“You’re kind of a sap, aren’t you?” Seth asked. But rather than chide him for it, he seemed delighted.
Erik leaned in close and nuzzled Seth’s cheek with his nose. “You seem to bring it out in me.”
After they landed, they rented a car. It took about an hour to get from the airport to Seth’s family home in Mount Lebanon on the south side of Pittsburgh. Erik felt nerves flutter in his stomach as Seth pulled up in front of a charming brick home. They must have gotten plenty of snow here too because everything was covered in white. With the bright lights on the house and the cheerful pine wreath with the festive red bow on the front door, it was cozy and welcoming. It had begun to snow again too but just gentle flakes that slowly drifted down.
“It doesn’t get much more picturesque than this, does it?” Erik said as he unbuckled his seatbelt.
“Not much,” Seth agreed as he reached for the door handle. “Come on. Let’s go introduce you to my family. They’re going to love you.”
“Are you sure they won’t mind the age difference?” Erik asked, stopping Seth before he could leave the car. The thought had just occurred to him. Of course, it was too late now even if they did, but he might as well be prepared.
Seth shrugged. “I can’t imagine why they would. My dad is eight years older than my mom.”
That was at least somewhat reassuring. Erik wasn’t sure it was enough to keep the nerves at bay, but it was encouraging.
Erik grabbed the bag containing the wine and chocolates he’d picked up at the duty-free shop after he reminded Seth he needed to replace the bottle of coffee liqueur they’d broken into.
“Getting your mom something is the least I can do if I’m showing up unannounced,” he argued when Seth tried to assure him it wasn’t necessary.
“You’re not unexpected though. I texted her to let her know I was bringing a friend.”
“Just a friend?” He arched an eyebrow at Seth.
“She’ll take one look at us and know it’s more than friendship. Trust me.”
Now, Erik held Seth’s hand tightly. “Are you ready for this?” Seth asked.
“I’m ready.” Ready as I’ll ever be.
But when the door swung open, Erik took one look at the beaming face of a woman who looked just like Seth and felt a little of his worry melt away. When she let out a delighted cry and threw her arms around Seth, and then him, Erik thought that maybe this wouldn’t be quite as difficult as he’d feared.
Besides, he thought as he glanced over at Seth, whose eyes were sparkling with laughter as he introduced her to Erik, I think I might just do anything for him.
Epilogue
December 25, One Year Later
“It’s so good to see you, Erik!” Miranda beamed at him. “It’s been too long.”
“We were here last month for Thanksgiving, Mom,” Seth said with a laugh as he shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to his dad.
“Too long!” She pulled Erik in for a hug, and he kissed her cheek.
“It really is,” he said warmly.
It had been a whirlwind of a year, but despite the odds, he and Seth were still going strong. They spent a lot more time in airports than either of them liked, but it was worth it. And the nights they did spend together made the time apart more than worth it.
In addition to all their business travel and flying back and forth to see each other, they’d taken a few spectacular trips together in the past year, including an unforgettable one to Tahiti. Erik could honestly say that with Seth dressed in a small pair of trunks, he hadn’t cared who’d served them drinks on the beach. The man looked too damn good in a wet bathing suit for him to notice anyone else around them.
Seth’s family had brought Erik into the fold and treated him like he’d always been there. He got along well with both of Seth’s parents and his siblings. He had fun playing with Seth’s nieces and nephews. And even Seth’s grandmother seemed to like him. In short, he was an honorary member of the Cobb family, and even Seth had seemed a little surprised by how quickly they’d all taken to him.
Bertram had been a little shocked but mostly amused by Erik coming home from his trip to the Williamsville Inn to announce he was not only dating someone, but that the person was a man. He’d insisted on sending Seth a fruit basket.
And while Erik had discovered that he was attracted to men in general, very few caught his eye, and he knew with absolute certainty Seth was the only person he wanted to be a part of his life.
Joanna had been a little shocked when he’d told her, but she’d taken it a lot better than he’d expected.
“So you’re bi?” she asked when he finally, haltingly, told her he’d met someone and that someone was a man.
“Yes?”
She gave him an amused glance. “I am too, you know?”
“What?”
“I’m bisexual.”
He blinked at her. “You are? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know until I met Seth.”
“Oh.” She took a sip of her drink. “Well, I didn’t know how you’d react if I told you I was into women too. And then I met Keith and things got serious with him, so I felt like it didn’t really matter, you know?”
He looked down. “I’m sorry I ever made you doubt that. Grandpa Josef was ... not an understanding man. I buried that part of myself for a lot of years unfortunately, but I’m glad you figured it out sooner.”
“I’m sorry.” She touched his hand. “Look, I know you tried to hide how miserable you were from me, but it was obvious you weren’t happy with Mom. Does this have something to do with it?”
Erik sighed and sat back. “I don’t think so. Your mom and I just weren’t good together. We got married too young, and the relationship didn’t have much of a foundation before you came along. We don’t blame you at all—please know that—but being parents sooner than we’d expected put a strain on our relationship that we could never recover from. We grew apart and never found a way to come back together.”
“No, I think I understand.”
“That’s the only reason why I didn’t want you to rush into anything with Keith.”
“Honestly, we’re not sure if we ever want kids. We’re going to focus on the relationship first, and then decide if we do.”
“I think that’s good,” he said. He really wasn’t enthusiastic about becoming a grandfather in his early forties anyway. He suppressed a shudder at the thought. Especially when he was dating a man a decade younger.
“This Seth makes you happy though?” Joanna asked, pushing her strawberry blonde hair off her shoulder.
“Yeah, he really does.” Erik hesitated. “He’s ... he’s a bit younger than me though.” Might as well get that out of the way right now.
“How much younger?”
“He’s thirty-three.”
“Oh.” She laughed. “Geez, I thought you were going to say he was like my age or something. Thirty-three is no big deal.”
Erik let out a relieved laughed. “No, he’s not that much younger.”
“Then as long as he makes you happy, I’m good with it.”
“Thank you, Jo.” He came around the table and pulled her up into a hug.
“I’d like to meet him sometime,” she said, her words muffled by his shoulder.
“I’d like that too,” Erik said, feeling relief wash over him. “I’d like that a lot.”
This year, Erik, Seth, Keith, and Joanna had celebrated Christmas a few days early so Keith and Joanna could spend the holiday with his parents and Erik and Seth could spend it with the Cobbs.
“Erik?” He snapped out of his daze to look at his boyfriend and realized Seth’s parents had disappeared into the house with their bags, and he and Seth were alone. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just thinking about this past year.”
Seth smiled as he shrugged out of his winter coat. “It’s been a good year, hasn’t it?”
�
��So much better than I’d ever imagined,” he said softly.
Erik kicked off his shoes—a sensible pair of boots like Seth’s that kept his feet warm and dry—and wiggled his toes in the red and green striped socks he wore. Seth watched him with a soft smile that made Erik want to take him by the hand and drag him off to Seth’s childhood bedroom over the garage where they slept whenever they came to visit.
Instead, he allowed Seth to pull him toward the living room. When they were halfway down the hall, he snagged Seth’s hand and pulled him up short. Seth gave him a quizzical glance as Erik pulled him close. “What are you doing?”
He tilted his head toward the ceiling where something green dangled from the light fixture. “Mistletoe.” It turned out people did still hang it.
Seth grinned at him. “Any excuse to kiss me, huh?”
“Mmhmm.” Erik dipped his head and planted a kiss on Seth’s lips. He’d intended it to be quick and chaste, but it grew hot and dirty quickly. It wasn’t until Seth grasped his hip and pulled him in close enough that Erik could feel him getting hard that Erik came to his senses and pulled away.
Seth drew back with a little sigh. “That never gets old, does it?”
“Nope.” One kiss, one touch from Seth still made Erik’s heart race and his body respond every time.
“I guess we should go hang out with my family.”
“Just one thing before we do.” Erik reached into his pocket and drew out a black velvet box. He handed it to Seth, who titled his head and looked at it curiously.
“Erik?”
“Just open it.”
Erik kept one hand on Seth’s hip as he slowly opened the box. Inside, lay a shiny silver key.
“That’s a key to my place. I’m officially asking you if you’d like to move to Philly to live with me. We’ve talked about it before, so I thought we should take the plunge. You hardly ever have to go into the office anyway.” Erik licked suddenly dry lips. “But if you want to stay in New York, I’ll make the move. I don’t know how thrilled Bertram would be, but—”
Seth placed his finger against Erik’s lips. “Well, I wouldn’t want to upset Bertram. He did help us get together after all.”
Erik chuckled. “Was that a yes?”
“That was a yes. I’d love to move to Philly. But honestly, I’d move wherever you are. You’re my home base.”
Relieved, Erik rested his forehead against Seth’s. He had no trouble with Seth roaming all over the planet. As long as he came home to Erik in between.
Seth wove their hands together. “You know, when you handed over that box, I thought ...”
“I was proposing?”
“Yeah.” Seth let out a little laugh. “It was silly, but—”
“Not so silly,” Erik said, thinking about the other black velvet box tucked into his suitcase. “Christmas isn’t over yet.”
“Erik?” Seth looked a little perplexed, and Erik laughed, then leaned in to kiss him.
“Come on, we should go see your family,” he said after he drew back. “We have some celebrating to do.”
“When did you become such a fan of Christmas?” Seth asked with a laugh.
“About the time I got snowed in at a hotel with you last year, I think.”
Seth gave him a slow smile, then leaned in for another kiss. “God, I love you.”
“I love you too,” Erik said, squeezing Seth a little tighter against him. He smiled at the sound of a familiar holiday song playing in the background.
“Are you two coming or not?” Miranda called from the living room. “We have presents to open.”
“Coming, Mom,” Seth replied, tugging on Erik’s hand.
Erik hummed under his breath as he followed Seth down the hall.
It was the most wonderful time of the year.
The End
Williamsville Inn holiday gay romance continues…
For more gay romance from the Williamsville Inn, check out Hank Edwards’ Snowflakes and Song Lyrics.
Will Johnson is traveling for work the weeks before Christmas and staying in a small hotel in upstate New York. It’s all pretty routine, until he discovers his window overlooks the courtyard patio of one of his favorite up and coming gay singers, Rex Garland. Even further outside of Will’s routine is overhearing Rex’s creative process as the singer struggles to write an original Christmas song.
When Will receives a flash of lyrical inspiration, he decides to share the lyrics with his idol in a secret note left on Rex’s patio table. This sets off a chain of events that include coincidental meetings, more inspired lyrics, and a tiny snowman that just might capture Rex’s heart and make this Christmas one neither of them will ever forget.
The Williamsville Inn had seen better days. Most likely sometime back in the 1960s. The early 1960s.
Will entered his room after a long first day on the job, and the heat nearly made him pass out in the entryway. It had to be ninety degrees! He desperately pulled off clothing as he searched for a thermostat, but by the time he was down to socks and his boxer briefs, he’d had no luck.
“So I’ve died and gone to Hell, and this is what I have to look forward to for eternity?” Will muttered.
The heating/air conditioning unit under the window—a long metal contraption with a number of vents set at an upward angle—made a thumping noise followed by a quiet hiss. Will sidestepped to the end of the bed and peered down at the thing. A stamp with the brand name Rest Easy was affixed to one corner, and warm air gusting out of the vents blew the sheer curtains away from the windowsill.
Will approached the unit and discovered a small metal flap on a hinge at one end. Underneath was a small knob with a faded line painted on it. The knob was turned all the way over to COOL, and Will sighed. No more cool setting to try, apparently.
“So much for resting easy, I guess.”
He pulled the flimsy white curtains aside and inspected the window. Happiness filled him when he discovered the age of the hotel at last worked in his favor, and one side of the window was a slider he could open for some fresh air. The locking mechanism was old, however, and took some struggle before it finally released and allowed him to shove the window open with a squeal of the metal frames scraping together.
Will closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath of the fresh, cool air. He released it slowly and opened his eyes to look down into the courtyard. His room was on the top floor of the three-story building, and the first-floor rooms across from his all had small patios outside a sliding door. Metal café tables and chairs were provided for each room, and all of it was covered in snow. A quartet of lights in the style of old streetlamps, complete with large round frosted glass shades, provided gentle illumination to the area.
Just as he was wondering if the first-floor rooms cost more because of the tiny patios, one of the sliding doors almost directly across from his window opened, and a man stepped out.
He was tall, with dark hair and a matching full beard. A flannel shirt covered a white tee that hugged his broad chest and flat stomach. The cuffs of tight black jeans had been tucked into black Doc Martens. Something about the man seemed familiar, and Will guessed he’d seen him around the hotel. Someone like that would have definitely caught Will’s eye.
But then the man turned to call to someone still inside the room, and the sound of his voice tripped recognition in Will’s brain.
Rex Garland.
Will sucked in a breath and stared down into the courtyard, watching Rex pace around the cafe table, leaving a path in the snow. His hands were stuffed into the front pockets of his jeans, and he seemed to be muttering to himself.
A burning in his chest reminded Will to let out his breath and pull another one in.
Rex Garland was staying at his hotel. Would he be here for the entire run of his appearances at the Side-Eye? Will’s heart pounded, and a fresh sheen of sweat covered his body. Even the bottoms of his feet were damp!
A man joined Rex out on the patio, and the two of them s
poke in low tones. Will watched, lips slightly parted as he absently rubbed a hand through the fine hair covering his chest. He couldn’t make out any words of their conversation until Rex threw his hands in the air and said, “I know I need to get it done, okay? Back the fuck off.”
The other man held his hands up in a sign of surrender and went back inside the room.
Rex’s paces around the small café table picked up speed, and Will could hear him talking to himself. He hated to see his favorite singer in such a state.
Suddenly, Rex stopped and stared across the courtyard. Will pressed his forehead to the glass in an effort to see straight down, but he wasn’t able to. When he looked back, he discovered Rex looking right up at his window. Realizing he must look pretty fucking creepy standing in front of his window in his underwear, Will dropped to the floor and lay there for a moment listening to the heating unit rattle and hiss.
Shit. Now what?
Will rolled onto his belly and did an Army crawl away from the window until he’d reached the far side of the bed. He got up and hurried into the bathroom where he sat on the lid of the toilet with his head in his hands.
Rex Garland was staying at his hotel.
Rex Garland was having a hard time with something and had shouted at one of his team.
Rex Garland had more than likely seen Will standing in his boxer briefs at the window and watching him.
His best friend, Carter, was going to love this story.
Grab your copy of Snowflakes and Song Lyrics today!
About the Author
Brigham Vaughn is on the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time writer. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.
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