“Did you hug my mama?” Aries asked.
“What are you up to?” Vin demanded. “And yes, I greeted both of your parents.”
Dang! Aries was hoping to pull out the surprise without Vin noticing. “Nothing,” Aries lied. He laid his hand over the zipper of the suitcase.
Vin narrowed his eyes. “I think you can wait a few minutes to see what your mom brought you.”
But it wasn’t for him! No, this surprise was for Vin and Evan. His parents’ way of welcoming them to the family. “But—”
“I’ll take your bags upstairs,” Gem offered. “Let Nix show you the house.”
“It’s so gorgeous,” his mama said. “I would love a tour. And did you do the decorating, Nix? Excellent job, son.”
Nix began talking to his mom about all the decorating he’d done, including how tricky it had been to get all the boxes delivered in time. Still kneeling, Aries peered up at Vin, hoping his Daddy would follow along with his mama.
His mama spotted him and smiled. “Ah, thank you, Aries. You can carry that one wherever the tree is.”
“There are trees everywhere,” Gem stated with a snort as he started to carry their parents’ suitcases up the stairs.
“The main tree,” Nix drawled, while walking arm is arm with their mom. “It’s in the sitting room.”
“I’ll get it.” Vin lifted the suitcase with his left hand while offering Aries his right.
Aries climbed to his feet, eyeing the bag. Not that he thought it would explode open, but he really wanted to be the one that showed Vin. And Evan. His mama had been thrilled with Aries’s idea.
Dragging his feet, Aries was the one that had to follow.
Gem had disappeared upstairs as Nix led the way into the sitting room that they’d been hanging out in for most of the day.
Once they’d gotten a text from their mom that she was less than ten minutes from the house, Vin had helped Aries clean up his toys. Aries loved his hockey action figures. They were the best present that he had ever gotten. Aries hadn’t wanted to stop playing. He just wasn’t quite ready to share that part of himself with his parents.
Vin had assured Aries that he understood.
Aries still felt bad since it wasn’t something that he was ashamed of. He loved being little. Finding out that age regression existed opened so many doors for him. And Vin was the perfect Daddy for him. Aries could regress naturally because Vin was always there to make sure that Aries was in a safe space.
He didn’t think that his parents would judge them. His mama was the most nonjudgmental person he knew. Both Gem and Nix assured Aries that it was fine whether he shared it or not. Aries still didn’t know what to do.
They reached what Nix called the sitting room. It was basically a living area with a comfortable couch and cozy chairs. A mantel decorated with a North Pole village. A fire blazed in the hearth. And an enormous Christmas tree was decorated to the nines.
Nix pulled their mom down on the couch next to him, Evan sat in one chair and their dad in another.
“Just put that on the coffee table, please, Vin,” his mom directed. “Aries knows what to do.”
Vin appeared to be confused but did as told.
Aries strolled to Vin’s side and patted his back. “It’s a surprise.”
“A surprise for who?” he asked suspiciously.
“You!” Aries said with a grin. “And Evan.”
“Don’t bring me into this,” Evan stated as he carried over a metal decorative piece with hooks.
Aries turned on his brother. “You told him!”
Nix shrugged. “I had to. He was going to buy some.”
“Buy?” Aries was scandalized. You couldn’t just go around buying stuff when it came to holiday traditions.
