Page 22 of Christmas Wishes

Nico had said he regretted not trying to find another partner after his wife had left him twenty years ago. The wish was probably his fanciful way of preventing me from making the same mistake. When my engagement ended, Nico had said I would regret shutting myself off from love. It wasn’t like I thought I wouldnevertry again, but I’d needed a break after getting burned. I had decades of time.Nico probably thought he did too.

I unfolded the wish and read it again.

Who did Nico think I would find? Juniper Ridge wasn’t exactly swimming in available queer men. Filter all prospects to guys I might like and ones who could put up with me?No results found.

Keaton popped into my head. The thought of him pushing me into the kitchen made me chuckle. Instead of getting pissed at my lack of flowery language and verboseness, he made sure I had food in my belly and gave me a few minutes of silence while I ate. A guy like him might not be too bad.

But a guy like Keaton would never want to stay in Juniper Ridge. My ex sure hadn’t. This town and my life had been too small for him. For my parents too.

If Keaton wanted to be a beauty influencer, he should be in New York or LA. Not Northern Arizona.

I rolled over to my side and placed the folded paper on my nightstand. I turned on the white noise app I used some nights and tried to clear my mind, but that only made space for Keaton to creep in. I kept replaying that flicker of interest in Keaton’s eyes. That quick yet charged moment left me wanting. I was so hard up that the mere thought of fooling around with Keaton woke my dick up.

A quick jerk-off might help me fall asleep. I reached into the nightstand drawer to grab my lube and squirted a dollop onto my palm. While I stroked myself to hardness, I tried to think of the last porn I’d watched. Something with a burly, muscular guy getting absolutely railed by a guy half his size. My mind plugged Keaton and me into that scenario and pleasure spiked through me. Me on all fours, Keaton gripping my hips, pounding me so hard the motion kept pushing my face into a pillow. It took less than two minutes for me to come into my hand.Fuck.

I didn’t have the time or space for thoughts of him or our fictional sex in my life. He’d be gone at the end of the week, and I had bigger things to focus my time on. For Nico’s memory, I had to ensure nothing went wrong with Lights Up Juniper Ridge.

After grabbing my undershirt off the floor and wiping my hand, I drifted off into sleep faster than I had in weeks. A good orgasm and a full belly would do that. The last conscious thought floating through my mind was Keaton’s flirty smile.

Chapter13

Keaton

I wasn’tsure what to expect from a Juniper Ridge holiday bazaar, but at least it was a decent way to kill an hour or two and stop dwelling on the username that wasn’t materializing. There were some great holiday markets in Minneapolis. I couldn’t imagine finding the same in a town with only two gas stations. If I got lucky, I could knock out some Christmas shopping. I needed to get something for my mom, and I’d drawn my sister, Steph, at our family Secret Santa name pull at Thanksgiving.

After parking in the half-full lot at the community center, I trudged across the pavement while trying not to slip on any patches of ice. Good thing I’d decided to get snow boots this morning at the shoe store downtown. Otherwise, I would’ve already landed on my ass. I’d needed a new pair back home anyway, and the clerk had given me a pity discount when she saw my espadrilles.

An older woman wearing a sweater covered with reindeer with matching antlers greeted me at the community center entrance. “Welcome! Are you here for the CPR class or the vendor fair?”

I smiled at her. “Vendor fair.”

She handed me a flyer and directed me where to go. I followed the sound of people down a corridor and reached a large hall with rows of tables and people perusing the wares. I hadn’t been sure what the attendance would be like at midday on a Wednesday, but there was a decent crowd.

There were handmade soaps and candles at the first booth I reached. I picked up a candle that listed sage, balsam, and cedar as its main scents. It reminded me of Riggs. I told myself it was only because I’d woken early again today and had a few minutes in the kitchen with him before he’d rushed off to work. At least I’d refrained from giving him shit about the newspaper this time.

I moved past the booths selling kid clothes and toys, then stopped to check out spice mixes. I was a sucker for samples. Drop me in a Costco at lunchtime, and I was a happy man. By the time I reached the end of the first row, I already had a list of vendors I wanted to double back and visit after seeing what else was there. I was eyeing the pet treat booth in the next aisle.

“I’m so sorry to bother you, but I have an odd question.” A petite older woman wearing a cozy ivory sweater and pearls in her ears asked. She had an olive complexion lighter than my own and white hair in a perfectly smooth bob. Her smile was friendly, so I didn’t mind the interruption.

“What can I help you with?”

“Are you the guest staying with Riggs by any chance?”

I blinked at her. “Yes?”

She held out her hand. “I’m Doris. He told me he had someone coming in to stay for the week.”

“Keaton.” I shook her hand and leaned in. “So, you guessed it was the guy who sticks out like a sore thumb?” I spoke in a teasing tone.

She see-sawed her hand and winked. I liked her already. “The coat was a giveaway.”

I glanced down at myself and chuckled. That was probably why I’d gotten a few weird looks. That or my eye makeup. “Are you related?”

“Might as well be. He worked for my late brother, who used to own that coat.”

I clutched my hand over my heart. “You’re Nicolas’s sister?”

Her eyes widened. “He told you about Nico?”

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