Page 3 of Season of Gifts

At Henry’s nod, Jay snatched the first envelope from the basket.The back carried a wax seal with Henry’s initials, HBW, in—naturally—pine green.Overexcited, couldn’t-wait-to-get-downstairs Jay carefully worked his fingernail under the edge and lifted the flap without damaging the paper.Pulling out a card, he passed her the envelope.“We can add these to the collection.”

She nodded, her throat momentarily stuck, because how fucking sweet was her husband to set aside his eagerness and think of the mementos he was gathering in the new room-check bedroom.The notes Henry had left for her, the origami creations Jay had made for her—everything would be stored in their shared space on the third floor.

Jay held up the card so she could see.It folded down from the top, like a thank-you card, and the front contained a pencil sketch of a Christmas tree strapped to a car roof.Wide-eyed, with a smile dawning, Jay flipped it open.

My loves,

The season begins with bringing in the greens, a reminder that life thrives around us even as the world grows cold and dark.Let us spend the day together on a quest for the tree from which we shall hang our dreams.

Henry brushed back the lock of Jay’s hair that perpetually fell across his eyes.“I trust we have a knowledgeable guide to help us select an excellent specimen.”

Jay hugged him.“We will get thebesttree.It’ll be a fir, because those last the longest, and we’ll need it to stay in good shape—”

“After breakfast.”Henry winked at her.“Alice’s stomach is rumbling.”

It did, as if he’d commanded her body to respond.Well, why not?All of her important parts responded to his voice, his touch, his unfailingly delicious experiments in the kitchen…

“I could eat.”She tugged Jay toward her.“Tell me about our perfect tree while Henry makes the magic happen.”

Without a doubt, this would be the best Christmas she’d had in years.

Chapter two

Jay

Aftertwohoursandthree tree lots, Jay had shared one bag of mini-doughnuts and two hot chocolates—both with Alice, since Henry took one look at the mountain of whipped cream and sprinkles and politely declined.He had held hands with both of his spouses—enjoying Henry’s strong, solid grip and Alice’s fuzzy mittened one.He had kissed the chill from Alice’s rosy cheeks, even though it was almost forty degrees and he could’ve gone coatless and still been plenty warm.

But he had not chosen a tree.

He scoured the last row.The pre-cuts were fine, they were all fine—probably cut last week, and iffy on lasting more than a day or two past Christmas, sure, but nothing was wrong with them.They just weren’tright.

Alice scooped up his hand and rubbed it between hers.“Whaddya say, another stop?The next place could have something better.”

He should just pick one and be satisfied, not drag Henry and Alice all over creation.No—pause—that was his sister’s influence, and he had tools to shut Peggy’s criticisms out of his head now.“I’m not sure.I think…”

He rooted around in his head, or his heart, or wherever thoughts and feelings came from.He’d never bought a tree.They grew on family land, in the rows his dad worked, but disloyalty wasn’t the thing stopping him.Holiday tunes played across the lot, but not loud enough to drown out the hum of traffic or the honking of annoyed drivers.The ground under his feet was asphalt, not dirt.Henry and Alice should get the real experience, something memorable.

“Henry, can we…” He didn’t have a saw in the trunk, though he’d made sure to bring a sturdy blanket and tie-down ropes and a traffic flag, because their grand house deserved a grand tree to fill it.He chewed his lip, but Henry’s gaze was encouraging, and learning to speak up for himself had been part of their pact from the start.“I think we need a farm, not a lot.Someplace quieter.No traffic, no tall buildings.”They couldn’t get mountains like at home, but a forested field would do.“I want us to cut our own.”

Henry laid a hand on Jay’s chest, fingers splayed, broad and weighty over his heart.“Then that is what we will do.I’m proud of you, Jay.”

He covered Henry’s hand with his free one, uncaring if someone came down the row and saw them standing in their little huddle.“Took me a while to figure it out.”

“We’ve all day.You took the time you needed, nothing more.”This close, Henry’s eyes carried a more intense green than any of the trees around them.“I suspect the feeling you’re searching for isn’t found in these rows.”

“It’s wherever the two of you are.”Aching for a kiss, Jay leaned in.The more his anxiety about being out in public faded, the more he asked for.Henry probably would’ve kissed Alice already if she’d been that close, but he took extra care with Jay’s cues.

His lips brushed Henry’s.

With a satisfied hum, Henry sealed the gap.Heat burst in Jay’s chest like the strike of a match.He followed where Henry led, giving ground, parting his lips under delicious pressure.Henry drew back before they could start a bonfire.

Alice stretched up on her toes and kissed Jay’s cheek.She’d slipped her hand from his, and her mittens off too, and she waved her phone at him.“I’ve got three good candidates with the species you like; you should pick one to start.”To Henry, she added, “All under forty-five minutes and open for cut-your-own until dusk.”

“My problem-solver,” their husband whispered.Alice had won a kiss, too.

When she stepped back with hungry eyes and a soft sigh, Jay handed over the phone.“This one, please.The two of you want me to drive?”

Laughing, Alice stuffed her phone into her coat pocket and grabbed them both by the hand before marching toward the exit.“MaybeIshould drive.”

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