Page 119 of Season of Gifts

“Naturally.”Will did, in fact, have to sound so smug about the situation.

Henry rubbed his thumb along the side of Jay’s hand, lightly pinching the webbing between thumb and forefinger.“I appreciate your attempted intervention, as ill-received as it was at the time.”

“And I accept your unspoken apology for biting my head off and hanging up on me.”

Will’s booming voice carried; Jay’s wide eyes attested to that.

“I am sorry, old friend.I ought to have listened to you sooner.”

Will scoffed gently in his ear.“I knew what I signed up for, making that call.You are, understandably, quite sensitive about dangers to the people you love.How is your mother faring?And your delightful spouses?”

He relayed the latest news, as concisely as he could.The holiday would be a pleasant one, despite its rocky prelude.“And you?I’ve shamefully neglected to inquire about your plans.”

“As expected, Viv is aiming to make a bloodbath of the divorce proceedings.A quiet one, thankfully, to protect her own ego.My reputation and finances will survive.”Will’s extended sigh bespoke a familiar weariness.

“Is Liam with you for winter break, then?”A seed of suspicion sprouted, sending vines of thought crawling across his mind.“Or will you visit your parents?”

“No and no.”Will laughed, his heartiness seemingly genuine despite the negative response.“He’s on a ski trip with friends, Canada this time, though he’ll be in town for a few days in January if you’ve time for a lunch together.And my parents refuse to winter in New England anymore; I believe they’re in the Riviera this year.”

He would make time for lunch, and take a mental note to check in on Will more frequently in the months ahead.“I would hardly break our send-off tradition for Liam’s final semester.You’re spending the holidays alone, then?”

“Emotionally, it’s not much different from all of the years spent appeasing Vivian’s parents and sisters.”Will hummed a see-sawing warble.“No, I take that back.This is far better.”

“You would be welcome to join us here, if you wished.”The words emerged before he’d fully thought them through, an impromptu declaration unlike him, but Jay’s fervent nodding supported the offer.“We’ll be baking today, and you might well arrive in time to miss all of the work but enjoy the proceeds.”

“You’re certainly singing a different tune.It warms my heart to hear it.”

Henry gripped Jay’s calf, winning a sweet smile.“You were right, Will.Having my spouses beside me makes all the difference.”

“Mmm, I’ve heard love can do that.”

Heard, not felt.Jay settled his hand beside Henry’s, his feathery touch small but powerful—the intensity of the sun from the head of a match.Love could indeed do that.“Join us.Mother will pepper you with questions and stories, and Robert will be his stodgy self, but I assure you the house will be overflowing with love.”

The offer wasn’t entirely without precedent.Though it had been more than twenty years since the household had hosted Will as his school chum.Father had been pleased with the friendship as a business match—but then all friendships to Father were business matches, and Robert took after him.Which he ought not disparage, as the deals they brokered would someday pay for his own children’s education.

“I do appreciate the offer, Henry.But I am…” A low huff of vexation and a hint of eagerness colored Will’s voice.“Occupied.”

“You have a new puzzle to play with.”A rope partner to fill the hole left by Claire’s departure, perhaps.Or more than that.

“I do, and I need to think through each step carefully.”

Fascinating.More than he could accommodate as he navigated his own path back from the edge, but this relationship, too, deserved tending.“If you need a friendly ear…”

“Not yet, but I’ll let you know.The new year holds exquisite, fragile possibility, and delicacy has never been my strong suit.”The wry admission turned wistful.Whatever Will’s new project, it meant more to him than a simple weekend dalliance.

Leaning across the console, Henry pressed his head to Jay’s.Sweet, crisp evergreen swept into his lungs.“As I’ve come to learn recently, plainspoken candor may be of more use in preserving one’s dearest entanglements.”

Will hummed a note of curious agreement.“I’ll keep that in mind.Give my love to your dear ones.”

With an exchange of goodbyes, the call ended.Smacking his hands on his thighs, Henry urged Jay out of the car.His watch showed they’d left the house an hour ago.“Our errands may take longer than expected.”

As they strode up the aisle toward the doors, Jay slipped his hand into Henry’s.“Is this okay?”

“Far more than okay.”He couldn’t lift his voice above a whisper for the swell of love and gratitude choking him.He clenched Jay’s hand and took a stuttering breath.“You may hold my hand anywhere you wish, for the rest of our lives, my brave boy.My beautiful husband.”

Jay ducked his head and bumped Henry’s shoulder with his own.His smile stole the frost from the air.

They retrieved very nearly the last shopping cart in the corral and began their search.The crowded rows hampered movement, the traffic jam precluding any leapfrogging to their desired objectives.Henry surveyed the crowd as they wound their way through produce, selecting a variety of items for meals, desserts, and eating out of hand.Mother and Alice intended to air out the bedrooms for Robert, his wife, and the boys.Fresh sheets would go on all the beds, fresh towels in the baths.The trek from the linen closet could be long, and the materials bulky.

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