Brothers in Blue A Bryson Family Christmas - Jeanne St. James Page 0,48
a tropical drink with one of those little colorful umbrellas.
And maybe even wearing a banana sling bathing suit.
Hopefully, Adam could talk him out of the last. Not talking him out of it, but talk him out of wearing one. In truth, it would be easy to talk him out of it. All Adam would have to do is get naked himself.
His future husband was crazy, but it was the type of crazy Adam could deal with. It kept his life from being boring, that was for damn sure.
And Teddy kept Adam’s thick eyebrows on point. That was a plus.
As he hit the Brysons’ spot on the sidewalk, he stopped at every chair and gave hugs to the ladies, a handshake to Uncle Ron, and hair ruffles to the kids, even Greg, who laughed and jumped out of his seat to give Adam a bone-crushing hug, anyway.
One kid’s hair he did not ruffle was Hannah’s. She would’ve squawked like a hen trying to lay an egg if he even tried. So, he stopped in front of the ten-year-old going on sixteen and held out his hand.
Hannah knew the routine. She unburied one of her hands from under the blanket she was huddled under, pulled off her purple glove and placed her hand in his. He dropped to one knee, bowed his head and kissed the back of it. “Good day, Princess.”
“Good day, peasant,” she responded like normal, lifting her nose and her voice sounding all hoity-toity.
“If it pleases my princess, her peasant would like to pass so I can visit with my fiancé?”
“You may,” she said like an eighty-year old queen. A queen of the royalty, not of the drag variety.
Adam got to his feet and tipped his head in thanks. “Your highness is so generous and kind.”
Ron snorted beside her. “If her highness doesn’t keep her hiney in line, all her presents are getting thrown into the fire. Or donated to charity.”
“What did you do?” Adam asked Hannah as her face began to twist.
“Nothing,” she muttered.
“Were you calling your brother a piece of organ meat again?”
“No.”
“Yes!” everyone yelled in unison, including Greg.
“Tsk, tsk, Princess. You won’t be allowed to attend the ball.”
Hannah rolled her eyes, but her lips curled slightly. “I don’t have a prince to escort me, anyway. Dad said no princes ‘til I’m thirty.”
“Forty,” came from Ron.
“Grandpa!”
“Okay, young lady, fifty. Keep it up and I’ll add another decade.”
“You’re not my father!”
Everyone froze. No one moved.
That was, everyone except Ron, whose head turned slowly toward his granddaughter. “You’re right. I’m not. I’m your father’s father, so that makes me the king of this family. All hail the king!”
Greg laughed and boomed, “Grampa is king! He needs a crown! Gramma that means you’re... you’re the queen.”
“Uh uh,” Teddy butted in. “I’m the queen in this family. No one is usurping that position from me.”
No, they weren’t. But Teddy’s crown just might be a bit tilted.
Adam grinned at his fiancé, who blew him a kiss.
When he moved in front of his future husband, Teddy held his hand out, too. “This queen expects the same treatment, peasant.”
Adam chuckled and dropped to one knee onto the cold concrete, kissing his fiancé’s hand.
“Oh,” Teddy purred. “I like you on your kn— Ow!”
Amanda had given him a good shot to the ribs. “She’s ten. Remember? She’s not dating until she’s fifty. Let’s not give her ideas in the meantime.”
“Like you and that buck of yours don’t.”
“Mom wants Dad to spank her,” Hannah announced loud enough that even the crowd nearby turned. Everyone in the Bryson bunch once again froze.
Ron coughed sharply, trying to cover a laugh.
Teddy turned to Hannah as Adam got to his feet. “Get it right. Everyone wants your dad to spank them, girl. Ev-ery-one.”
“I don’t!” Oliver piped up down the row.
“I don’t!” Greg bellowed.
“My dad doesn’t believe in spanking,” Hannah announced.
“Oh, yes, he— Ow! Girlfriend, I’m going to have a bruise if you don’t stop it,” Teddy complained to Amanda.
Ron turned to his granddaughter. “You don’t think your father wasn’t spanked?”
“Oh, I’m so jelly right now,” Teddy whispered.
“Was he bad?” Hannah asked.
“Oh, please say he was bad,” Teddy said under his breath.
“I see I’m only second choice,” Adam teased.
Teddy flapped a hand around. “No, of course not. You’ll always be my number one. Just like I’m your number one, too, right?”
“Nobody but you, Teddy Bear.” And he meant that, even though Teddy was worried about his fidelity right now.
“Aww,” Amanda said and elbowed Teddy right in the ribs again, making him wince.