him, that I didn’t expect him to be perfect.
I wasn’t about to expect something from him that I couldn’t accomplish myself, that was for damn sure. Mostly it was great between us and sometimes it was rough, but no matter what, we made it through. That was what family did.
Dominic held me through my angst attacks over seeing and hearing about my dad’s antics again. We’d actually made eye contact half a dozen times since I got back to town, each time from a distance with no talking involved. I’d shared with Dominic what happened on that impromptu Christmas visit I’d made, and it had felt good to talk it over with my partner, even better to snuggle on the couch after I was done ranting and watch a comfort movie together.
In turn, I helped as best I could with his PTSD. And on the family front, both of us had spent last week with Hal when the girls were off in Jersey having Christmas with Ariel. They’d come back on the twenty-sixth, full of stories and laughter, and Hal had hardly stopped smiling since.
“Oh, hey.” Dominic pointed at the kitchen table. “I checked the mail before I came in. You got a card. A fancy one.”
“Yeah?” I glanced over his shoulder. The envelope was forest green, with a beautiful foil snowflake stamp in the corner. In perfect penmanship, the first line of the return address read The Stallers.
“It’s from Marcus,” I said with a smile, walking over to the table to pick it up. I slid my finger under the flap and pulled it open.
“That was nice of him.”
I took the card out—a cardinal on a snowy bough—and read the inside.
Happy holidays in your new home, Max. I wish you all the joy in the world, and a very happy new year. Best to you and yours, Marcus, Clara, Marcus Jr., and Zachary.
This was the first Christmas card I’d ever received from him that included his whole family. I hoped that meant he was spending more time with them. I listened to Hal and the girls play with the dogs in the living room and felt Dominic beside me, reading with interest and knew all the way to my bones that I couldn’t possibly be happier.
The Instant Pot began to beep, and Dominic whirled to take care of it as Jake ran toward us, barking with excitement and worry. “Hey, buddy, it’s okay,” Dominic said soothingly, kneeling in front of our dog and stroking his head until he stopped whining. “It’s okay, yeah, that’s a good boy. Good boy.”
“Is it done? I’m so hungry!” Marnie called from the front.
“So hungry!” Steph agreed.
Hal appeared in the kitchen door. “Help me out here. The kids are about to turn into cannibals.”
I handed him the bread basket. “Placate them with rolls. We’ll be done in here in a minute.”
“Thanks.”
Dominic was so wrapped up in Jake he hadn’t even noticed the commotion. I loved seeing him so at ease in our home, in our life.
“Hey, babe,” I said. “Are you ready?”
Ready for dinner? Ready for a new year? Ready for a life with me?
He beamed at me. “Yeah, I am.”
“Good. Me, too.”
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Acknowledgments
I couldn’t have done this without my plotty ficwife Tiffany, who helped me test out the concept in the first place, and my amazing editor Amy, who worked so hard to help me polish it into something I’m amazingly proud of.
About the Author
Cari Z is a Colorado girl who loves snow and sunshine. She writes award-winning LGBTQ fiction featuring aliens, supervillains, soothsayers, and even normal people sometimes.
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