squeezed. Carlos turned his hand over so their palms met. Ned twined their fingers together. “I don’t have much in the way of drinks, but I splurged on some eggnog and cheap rum.”
Carlos laughed. “Or I can go back to my apartment and get some good tequila, and we can make margaritas.”
“Margaritas sound better,” Ned admitted.
Carlos squeezed Ned’s hand. “I’ll be right back.”
He hurried back to his apartment to grab the tequila, triple sec, and a couple of limes. On impulse he picked up the bag of tamales too. They could nibble on those with their drinks. It would be almost like Christmas at home, waiting to head out to midnight Mass.
“I should have come with you to help you carry everything,” Ned said from where he sat at the kitchen table when Carlos came back.
“It’s fine. Toss these in the oven for a few minutes to get hot, would you? I’ll make the drinks.”
Ned took the foil-wrapped tamales and stuck them in the oven while Carlos unloaded the drinks. “I’ll need a knife to cut the limes.”
Ned handed him one and then leaned against the counter while Carlos worked, close enough that Carlos could feel the heat radiating from his body. He squeezed the limes, added the triple sec and tequila, and handed one glass to Ned. “Salud.”
“Cheers,” Ned replied as he tapped his glass against the one Carlos held. He took a sip and grinned. “Wow, you weren’t kidding about it being good tequila.”
“I pinch pennies as much as I can so I can send money home to Mexico, but there’s nothing worse than cheap tequila. Mamá agrees with me, so I don’t feel too guilty about treating myself to that one luxury.”
They took a seat at the table and sipped their margaritas in comfortable silence until the oven beeped.
“We should get the tamales out so they don’t overcook. We just want to warm them up.”
Ned took a step back, set his glass down, and fished in a drawer for a pot holder. “They smell delicious.”
“Isabella made them. Her husband is my newest employee, if four years can be called new. Every Mexican family has a secret tamale recipe passed down by the abuelas, but hers is my favorite. Don’t tell my mother.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” Ned promised as he opened the foil to let the steam out. He handed Carlos one of the husk-wrapped tamales and took one for himself. Carlos unwrapped it and took a bite, watching Ned carefully to see his reaction.
Ned took a bite too. Carlos grinned when his eyes got wide. “Wow, you weren’t kidding. I mean, I’ve had tamales before, but nothing like these. What’s in them?”
“The filling is pork. Isabella won’t say what else she uses. The whole family secret thing.”
Ned laughed. “Then I won’t ask her about it. I’ll need to thank everyone for their generosity.”
Carlos set his glass aside and squeezed Ned’s hand. “We can call them after Christmas and see when it would suit to come by. Do you want another tamale?”
“Sure.”
Carlos gave him another one and finished his own. When he was done, Carlos carried his plate to the sink and turned back, only to find Ned standing so close to Carlos that he could feel the heat of his body.
“I really want to kiss you right now.” Ned said. “Am I reading you right?”
Carlos wouldn’t have asked because he didn’t want gratitude mixed up in any relationship they developed, but he certainly wasn’t going to say no. He closed the distance between them. Ned’s lips were soft and warm beneath his, his breath sharp with the scent of tequila. Then Ned moved, deepening the kiss. Carlos met him halfway, reveling in the contact.
When Ned finally pulled back, Carlos studied his face intently.
“I’m a hot mess,” Ned said, “and I come with a daughter in tow.”
“I’m not any better off, other than the daughter piece,” Carlos replied. “But we can be a mess together. If you want.”
“I want.”
Carlos smiled. “Best Christmas present ever.”
Ned grinned. “You have to come back in the morning when Sonia wakes up.”
“Just tell me what time to be here.”
“Why don’t you come at seven? I can stall her until then.”
“I’ll be here.” Carlos leaned in for one more quick kiss. “If we’re getting up early, though, I should go to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He didn’t ask to stay, not with Sonia sleeping in the other room. This was too important to rush and meant more than just falling into bed. That would come in time, but for now, he’d go back next door.
CARLOS WOKE up before his alarm went off the next morning, so he showered quickly and had a cup of coffee. He’d take the rest of the food over to Ned’s with him for them to eat during the day, but he couldn’t wait to share Christmas morning with them first.
At seven exactly, he knocked on Ned’s door.
Ned opened the door and gestured for Carlos to come in. “She’s still asleep.”
“That’s okay. I can wait. I brought Christmas dinner.”
“More leftovers?” Ned’s smile was bright as Carlos followed him into the kitchen. He looked freshly showered too, like he hadn’t been able to sleep any more than Carlos had. The smell of coffee and the half-empty cup on the table suggested he’d been up for a while.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had… what were the last two things?”
“Pozole is a kind of stew, and bacalao is fish. And of course the tamales. It’s traditional Christmas fare in Mexico.”
“Daddy, did Santa come?”
Ned turned to smile at Sonia. “Yes, Sonia. He did. Come say hello to Mr. Carlos, then you can see what Santa brought.”
“Good morning, Mr. Carlos.”
“Good morning, Sonia. Merry Christmas.”
“Okay, let’s go see what Santa brought,” Ned said.
Carlos followed them into the room and took a seat on the couch next to Ned as Sonia exclaimed over all the presents Santa had brought. Ned sent Carlos a grateful smile and scooted closer. Carlos put his arm around Ned’s shoulder. “Feliz Navidad.”
Ned leaned into the embrace. “It is, thanks to you. It’s the perfect end to a terrible year.”
Carlos squeezed tighter. “We’ll just have to make next year better.”
When ARIEL TACHNA was twelve years old, she discovered two things: the French language and romance novels. Those two loves have defined her ever since. By the time she finished high school, she’d written four novels, none of which anyone would want to read now, featuring a young woman who was—you guessed it—bilingual. That girl was everything Ariel wanted to be at age twelve and wasn’t.
She now lives on the outskirts of Houston with her husband (who also speaks French), her kids (who understand French even when they’re too lazy to speak it back), and their two dogs (who steadfastly refuse to answer any French commands).
Visit Ariel:
Website: www.arieltachna.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArielTachna
E-mail: [email protected]
By Ariel Tachna
At Your Service
Best Ideas
Château d’Eternité
With Nessa L. Warin: Dance Off
Fallout
Her Two Dads
Highland Lover
Home for Chirappu
In Search of Fireworks
The Inventor’s Companion
A Matchless Man
The Matelot
Music of the Heart
Once in a Lifetime
Out of the Fire
Overdrive
The Path
Popcorn Garlands
Rediscovery
Revelations in the Dark
Rose Among the Ruins
Seducing C.C.
Stolen Moments
A Summer Place
With Madeleine Urban: Sutcliffe Cove
Testament to Love
Unstable Stud
Why Nileas Loved the Sea
GAMES LOVERS PLAY
Amorous Liaison • Best Behavior • Ride ’em Cowboy
HOT CARGO
Healing in His Wings
With Nicki Bennett: Hot Cargo • Something About Harry
LANG DOWNS
Inherit the Sky • Chase the Stars • Outlast the Night
Conquer the Flames • Cherish the Land
PARTNERSHIP IN BLOOD
Alliance in Blood • Covenant in Blood • Conflict in Blood
Reparation in Blood • Perilous Partnership • Reluctant Partnerships
Lycan Partnership • Partnership Reforged • Partnership Reborn
With Nicki Bennett
Under the Skin
ALL FOR LOVE
Checkmate • All for One • Stronghold
THE EXPLORING LIMITS SERIES
Exploring Limits • Stretching Limits • Refining Limits
Breaking Limits • Transcending Limits • No Limits
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Popcorn Garlands
© 2016 Ariel Tachna.
Cover Art
© 2016 Paul Richmond.
http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-173-8
Published December 2016
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America