I’ll Be Home for Christmas_An Out of Line Novella Read online

  She rolled her eyes. “Real subtle.”

  “What?” I asked innocently.

  We came around the corner and spotted the rest of our party. Noelle had stayed with the boys since she’d just used the restroom, and she spoke animatedly, swinging her arms as she described something. Riley watched her with warmth in his eyes, looking head over heels in love, and Finn leaned back in his chair, smiling with his arm flung over the back of my empty seat. Ben, Hernandez’s partner on the police force, listened intently, while Hernandez watched Marie's approach.

  Like usual.

  The two of them had been playing hard to get since Marie had been my roommate in college, and it was getting a little old. They needed to give it a go already.

  “Hernandez looks good tonight,” I said, nudging her. “And he’s single. He and that blonde that looked like you didn't work out.”

  “Don’t even,” she gritted. “Not happening. Never happening.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”

  We sat in our seats—with Marie as far away from Hernandez as possible—and Finn placed his arm around my shoulders, kissing my temple. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” I nodded, forcing a smile. “Of course.”

  “It’ll be okay. I’ll be home for Christmas, your dad will make some headway on his campaign, and it’ll be fine.” He squeezed my arm. “I promise, Ginger.”

  “I know,” I whispered. “I’ll miss you, though.”

  “I’ll Facetime you.” He leaned closer. “You can give me a little show.”

  "Only if you give me one, too," I shot back breathlessly, already liking this idea.

  He raised a brow. “Demanding.”

  “Would you have me any other way?”

  He laughed. “Hell no. Although, I do also like you naked and quivering on our bed, with my head between your—”

  "What's this I hear about you traveling with my dad?" Riley asked, interrupting our little back and forth banter.

  I mentally groaned.

  Finn winked at me.

  Riley and I had been friends for years, and our families had once dreamed of us falling for one another and getting married. We’d tried it, but my heart belonged to Finn. And, eventually, Riley met Noelle, so that door had firmly shut in both sets of parents’ heads after that. Riley and Finn were close now, almost as close as him and Hernandez.

  “Yeah, Carrie’s dad asked me to fill in for security.” He shrugged, running his fingers up and down my arm. “It’s only a couple of days.”

  “I was thinking of coming along, too.” He glanced at Noelle, who nodded once, then back at Finn. “For fun. Would you mind? I’ve never been to Utah.”

  It was so obvious he was concerned for Finn, like me, and I loved him for caring. He was such a good guy. Once upon a time, I’d tried to force myself into loving him because he was just that nice. It hadn’t worked, despite my best efforts.

  “Of course I wouldn’t mind,” Finn said, taking his arm off me and reaching for his Coke. “But if you’re doing this because you’re worried I’ll slip, don’t be. I’ll be fine.”

  It took a lot of therapy for Finn to be comfortable talking about his issues with others, and I was very proud of how far he'd come. A few years ago, he would never have uttered that sentence. Now that he'd been seeing Doctor Hudson, he was much more open about his past, and his struggle with his addiction to pills and PTSD.

  I rested my hand on his knee for support.

  He winked at me.

  How did he make a wink so frigging sexy?

  “No, of course not, man.” Riley ruffled his hair. “I just thought it would be fun to get away with you. Have a guy’s weekend in between the boring shit our dads are doing.” He glanced at Hernandez and Ben. “You guys could come, too. You could fly on my dad’s jet with me.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That sounds like trouble, right there.”

  “Trouble for all the ladies, maybe,” Ben teased.

  Hernandez grinned. “You know it.”

  Marie crossed her arms, remaining silent.

  The glower on her face was all that needed to be said, though.

  “I’d love to go,” Ben said, picking up his beer. “Don’t know if Captain would approve of it or not, though. He wants all hands on deck since the Christmas season brings out the criminals even more so than the carolers.”

  Hernandez winced. “Truth.”

  “Merry fucking Christmas to us,” Ben muttered.

  "Word is we might be getting a new Detective soon, too, and there are whispers he might separate us,” Hernandez added. “We probably shouldn’t give him more of a reason to do so.”

  Ben deflated. “Probably not.”

  “All right, it’s just us, then.” Riley turned back to Finn. “That cool?”

  Finn nodded. “Yep.”

  Noelle reached for me. "We can hang out while they're away. Maybe I'll even stay with you if you don't mind lending out one of your spare rooms. I'll tell you about my latest book, while we drink wine in front of the fireplace after the kids go to bed."

  The first real grin of the night broke out on my face. “I’d love that.”

  “Then it’s settled.”

  I glanced at Marie, who was watching Hernandez. “You want in?”

  She broke herself out of her quiet contemplation. “Huh?”

  “Noelle is going to crash at my place while the boys are away. Would you like to join?” I asked slowly.

  Marie’s cheeks went pink. “Uh…yeah. Sure. Sounds fun.”

  Noelle clapped her hands. “This is going to be epic.”

  “Yeah, it is,” Riley agreed, rubbing her back.

  “You know what? Fuck it.” Ben pulled his phone out. “We’re in. I’ll let my dad know.”

  “Seriously?” Hernandez asked, his tone high with surprise. “You never ask off.”

  “Well, I am now.”

  Hernandez did a fist pump. "Fuck yeah. I've never been to Utah. I hear they have some excellent lodges with top-notch craft beers in the mountains."

  Finn rolled his eyes. “I’m not helping you pick up chicks, dude.”

  “I will,” Ben promised. He stood, phone on his ear. “If you’ll excuse me?”

  Marie huffed and sipped her wine.

  Hernandez locked eyes on her. “Have something to say?”

  “Who, me?” She smiled innocently, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders. “Nah.”

  “If you say so,” he said, smiling just as sweetly.

  Finn cleared his throat. “Pack warm clothes. It’s going to be cold there.”

  Ben came back, smiling triumphantly. "Got the approval."

  “Yeah!” Hernandez high-fived him.

  “This trip just got a hell of a lot more interesting,” Finn said, grinning at me.

  I laughed. Their excitement was contagious. I lifted my soda, smiling at the love of my life, who looked a lot more excited about this trip than he’d been a few hours ago. “To a very merry Christmas for all?”

  Riley held up his beer. “To a very merry Christmas.”

  We all clinked glasses and drank.

  Four

  Finn

  I pressed my mouth to Carrie’s, all too aware of the eyes on us as I said my goodbyes. Her perfect body pressed to mine in all the right places, something I’d never tire of no matter how many times I felt it. My tongue teased the entrance to her mouth, but I didn’t slide inside when she parted her lips for me. Too many eyes on us for that.

  “I love you, Ginger,” I whispered.

  She clung to me, not letting go as I pulled back. “I love you more.”

  “Impossible.”

  Little hands tugged on my jacket. “Daddy?”

  I reluctantly let go of the woman who held my heart and picked up the little girl who helped her. "Yeah, Pumpkin?"

  “Do you have to go?” she asked, staring at me with the same bright blue eyes her mother had. She had a few freckles across her tiny nose, and her mother's hair�
�but the smile she wasn't showing right now was all me.

  “Yeah, I have to help Grandpa do something.” I kissed the tip of her nose, then hugged her close, breathing in her strawberry scented shampoo one last time. “But I’ll be back in a few days, don’t worry.”

  “Promise?” she asked, her lower lip trembling.

  “Pinky swear,” I said, offering my pinky to her.

  She stared at it, then wrapped her tiny finger around mine.

  I kissed her one more time then set her down. Carrie opened her arms for her, and she went to her mother, still staring at me like I’d betrayed her. This shit was hard, man.

  If anyone else had asked me to leave my family days before Christmas, I would have told them to go fuck themselves. But this was my father-in-law, and despite our rocky start, he’d been there for me, and helped me climb up from rock bottom. If he needed me, I was there.

  No matter how much I wished otherwise.

  Forcing a smile, I walked over to Cory, who sat on a blanket by the couch. He was currently happy to remain there, but soon enough he'd be off causing trouble, like usual. The boy rarely sat still, now that he knew how to scoot around on his diapered butt. I knelt beside him and kissed his mostly bald head, ruffling the wispy sandy blond hair. "Hey. Love you, little man."

  He grinned up at me, touching my cheek.

  My heart broke a little bit.

  Standing, I swiped my hands on my dress pants and faced my father-in-law. “Ready?”

  He nodded, not quite meeting my eyes. Maybe he sensed how hard this was for me, which made me feel even shittier. The man had done so much for me, and I never wanted to make him feel bad on my account. “Sure, the car’s waiting outside with Mom.”

  I headed for the door, not looking at my family again because if I did, I might not leave them.

  When I was halfway out the door, Carrie called, “Wait!”

  I turned just in time to catch her. She flung herself into my arms, kissing me with every ounce of love that I felt in my own heart. When she pulled back, she cupped my cheeks and smiled up at me with unshed tears in her bright blue eyes. Her red hair fell around her shoulders, and she wore a black dress that hugged her curves to perfection. “Come back to me.”

  “Always,” I whispered.

  We broke apart, and I winked at her. Then I made my way to her father’s town car. The door was open and waiting for me. I nodded at the driver. “Hey, Dan.”

  “Mr. Coram.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I told you to call me Finn.”

  “And I told you I could never do so.” He winked at me. “But I appreciate the offer, sir.”

  We used to work together, him and I, before I married the boss’s daughter. It was weird how lines appeared when shit like that happened. Guys I used to get drunk with, before I quit booze, were now bowing to me and calling me sir, all because I’d married Carrie.

  Fucking ridiculous.

  “Tell Sam I said hi.”

  He bowed to me. “Will do, sir.”

  I slid into the car next to my in-laws, smiling at them as Dan shut the door. "You guys ready?"

  “More than ready,” my father-in-law answered. “I’m sorry if I put you in an awkward situation by asking you to attend this event with me. Carrie and the kids could come along, if you’d rather.”

  Carrie and I had discussed that, but she had clients booked and didn’t want to leave them alone for the holiday season, which was so hard on so many people for many reasons. “It’s okay, I’m only going to be gone for a couple of days.”

  “I know,” he said, sighing. “But I felt like I was ripping the two of you apart like the old days, and it didn’t feel good.”

  I laughed, running my hand through my hair. “All due respect, sir, but anytime I have to leave my wife and kids, it’s gonna be hard. They’re my world.”

  “I know,” he said, smiling.

  “It’s one of the many reasons we love you,” my mother-in-law added, reaching across her husband’s lap to touch my hand. “You’re devoted to them, and anyone can see that.”

  I inclined my head, saying nothing.

  "I heard Riley and the rest of the boys are coming along," my father-in-law said, rubbing his chin.

  "Yeah. Riley kind of turned it into an impromptu boy’s trip.” I studied him closely. “Is that okay? It won’t interfere with my performance, of course.”

  “I don’t mind at all, I love Riley.” He hesitated. “And Ben and Hernandez, too, of course.”

  I knew all too well just how much my father-in-law loved Riley Stapleton. He'd wanted him to marry Carrie for the longest time. I'd wanted to hate Riley. Tried to dislike him on principle for being in love with my wife for years, but the dude was just too damn nice to hate.

  Believe me. I’d tried.

  “Good.” I glanced out the window at my house as we pulled away from the curb, swallowing hard. “Is it snowing in Utah?”

  I hadn’t seen snow in years.

  “A little. There’s a big storm coming, but it won’t hit until after we leave.”

  I nodded, watching my home until it disappeared. “Good, because I’m not missing Christmas with my family.”

  “Neither am I.” He tugged on his tie. “Still, it would have been nice if she could have came along. We could have celebrated Christmas in the mountains, with the snow.”

  A white Christmas. I missed those. Don't get me wrong, I loved California and the life we'd made here. It was my first home, and I'd fallen in love with Carrie on the beaches of my home state. But sometimes, especially this time of year around Christmas, I missed the bitter cold wind whipping through my layers of clothing and my winter hat. The family had a cabin in Big Bear we used to frequent, but after our big fight a few years ago, we hadn't gone back.

  I guess we both associated it with bad memories now. I didn’t like to think of the time I’d slipped back into bad habits, and almost lost my family. She didn’t either.

  So we never went back.

  “Maybe next year.”

  The rest of the ride passed in mostly silence, with a few words exchanged here and there. When we pulled up to Long Beach Airport, I scanned the runway for the family jet, but couldn’t find it. Sometimes I still couldn’t believe that I, the son of a security guard, married into a family who had a fucking private jet. “Where’s the plane? Are we early?”

  “It had technical difficulties, so we’re first classing it today. The Stapleton’s and company are joining us. He said if we had to fly commercial, then so did they.”

  I frowned. “Couldn’t we just take their jet?”

  “Not big enough.”

  Sighing, I gripped my knees. I wasn't spoiled, I swear to God. But not having the jet at our disposal when we were flying into snowy terrain made me nervous. What if the snow came sooner? What if the airlines cancelled flights? I didn't like playing with fate—not when it came to my family.

  "All right," I said, sliding outside the car when Dan opened the door for me. I turned, waiting for the rest of my family to exit the vehicle when I heard my name called out.

  I turned, spotting Hernandez. He wore a winter coat and hat that swallowed up his lean frame. Grinning, I forced my mind off changed plans and tried to relax a little. "You look ridiculous, man."

  Hernandez laughed. His dark brown hair showed out of the sides of his winter hat, and his brown eyes flashed with laughter. The dude was always smiling, which was funny, since he used to be one of the most serious guys I knew, back when we were younger. “I know, it’s great.”

  I snorted.

  Ben came up behind him, wearing a hoodie and a pair of jeans. I rarely saw him dressed down like that, so it was kind of weird. He held a Starbucks coffee in his hand, and his green eyes were sparkling with mischief. “Hey, man.”

  We clapped hands and did that man hug thing men did. “Sup?”

  “Excited for this vacation. It’s been too long.”

  Hernandez nodded. “Way too long.”

/>   “Let’s get this party started,” Riley said from behind me, throwing his arm over my shoulder. He, of course, wore a name brand suit and smelled of expensive cologne. The dude didn’t know how to dress down.

  Of course, I was in a suit, too, but I was on duty, so…

  “Time to check our luggage,” my father-in-law said, grinning at all of us.

  We nodded and grabbed our shit, heading for the doors. As we approached, Riley held my shoulder, slowing me down. "Carrie okay?"

  “Yeah, she’s not happy I’m leaving, but she’s all right.”

  “Good. Noelle will keep her busy.” He sighed, staring at our group. “She wasn’t too happy about me leaving, either, but it’ll be good for us. We’ve been together nonstop, so when I get back, we’ll have some wild reunion sex.”

  I grinned. “Reunion sex is pretty amazing.”

  “You know it, man.” He clapped my back. “You know it.”

  We headed inside the airport with the rest of our group. As we checked in, boarded the plane, took off, and flew over state lines, I couldn’t help but think that even though I was on a plane in the sky right now, my heart was firmly back in California.

  Five

  Carrie

  “But did he really feel that bad about it?” Marie asked, holding a wine glass between her fingers with her right hand, and a pair of scissors with her left. Since she was right-handed not much was happening as far as her helping me wrap presents went.

  The fireplace crackled next to us, occasionally popping with that wonderfully Christmas-like sound. We decided to turn on Christmas Vacation in the background, mine and Finn's favorite movie to watch when wrapping presents. Only Finn wasn't here this time.

  Marie and Noelle were.

  He'd been gone for two days, and he was due to come home Thursday morning. To be honest, I couldn't frigging wait. Two days was too long to be without my man. I loved my friends, don’t get me wrong, but I’d fallen asleep in my husband’s arms for so long that doing without just felt…wrong. The only other times we’d been apart, really, had been when we fought.