“I love you too, you little dork. Come on. Let’s see if we can’t get Scrooge redeemed.”
He felt like he had been this afternoon, for sure.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Mitch couldn’t sleep.
It was almost six.
It was bitter cold.
It was snowing.
It was Christmas morning, and he couldn’t fucking sleep, even though they’d been up wrapping until late.
So he hauled himself out of bed without waking Cam and stomped into his boots and coat so he could go out to feed everybody.
He made sure all the animals had water and warmth, good food, and clean hay. He stood there in the relative warmth of the barns, trying to think about how baby Jesus had been born in a stable like this.
That was the story, right? Some poor girl had her baby in a damn stable.
He would have said he didn’t think that was possible, but he’d seen Allison give birth twice. Hell, she’d managed to stay living long enough that they could get Rachel without hurting her.
So yeah, mothers were amazing.
Mitch closed the barn up, wandering back toward the house.
Still, he thought he was doing a pretty good job. He couldn’t believe how in six months everything had changed so much. For instance, his back wasn’t hurting him like it had been. In fact, it felt pretty damn good.
He wasn’t working a roofing crew; he was the boss of a group of roofers and tile guys. Hell, he was thinking about getting his contractor license.
He’d managed Christmas. He had a new Wednesday-themed bed set for Miss Sarah. A huge box of dress-up clothes in all shapes and sizes was wrapped for Rachel. And he’d gotten Rebekka a couple of them fancy crochet kits where she could learn to crochet critters. They were expensive, but they were cute, and Pam said that they were absolutely doable for a kid Bekka’s age.
Hell, he’d heard other Girl Scout parents talking about getting them for their girls, so he figured that was safe.
The lights on the house as he rounded the corner shone, making rainbow patterns on the snow. It was beautiful—the tree in the window, lights on the outside of the house, Cam in the kitchen making coffee, smiling at him.
He stomped the snow off his boots and toed them off. No one wanted to step in icy-cold puddles in their stocking feet.
He went into the kitchen, smiling at his lover. “Look at you up and about, making coffee. Don’t hurt yourself now.”
Cam swatted him playfully. “I can make coffee, sir. You be nice. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas. How are you feeling this morning?”
“I am feeling like Santa came.” Cam wandered over to him, getting right up in his business, muscling him against the counter. “Hey, babe. Have I mentioned how glad I am to be here with you?”
That made him smile, heating him in the core of his belly. “I’m glad you’re here with me too.”
“No, I want you to know I mean it. I didn’t think I was going to be able to be happy doing this like my brothers and sisters—having a home and family, I mean, but this is what I want.”
He let himself stare deep into Cam’s pretty green eyes. “Well, that’s handy, ‘cause it’s what you got, and I’m not letting you go. Ever.”
Mitch let himself take a kiss, sliding his icy-cold hands up underneath Cam’s robe and making him squeal. “Oh man, cold!”
“Yes, I know. I was out feedingyouranimals,” he teased.
“Some of them were yours from the get-go,” Cam shot back.
