Page 73 of Snowbound with the Santas

“No Amanda?” Frankie asks.

Nick shakes his head. “Nope. But it’s whatever. I’ve made my effort and Freida knows that. Anyway!” He claps his hands together. “What do you say to opening a few presents?”

“Oh!” I use Archer’s shoulder to stand and hurry back to my room without a word. I started working on some presents for the guys as soon as I knew I’d be here for Christmas. It’s not much in the grand scheme of things, but given how perfectly homey today has been, I think it fits. I gather them up and hurry back to the lounge, then retake my seat among my men.

“Here!” I gently place my presents into each of their laps and eagerly await their reactions.

Frankie gets an origami bird. Nick gets a deer, and Archer gets a snowflake.

“I know it’s not a lot. I found some old pamphlets lying around, and I’ve had a basic origami skill thanks to working with second graders, so I thought?—”

Archer’s mouth collides with mine, silencing my words with a kiss.

“I love it,” he says, cradling the paper snowflake in one hand. “It’s kind of perfect.”

“It’s beautiful.” Nick turns his over slowly while Frankie holds his up to the glittering lights above and watches the colors streak the paper.

“I love it!” Frankie grins, then he leans over and captures my lips in a soft, sweet kiss.

Nick is next and his kiss is a little more demanding. When we part, it’s his turn to give out presents, and he’s knitted each of us a terrible sweater. Me included. I immediately take off mycurrent shirt and pull the sweater on. The fabric itches and one sleeve is longer than the other, but it’s perfect.

“I hate it.” Archer snorts, looking at his own.

“I love it!” I declare, and I cuddle into the sweater with a smile.

Frankie dishes out presents next, and he’s whittled different wooden animals for each of us. Nick gets a deer, Archer gets a bear, and then Frankie presses a wooden star into my palm.

“Because you came to us at nighttime,” he says with a smile.

I’m so close to crying that when Archer brings out dessert as his present, I can’t hold them in any longer. It’s all too perfect, and too much of what I’ve been craving my entire life.

“Is it the pudding?” Archer asks, setting the pudding down on the nearby table.

“No.” I sniffle. “This is just… I don’t know. I’m so happy that I’m sad, I guess.”

“It’s okay.” Nick winds an arm around me and Frankie takes my hand. “You’re okay.”

“I am.” I nod quickly. “I just… thank you.”

“No,” Archer says softly, and there’s a faint blush rising up from his beard. “Thank you.”

Archer kisses me softly, and when he tries to pull away, I catch his collar and pull him back in. We sink down together, with Frankie and Nick on either side of me, and a thousand lights sparkle above us as food is forgotten.

Best Christmas ever.

27

ARCHER

Things have felt different since Christmas. I can’t put my finger on exactly why, but something’s changed. Rayne’s smile seems brighter, and the tension in my chest isn’t as smothering as it usually is. Even the world outside seems a little brighter than normal.

I stand in front of the mirror, watching water droplets catch in the hairs on my chest and then roll further down my body. My mind jumps back to Christmas Day when we all ended up tangled together making love under the Christmas tree. It was the first time I let Rayne really touch the scars on my back, and the softness of her fingertips still tingles against me two days later.

Acceptance is a hell of a drug.

I start to dress, but halfway through, the familiar crackling of the radio bursts into life. Hopping on one leg, I quickly pull my cargo pants on and dart through to the bedroom where the radio is located. Seeing that it’s a call and not Freida, I answer it with the press of a button and then move to my closet.

“Hello?”

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