Ace scoffed. “Red’s not the only one with muscles around here.”
“What if you throw out your back?”
“Again with that? Why is everyone suddenly so concerned about me throwing out my back? I’m in the best shape of my life.”
Leo stepped next to the tree’s base and looked up at him. “At forty-five, your bones aren’t what they used to be.”
Ace stopped climbing and wrapped his arm around the tree to steady himself so he could thrust a finger at the snowy ground several feet away. “Go stand over there.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t need you giving me science.”
Leo opened his mouth to reply when his phone pinged. He removed it from his pocket, pulled off one of his red mittens, and tapped away. His eyes went wide. Uh-oh. Oh no.
“Don’t say it,” Ace warned.
“I need to go.”
“What? No. Leo, you stay right there.”
Leo tucked his phone away and pulled his mitten back on. “It’s Santa. I know where he is.”
How was it possible to want to both hug and strangle someone? Ace couldn’t lose Leo. Of all the Boyfriends, Leo was the most unpredictable. Who knew what trouble he could get into if he wandered off alone? What if he got distracted and got lost in the woods? Wild animals were in there with claws and pointy fangs, and ohnooo. He would not let Leo get eaten by wolves!
“No. Nope. Stay right there. We’ll go see him later.”
“But he might not be in the same place later. I’ll be fine. I can get there on my own.”
Before Ace could say another word, Leo took off.
“This is not good,” Laz said.
Ace watched Leo until he was a red spec on the snow-white horizon. “Why did you let him go?”Damn you, tree, and your fullness! “And how is he so fast?”
Laz arched an eyebrow at him. “Probably science.”
Little shit. Ace glared at Laz. “You’re supposed to be the nice one.”
“Also, what did you want me to do? Tackle him? I’m not Fitz.”
He was not wrong. “He’s got an impressive tackle for a guy who weighs less than his coat.”
“Uh-oh.”
Ace stilled and looked down. “What uh-oh? No uh-oh.”
Why? He had one job. Get a Christmas tree. That was it. He could have done that all on his lonesome, but nooo, Colton made him take the Boyfriend Collective, and now who knew what pain was about to be inflicted upon his person.
“So…you don’t want to know that King is heading this way?”
“Sugar honey iced tea!”
Laz stared at him. “Since when do you not curse?”
“I blame Winterhaven!” Ace carefully but quickly tried to climb back down. It had been a lot easier going up. Just what he didn’t need.
“I think I’m going to go,” Laz said, walking backward away from the tree.
