Tyler was wearing his mustard-yellow coat, and his pale purple beanie was pulled low on his head. Rowan was beside him in a red and white striped stocking cap that looked handmade. Tyler almost seemed shy as he moved toward Jamie, like he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do.
While a part of Jamie hated holding himself back from touching Tyler the way he wanted to, he understood. Their relationship was brand new. They needed to test the waters between them, to see if the promise of chemistry meant what he hoped it would.
Butfuck, he wanted to hold Tyler close. He wanted to press his mouth to Tyler’s chilled lips and kiss him until he was warm.
Instead, Jamie brushed a thumb over Tyler’s bare knuckles, flushed red from the cold. “Hi,” he said softly, feeling like something in him settled just knowing the two of them were safe and warm in his home.
“Look, Papa! A tree!” Rowan tried to wriggle out of Tyler’s grip, pointing to the Christmas tree standing in the corner of the living room. Jamie made a point to get a real tree every year, and had several large plastic totes full of carefully wrapped ornaments he had been waiting to put up.
Jamie hadn’t planned to leave the holiday decorating to the last minute, but he’d been feeling off ever since his injury. It was a struggle to find his rhythm when he was so used to his life being ruled by the team schedule. Despite a fairly full slate of rehab and on-ice conditioning, there were still long stretches of his days when he felt adrift and painfully aware of how lonely he was.
Onni and Ollie had offered to help him decorate the tree earlier, but the thought of Rowan and Tyler helping him had made him smile, so he decided to wait.
“Slow down,” Tyler said to Rowan, laughing quietly. “Let’s get these layers off and then you can go check it out.”
Jamie’s chest warmed when he saw Rowan wearing his jersey. “He insisted,” Tyler said with a shrug, coming to stand next to Jamie as Rowan ran over to the tree.
Loud footsteps pounded up the basement stairs, and then Onni and Oliver were rounding the corner into the kitchen. They looked ridiculous in matching Muskie holiday sweaters that displayed a rhinestone-covered fish wrapped in Christmas lights.
“Hey! Tyler, right?” Oliver came over to offer his hand. “Great to see you again. You’re dating Sully? Score, man. He’s old, but he’s a looker. Oh snap! It’s your kiddo! What’s up, little man? Isn’t this tree rad? We got to help Sully pick it out, and they had hot apple cider at the tree place.”
“Papa, what’s dating?”
Oliver raised a hand to cover his mouth. “Was I not supposed to–shit,” he whispered. “I mean, shart. Shat. Shoot.”
Beside him, Onni buried his face in his hands, muttering something that sounded like, “What am I going to do with you?”
Tyler looked up at Jamie. Jamie held his gaze, hoping his eyes said:Do whatever feels right for you and I’ll be here with you. I’m not going anywhere.
He watched Tyler’s lips part as he let out a breath. “Kiddo,” he said, kneeling down so he was eye-level with Rowan. “You know how Jamie is our friend, right?”
Rowan nodded.
“So, Jamie and I are…Reallygood friends. I think he could be someone special in my life.” Tyler’s brown eyes found Jamie’s. “Inourlife.”
Jamie thought his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He watched Rowan, who nodded along seriously as he listened to Tyler’s explanation.
“Are you and Jamie like Mimi and Pop Pop?”
“Well,” Tyler began. “Maybe someday. But for now, we are getting to know each other better, and we call that dating.”
Rowan looked up at Jamie then, his blue eyes bright. “Jamie,are you going to hug my papa and give him kisses if you’re dating?”
Jamie smiled. “If he wants them, then yes.”
“Good.” Rowan nodded, a serious look on his face. “I like dating. Papa needs hugs and kisses.”
“This is the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen,” Ollie whispered, grinning with his palms pressed to his cheeks.
Now that Rowan’s questions about dating had been answered, he scampered over to the living room, singing to himself. Oliver jogged behind before dropping to his hands and knees on the carpet, talking a million miles a minute with Rowan about…Apples?
“It is good he has another kid to play with now.” Onni walked more slowly, his fair blonde hair still damp from a shower. “Maybe he will take nap later and give me a break.”
“You love him,” Jamie retorted.
Onni snorted. “Yes, he is good. Good for me and good for team. Inconvenient at times, but good.”
“Rowan, have you ever played mini sticks?” Oliver asked from over in the living room. “No? Onni! We have to teach him how to play!” Oliver sprinted past them, likely going downstairs to grab the necessary equipment.
