Ah, ’tis the season.
Nothing said holiday spirit like a good old-fashioned murder threat. One of these days, his husband’s brothers-in-arms might go through with it. Ace had that effect on people. Right now, he was having that effect on Joker. Because if you were going to tempt fate, why not do it with the most explosive of the bunch?
“Is it my fault you decided to step into the center of that particular roll of lights?” Ace asked, moving away slowly.
“The floor is nothing but rolls of lights, Anston!”
Joker wasn’t wrong. An ocean of Christmas lights covered the concrete floor of their expansive garage. Ace just happened to pull on the strand of lights attached to the roll Joker had stepped in. He’d yanked, and well…here they were. Meanwhile, Chip—Joker’s Belgian Malinois—had decided the strings of lights were evil and, therefore, must be destroyed. Any time a strand of lights moved, he pounced like a giant black rabbit. Thankfully, he didn’t see the need to bite the strands, only to land on them with his front paws, killing the beast dead and saving his people from being attacked.
Colton sighed. He’d expected this. Quite frankly, this was only the beginning. As sweet as the sentiment was, nothing good could come of his husband wielding a staple gun. As a former Green Beret, Ace was an expert at many things. DIY was not one of those things. Mostly because Ace had a habit of trying to enhance whatever home improvement he’d decided to work on. Merely fixing the thing was not an option.
This usually resulted in incidents like the water pressure being so strong that the shower head exploded, embedding itself in the tile wall. Good thing his husband had killer reflexes and had ducked in time. Then there was the time he “fixed” the dishwasher. Colton had turned it on, only for it to start shaking. He’d quickly jumped out of the way moments before the machine shot out from its space beneath the counter. Water went everywhere.
Joker growled at the uncooperative roll of lights in his hands. “Tell me again why we’re decorating your ginormous mansion when your obnoxiously rich husband has professional decorators who come out every year?”
Again, not wrong.
“Because this way, it’s more personal. You get the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself,” Ace replied through gritted teeth as he attempted to untangle another giant ball of lights.
By “yourself,” Ace really meant “with a small army of former Green Berets.”
“This was rolled perfectly last year and in a box! How is it tangled? Stupid lights.” Ace huffed and put the roll on the floor. Picking up a new one, he plugged it in. Nothing happened. “Motherfricking shirtballs! I checked every single one of these last week!”
There was something not quite right about his husband’s colorful rants against the backdrop of “Sleigh Ride” by the Ronettes.
“Yeah, this one’s not lighting up either,” Joker said, his frown deep. He placed it on the floor, and it rolled, which, of course, drew Chip’s attention. He sped over and pounced. The roll of lights soared off the garage floor in a glorious arc, hit the inflatable snowman, ricocheted, and smacked Ace in the head. He reeled back, and Colton jumped to his feet.
“Ace—”
Too late.
Ace tripped on the roll of lights behind him. He turned to catch himself only to tangle his feet further until gravity triumphed, and he hit the floor. Hard.
“Owwww.” Ace groaned, and Joker laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes. Chip stood over Ace, tail wagging and tongue lolling out. “What? You don’t get praise for that. I thought we were buds!”
Chip barked, licked Ace’s face, then happily trotted away to Joker, who patted his head. “Good boy.”
Colton helped Ace up. He could practically see the wheels turning in his husband’s head. “Why don’t we take a little break? I bet Red’s Christmas cookies have cooled off.”
As expected, whatever terrifying idea Ace had been contemplating vanished at the mention of Christmas cookies, much like the brief winter breeze they’d had this morning. They were back to eighty degrees in December.
Like every year, there was little chance of a frosty Christmas in Florida and no chance of a white Christmas. They headed inside the cool, air-conditioned house, the sound of their family’s laughter and chatter warming his heart and making him smile.
When Colton had first met Ace, he’d never expected to fall in love with the man, much less inherit the kind of family he’d spent a lifetime wishing he had. They were a complicated, boisterous, and quirky group, and Colton wouldn’t change a thing.
As usual, their gentle giant, Red, was cooking, baking, and singing along to the holiday music while his boyfriend, Laz, decorated cookies and cupcakes. Ace’s cousin Lucky and his cowboy, Mason, were inspecting the Christmas tree. Lucky had strong opinions on what should and should not go on the tree. Tinsel was absolutely out of the question. Something about waking up from a nap and being covered in it? No doubt Ace had been involved.
Jack sat on the couch with his laptop, creating a complex music and lighting sequence while his boyfriend, Fitz, snuggled with his fluffy black poodle, Duchess. Leo’s joyous laughter was infectious as he chased and played with Chip, who’d dashed straight for his favorite human the moment they’d stepped inside. Meanwhile, Leo’s fiancé, King, conversed with Joker’s boyfriend, Gio.
Joker was the last person Colton would have expected his best friend to have fallen for. The two were so different. One was a former Green Beret explosives expert turned bodyguard, the other a billionaire philanthropist who’d traveled the globe helping people. Colton had worried for Gio, afraid Joker would break his heart, but in the end, the two were perfect for each other.
At times, Colton couldn’t believe how their family had grown over the last few years. He was so happy the rest of the Kings and the Wild Cards found love, especially with the men he’d come to care for so deeply.
Ace wrapped his arms around Colton as Joker joined Leo and Chip in play. Gio gave the command to Cookie, relieving his Golden Retriever from his service dog duties so he could run off and join the fun. He bounded happily, his fluffy tail wagging happily and tongue lolling out.
“You having a mushy moment?” Ace asked, kissing Colton’s cheek.
“We’re so fortunate.”
Ace turned Colton around, his smile soft as he wrapped his arms around Colton’s waist and held him close. “Yeah, we are. You know, I was thinking. Maybe we should go with the decor people.”
“I thought you wanted it to be more personal.”
“I want it to be perfect. For you. And if that means professional decorators, then we’ll do it.”
Colton shook his head. “We don’t need professional decorators. Or snow. Or sleigh rides.” He sighed. “This isn’t a Hallmark movie.”
Ace opened his mouth to reply, then closed it, an odd expression coming onto his face. “What if it could be?”
Colton was perplexed. “I’m sorry, I don’t follow.”
“When you were little, all you wanted was the kind of Christmas you saw in your favorite holiday movies. The perfect Christmas.”
“There’s no such thing as a perfect Christmas, love, but this is pretty close, don’t you think?” Colton kissed him, laughing against Ace’s lips when everyone cheered and catcalled. He shook his head at their ridiculousness.
Lucky called Ace over, and Colton walked to the kitchen to snag himself a Christmas cookie. Red and Laz sang along to “Last Christmas” by Wham! making Colton chuckle. He scanned the expertly iced cookies, his eyes landing on a deer cookie with a sleigh cookie behind it.
What if…?
Colton picked up the sleigh cookie, and before he could talk himself out of it, he sent a quick text to Joshua, his executive assistant. His phone rang a few minutes later.
“Joshua,” Colton replied. “One second.” He excused himself, hurried upstairs to his and Ace’s bedroom, and shut the door. “Sorry. I’m back. What do you think? Is it possible?”
“It is, but before I make any arrangements, I need to let you know that I spoke to Clara, the hospitality manager, and she informed me that due to the storm that blew through there a couple of weeks ago, their town hall is closed.”
“Oh, is that all? That’s fine. Go ahead and make all the arrangements.” They were good as long as the town’s Ice Castle was open. It was where all of the festivities took place anyway.
“You should have a confirmation email within the next few minutes.”
“Wonderful. Thank you, Joshua.” Colton hung up and made a few more calls. By the time everything was set up, he was excited and nervous. What if no one else was on board? Shaking his head, he headed back downstairs. He tugged on Ace’s sleeve, pulling him to one side.
“I have an announcement to make. Could you…?”
“Of course, baby.” Ace turned and called out across the room. “Everyone shut your pie holes!”
Everyone went silent.
Colton sighed. “Not what I had in mind, love, but thank you.” He cleared his throat. “I wanted to let you all know how thankful I am to have you all in my life. You’ve been more of a family to me than my own blood, but you already knew that. I love you all so much.”
“We love you too, Colt,” Fitz called out.
The room filled with awwws, and Colton held back a laugh. No need to be nervous. This is your family.
“Okay, so I’ve been thinking about having a white Christmas for the longest time. Years, actually. I vaguely recall staying at a ski lodge with my parents when I was younger. Of course, that was less about family and Christmas and more about who my parents could impress. But something Ace said gave me an idea. I thought having a special holiday season might be nice for our new family. With that in mind, I have a surprise for everyone.” Colton forwarded the email from Joshua to everyone. Eleven phones pinged. “Check your emails.”
“What’s Winterhaven?” Lucky asked.
Colton had been researching Winterhaven for years, hoping to one day get the white Christmas he’d dreamed of, but the time never seemed right. Now, it felt right. “I’ve rented a luxury family cabin for the holidays in the beautiful and picturesque small town of Winterhaven. We’re going to have a white Christmas!”
King frowned, but that was his default expression. “This schedule says from tomorrow until the end of December.” He lifted his blue gaze. “Colton, we can’t take that much time off.”
“We own the company,” Ace said with a shrug. “Of course we can.”
“Ace, it’s almost a month.”
“What are you saying? Do you really think with our stringent hiring process and all the training we put our people through that we don’t have anyone to look after the company while we’re away?”
“It’s all right,” Colton said. “I understand. I should have asked first. I can cancel the reservation.”
Fitz held a hand up. “Um, I want to go to Winterhaven.”
Jack blinked at him. “You do?”
“Babe, did you see the picture of their Ice Castle?”
“Ice Castle?” Jack checked his screen. “What happens to it in the summer?”
“It’s not made of ice, my love. It’s made of light stone that makes it look like it’s made of ice. How magical is that? Think of all the cozy sweaters I can wear!” Fitz leaned in and brushed his lips over Jack’s. “We can drink hot cocoa in front of the fire. Keep each other warm under cozy blankets.”
Jack hummed. He seemed to like that idea.
Leo gasped. “Santa’s there.” He lifted his gaze to King. “I want to go.”
Everyone looked to King, who smiled warmly. “Sweetheart, he’s not—”
“Actually Santa,” Leo said, his smile big. “I know that. He’s the mayor. But he looks like Santa, and according to my online search results, Winterhaven is the perfect small-townChristmas destination. It’s famous for its holiday festivities.”
Joker snorted as he looked down at his phone. “Damn. The mayor does look like Santa. That’s an impressive beard.”
“So beautiful,” Laz said, scrolling through something on his phone. “I could take so many picturesque photos there.” He showed Red his cellphone. “Look at that scenery.”
Red kissed the side of Laz’s head. “It’s beautiful, sweetheart.”
“What do you guys say?” Ace turned to King. “How about it, big guy? Ready for the perfect Christmas?”
King moved his gaze back to Leo, and Colton knew there was no way King would say no to that sweet face and boyish smile. He let out a sigh and smiled. “You’re right. We have a great team. They’ll be okay without us for a few weeks.”
There was cheering, and Fitz squealed. He clapped his hands excitedly, then gasped. “Wait. The reservation says tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow afternoon,” Colton confirmed. “The town doesn’t have its own airport, so we’re taking the jet to the next town over. From there, a helicopter will fly us in.”
“Jack, we have to go! I need to pack! And buy some coats!” Fitz ran over to Colton, threw his arms around him, and squeezed him tight. He kissed Colton’s cheek. “Thank you so much, Colton! This is going to be amazing!”
Colton was thrilled at how happy everyone was. Even the dogs were excited. They might not know what was happening, but they knew something was going on. Most of the Kings, Joker, and Jack still seemed a little uncertain about being away for so long, but Colton hoped that once they arrived at Winterhaven, they’d enjoy all the sugary holiday goodness. Everyone thanked him and headed off to pack.
Ace took Colton’s hand in his and turned him. “Baby, you are amazing. I know you’re nervous, but don’t be. Everyone is going to have a great time. Did you see how excited they were?”
“Do you think they’re going to have fun? I know this really isn’t their thing.” Colton didn’t need to say who. His husband was well aware of who he referred to. As the owners of Four Kings Security, all the guys struggled with time off. They were always busy, often working. It was just who they were. Thankfully, their significant others were able to get them to relax.
“This break will do them good. Not just them but the rest of the guys. Did you see Leo’s face light up when he saw that the mayor looked like Santa? I can’t with him. He’s too freaking adorable.” Ace pulled Colton close and kissed him. “Trust me, sweetheart. This is going to be the perfect Christmas. I know it.”
Colton wrapped his arms around his husband and returned the kiss, letting himself get lost in Ace’s love and strength. Ace was right. Once they arrived and everyone saw the beauty of Winterhaven, they’d loosen up and get into the holiday spirit.
Winterhaven spent months preparing for the Christmas season, knowing that hundreds of people would flock to their charming town every year to experience the perfect Christmas. The town had been featured multiple times in magazines and had thousands of glowing reviews, which was impressive, especially since the worst reviews people could come up with were things like “it was too cold” or “the snow wasn’t white enough.”
The entire town would be painstakingly decorated, and the Ice Castle would host all of the Christmas events, from a hot chocolate contest to ornament decorating and, of course, meeting Santa and his reindeer. There was so much to look forward to. Colton couldn’t wait to go for a romantic sleigh ride with his sweetheart. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
Maybe he’d get his perfect Christmas after all.
