Ciaran closed his eyes and leaned back. He was finally making it home for Christmas, and a one-night stay in Thistle ruined it. On top of that, he’d be disrupting Teddy and Geoff’s holiday. There was a pang of jealousy in the pit of his stomach. A happy couple’s holiday was about to be ruined by a single man whose longest relationship was six months.
I hope I’m not too much of a burden.
Chapter Seven
GEOFF
Geoff stood in the kitchen, staring at Teddy.
Teddy hung up the phone and turned around.
“Did you just invite Ciaran to stay with us?” Geoff asked.
“I’m sorry.” Teddy walked over and kissed Geoff. “I felt bad. He didn’t have anywhere to stay. We don’t have guests or anything else happening. I wanted to be nice.”
Geoff let out a sigh. “I don’t know. It was going to be the two of us for the first time in eight years. What are we going to do with a guest?”
“I should have talked to you first, but he seemed desperate. Nobody had an opening. It didn’t feel right leaving him out there alone, with nowhere to go.”
“You still should have asked me before agreeing to have him over.”
Teddy placed his head in his hands, and his breathing sped up. “I’m sorry.”
“Babe.” Geoff wrapped his arms around him. “Breathe slowly. It’s okay.”
Teddy backed away and looked into Geoff’s eyes. “I’ll call him back and let him know we can’t host him. I’ll come up with something.”
“You can’t do that now.” Geoff let out a breath. “You said he could stay. If you back out now, we’ll look like assholes.”
“I wish I hadn’t acted so rashly.”
“Your rash behavior got us this bed-and-breakfast, and look how it turned out.” Geoff kissed him. “You’re also right to ask him to stay. It wouldn’t be right to leave him out there.”
“Thank you.” Teddy smiled.
“I’ll set up the guest room and then head over to shut off the power to the lodge.”
“I’m going to get the decorations from the attic for the tree,” Teddy said. “Then I’ll get lunch started.”
Geoff walked down the hall and entered their spare room. They’d shoved everything they didn’t use in here. Boxes were strewn about. It’d been over a year since they’d had Teddy’s parents for a visit.
“This is going to take some time,” Geoff said.
He carried boxes out of the room and put them in Teddy’s office closet. “He invited him, so now he gets to deal with the mess,” he said to himself, laughing.
After putting new sheets, pillowcases, and a warm blanket on the bed, he looked around. It’d taken him two hours, but the room was ready.
“It looks wonderful,” Teddy said from the door.
“Thank you.” Geoff turned to him and smiled.
“Lunch will be ready soon, then we can decorate the tree.”
“I’m gonna grab a shower before lunch,” Geoff said. “This room was pretty messy.”
“Sorry.” Teddy blushed.
“It was both of us.” Geoff kissed him on the way to his shower.
