Page 29 of A Candy Cane Christmas
My phone started buzzing in my pocket. I quickly pulled it out and snorted. Speaking of the devil.
“Hey, big brother,” I greeted him. “Do you remember that one Christmas we tried setting up a trap to catch Santa? The box with bells and toys we placed on top of the door that was supposed to fall and make a ton of noise when Santa opened the living room door? It just dawned on me today that Dad hadn’t accidentally triggered the trap when he tried stealing chocolate from Mom’s secret stash in the living room. We actually caught Santa. Aka him.”
Gabe laughed. “Merry Christmas to you, too, Luci.”
“Oh, right. Merry Christmas.”
“Exactly how much coffee are you currently running on?” my brother asked, his voice a mix of amusement and the usual concern.
“Pfft,” I said, waving my hand even though he couldn’t see me. “First, I was woken up at five thirty today, so I deserve all the coffee in the world. Second, caffeine doesn’t work on me. It doesn’t make me more awake.”
“No, but too much caffeine makes you jittery. You do sound jittery to me. And getting up at five thirty? Was your house on fire? Are you okay? I thought you were going to spend Christmas with that guy with the kid from your apartment building. Did your plans fall through? I have to admit, I had a hard time picturing you with a father any—”
Heaving a sigh, I let my head fall back, resting on top of the couch so I looked straight up at the ceiling. Great to see he was still worrying about me.
“Gabe.” His name came out as a whine, but with a sharp undertone that I rarely used on my brother. Even if I did, it was usually lost on him.
He paused in his musings, drawing in a harsh breath.
Okay, the sharpness might have been more than an undertone.
“Yes, I did celebrate with Theo and Hazel. He’s my boyfriend, and she is probably the only thing in this world that could make me get up before the ass-crack of dawn. So please keep your thoughts about me dating a father to yourself. I know you think I’m an immature mess and don’t take anything seriously, but I really like him. I want this to work out, and I hate thinking that my brother thinks I’m not good enough for him.”
I heard two people suck in their breaths at once.
My brother, on the phone, and Theo, standing right in front of me with a steaming mug in hand. He was quicker to get his bearings than my brother. After a second of complete stillness, he gently placed the mug on the coffee table and sat down next to me, immediately reaching for me.
“Youaregood enough for me.Boyfriend,” he whispered in my ear, his breath fanning over my earlobe, sending shockwaves through my body. His voice was so damn gentle and soft, but there was steel laced with it, too. Conviction. Like he really believed what he was saying.
“Luci…” Gabe started.
I didn’t want to do this today. Not on Christmas. I loved Gabe to pieces. He’d always been there, always my support and protector. But he’d never quite managed to take a step back from that, even though I was an adult. And I was done.
Closing my eyes, I contemplated just hanging up on him, but I really didn’t want to. I hated confrontation. Having my brother be mad at me today would ruin Christmas completely, and I didn’t want the amazing day I’d had to fade in light of an argument with my brother.
“Lucian,” Gabe said again, his voice sharper now, as if he knew exactly I was getting lost inside my head. He probably did. He’d lived with me for almost two decades, after all. “I don’t think that way about you at all. I might not always understandyour choices in life, but you’re my brother, and I want you to behappy. Yes, I worry about you. But I don’t worry because I think you’re not good enough for anyone; I worry because I don’t want you to gethurt.”
Oh.
I blinked, but Gabe apparently wasn’t done yet.
“You always throw yourself at new things, and I admire that you’re able to do that, but you tend to get ahead of yourself and plow on too quickly. Other people usually need more time, so I worry. Especially if the other person is a single father who has his daughter to think of. I don’t worry about them. I worry about you finding yourself five steps further down the line than him and getting your heart broken.”
Ahh, fuck.
Theo hugged me impossibly tight, practically squeezing me half to death. It was on the brink of hurting, yet somehow just the right amount of force.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have gone off on you. I just…”
“You tend to get ahead of yourself?” Gabe teased. “I know. And I can admit that I’m clumsy with words. Numbers really are more my speed, but I’m afraid you won’t understand a word if I start talking numbers at you.”
I snorted out a laugh. “Maybe I should hand the phone to Theo. Numbers are his thing, too. He’s studying to become an accountant, you know.”
“Oh, really?” I just knew he was sitting up straighter right now.
I just fucking knew he’d bombard Theo with questions if I gave him the chance.
“Yes, really. And once you’re back from your cruise, I’m happy to introduce you, but Hazel is finally asleep, and I’d like to have my boyfriend to myself for a while.”
