“Then how do you know that we don’t have a turkey of our own?”
Patrick snickered. “Please, Julian hates cooking turkeys. I’ve seen him make Cornish game hen in an orange sauce that was so good you’d kill a little old lady just to get another piece, but the boy cannot cook a turkey to save his life. I mean, hell, when we were in school he tried to do a Thanksgiving turkey for the two of us and Cam and it was burnt on the outside and raw inside.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that, but how do you know that we don’t already have plans?”
Patrick looked up from where he had his head shoved in the fridge. “Do you?”
“No,” Jack admitted. He and Julian hadn’t really planned a big Christmas. They had simply been planning on spending the day together and possibly seeing Roz.
“Then I don’t need to worry, do I?”
“Why is the turkey so large?”
“Stuffing tastes funny if made in a small turkey.”
Jack stared at the back of Patrick’s head. “I’m so not awake enough for that to make sense.”
“Then go back to bed. I don’t really need supervision to cook a turkey.” Patrick smiled at him. “I’m probably going to go cuddle with Brad once I get this in the oven.”
Jack took a look at the amount of food Patrick had brought with him. “There’s a lot of food here.”
“It’s Christmas.”
“I think I’m going to go back to bed.”
“Good plan. Oh, and dinner is going to be business casual. I want you to look nice.”
“Says the man with the tattoos and the piercings.”
“Most of which I have to be shirtless for you to see. Go to bed, Jack. You look like you’re going to fall over.”
“If you need anything—”
“I’ll find it myself. Go get some more sleep. I’ll make you and Julian breakfast when you get up.”
“What type of breakfast?”
“French toast?”
“Sounds good.”
Patrick laughed softly. “Merry Christmas, Jack.”
“Merry Christmas, Patrick.” Jack left the kitchen and made his way back to his bedroom. The pillow was no longer on Julian’s head when he got back to the bedroom. Jack smiled at his lover before shucking his clothes, crawling back into the bed, and pulling him into his arms.
“Who was at the door?”
“Patrick.”
“What did he want?”
“He’s in the kitchen making us Christmas dinner. He has a really large turkey.”
“Did you just say that Patrick is a turkey?”
“No, he has a turkey. He’s cooking Christmas dinner in our kitchen and said that he’d make us French toast when we get up.”
“Ooo. He makes this really good French toast that’s almost like a sandwich with chocolate hazelnut spread and banana slices inside. I think he even coats it with chocolate milk.”
“Holy shit. That does sound good.” Jack pressed a kiss to Julian’s head and pulled him closer. He was just starting to doze back off when Julian shot into a sitting position.
“Patrick is cooking a turkey in our kitchen?!”
Jack sighed and ran a hand over his face. He was starting to think that he wouldn’t be getting back to sleep anytime soon. “Julian, just go back to sleep.”
“But you said Patrick was in the kitchen.”
“And he’ll still be there when we get up. He’s cooking a massive turkey,” Jack replied. He grabbed Julian’s arm and pulled him back under the covers. Jack wrapped the blankets around his lover’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
“Why does he have a big turkey? There’s only four of us.”
“He said something about stuffing. I wasn’t really paying attention. Too sleepy.”
“You want me to go back to sleep, don’t you.”
“Yes. Christmas is not the time to be awake early.”
“Merry Christmas, Jack.”
“Merry Christmas.” Jack smiled as Julian finally settled in his arms. Maybe he would be getting some more sleep after all.
PATRICK stared at the dining-room table in annoyance. Damn open-concept floor-plan. How was he supposed to surprise Julian with the amount of people coming for dinner if the table was in plain view? Strong arms wrapped around his waist, and Patrick leaned back into the embrace.
“What’s wrong?” Brad asked, linking his fingers with Patrick’s and giving them a squeeze.
“Nothing.”
Brad chuckled lightly. “Bullshit. Sugar, you’re scowling at the dining room.”
“Stupid open-concept floor-plan.”
“Is that what’s bothering you?”
“I had this whole plan of getting everything set up for Julian’s surprise, but now I can’t do it because the dining room doesn’t have a door.”
“You should just be happy that the table seats eight people.”
“Not helping, Brad.”
“Sorry. What can I do?”
“Give me a hug?” Patrick requested. He turned around and buried his face in Brad’s neck. He hated it when plans didn’t go his way, but he knew if he could just calm down long enough to get his head on straight everything would be fine. The feeling of Brad’s arms wrapped around him went a long way toward helping him.
“What did you need to do in the dining room?”
“I wanted to set the table. I even have cute little Christmas ornaments with our names on them to use as place cards,” Patrick whined. Brad’s hands, which had been running in a soothing motion over his back, suddenly stopped.
“Seriously?”
“Yes.” Patrick could feel his face heating in embarrassment. Maybe he had gone a little overboard in planning Christmas dinner.
“I’m sure that everything will look amazing when you’re done.”
“You’re not going to mock my craziness?”
“No. It’s our first Christmas together, sugar. I’m not going to mock anything you do today.”
Patrick pulled back and stared into his lover’s gorgeous blue eyes. “Have I told you how amazing you are?” He smiled as Brad grinned at him.
“You have mentioned it before.” Brad pressed a quick kiss to Patrick’s lips. “Will you have time to set the table after everyone gets here if I help?”
“You’ll help me?”
“Of course.”
“You’re amazing.”
“Thank you,” Brad replied with a smile. “Come on, let’s go join Jack and Julian before they want to know why you’re scowling at the dining room.”
Patrick laughed and pulled out of his lover’s arms. He pressed a kiss to Brad’s cheek before he headed over to the Christmas tree. Jack and Julian were curled comfortably on one end of the couch. Patrick waved his lover to one of the chairs before sitting on the floor in front of the tree. He started to sort through the presents under the tree.
“What are you doing?” Julian asked.
“Well, we still have some time before dinner is ready, so I thought now would be a good time to give you the first part of your Christmas present.” Patrick pulled a medium-sized box from under the tree.
“My Christmas present has parts?”
“Yes.” Patrick handed Julian the box. “Open this.”
Julian took the box from Patrick with a bright smile. “It’s heavy.” Julian pulled the bow from the box then opened the box. He reached inside and pulled out a large glass bottle. His eyes widened. “Is this what I think it is?”
“What do you think it is?”
“I think it’s a bottle of barbeque sauce. One of two inside this box.”
“You would be right,” Patrick replied. He had just enough time to brace himself before he ended up with an armful of excited doctor. Patrick wrapped his arms around his friend and pulled him close. “I’m guessing you like your present.”
“I love it.”
“I hope you like the other part of your present as much.”
“I don’t k
now how you can top this.”
“I have my ways.”
“It better not involve sex,” Jack muttered. Patrick looked over the top of Julian’s head to where Jack was sitting. The older man was trying to hold a glare in place, but a smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“It won’t involve sex,” Patrick answered. He stuck his tongue out at Jack. “Party pooper.”
“Slut.”
“Hey! That’s my slut you’re talking to,” Brad interjected. Patrick turned enough to look at his lover. When Brad smiled at him, he blew his lover a kiss. Brad returned the gesture.
The four of them spent the next twenty-five minutes or so opening presents. Patrick was pretty sure that Jack and Julian were saving the more personal gifts for when they left, but he didn’t mind. He would have done the same thing. Jack gave them hockey tickets, which made Brad laugh since they had given Jack the same thing. Julian gave Patrick a very nice green sweater, and Brad got one in blue. Brad gave Julian a watch to replace the one he had accidentally broken several weeks before after one of their hockey games. They were all chatting happily when a ding came from the kitchen.
“Something in the kitchen wants my attention,” Patrick announced, getting to his feet. “Excuse me, boys.”
Patrick headed into the kitchen. The pleasant aroma of cooking food assaulted his nose. Everything smelled like it was cooking properly. He turned off the beeping timer and checked on the turkey. It looked good. His stomach rumbled in agreement. It looked really good.
“You don’t have pie.”
“What?” Patrick looked up to see Julian standing in the kitchen.
“You’ve got all the makings of an amazing Christmas dinner, but you don’t have any pie.” Julian glanced around the kitchen. “Or sweet potatoes. Roz makes the most amazing sweet potatoes.”
“Does she?”
“Yep. It’s the only thing she can make.”
“Huh.” Patrick closed the oven door just as the doorbell rang. “You should go and answer the door.”
“Who could be at the door on Christmas? I mean, Roz isn’t supposed to be here for at least another hour.”
“Maybe you should find out,” Patrick suggested. He put his hands on Julian’s shoulders and pushed the shorter man to the door. Julian gave him a glare, but opened the door with a smile. Peering over Julian’s shoulder, Patrick could see Roz standing in the doorway holding a covered dish.
“Merry Christmas, Beanstalk. I have sweet potatoes.”
“And I have pies,” Kennedy announced, following Roz into the house. “Don’t worry, I didn’t make them.”
“Kennedy?”
“Hey, JP.” Kennedy pressed a kiss to Julian’s cheek before turning her attention to Patrick. “Where do you want the pies?”
“In the kitchen, Kiki. Barracuda can show you the way.”
“If she didn’t make the pies, who did?” Julian asked.
“I did,” Cam announced. He stepped into the house followed by Jeremy. Patrick smiled at the surprised look on Julian’s face. Jack and Brad had joined them in the hallway. They were both smiling as well.
“Cameron?”
“Hey, Julian. Merry Christmas,” Cam said. He reached out and pulled Julian into a hug. It took a moment, but Julian wrapped his arms around Cam and hugged back. Patrick smiled at the sight. It looked like his Christmas surprise was off to a good start. He nodded his head in greeting to Jeremy before heading back into the kitchen. While he knew that—even though she couldn’t cook anything other than sweet potatoes—Roz wouldn’t touch anything in the kitchen, Patrick wasn’t comfortable leaving Kennedy alone with his food. He entered the kitchen to find Kennedy lifting the lid on one of the pots.
“Back away from the food, Kiki.”
“But it smells so good.” Kennedy put the lid down and pouted at him.
“I don’t care. Go hang up your coat and chat with Ace. I’ll let you know when dinner’s ready.”
“Fine,” Kennedy sighed. “Come on, Roz. I don’t think he wants women in his kitchen.”
“I think it might just be you. You can burn food just by being in the same room with it while it’s cooking.”
“That’s because I’m so hot.”
“Out of the kitchen! Both of you!” Patrick raised his arm and pointed at the door. He kept his arm raised until they left the room. Patrick shook his head with amusement before turning his attention back to the food. He had to make sure that being near Kennedy hadn’t damaged his food.
“Want me to set the table for you now that the others are here?” Brad walked over and kissed his cheek.
“That would be great.”
“I’ll leave the ornaments for you to put out.”
“Thanks, Angel. There’s a box on the table with the placemats I want you to use in it.”
“You brought placemats?”
“No comment. Remember, you promised not to mock my Christmas craziness.”
“You’re right.” Brad kissed his cheek once more. “I love you, you freak.”
“I love you too. Now go and set the table before my bird overcooks.”
“Yes sir, Detective Hawkins.” Brad snapped off a salute before he left the room with the box that Patrick had indicated. Patrick watched him leave with a fond smile. Once Brad was out of view, Patrick turned his attention back to dinner.
“Okay Christmas dinner, you’re up.”
PATRICK could hear the sounds of laughter coming from the dining room. He smiled as he filled the sink with water and soap. The dinner had been a big hit. They had even liked the ornaments he had used for place cards—even though he was pretty sure that he was going to be mocked about them later. Hearing footsteps, Patrick turned his head and saw that Julian had entered the kitchen. He smiled as Julian walked over and wrapped an arm around his waist.
“Why are you not eating pie?”
“I just wanted to get a head start on the dishes. What are you doing in the kitchen, Ace?”
“Looking for you.”
“Well, you found me.” Patrick pulled his hands from the sink, dried them on a towel, and turned to face Julian. “What’s up?”
“Thank you,” Julian stated. He tilted his head up and kissed Patrick’s cheek.
“What was that for?” Patrick grinned and wrapped his arms around Julian’s waist.
“For the second half of my Christmas present. I can’t believe that you flew Cam, Kennedy, and Jeremy here.”
“Well, it’s been a few years since you’ve seen Cam and Kennedy, and you’ve never met Jeremy, so I thought it might be a nice surprise.”
“It was a nice surprise. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Now, are you going to come and have some pie with us? It’s really good.”
Patrick smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of Julian’s head. “I’ll be there in a minute. Just let me get some of these done, or Brad and I are still going to be here when you want some alone time.”
“I’ll leave you to the dishes,” Julian stated. Patrick laughed as he left the kitchen. Shaking his head in amusement, Patrick turned his attention back to the dishes in the sink. He was on his third pan and happily humming Christmas songs when Brad came into the kitchen.
“Are you hiding?”
“No.”
“Then get your ass back out here and have some pie,” Brad instructed. He reached out and grabbed Patrick’s arm, pulling him away from the sink. Patrick didn’t even have time to grab a hand towel to dry his hands before Brad had him in the other room. Patrick was shoved into a chair and two pieces of pie were placed in front of him.
“Why are there two pieces of pie in front of me?”
“Because you like both apple and cherry and we’ve decided you should have both,” Cam remarked. “Now eat.”
Patrick laughed and picked up his fork. With seven pairs of eyes watching him, Patrick took his first bite of the cherry slice. After swallowing, he looked up to see some of the face
s were not looking as happy as they had before. “Were you betting on which slice of pie I was going to eat first?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Why not?” Kennedy remarked.
“Okay, so who won?”
“Cam, Julian, and Brad.”
“Good job, Angel.” Patrick smiled at his lover.
“Thanks.”
“Oh, just shut up and eat your pie,” Kennedy grumbled. Patrick laughed and turned his attention back to his pie. Christmas had gone really well.
He couldn’t wait until New Year’s.
Chapter 19
BRAD looked around the club. He’d never been to Fever before and he still wasn’t sure if New Year’s Eve was the best day for his first time in the club. The place was packed. Brad wasn’t even sure how Patrick had managed to get all eight of them in. From what he had heard, the New Year’s Eve party at Fever sold out at the beginning of August.
The main dance floor was full of people. A wide variety of people. Brad could see both mixed and same-sex couples. There were people dressed in formal wear and those who weren’t wearing much of anything. Brad didn’t know where to look.
“You’re gaping.”
“Huh?” Brad turned to see Roz standing next to him.
“You’re gaping, Brad. You’re looking around the club with this deer-in-headlights look on your face. Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure that Patrick won’t let any of them bother you.”
“I can take care of myself, Roz.”
“It’s cute that you think so.”
“Roz, are you bothering my man?” Patrick draped himself over Brad as he asked the question. Brad leaned back into his lover’s embrace and ran a hand over the arm that was wrapped around his waist.
“I’m just looking out for him.”
“Go and dance with Kiki. She needs someone to keep an eye on her.”
“You boys have fun.” Roz waved at them before grabbing Kennedy’s arm and pulling her onto the dance floor. The two attractive blondes were soon surrounded by eligible men.
“Pat, do you really think that Roz can keep Kennedy out of trouble?”
“I doubt it. I’m pretty sure that the two of them are going to cause a rather large amount of trouble.” Patrick moved in front of him and smiled. “Dance with me?”
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