Page 57 of Bear Creek Christmas
“I was just going to come get you. Did you sleep well?”
Levi nodded and then pulled Knox under the nearest sprig of mistletoe. No sooner did he end the first kiss than another began until both were breathing heavily. If it weren’t for their growling stomachs, their clothes would have started coming off. Knox reluctantly pulled away and moved to grab something from the oven.
“Hold that thought until after breakfast. I’ve got milk or juice in the fridge if you want it.”
Knox served up a yummy egg and sausage casserole, topped with cheddar cheese, along with warmed croissants from the local bakery. They discussed what their schedules were like for the next two weeks, comparing notes. Knox wanted to know about Christmas eve and Christmas day.
“Will you spend the holiday here with me?”
Knox could smell Levi’s excitement.
“Yes! School lets out on Wednesday, and the only thing going on is the last public performance on Friday the twenty-fourth. Then I’m free for two weeks and all yours.”
Knox got all growly and possessive.
“You’re already mine. I can’t wait to have you here for more than a day or two.”
Levi leaned over to kiss him before finishing his breakfast.
“Well, I’m here now, so what are we doing today?”
“I’ll show you as soon as we’re done.”
Levi filled the dishwasher while Knox put away the leftovers. Next, he cleared everything off the table, wiped it down, and pulled out baking pans, cooling racks, and rolling pins. Then, from a little-used cupboard, Knox retrieved a large plastic container and handed it to Levi. When the lid came off, Levi’s jaw dropped when he saw a set of old-fashioned, holiday cookie cutters.
“We’re making sugar cookies?! How did you know, I mean...”
Knox pulled a recipe card from the container, written in Peggy Green’s distinctive script.
“Your mom sent all this to me a couple weeks ago. She said making Christmas cookies was a family tradition, but there wasn’t time to do it while we were there.”
Eyes aglow, Levi looked through the metal cutters and found many of the same ones they’d been using for years. He also found a newer one made of plastic, in the shape of a bear.
“I can tell these aren’t my mom’s, so where did they come from?”
“Except for the bear, your mom and sisters found them at antique stores, cleaned them up, and shipped them here to surprise you. I made the dough ahead of time and have all the stuff for decorating. We’ll need to hurry, or we won’t get them baked before the noon performance.”
Knox produced matching holiday aprons from one of the bags, and they got busy. Levi turned on the radio for background music, and they started churning out pan after pan of lightly browned pine trees, stars, bells, and other familiar shapes. The cabin soon filled with the sweet butter and sugar aroma of fresh-baked cookies. Per Knox, any broken or defective ones were immediately eaten as a part of “quality control”.
The delight on Levi’s face was obvious as he relived happy memories of doing this with his family. Even his father helped decorate them, making it a group effort. Levi finally noticed the prodigious number of cookies cooling around the kitchen and wondered what Knox had in mind.
“Uh, what are we going to do with these? You weren’t planning to eat this many, were you?”
Knox laughed at Levi’s worried expression.
“No, mate. Mostly, I wanted you to have fun. We’ll keep some, and you can take the rest to school. I bought some sturdy paper plates and colored plastic wrap so you can give them as gifts.”
“Great idea! You thought of everything!”
Following the noon performance and lunch, they began decorating the cookies with frosting, colored sugar, sprinkles, and nonpareils. They decided to give away the best ones and keep all the boo-boos to eat—though if Knox kept chowing them down like popcorn, there wouldn’t be any left at all. But, it didn’t matter because they were having fun and making memories of their own. Levi planned to thank his mother for thinking of this and snapped a few photos to share later.
That evening, they filled a large box with plate after plate of cookies for Levi to bring to school, with several marked for the Shaws. It was late by the time they finished, and Knox drove his mate back to the apartment. He couldn’t stay, needing to start even earlier than Levi on Monday morning. At the door, Levi expressed his appreciation.
“Thank you for a perfect weekend. I had a wonderful time and can’t wait for winter break so we can spend more time together.”
Knox pulled him close so Levi could feel his hardness.
“Makes two of us, mate, but you’re not going to make me wait until then, are you?”
