Page 46 of Over and Above

I belonged here. We belonged together—cooking and laughing and simply sharing space.

“Here. Open a present.” Eric nudged me with a suspiciously familiar gift bag.

“Isn’t this yours?” I could have sworn I’d done a red foil bag for him, wrapping not being my forte.

“It’s from me if that’s what you mean.” Eric frowned, flipping the tag over.

“Oh, it’s just similar to mine to you.” I fetched the other red foil bag, a slightly different shape but similar weight. “Here.”

“Um.” We opened our bags at the same time and hoots of laughter burst out around the room.

“Did you guys seriously gift each other the same shirt and bottle of brandy?” Diesel could barely speak from laughing so hard.

“Uh…” I looked down at my lap. We had, in fact, gifted each other near-identical presents of a T-shirt with a quote from a nineties comedy we both loved and a bottle of liquor. I’d picked mine because it was impersonal enough to be opened in front of others while hopefully conveying to Eric that our time together was meaningful. Hilariously, he’d done almost the same thing, gifting me the shirt and an artisanal brandy that looked perfect for next year’s Thanksgiving pies. “I got him tequila.”

“I’m not surprised,” Wren said archly, motioning between Eric and me. “They finish each other’s sentences all the time.”

“Go put your matching shirts on.” Maren made a shooing gesture from her spot on the couch. “I need a picture.”

“We’re not changing here.” Eric stood, tone decisive, as he headed toward the hall that led toward his room. “Come on, Magnus. Let’s give Maren her photo opportunity.”

As soon as we were alone in his room, he shut the door and slumped against it. “I’m not sure what is more awkward—being ordered to go undress together or the accidental matching presents.”

“Well, at least it bought us enough privacy for me to do this.” I leaned in for a fast kiss. “Merry Christmas.”

“Thank you.” Eric rubbed his mouth like the kiss had left him more befuddled. “And for the gift. Even if I do feel silly.”

“Don’t feel silly.” Since the first kiss hadn’t worked, I went for a second, lingering longer before pulling out my phone and swiping to a recent screenshot. “And I got you something else.”

“What’s this?” He peered down at my phone like he wasn’t a medical professional intimately acquainted with what lab work looked like.

Now I was the one to feel silly, cheeks heating. “I managed to get in for my annual physical before the end of the year for once. Asked for fresh test results just in case you were feeling like skipping the condoms since we’re already exclusive. No pressure.”

“Ah.” Eric made a thoughtful noise that was nowhere close to the reaction I’d hoped for.

Before I could assure him again that I was fine with the status quo, Maren’s voice carried in from the living room. “Dad! Come show us!”

“Okay, okay,” Eric called back, stepping away from me to hurriedly change. I did the same, and we duly posed for all the pictures Maren and Rowan wanted.

“Send me one,” I said to Maren, chest tight even as I kept my voice light. It might be our first picture together, and I hoped it wouldn’t be the last. “Might have to frame it.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Magnus

“Not bad for our first Christmas with all of us.” Eric stretched as he surveyed the sparkling kitchen we’d just finished cleaning.

“Not at all.” I offered an easy smile, far more bolstered than I should have been by that wordfirst.The vibe between us had been awkward for a bit after the identical presents fiasco, but then we’d settled into Christmas dinner prep, and normalcy had returned. And now that Eric was tossing around words likefirstandour, I didn’t want to push my luck. “I should probably collect my dogs and get back.”

“Oh, okay.” Frowning, Eric glanced over to where the dogs were snoozing in their version of a post-holiday food coma. “I was about to say it’s surprisingly quiet, and there’s a new holiday comedy streaming?—”

“I’m in.” If he wanted more time together, I was only too happy to stay. “I think I saw a trailer for that one the other day.”

We ended up on the couch, not cuddling per se, but sitting closer than a friendly distance apart, my arm across the back of the couch. As the movie progressed on its predictable but fun finding-Santa plot, we relaxed further, legs touching and my arm dropping to Eric’s shoulders.

Indeed, we were so cozy that I missed the sound of feet on the stairs until Eric pulled away, retreating to the other side of the couch like he was on a string.

“Someone’s coming,” he hissed seconds before Wren arrived in the living room.

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