Page 16 of For the Love of Scott
Chapter Five
Scott stands between Mrs. Thompson and Ben, who carries Misty on his shoulders. A larger and larger crowd gathers around the huge and beautifully decorated tree in anticipation of the official tree-lighting ceremony that kicks off the Christmas Festival.
Ben’s hand rests on the small of Scott’s back and his thumb moves in slow circles, making Scott’s blood hum in his veins. If Ben is going to do things like that all night, Scott will be hard pressed not to find one of the many sprigs of mistletoe tied up around the square and plant one on him. As if sensing Scott’s gaze, Ben smirks, but keeps his eyes on the tree.
The mayor finally steps onto the podium and offers a warm welcome to Ten Rigs visitors and a hearty thanks to its citizens. Someone kicks off the traditional singing of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and then finally, the ten thousand lights are lit to a collective‘oooh’from the crowd, followed by a round of applause.
“Can we see Santa now?” asks Misty as the crowd begins dispersing.
“Everyone’s going to want to see Santa right now, munchkin,” says Ben. “Why don’t we go feed the reindeer first?”
“’Kay,” she says, clapping.
Mrs. Thompson glances from Ben to Scott and back, then winks. “We’re gonna meet up with Mary and Arnold. Call us when you’re ready to send her home.”
Scott turns away to hide his blush. Even Ben’s parents can’t resist teasing them. He loves it, even though it flusters him a little. He feels accepted and wanted, and he can’t ever remember feeling that way.
Mr. Thompson curls an arm around his wife’s shoulders and they meander off, chatting and laughing.
Ben lifts Misty from his shoulders and sets her on the ground. She immediately situates herself between them and takes their hands.
They find the reindeer enclosure and buy several cups of the small pellets being offered. After feeding the reindeer, they get in line for Santa’s Workshop. Once Misty has seen Santa and connected with another little girl from her kindergarten class, they head for the large igloo-shaped bounce house.
Misty and her friend Amy crawl into the bounce house under the watchful eye of Amy’s mother, Johanna, one of the servers up at O’Leary’s Pub.
Scott follows Ben to one of the many extra benches placed around the town square and sits beside him. Ben rests an ankle on his knee and taps on the small expanse of wood between them that is now hidden by his crossed leg. Scott glances down and grins before sliding his hand into Ben’s. The rightness of it makes him sigh.
“You’re not too bored, are you?” Ben asks, squeezing his hand slightly.
How can he be bored when he’s been accepted by and welcomed into the fold of a family so warm and generous that he isn’t quite sure how he’s supposed to feel? He blinks away the slight prickle at the corners of his eyes. Bored is nowhere close to what he’s feeling. He glances at Ben, clutches his hand a little tighter. “No. I… No, this is nice.” He snorts. Nice is an understatement, but he’s at a loss. “Not just nice, I mean…your family has been… They’re amazing. Misty’s…God, she’s a riot. The look on Santa’s face when she asked for a pirate ship tree house was priceless.”
Ben laughs. “She’s a lot like Leah, heaven help us.”
His thumb rubs across Scott’s knuckles and the rhythmic motion does funny things to Scott’s insides. He’s never felt like this; he can’t give it a name, but he doesn’t want it to end. That Ben accepts his lost limb and his prosthetic leg as just another part of him, like his dark hair and eyes, is astonishing. It seems to have no bearing on who Ben considers him to be or what Ben thinks he can do. Like he’s blind to it, even though he knows about it. Scott has fought a lot of prejudice in the year and a half since his injury, and now here is a man to whom a fake leg is mostly a non-factor, and he can’t help be a tiny bit in love with him for that reason alone.
“Earth to Scott, come in.” Ben kisses the back of his hand and Scott blinks in surprise.
He looks around, but no one is paying them any mind. “Huh?”
“I’m gonna get some hot cocoa. You want some?”
A cover of clouds has blown in across the area, warming up the temperatures for opening night of the festival, much to everyone’s surprise, and Scott isn’t cold at all. “Nah. I’m fine, but thanks.”
Ben leans over, his lips hovering in the vicinity of Scott’s ear. Scott’s heart beats double time at the warm fan of Ben’s breath.
“You sure? You and the taste of chocolate…I think the combination would be pretty damned tasty.”
Scott sucks in and lets out a breath. Mischief dances in Ben’s blue eyes.
“Um. Okay. Cocoa’d be great.”
So there’s going to be some kissing going on later, which is fine by him. All the accidental and not-so-accidental touching and the brushing up against one another has definitely ratcheted up his own need for some alone time with Ben.
His deep chuckle goes straight to Scott’s groin. Ben gets up and heads toward the bounce house. The snug fit of the man’s jeans doesn’t help matters either, and Scott pulls the legs of his own jeans down to ease the sudden snugness. Ben has a few words with Johanna. They both look Scott’s way and Ben points. Scott lifts his hand in acknowledgment of something, and Johanna nods. Ben disappears around the bounce house.
Scott watches the crowd, waving to folks he recognizes like Aiden O’Leary, owner of O’Leary’s Pub, as well as Miss Marva and Miss Wanda. Some folks wave at him just because their gazes met. He hadn’t missed his hometown when he’d left for the Army. His middle and high school years hadn’t held any fond memories. But being part of a community, being part of a family, even peripherally, touches a place in him he’d long thought dormant.
“Mr. Scott!” Misty shouts before plopping into his lap.
