It’s Christmas Everywhere But Here (5 page)

Russ sagged into the wall, his legs refusing to hold him up or propel him forward. Em pulled back to kiss the man holding her, and Russ had a brief glimpse of Dave’s chiseled features before her bushy hair blocked it again.

Dave laughed, warm and deep, and spun around with his daughter in his arms.

“Papa! It’s Daddy! Daddy came back for Christmas!”

Russ nodded. The lump in his throat prevented any noise from getting out. Dave said something to Ems, but the pounding in Russ’s ears kept him from hearing it. Dave kissed her and set her down, but his eyes, clear blue eyes, never left Russ’s face.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” Russ reached out a shaky hand. Then the closet doors rattled as Dave kissed him, strong hands cupping Russ’s face, kisses hard and fast and not very deep, but still enough to take his breath away. Russ cried and laughed all at once, holding on so tight there was scarcely room between them.

It was like the first time they’d kissed, hot and hard, careening across Russ’s condo like an errant pinball. A kiss that had only ended once they were naked and sweaty and spent. This kiss was like that, thin lips over hard teeth, warm wet tongue, noses that kept colliding, only with the weight of experience and love and longing all poured together and boiling over.

“I missed you.” Dave’s voice was harsh, low.

“Oh God, you’re real.” Russ pressed a kiss on Dave’s jaw, buried his face in the warm flesh of Dave’s neck. “It’s Christmas, and you came.” Russ pulled back so he could see Dave’s face again, touch it. It was real and solid, not a memory or a photograph. “Christmas. All your presents are at home because we weren’t expecting—you don’t care.”

Dave shook his head.

Russ wiped the moisture from Dave’s cheek. He was the one with his emotions right under the surface, not Dave. Russ rubbed the tears between his fingers; they were real. The stiff fabric of his uniform, the bristle of his hair, the warm male scent of him. Russ used both arms to haul Dave into another bruising kiss. “Love you.”

“Love you back.”

“Daddy!” Emily’s whine made them both look down. Dave caught her up with one arm and kissed her cheek. Russ pulled back enough to finally see his family, standing at the end of the hall, watching them.

“David’s here,” he explained, reaching up to knuckle the tears off his own cheeks. “Dave, you remember my parents, Doris and Randall.”

“Ma’am, sir.”

Russ kept his hand on Dave’s shoulder but moved so that Dave could shake hands.

Doris just nodded at him, but Randall shook his hand firmly. “Welcome home, son.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Russ gave his dad a grateful smile. “And my brother, Max.”

“Good to see you again, man.” Max was all smiles and a clasping handshake.

“You also.”

Russ glanced around. “Austin. Oh, jeez.” Randall stepped aside to let Russ through.

Austin sat by the hearth where Russ had left him, eyes still on his video game. His small form rocked back and forth as his fingers flicked across the controls.

“There’s my boy.” Dave set Emily down with another kiss and knelt in front of his son. “Aus?”

“He was a little overloaded from the presents earlier,” Russ explained.

Emily tucked up against his side, bouncing. When Russ glanced down she mouthed, “It’s Daddy!”

“Okay.” Dave sat down on the floor where Russ had been, along Austin’s back. In one smooth move, he lifted the boy onto his lap. Austin froze for a moment; then he relaxed, and his fingers started flicking over the controls again.

“C’mere.” Dave patted the floor next to him. Russ didn’t hesitate to sit in the spot, Emily a heavy weight on his lap. The angle was odd, but they shared another kiss.

“We weren’t expecting you for a whole month, Daddy. How did you get here?”

Dave smiled at Emily, bending forward to peck a kiss on her nose. Down between their legs, Dave’s fingers entwined with Russ’s.

“I got to leave a little earlier than expected. I managed to get a flight here and took a cab from the airport. I couldn’t wait another second to be with my family.”

Russ squeezed the hand he held and rested his chin on Dave’s shoulder. “We couldn’t wait either.”

“There’s still presents.” Doris sounded hopeful.

“Actually, sweetie, Austin was a little burned out on presents, so why don’t we clean up a little bit. And then I think I have some steaks in the freezer.” Randall grinned down at them.

“We were saving those for something special.”

“I think the sergeant deserves something a little special for his first meal back, Dee. Max, you help your mom start gathering up the wrapping paper, and I’ll go get a trash bag.”

Russ sent a grateful smile his father’s way.

“Ems, how has your Christmas vacation been?” Dave grinned at his daughter.

“It’s been fun! Maddie and Savannah and Brittney and I all went to a movie, and then we went out for ice cream. Uncle Max is really cool, and his dog is pretty awesome too, though Austin doesn’t like the dog. And he got me a really great book on code breaking! Uncle Max, I mean. He says it’s got all kinds of puzzles in it. It’s right here. I’ll show you.”

Russ winced but remained unharmed as Emily crawled off his lap and darted across the floor to grab her book. He glanced over to find Dave gazing at him, smiling softly. Russ bent in for another kiss.

“Daddy, aren’t you listening?”

“I am. Your Uncle Max got you a code book and is the best uncle in the whole world
ever
, and you want to kidnap his dog. What else did you get for Christmas?”

Russ settled back while Emily gave her father a detailed account of her presents, Austin’s presents, and edited highlights of everyone else’s. He reached up, stroking the short hairs at the back of his husband’s head. Dave was home.

“W
AKE
UP
,
sleepyhead. Dinner’s ready.” Russ shook Dave’s shoulder. One eye cracked open, then slid closed again. “You chase Austin around for barely thirty minutes and then nap for two hours? Are you
old
?”

Dave burst up, wrapped his arms around Russ, and hauled the other man down onto the couch for a kiss. “Five years younger than you.”

“Only for three months of the year. Dinner’s ready.” Russ took another kiss before he pushed up. The torso under Dave’s T-shirt was solid and warm. Russ gave in to temptation and rubbed his hands over the strong pectoral muscles stretching out the worn fabric. He pressed a kiss on Dave’s arm and pushed away before he gave in and tore the shirt off.

“Russ?”

“I’m not mad.”

“Then why…?”

Dave sat up. Russ moved next to him, leaning into the one-armed embrace. “Because I was about to start pulling your clothes off, and I’m trying to respect my mom’s—disapproval.”

“Much as I want to—you know, I don’t really want to be naked in your parents’ living room either.” Dave kissed his cheek again.

“Yes, I’ve heard about your experience with living rooms.” Russ gave Dave a grin and stood.

“How did you hear about that?” Dave took the proffered hand to stand up.

“Your mother and I both missed you and would get to talking about you.”

“And she told you
that
story?”

“Among others.”

They rounded the corner into the dining room, hand in hand. Emily already had her plate full and was trying to help Austin, but he was clutching his to his chest. Russ got Dave in line first, following behind with Austin between them.

“Salad?”

“No.”

“Steak?”

“Yes.”

“Mashed potato?”

“Yes.”

“Only butter?”

“Yes.”

Dave had a bemused smile on his face. Russ concentrated on that and ignored his mother’s disapproving grunt at the small portions.

“Green beans.”

“No.”

Russ caught the spoonful as Austin jerked the plate away.

“I thought you liked green beans.”

“Goopy.”

Russ looked at the scoop of green bean casserole a moment before plopping it on his own plate. “Fair enough. Would you be okay if we rinsed the goopy part off?”

“No.”

“Okay. Milk to drink?”

“Water.”

“Okay, go sit, and I’ll get you water and non-goopy green beans.”

“Noooooooo….” Austin pressed against Dave’s side after one glance at the table.

Russ bit back his snap of “Austin!” and looked at the table first. Randall sussed it out the same time he did.

“Here, I’ll move next to Doris. That way Austin can sit between Russ and David.” Randall picked up his plate and moved before anyone could protest.

“Here, Aus.” Dave carried his own plate over to the table. “I’ll sit here, and you can sit right here between me and your pop.”

Austin sat, keeping his eyes on his plate.

Russ set down his own plate, slipping past Max to get into the kitchen. “Mom, is there another can of green beans?”

“No, dear, but there should be a bag in the freezer.” While he was rinsing out the pot, she hoisted herself up and fetched them for him out of the freezer door. “Are you sure you can’t just rinse off some of what’s already cooked?” she asked him quietly as she passed the bag over.

“I’m not going to lie to my son. I’ll cook them up. It’ll just take a minute.” The water was already starting to bubble.

It took five minutes, according to the package, and Austin’s plate was still untouched when Russ added the pile of green beans, careful not to let them touch any of the other foods.

“That all right, bud?”

“Yes.” Austin speared one with a fork and shoved it in his mouth.

Russ sat, applying himself to his own food, thankfully still warm. For once, Austin ate everything that had been put on his plate and even a couple of extra pieces of steak before he pushed his plate toward Russ and nudged his elbow.

“Are you done?”

“Yes, please.”

“Okay. Put your plate on the kitchen counter and wash your hands before you do anything else.”

Austin squirmed out of his chair and vanished to do as instructed.

“He eats green beans now?” Dave contemplated one off his own plate.

“Yes. And if you do anything to change that, I’ll… come up with a suitable threat later.”

Dave grinned at him. “And you’ve gotten him to kind of ask permission to leave the table. Before, the best we could hope for was he’d clear most of his plate before getting bored and wandering off.”

“It’s a work in progress.”

“Still doesn’t like his food touching, though.”

“Nope.”

“I don’t get that one.”

Before Doris could question the properness of such small portions in a growing boy, Russ asked Dave about the holiday airports. Now he just had to keep introducing new topics of conversation into any lulls until bedtime.

Or until they left.

“M
OM
, I
told you I’d get the dishes.”

“I know, but they needed doing, and I had a moment. No point in letting them sit.”

Russ moved in to grab a dish towel and dry what was already in the drainer.

“Russell….”

“Mom….”

They both started.

Russ chuckled. “You go first.”

“Russ—what is wrong with Austin? He didn’t even react when his father picked him up.”

“He totally did react.”

“He did not. He kept playing that silly video game. Don’t tell me what I did or did not see.” A pot plonked into the soapy water.

Russ wiped the splashed water off his arm. “When we came in from the hall, Austin was agitated, rocking back and forth. When David picked him up, he froze, long enough I think his guy died. In the game, I mean. And then he relaxed into David’s hug and started playing again. He was leaning against David, his head on Dave’s chest. He knew his dad was there.”

“I—how did you see that?”

“I looked for it. I’ve kind of learned what to look for the past few years.”

Russ dried the next dish in silence. “What we think is that Austin doesn’t have words, maybe not even concepts, for his emotions yet. So he kind of gets overwhelmed and—short circuits. And shutting everything out is how he deals to keep from getting to that point. David showing up unexpected was overwhelming for me, even.” Russ wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “So.”

Several more dishes passed in silence.

“Mom, I wanted to talk to you about sleeping arrangements for tonight.”

The serving spoon slipped from her grasp into the rinse water. “Oh?”

“I know that you don’t want Dave and I sleeping together under your roof. And that I kind of agreed to it at one point. But—I can’t, Mom. I don’t think it’s possible for me to be apart from him tonight.”

“Russell—”

“Mom, he’s exhausted. We won’t have—nothing will happen apart from sleeping. And if you’re not okay with it, we’ll find a hotel for tomorrow. But I have seen him only three weeks in the last twenty-one months, Mom, and I….” Russ set the knife down and pressed his hands over his eyes. When he pulled his hands away and wiped off the moisture, Doris was watching him. He couldn’t tell what the expression on her face meant.

“I promise nothing will happen. The kids will probably climb in with us, anyway.”

Doris turned back to the dishwater. “Just for tonight, Russell.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

The dishes got done, Max beat them all at rummy, and they watched one of Randall’s new DVDs.

Finally the kids got put in bed, for however long they were going to stay there, and it was the adults’ turn to use the bathroom.

“You can borrow my toothbrush, if you want.” Russ leaned back into Dave’s embrace, his skin alive at the short kisses trailing down his neck.

“Your dad found me an extra one. I think they bought out Costco.”

“What? You don’t like sharing—whoa.” Halfway through turning, Russ’s train of thought derailed at the sight of Dave’s bare torso as his T-shirt was pulled up and off.

“What?” Dave moved past him to get to the sink.

“You’re more ripped than I remember. And—”
Skinny
. “—lean.” Russ ran his hand down Dave’s torso, feeling the taut muscle under the tan skin and the short blond hairs catching at his fingers.