Page 46 of Deck the Halls with Cowboys
“Jesus,” I muttered. “I don’t remember any of this, Den.”
“After everything, I’m kind of glad you don’t,” he muttered back.
“He destroyed that living room in a fit of rage, yelling at me the entire time. He told me the Langstons no longer celebrated Christmas, that it was forbidden in his home—”
“That fuckin’ son of a bitch banned Christmas from us?” I growled, pushing off the wall.
“I never told you because you loved it, Mase. I didn’t want to see your happiness go away. Then, when you got older, you started challenging him in your own way. By the time that happened, I was too lost in my own world, in my own responsibilities to care.”
“Why did you say that like that?” I demanded, clocking him.
He blinked. “Because it’s the truth.”
“Told you I don’t blame you for any of that.”
“But you did, and you had every right to.”
“Been over this, Denver,” I clipped, chest heaving.
He nodded, standing on his ground. “Yes, I know.”
I blinked, the red in my vision fading away at his calm tone. “I don’t—I don’t understand. Why didn’t you push back?”
Then hegutted me.
“I just wanted to please him,” he whispered. “Without Mom, Pop’s approval was all I had left. As time went on, his hate for the holiday rubbed off on me. I didn’t think about the pain it would cause in the future. I let my son see that hatred.” He shook his head, growling, “I let my wife see it, feel it.”
“I faked it,” I countered, throwing my hand out. “Just to piss him off.”
Another stretch of silence and then he said, “Valerie showed me what it meant—what all of this means.”
I gave him a small smile. “Yeah, she has a way of doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Bringing light into the darkness,” I murmured, twisting my wedding ring. “Harmony does the same thing for me.”
“I don’t want to feel the darkness anymore, Mase.”
I ground my teeth as I stepped up to him. “Then let’s make a pact. Right here and now. The Langston brothers will celebrate Christmas. We’ll do it for us and our families. No one else.” I held out my hand.
His eyes dropped down to it. “Just like that?”
“Yeah,” I confirmed. “Just like that.”
He took my hand, shaking it firmly as I pulled him in for a hug, clapping him on the back. “Love you, Den,” I said with a smile, feeling warm.
“Love you too.” Just as I was about to pull away, his hold on me tightened. “You fuck up my Christmas ham, and Harmony will be a widow by the new year.”
“Christmas isn’t about ham,” I shot back. “It’s about love and acceptance.”
“And you’ll have both of those as long as the ham turns out okay.”
“There’s nothing to worry about,” I assured, backing away from him with my arms spread wide. “I’m a master chef. This ham will be the best ever made. People will make monuments in my honor because of this ham, not my bull riding records.”
Hours later, I realized everything I’d said was a lie when I opened the back door and saw theham on fire inside the smoker.
Fuck.
