The Scent of Christmas

by Leyla Hunt

  I glanced over and saw Lupo struggling to sit up on the couch.

  “No! You don’t have to get up. I’ll just bring you your lunch and you can eat it on the couch, okay? I have a tray and everything.”

  “Okay, Nico,” he said quietly, with a warm smile.

  My heart overflowed with love for this little boy. He was so resilient, so strong. There was a good chance he was going to teach me just as much as I planned to teach him.

  Will

  My jaw clenched involuntarily. I was stressed to the max and couldn’t wait to see Nico. Christmas was less than a week away and Nico’s fundraiser was this upcoming Friday, so there was more than enough to do.

  “Chad, how are our supplies?” I called over to the other end of the bar, where Chad was busy wiping glasses and tidying the bar area in preparation for tonight’s happy hour.

  He turned to me and from the look on his face, the news wasn’t good. He shrugged. “The vodka, gin, and Coronas still haven’t arrived, even though I ordered them over a week ago.”

  I growled, but bit my lip before a string of curses could leave my mouth. It wasn’t his fault at all, so I didn’t want to stress him out.

  “All right. I’ll give them a call before I leave and light a fire under their asses.” I chuckled for good measure. One of my goals for the upcoming year—a resolution, I guess you’d call it—is to be more positive at work. Happy employees made for good employees, or at least that’s what I kept hearing.

  I went to the back office and made the call. I was polite, but firm, and was assured the delivery would arrive the next day. As I hung up the phone, my thoughts turned to Nico. My heart yearned for him whenever we were apart, so I wanted to get to his place as soon as possible.

  The good news was that I’d already received some anonymous donations for Lupo’s treatment, which I’d promptly deposited into a new bank account opened just for that purpose. I expected the fundraiser to be a busy night. I couldn’t walk down the street without someone mentioning that they’d be there, and all our tables were reserved, so clearly, word had gotten out.

  “Chad, I’m out for now. I might drop back in a bit later. Let me know if things get too busy for you to handle, all right?”

  I dropped by the kitchen to grab the pizza I’d ordered earlier. Our menu wasn’t extensive, but I insisted on having a kitchen with some basics.

  The drive to Nico’s seemed to take forever, but the closer I got, the more stress left my body. By the time I arrived, I felt as light as air, and knocked on his door with a huge smile on my face.

  “Hi, hon, how are you?” Nico said quietly upon my entrance.

  “I’m fine, thanks. Actually, I’m better than fine. Everything’s set for the fundraiser tomorrow, and it’s going to be awesome. How are you? How’s Lupo?”

  I noticed the lights were dimmed.

  “He passed out on the couch. Poor kid has had a rough time of it the last few weeks.”

  I nodded. “I could only imagine. Do you think he’ll sleep through the night now?” A glance at my watch told me it was seven-thirty in the evening.

  Nico sighed and scratched his head. “I couldn’t tell you. I hope so, though. He could use his rest.”

  I followed him to the kitchen and placed the pizza on the counter.

  “Check this out,” I said as I opened the lid.

  Nico leaned over and took a deep whiff, followed by a satisfied moan. “That. Smells. Awesome. Let me just get Lupo in his bed, and we’ll dig in. Give me a minute.”

  I got plates and glasses from the cabinets while Nico carried Lupo to his room. Watching them lit a spark in my heart. Nico’s face was so serene and sweet as he held Lupo. He’d be a great dad one day.

  I put the pizza in the oven for a few minutes to reheat and poured a glass of wine for each us.

  “Good timing,” I said to Nico as he joined me back in the kitchen. He was breathing heavily.

  “Is everything okay?”

  He let out a deep breath. “Yeah. I’m just a bit out of shape and not used to carrying anything heavy.”

  “Well, here…have some wine. You deserve it.”

  Nico smiled but it was as fake as a purse from Canal street in New York. He took the glass from me but didn’t bring it to his lips.

  The oven beeped before I could ask him what was wrong, so I put his snowman-clad oven mitten on and pulled out the pizza.

  “Oh, heavens. You are going to enjoy this,” I said with wide eyes.

  I sliced it up and split it between the two of us, leaving a few slices for Lupo in case he woke up. We sank into the couch.

  “I probably shouldn’t stay very long.” I bit into my slice.

  Nico’s head whipped around and he scowled. “Why not? Sure, you should.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. What if Lupo wakes up and wonders who the hell I am? He might get scared.”

  “He remembers you from the hospital. I mentioned you during the drive home and he remembered. Besides, I doubt he’ll wake up.”

  “True.”

  “One second. Let me get the hot sauce.”

  “I didn’t know you liked your pizza spicy,” I said.

  Nico shrugged and got up. “I tried it the other day and liked it.”

  He disappeared into the kitchen and returned a minute later, hot sauce in hand. Was it my imagination, or was he acting a little weird? Maybe it was just the stress of the holiday season getting to me. Or maybe Nico was overwhelmed with all the changes in his life. Whatever it was, something was up with him.

  “What’s going on, is everything okay?” I asked as I put an arm around him.

  “Yeah, everything is great. Why do you ask?” He didn’t look up from his pizza.

  “You’re just a little different tonight. Wait, let me guess.” I ran a hand up his thigh. “You miss me, right? Because I’ve missed you, too. And that sweet ass of yours.”

  It was a risky move because it could have gone one of two ways. He could have thought I was being an insensitive jerk and get totally turned off. Hopefully, though, he’ll see that I’m totally crazy about him and reciprocate. I held my breath.

  “Oh, crap, I left something in the oven to warm up. Could you please check it for me?”

  Okay, so that was different—he was completely ignoring my overture. Rather than question him about it, I cleared my throat and got up.

  “Yeah, no problem.”

  I’d spent so much time at his place that I no longer felt like a guest, and it was completely normal for me to help him out in the kitchen.

  Hm, this was weird—the oven was off.

  “Hon, I think you forgot to turn the oven on,” I called out to him.

  “Oh, no! Can you still grab what’s inside? I can just have it cold.”

  I shrugged and opened the oven. It was empty, except for...a bun? It was long, and appeared to have been sliced already. I stared at it on the plate as I brought it to Nico.

  “You’re having pizza with...a side of bun?” I couldn’t lie—I was perplexed. I knew the French liked their carbs, but this? This was a little overkill.

  “Yes, I feel like having a bun from the oven,” he said with a sparkle in his eye.

  Wait a minute...did he mean what I think he meant?

  “All right, spill your guts. Not literally, though. Are you pregnant?” I was still standing in front of him, because I was too hyped to sit down. If the answer was yes, this would be the most momentous occasion of my life. I didn’t want to be sitting down for it.

  Nico stood up and threw his arms around my neck.

  “Yes, mon cheri. We’re going to have a little baby.”

  My jaw dropped open as I stared into eyes, full of love and soul.

  Me—a father? My heart thumped in my chest. This was unbelievable!

  “Nico—we’re going to be fathers? This is amazing! How long have you known?”

  I grabbed his hands in mine as we sat back down. His brown eyes were so unsure and hopeful, as if
he wasn’t sure what my reaction would be. I had to put him straight about my feelings.

  “Just since this afternoon. I’ve been bursting to share with you, and then everyone else, but I didn’t want to tell you over the phone, know what I mean?”

  I nodded. “Of course. You can tell them right away, if you want. Need your phone?”

  “No, not now. Right now, I need you. Come closer.”

  We snuggled into each other’s arms, anticipating the rest of the night.

  Nico

  We didn’t get to finish the movie, but I didn’t mind. I wanted to check up on Lupo before turning in for the night. Sitting down carefully on Lupo’s bed, I leaned over to get a good look at him. He was sound asleep, with a serene expression on his plump little face. Warm and safe, as all children should be.

  I left his room just as quietly as I’d entered, careful not to make a sound as I closed his door. Will was watching me from the hallway and I nodded to let him know everything was all right.

  “Come, let’s go. I can’t wait to make love to you,” Will said breathlessly as I followed him up the stairs with my hand in his. My cat meowed, knowing what was about to go down.

  “I can’t wait until your belly starts showing.”

  Our clothes flew to the floor, and we stood close together at the foot of my bed, our bodies and cocks pressed together.

  “Will you still think I’m hot with a big belly?” I asked mischievously.

  “Fuck, yeah. Hotter than ever. I’m getting hard just thinking about it.”

  His hands and lips were everywhere. I had trouble catching my breath as we kissed, but eventually our lips parted and when he nudged me toward the bed, I complied and crawled up on it, arching my back and showing off my ass.

  Will growled from behind. “Are you trying to make me come before I even fuck you?”

  I chuckled and lay down on my back, propped up on my elbows. “Maybe this view is less tempting.” I spread my legs a bit, to give him a clear view of my stiff cock.

  “Hardly, omega, hardly.”

  He proceeded to get on all fours between my legs and took my entire length in his mouth. His warm, wet, sweet mouth massaged my cock and sucked it so deep I could feel my tip hit the back of his throat. He worked me like that until I just couldn’t take it anymore. My ass was wet with slick and ready for his huge cock.

  I pulled his head up gently and started turning over, but he stopped me with a firm hand.

  “I want to see your face while I fuck you.”

  I breathed out and lay back. Will kneeled between my legs and with both hands under my ass, lifted it up until he had access to my ass. He chuckled as he grabbed both our cocks in one hand and stroked them a few times, our precum flowing freely over his hand and onto our cocks. Fuck, it was so hot to see them squeezed together like two hard pieces of meat, ready to burst.

  “Give it to me, my wolf. Fuck me like a little bitch.”

  Will’s brows flew up. “I didn’t know you had such a filthy mouth,” he muttered, before taking his cock in hand and guiding it to my ass.

  I nodded. “I’ve been so much hornier lately. It’s probably the hormones.”

  Will responded with a grunt as he drove his engorged cock deep into me. I whimpered as his length stretched my ass.

  He plunged into me again and again, ramming me with sheer strength as I moaned in pleasure. His rhythm sped up until his thrusts came in rapid succession, impaling me again and again.

  I whimpered as I came, white ribbons of cum shooting into the air as if from a geyser.

  With a forceful buck of his hips, he filled me with his sweet seed, his hands on either side of my face, staring me in the eye.

  “My sweet omega,” he murmured in a husky voice. Then, without any warning, he sunk his teeth into my neck.

  I squirmed as I realized his canines must have descended. My first instinct was to protest, but that was quickly replaced by surrender to whatever might come. No pun intended. I listened to his animalistic grunts as he reveled in the mating ritual, and on a visceral level, it fucking turned me on, too. My balls and dick kept pulsing as the last bit of cum escaped, rubbing on Will’s abs. His cock engorged exponentially as he knotted me.

  “Nico.” He let out a deep breath as he released my neck from his grip.

  “Will,” I moaned.

  We got into a comfortable position to cuddle, his knot still holding me hostage. Lying in silence was so peaceful, and it took a few minutes for one of us to speak.

  “Nico, should I stay?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t see why not. There’s no reason you need to run off. If you’re concerned about Lupo, don’t worry about him. If it makes you feel better, we can sneak downstairs when he’s still asleep or when he’s in the bathroom. I have to wake up early to help him when he gets up, anyway.”

  Will nodded. “Great. I’d love to stay. We’re mates now, and I can’t stand the thought of being away from you and our baby. Hopefully, Lupo can stay with us forever, too.”

  I wondered whether our mating would have any effect on the adoption decision and mentioned it to Will.

  “As long as the new parent is stable and safe, I don’t see any reason it would be viewed unfavorably. In fact, I would think the opposite is true.”

  “So, do you think I should amend the application?”

  “I suppose you could call them tomorrow morning and let them know. I don’t have anything in my background that would give them pause, so you don’t have to stress about it from that perspective.”

  “No, I’m not worried. I know you’re a wonderful person.” I looked into his eyes, so he could tell I meant every word. I’d never felt like this about anyone—he was kind, thoughtful, and sweet, all wrapped up in a super-masculine package that made my belly flip-flop whenever I caught a glance of him.

  “I’ll be whatever you want me to be. Just stay with me, promise?” he said.

  “I wouldn’t think of leaving. Ever.” I gave him a kiss to emphasize the point, and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

  The next morning, I woke up with butterflies in my stomach. I couldn’t snooze if I wanted to—I had a busy day ahead!

  I gazed at Will sleeping next to me, but finally had to tear myself away so I could go through my mental to-do list. It was my first full day with Lupo! I’d have to check on him, and if he was awake, I’d help him to the living room. Then, I’d make him breakfast and make sure he was well-fed.

  My mom still didn’t know about my pregnancy, because with the time difference, calling her in the evening our time would have meant waking her in the middle of the night in France, and I couldn’t do that. So, first order of the day after taking care of Lupo’s breakfast would be calling Mom. I smiled as I walked downstairs, imagining her reaction. She’d be ecstatic, I knew it!

  The fundraiser was set for today at Will’s bar, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. Not only because it would raise money for Lupo, but because it might mean a financial revival for Will. He’d worked so hard to keep it afloat, and it would be a shame if he was forced to sell. No, that couldn’t happen. I couldn’t allow it. If necessary, I’d put my perfumery business on the backburner for a while so I could help him at the bar.

  Speaking of which, my stall at the Christmas market had been a huge success. I’ve only set it up three times a week, and was taking tonight off, for obvious reasons. I’d sold out of my existing stock and had to resort to taking orders. Filling them all would keep me busy well into spring.

  Tiptoeing down the hall on the main floor, I peeked into Lupo’s room. What a surprise! He was wide awake and reading one of the books I’d left by his bedside.

  He didn’t notice me, so I knocked on his open door quietly.

  His gaze flew to me and a shy smile appeared on his face.

  “Hi, Nico.” He put the book down on his belly, open to the page he’d been reading.

  “Good morning, Lupo. Did you sleep well?”

  He nodded and
got up on one elbow, the book sliding to the floor.

  “Oh, let me get that for you.” I strolled to his bedside and put the book on the nightstand. His eyes followed the book. “If you want to, you can read it on the couch. Deal?”

  He nodded and threw his blanket off.

  Once he was settled on the couch, I gave him his book. “All right, here you go. I’m going to get some breakfast done and we’ll sit at the kitchen table, okay?” I didn’t want him to get used to eating on the couch—it would be a hard habit to break.

  Once Lupo was comfy on the couch, with a cartoon playing on the TV, I got to work in the kitchen. I had a feta-spinach omelet cooking on the stove while I chopped tomatoes, cucumber, and cut up some bread and cheese, making sure to put enough aside for Will.

  We enjoyed our breakfast in relative silence. I wanted to learn about Lupo’s life and how he’d ended up in the wild as an orphan, but I’d read it could take time for traumatized and abandoned children to speak out about their past, and forcing such kids to recall their experiences before they were ready to speak about them would serve only to further traumatize them. Hence, I avoided asking any pointed questions about his previous life.

  He gobbled down the omelet with lightning speed.

  “You like it?” I asked, nodding toward his plate.

  “Yeah, I love it. What are these black things though?” He picked up a spinach leaf with his fork.

  I chuckled. “Oh, that’s just the spinach. That’s how it looks when it’s cooked. Do you like it?”

  He scrunched his nose. “It’s not bad,” he said, observing me carefully.

  I laughed. “It’s okay if you don’t like it. You don’t have to pretend.”

  “I don’t mind it at all,” he insisted, his big blue eyes smiling as he devoured the rest of the omelet, followed by the cheese.

  It was so satisfying to watch this little being fill his tummy with food I’d prepared for him. Was this close to how it felt being a parent? I’d have plenty of time to figure that out. As I gazed at him, I realized my desire to be his dad would never dissipate. I’d do everything possible to ensure I was granted permanent custody.