Something More (20 page)

“Fuuuck,” he swore. “Gonna come.”

I hummed, moving my head in a small nod, and worked myself up and down faster. My hand circled the base, pumping in time with my lips and tongue, and he flooded my mouth, hot and salty. I tried my best to swallow quickly and without making a big deal out of it.

Jonathan crouched down, his hands sliding to my shoulders and helping me stand. My knees shook as the blood began to flow properly, and he laughed. “And here I thought you made me weak in the knees,” he said.

“I will never get tired of seeing that,” Noah said.

I laughed. “I bet you won’t.”

“I’ll never get tired of
feeling
or seeing that,” he clarified.

Jay collapsed on one side of Noah, with me on the other. “Amen.”

Jay turned the lamp on his side off, so I did the same. We rarely slept without clothes, but I loved it. I loved feeling so close to them, mentally and physically. It was warm and snuggly, and there was absolutely nothing to get in the way of us touching each other.

“I love you guys. You make me so happy.”

They both hummed in agreement. Before I could process everything, I was drifting to sleep. I hadn’t yet fallen completely asleep when one of them moved and I jerked awake, realizing what I’d said. No one was freaked out even in the least, though. It was as if we’d always been in love, always acknowledged how we felt. There was no grand declaration or response, and I really appreciated that. It felt so comfortable and normal.
 

❦

Over the next few weeks, I noticed it slipping in more and more during our conversations and texts. It never failed to make me smile, even on the most miserable day. Because Christmas fell on a Thursday, we’d gotten Thursday and Friday off from work. I’d taken a half-day Tuesday to finish up my Christmas shopping for my friends and the boys—most of it I’d gotten done online, but there were a few pieces I still needed to pick up at local shops.
 

For Noah, I’d purchased a beautiful, giant wristwatch. He needed one desperately, and when I saw it, I knew it was perfect for him. It was large, manly, and a perfect fit for his personality. I’d gotten Jay a Kindle, knowing how much he loved to read, along with a gift certificate for some e-books.
 

Of course, I also bought Noah a box of his favorite expensive boutique chocolates, and Jay a wool scarf he’d had his eye on the last time we were at the mall. Then there were the small things I’d picked up for their stockings. They’d insisted that I hang a stocking at their house, and despite my protests that Gladys and Noah’s parents would ask questions, I finally relented.
 

I couldn’t wait for Christmas morning. I had plans to head over to their house as soon as I was awake and showered. Noah was cooking a huge Christmas day feast, and Jay insisted I come over ASAP to be there when everyone opened gifts. The ways they included me never failed to surprise me and make me feel like a cherished member of their family.

Christmas Eve, we’d made dinner plans at a restaurant with all of the family. I was nervous to see Gladys again, worried how she would react at my repeated presence, and worried about what Noah’s parents would think of me. When I arrived at the restaurant, everyone else was already there.
 

“Olivia, I’d like you to meet my mother, Abigail. Mother, this is Olivia,” Noah said, reaching between us.
 

Abigail embraced me, warm and larger-than-life, just like her son.
 

“And this is my father, Zachary. Dad, this is Olivia.”

Zachary held his hand out to shake mine, and Abigail promptly slapped it away. “Don’t be such an old man, Zach,” she scolded. His hug wasn’t quite as warm, and far stiffer than his wife’s, but it was still reminiscent of Noah and everything I knew of him. I could see how together, they made up the whole that was Noah, and I smiled.

“Lovely to meet you both,” I said. “And so nice to see you again, Gladys.”

She certainly wasn’t greeting me with arms wide open, so I simply nodded and smiled at her, taking my seat between the boys.
 

“We just ordered some appetizers, Liv. You might want to get a drink next time the lovely waitress walks by,” Noah said, eyes shifting toward the ceiling. He leaned in and whispered to me, “It’s going to be a long night with the Ice Queen.”

I bit my lip to keep in the laugh but heeded his advice, ordering a glass of red wine the next time the server was at our table. All in all, the meal could have been far worse. Of course, when Gladys was reminded that I’d be over in the morning, she scoffed and huffed.
 

“I don’t understand,” she mock-whispered to Jonathan. “Doesn’t she have her own family?”

Jay’s eyes went wide. “Mother,” he whispered, “we will talk about this later. For now, you
will
be polite to our guest.”

I couldn’t even really find it in me to be upset at her behavior. She was genuinely confused and didn’t understand what was going on, and she probably still thought I was trying to steal Noah away. If only she knew the truth. I wanted to get up and sit right on Jay’s lap to prove a point to her, but I’d never embarrass them that way.

After we ate dessert and had our fill of conversation, we all said goodbye. Well, I said goodbye to everyone. They were riding back to the house in Noah’s SUV, so we went our separate ways in the parking lot.
 

“Happy Christmas Eve, sweetheart. I love you. See you in the morning.” Noah squeezed me tightly and planted one quick, unseen kiss on my neck.

“Love you, too,” I said. “See you tomorrow.”

“G’night, sweets,” Jay said, wrapping me carefully in his arms. “Drive safely. Text me when you get home, please. Love you.”

“Will do. Love you, too.”

When I got home, I texted Jonathan as he’d asked. He’d sent several teasing texts during my drive about the gifts they had for me—both the kind that could be opened in front of their parents and the kind that couldn’t. I could barely fall asleep. I literally felt like a kid on Christmas Eve, except much older.

After tossing and turning for hours, I decided to take a shower around five. I knew neither of them would be awake yet, so I took my time, lounging under the hot water and letting it warm me thoroughly. When I’d shaved and plucked, dried off and gotten dressed, I blow-dried my hair. I even put it up in hot rollers as I applied some makeup. I found a soft, off-white cashmere sweater in the back of my closet and slipped it over my head carefully then pulled on my most comfortable jeans. A pair of cute boots completed my outfit, and I flopped on the bed in frustration when I realized it was only eight.
 

Even though Noah was likely making enough food to feed an army, it was impractical to not eat until dinner. I wandered into my tiny kitchen, thinking about how different it was from Noah and Jay’s. I made myself some peanut butter toast and a cup of coffee and sat at the table to read while I ate. After that, I turned on the TV and watched brainless shows until nine. It felt odd to be in my apartment by myself. All I ever did there anymore was sleep, do laundry, and feed myself. I couldn’t wait any longer, so I sent Jay a text asking if they were awake.
 

His reply came soon after I’d hit send, and a smile stretched across my face. They were indeed awake, and I was to “get my ass over there ASAP.” I packed up the gifts I’d wrapped and made sure to take one last look at my hair, makeup, and clothes before I practically ran out the door. It was so beautiful on the drive over. Most of the streets were empty, and the cold had seeped into the city, blankets of snow covering buildings and streets.

I parked in the driveway as usual, popping my trunk and laughing when I realized I’d bought more gifts for them than anyone else, ever. Oh well, I could afford to spoil them, and they always seemed to be spoiling me, so it seemed fair.
 

Before I opened the door, I knocked lightly, uncertain if maybe any of the parents were still asleep, then entered the house. It was warm, a fire roaring in the brick fireplace, and smelled amazing already. I smiled at our stockings, dangling away from the fire on the mantle. A couple of weeks ago, I’d slipped small wrapped bottles of their favorite cologne into both of their stockings, spice bottles into Noah’s, and a new, gorgeous pen into Jay’s.
 

“Hey!” Jay said, greeting me as he walked out of the kitchen, clearly not having heard me knock. “I’m so glad you’re here. You look amazing.”
 

We embraced, and I could tell no one was around by the way he kissed me. It wasn’t rushed or hurried, or something he was trying to hide. It was slow and sensual, and really, really made me want to drag him to the bedroom.

“Merry Christmas,” I breathed when our lips parted.
 

“Mhm,” he hummed, his mouth vibrating against mine.

“Hey, hey,” Noah protested, wrapping an arm around each of us. “Lemme in here.”

The three of us stood in the entryway, making out like teenagers. They both tasted so sweet, like coffee and maple syrup and home.

A throat cleared to the side of us, and I panicked that it was Gladys. I took one step back from them, hoping we could disguise our kiss as just their kiss, but when I saw Abigail looking at me with adoration, I was confused.

“Mom knows,” Noah said nonchalantly. “I told her months ago.”

“You did?” I gasped and smacked his arm. “How come you never told me she knew?”

He simply shrugged, and I thought about what a typical guy he was in that moment.
 

“No keeping secrets from your mama, is there?” Abigail said, hugging her son. “I’m just glad these two are still smiling and in love, and hey, who can object to more love to pass around, right? Just don’t tell Zach I said that.” She wandered off to the kitchen, giggling to herself.
 

“Dad doesn’t know,” Noah clarified.
 

“You win some, you lose some, I guess,” I said, shrugging.

“Come on, let’s get you fed,” Jay said. “Noah made the most amazing sausagey casserole thing. You’re gonna love it.”

Jonathan was right; I devoured breakfast. We all sat around the table; Gladys had woken up from all the commotion, she’d said, staring daggers at me, and Zach had wandered in looking adorably tired just after her. Everyone had coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice, along with a giant plate of food. It was a cacophony of forks and knives on plates, chattering voices carrying on several conversations. Chaos of the best variety.
 

“What time are Eden and the family getting here?” Abigail asked.

“Not until dinnertime,” Noah said.

“Eden’s coming?” I asked, trying to stay calm. I knew Noah had four siblings, but I wasn’t planning to meet any more family that night.
 

“Yeah. She and Sydney will be here with the kids.”

“Any of your other sisters or Eli?”

“Nope,” Noah laughed. “Just her. She lives close by, and we don’t get to see each other as much as I’d like since she’s busy with the kids. She wasn’t sure they could make it because of some drama with Syd’s parents.”

“I can’t wait,” I said, smiling. I genuinely meant it, too.
 

Every time Noah talked about his sister Eden, she sounded amazing. The rest of his family wasn’t quite as accepting of Jonathan, but given that Eden was gay, well, she got it. They’d been close since they were born. Noah was the baby, and Eden was the oldest, always caring for everyone like a second mother.

“Time for stockings?” Jay asked.
 

“Sure!” I said.
 

“Sounds perfect,” Noah said. “Turkey is in the oven. It’s a good time to take a break from cooking.”

I knew they had a whole family tradition of the stockings being opened first. Each of their parents had added items as well, so they were overflowing. So much, in fact, that when we got back into the living room, I noticed they’d been set on the ground instead of hung. It made me miss my parents and all of our wacky traditions.
 

“I just need to run to the restroom,” I said, and then leaned in to kiss Jay before I realized what I was doing.
 

Thankfully, he tilted his head to the side and I kissed his cheek softly. As I walked to the bathroom, I knew I just needed a few minutes to compose myself. I let a few tears fall, and then took several deep breaths, reminding myself that, even though my parents were gone, I wasn’t alone. I had all the family I needed in the next room over.
 

When I opened the bathroom door, the appearance of Jay standing right there startled me. “You okay?” he asked, pulling me into his arms.

“Yeah,” I said, letting out another deep breath. “I just needed a minute. Sometimes I miss my parents so much.”

“I’m so sorry, Olivia. I wish I could have met them.”

The lump stuck in my throat again, rendering me unable to speak, and I nodded against his shoulder. After a few minutes, he released me and we walked back to the living room holding hands. I tried to let his go, but he squeezed harder, keeping them together. We sat on the couch with Noah and set our stockings on the coffee table in front of us as we started to go through everything inside.
 

I’d never been so spoiled before. I opened several small but meaningful gifts from them and watched with delight as they opened mine. The best thing in the stocking, hands down, was a small framed photo of the three of us. It had been taken at the Christmas party, and every time I looked at it, my heart both melted and sped up, remembering everything we’d done together that night.
 

When the stockings had been emptied, we sat around the tree, passing gifts back and forth and up to the parents on the chairs and couch. I loved watching everyone’s expressions as they opened their gifts, and even Gladys seemed to get into the spirit. She smiled so genuinely, and I could see her easy spirit as she opened her gift and beamed. The boys had gotten her a set of golf clubs, and then taken a picture of them and wrapped that. Apparently she really enjoyed golfing, something I’d have never guessed.