Country Christmas by Riley Knight

Author:Riley Knight [Knight, Riley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LoveLight Press
Published: 2018-11-27T00:00:00+00:00

FOURTEEN

There was no less work to do. His financial situation was still as utterly hopeless as ever, and Stephen still didn’t know what he was going to do about that. Edward was still going to leave in a few short weeks, and nothing that had been said between them had indicated any different. In truth, Stephen had been too scared to ask, because he wasn’t sure that he could handle the rejection, the scorn, that he was bound to get from the older man.

So, with all of that being said, why was Stephen so happy? Why was he, for the first time in at least five years, actually counting down the days as they ticked down toward Christmas? Looking forward to what had been nothing more to him, really, than another day?

He could remember when it had been otherwise. Like most kids, Christmas had been a day about presents, both giving and receiving, and smiles, and laughter. Food. Family. And all of it made so much better by the anticipation which had built up beforehand.

For whatever stupid reason, this Christmas felt like that. Only he was too honest to let it go at that. It wasn’t whatever stupid reason. It was Edward. Edward in his bed, Edward by his side working during the day, more and more help as he recovered from his accident and learned the little tasks which needed to be done. Edward, who dragged Stephen away from work sometimes, who bullied him into letting the work go if he had to.

It was all Edward.

It was just a few days before Christmas, and Stephen woke up early, though not quite as early as he used to. The sun was peeking over the horizon, because these days, with his mother and Edward both helping around the ranch, the to-do list was shrinking. Some days, it even got completed. That was something that Stephen couldn’t say he had been able to do alone.

Rolling over in bed, he smiled as he looked into Edward’s sleeping face. Greedily, like he could etch the sight deep into his mind, his eyes devoured it. The filtered golden early morning light came in through the window, touching Edward’s hair like it had been sprinkled with gold dust, emphasizing the high cheekbones and full, dramatic lips. Someday, maybe, he would get used to how incredibly good looking this man was, but as of right now, it still hit him like a sharp blow to the stomach. But somehow it was also a good thing. He had yet to figure that out.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Edward recommended, a slow smile spreading on his lips. His eyes were still closed, eyelashes spread thick and dark over his cheeks, but he sensed Stephen looking at him, anyway.

“If I’m going to take a picture of you, you’re not going to have your blankets on,” Stephen teased, and part of him was still surprised at how easily the light, flirtatious banter came to him. He had never been that sort of person, but with Edward, somehow, it just came out.

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