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“Not my first time,” I tell him, laughing.

He tugs me into his arms and kisses me, and I melt into it.

Callan comes up behind him, and he doesn’t say anything. His eyes are intense though, and when he kisses me as well, there’s hunger in it. We’ve only been apart for a few hours, but it’s nice to know they’re happy to see me.

“Don’t get comfortable,” Ares says. “I did promise we would go get a Christmas tree, didn’t I?”

Tate groans at having to go back outside, but we all troop out into the snowy woods, using the moonlight overhead and our phone flashlights to see where we’re going.

“Where did you even find an axe?” I ask Ares, who’s swinging it as he walks.

“In the shed behind the cabin.” He jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “I think it’s for chopping more firewood, but it’ll work for this too.”

I remember going to the Christmas tree farm every year to watch my parents pick out the perfect tree, but this is much more entertaining. Tate, Callan, and Ares bicker over which tree to pick, debating the merits of height versus width, and the likelihood of being able to drag a big one back and get it through the door.

They finally settle on one that’s a bit smaller, but beautifully proportioned, and Ares starts trying to cut it down.

“Put your back into it,” Tate calls, standing there with his arms folded.

“Do you want to take a turn?” Ares snaps.

“No, I’m supervising.”

“Supervise my ass,” Ares mutters back, going back to chopping.

“That’s Brynn’s job, thanks very much.”

Callan is mostly quiet except to offer a very deadpan, “It’s going to fall on you if you keep cutting it that way,” which makes Ares break into cursing.

Finally it comes down, and we haul it back to the cabin. Callan manages to find a stand for it in the closet while Tate goes to start a late night dinner.

They stopped for groceries on the way to the cabin, although Tate has some colorful words about trying to find good ingredients in a town this small. “I didn’t realize tarragon was a big city ingredient, excuse the fuck out of me, Hope Falls.”

Soon enough, the whole cabin smells like cooking meat and spices, and Callan laughs when he turns on the TV and sees that there’s a Christmas movie that Ares has a minor role in already on. We settle in with garlicky pasta and hot cider and it’s so much more than I expected when I was planning to come back here for Christmas.

It might just be the best one I ever had.

35

CALLAN

In the morning, I wake up in my room in the cabin with the sun in my eyes. It glints off the snow outside, and I throw an arm over my face to block it out for a little while.

Last night was good.

After the awkward way things were at Brynn’s parents’ house, I wasn’t expecting to see her until we got to the festival. So it was nice that we were able to convince her to come over last night. She stayed until it got pretty late, and then Ares took her back so she could sneak back into her parents’ house.

All we did was watch movies and eat food. There wasn’t any sex, but nothing really felt like it was missing. I just liked having her here and being around her. There’s a flash of apprehension at that, which makes me sigh. I know better than most that getting attached to people is usually a mistake. A dangerous one at that. They could leave you or be snatched away at any point, and then you’re left to pick up the pieces.

I sigh, rubbing my face before getting up. The view out of the window in my room is pretty, with the snow covered landscape and beautiful trees. The sun is at the right angle to light it all up, so I grab my sketchbook and start drawing some ideas. There are always outdoorsy people who would like tattoos inspired by real life scenes like this.

A knock on the door shakes me out of the zone, and Tate calls, “Breakfast is on the table, Cal.”

“On my way.”

By the time I’m dressed and heading for the kitchen, the whole cabin smells like cinnamon and syrup. Tate has a huge stack of French toast on the table with eggs and bacon. Ares is already halfway through his plate, and I load one up for myself and make a cup of coffee.

“So what’s the plan for today?” Tate asks. “Are we exploring the town that made you or whatever?”