CHAPTERONE
Why was life filled with so many difficult decisions? What if he made the wrong choice and immediately regretted it? It would be too late to undo what he’d done. He could never go back and make the right choice.Wasthere a right choice?
When Red had told him he had a surprise waiting for him at Colton and Ace’s house, Leo never expectedthis. So much hung in the balance!
King wrapped his arms around Leo and rested his head on Leo’s shoulders. “Sweetheart, do you need help?”
Leo frowned. “I’m at an impasse, King. I’ve weighed the pros and cons, and can’t guarantee I won’t regret the decision I make, and then what? I know it’s not as if the fabric of the universe itself will unravel should I choose poorly, but I’ll have regrets, King. Serious regrets that could haunt me for the rest of time!”
The rumbling of King’s laugh against his back told Leo that perhaps he was overthinking.
“Yeah, okay. Do I want to eat the Goldfish cracker-shaped Christmas cookie with the Santa hat and scarf? Or the one with the red nose and reindeer antlers?”
“Well, the Santa one is cute,” King said. “But you chuckle every time you see the reindeer one, so maybe eat the Santa one and save the reindeer one for later?”
Leo turned his head and kissed King’s cheek. “That’s a logical decision. Thanks.”
“My pleasure.” King stood and kissed Leo’s cheek, then eyed him. “How many of those have you had?”
Leo slipped the reindeer cookie into his cardigan’s front breast pocket. He blinked at King as he took a bite of the other cookie. “Um….”
“Leo.” King arched an eyebrow at him.
Uh oh. The eyebrow was up. It was a very sexy eyebrow, but when it was up, King meant business. Still.... Leo glanced at the cookie plate on the counter filled with Goldfish cracker-shaped Christmas sugar cookies. “But King, Red baked these just for me, and then Laz painstakingly decorated each one, just for me. I can’t let their hard work go to waste. Think of the children!”
“What?”
“Oh, the humanity!” Leo gasped and pointed behind King. “Is that Ace rappelling down the side of the house?”
“What?” King turned, and Leo swiped a couple more cookies before darting off. “Hey!”
Dang! He should have known he wouldn’t make it far. He’d just made it to the hall when King grabbed him around the waist and lifted him off his feet. Leo flailed. Why did his boyfriend have to be so big and strong? Mm, big and strong.No! Focus! Cookies are at stake!
“But it’s Christmas,” Leo said. “It’s a time when you get to eat all the things, and there are no consequences! It’s science!”
King put Leo on his feet, turning him so he could slip his arms around Leo. He nodded, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief. “Oh, really? Science, huh? And what did science do the last time you had too much sugar?”
Double dang. “Betrayed by science,” Leo grumbled, his eyes narrowed. He huffed. “I might have gotten a little hyperactive. Only a tiny bit, barely noticeable.”
“Hm. Barely noticeable. I’m pretty sure when you ran through the park with your shirt off screaming, ‘Murderous snails! Run for your life!’ people noticed.”
Not his proudest moment. “But was I wrong? Freshwater snails have caused more deaths than sharks, lions, and bearscombined, King. Two hundred thousand a year!” He narrowed his eyes. “They’re silent, tiny killers.” A terrifying thought occurred to him. “What if the government decides to weaponize them?”
King held out his hand. “The cookies.”
“Eight.”
King barked out a laugh. “No way. Four.”
“Six,” Leo countered.
“Four.”
“Five and a tail?”
“Four.”
“I don’t think you understand how negotiation works,” Leo grumbled, handing over the extra cookies. “Fine. But I was doing those families a favor. Not my fault some of them couldn’t handle the truth.”
