“Your house has all the same size pieces ours does, you moose.”
Ace snickered. “If I’m Moose, does that make you Squirrel?”
Joker turned to Fitz. “Trade places with me.”
“I love you, but no.” Fitz was not about to put himself in the middle of these two. That way indeed lay madness. They all started piecing together their gingerbread houses using the sticky icing, and Fitz noticed Ace was breaking up some of his pieces. “What are you doing?”
“Remodeling my house.”
Fitz glanced at Joker, who shook his head as he carefully joined two of his house’s walls. “Don’t engage. Trust me. Pretend he’s a bear. Stand very still and quiet, and he won’t engage.”
Ace snorted. “Yeah, that doesn’t work on me, Squirrel.”
Fitz stood very still and didn’t make a sound. A heartbeat later, Ace was working quietly on his house. Fitz carefully turned to Joker with wide eyes and mouthed, “It worked.”
Joker snickered, and everyone got lost in decorating their houses. This was probably the quietest Fitz had ever seen Ace. At least until Ace started quietly singing “Carol of the Bells.” Wait.
Fitz turned to Ace. “Did you make up your own lyrics to Carol of the Bells?” It was only then that he noticed Ace’s gingerbread house. “Sweet Saint Nick,what?”
“What the hell?” Joker gaped at Ace. “How did you…?” He shook his head in disbelief.
Fitz looked from Ace’s house to his, then back. He gasped. “Well, jingle my bells. Leo’s right. You do defy science.” How else would Ace have built atwo-story gingerbread Victorian houseout of the same pieces the rest of them had? It made no logical sense. It was intricately decorated with multiple sloped roofs and arched cathedral-style windows. Fitz leaned in. “Is that…?”
“A tiny gingerbread puppy?” Ace asked proudly. “Why yes. Yes, it is.”
“How?” Joker demanded. He turned to Fitz. “Explain this to me. This is the guy who stapled his shirt to the floor while replacing a carpet.”
Fitz burst into laughter. He could just picture it. His phone jingled, and Fitz removed it from his pocket. “Oh, I need to go.”
“Everything okay?” Joker asked.
Fitz nodded. “It’s just Jack. He wants me to meet him at the Christmas tree lot. He needs my help with something.” He patted his leg and told Duchess to come with him as they left the tent and headed toward the end of town.
“What do you suppose your daddy needs?” Fitz asked Duchess as she trotted down the street next to him. She looked up at him, then ahead as if shrugging. Fitz laughed. “Yeah, your guess is as good as mine.”
The sun was setting, the sky turning a stunning purple that blended into orange and pink. When they walked into the tree lot, no one was there. What the heck was going on?
“Back here,” Jack called out.
Curious, Fitz hurried toward Jack’s voice, Duchess on his heels. They ended up at the side of the lot. They maneuvered through all the Christmas trees and ended up at a red wooden fence. What on earth was his boyfriend up to?
“Jack?”
A door in the fence opened, and Jack popped his head out. “Hey, gorgeous.” He laughed when Duchess bounded over to him. He let her inside and then turned back to Fitz, motioning behind him. “Come on.”
“What is it?” Fitz murmured as he met Jack at the door. Jack took his hand and pulled Fitz inside, closing the door behind them. When Fitz turned, he gasped. “What…?”
Christmas trees decorated with twinkling white lights surrounded the small fenced-in area, and more lights were strung up from one side to the other, creating a canopy of sorts. At one end was a white screen, and a few feet away, a fire pit. There were heaters and, in the center, what looked like a reclined sofa without the base. It was covered in pillows and big, cozy blankets. Duchess had already made herself comfortable on one of the blankets.
“Oh, Jack.”
Next to the couch was a bucket with ice, a wine bottle, and two glasses. There was even a big bucket of popcorn and another bucket with movie snacks. Fitz whirled to face Jack.
“You did all this? For me?”
Jack brought Fitz into his arms. “I’m constantly in awe of you and everything you are. I am so damned lucky to be loved by you. You are my whole world. I love you so much, sweetheart, and I promise to never take what we have for granted. Merry Christmas.” He pulled a small remote from his pocket and pressed a button. The screen lit up, andThe Holidaystarted playing.
“My favorite Christmas movie.” Fitz turned to Jack, tears of joy welling in his eyes. “Thank you. I love you too, Jack. So very much.” Jack led him to the couch, sitting down first so Fitz could sit between his legs, his back to Jack’s chest. He snuggled close, and Jack wrapped them in warm, fuzzy blankets. Duchess got up and, after a couple of turns, curled up in a fluffy ball against them.
