Page 6 of Wrecked for the Holidays

“Grilled cheese!” I shouted exuberantly. Reed laughed but didn’t tell me to stop shouting, settle down, grow up, or stop being silly. He only squeezed my uninjured fingers and smiled at me, which I returned happily.

“No worries. I think we can make that happen for you tonight.” With a tug, Reed showed me around the house. There was the kitchen where we’d entered, as well as a formal living and dining room, an office, a toss-everything-then-forget-it room, and a family room on the main level. If the family room had better windows, it would have a spectacular view of the Sound.

There were a couple of bedrooms upstairs, including the guest room Reed said would be mine. I was surprised to see an attached bathroom, but I wasn’t going to argue. The guest room was directly across the hall from the primary bedroom. My room was plain and boring, like most guest rooms, but it was at the back of the house with an even better view of the Sound. In the far distance, I could see the cargo ships and the Almstead Island ferry. The best part of the room was the daybed built into the window alcove. I could imagine myself creating a pillow fort with my stuffies, which I didn’t yet own but could figure out how to get them now.

My daydreaming distracted me from noticing Reed had left the room to fetch my suitcases. I didn’t catch on until I heard him banging them around in the hallway. I rushed out of the bedroom to assist him, but he waved me off. “Jakob, I’ve got it. Let’s get you taken care of and then have some dinner.” When I started to insist he held up a hand and said, “Be a good boy, no arguing.”

Swoon.

Chapter 4

Reed

Fucking chill.

I had no damn business calling anyone, let alone the guy who’d just moved into my house after I’d known him only a couple of hours, a good boy. I tried hard to regret the words that spilled out of my unthinking mouth, but after I saw the way his eyes lit up, it was hard to tell myself it was wrong. Jakob was adorable. There just wasn’t another word for it. Whether Jakob was a little remained to be seen, but my hunch had my overprotective Daddy urges in overdrive. How did one ask another grown adult if they wanted a bottle or a sippy cup with dinner? If I guessed wrong, I couldn’t even imagine the messy aftermath it would create.

While Jakob took his shower, I banged around the kitchen in a futile attempt to distract myself from the naked, slippery, very adult man singing at the top of his lungs in the bathroom directly above me. He was so loud that I could hear him clearly, and I was fairly certain he was making up the words as he went along.

Oh, hot water, you’re so funny,

Like a puddle made of honey,

Splosh, splash, so much fun,

Shower time’s number one!

After a few rounds, the singing stopped and the water turned off. I figured I had less than ten minutes to finish dinner preparation. Hopefully, Jakob was fine with leftovers. I decided on apple slices with grilled cheese and some leftover vegetable beef soup I’d made the other night. By the time Jakob made his way tothe kitchen, the soup was bubbling on the stove, the sandwiches were in the pan, and I was just about finished slicing apples.

“Oh hey, you didn’t have to cook for me.”

Jakob’s shy voice sounded unsure, and I hated that for him. His brashness and infectious smile could light up a damn room, and I liked his sunny personality. I wasn’t particularly a grump, but I wasn’t joy in human form like him.

“But I wanted to cook for you because you’ve had a long day and need a little extra care.” I flipped the grilled cheese before I added, “And I like to take care of people.” Jakob’s eyes got a little wider as the potential meaning of my words settled in on him. “Why don’t you have a seat at the table while I get this served up.”

He’d changed out of his reindeer outfit, but the new one was just as lighthearted. His shirt had a gnome holding a wreath decorated with candy canes, and he’d paired it with matching striped lounge pants. The cuffs at his wrists and ankles had ribbed edges. It was definitely a younger style.

“What are we having?”

“Grilled cheese, sliced apples, and vegetable soup.” I carried the bowls of soup to the table and followed up with plates of grilled cheese and sliced apples. “I wasn’t sure how you liked your grilled cheese cut, so I took a chance on triangles.”

“Oh, I love triangles. They’re my favorite.” Jakob did an abbreviated squirmy dance in his chair. He accidentally smacked his wrapped fingers against the table and let out a loud yelp before cuddling his hand against his chest.

“You gotta be careful, love, or you’ll hurt yourself more.”Reed, you idiot.“I’m so sorry. There’s no telling where that came from.”

“It’s okay. I know you don’tmean it, but I like it.” Jakob picked up his spoon and tried a sip of the soup. “It’s something you’d maybe say to a friend, right? And we’re new friends.” Jakob’s sunny smile was back, and I enjoyed its warmth.

“In that case, I won’t worry about it,” I said with a wink.

Jakob made a valiant effort to eat with his left hand, but he must’ve been right-handed because it seemed awkward and difficult. After his second sigh of annoyance, I glanced up to see that he’d spilled his soup on the table while trying to spoon it into his mouth. After an internal chastisement not to do anything that would make Jakob uncomfortable, I ignored myself and pushed my dinner to the side. It could wait.

“Would you like some help?”

For all his sunny happiness, I could see the exhaustion around his eyes.

“I’m so sorry I’m making a mess on your table. It’s really good.”

“It’s hardly your fault since your right hand is out of commission. Will you let me help?”

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