City planner Remy McIntosh is looking forward to spending the holidays with his lover, architect Lane Anders. For the past six months, he’s been planning the perfect getaway -- two weeks in a forest cabin at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains. Remy also has a special gift he can't wait to give Lane on Christmas Day: a wedding ring. But Remy's ex-wife changes her Christmas plans at the last minute, and asks him to take care of their eight-year-old son, Braeden. Remy loves spending time with his son, but balks at the idea of taking a child along on vacation. The main problem is that Braden has never met Lane, and doesn't know his father is gay. Lane is ready to take his relationship with Remy to the next level, and has a secret Christmas gift of his own. Having a young boy along will put a crimp in their plans, to be sure, but Lane wants to be a part of every aspect of Remy's life, and that includes Braden. How will Braden deal with meeting the "other man" in his father's life? What happens when Remy’s romantic holiday for two must also include his son?

Just the Three of Us

Braden glanced at him. Without removing the straw from his mouth, he muttered, “What?”


“Listen, um…” Remy wasn’t sure where to go or what to say next. “Maybe things got off to a bad start, you know? I don’t want you acting this way for the next two weeks. So what’s really bugging you, hmm? Can you tell me?”


Glaring at the back of Lane’s head, Braden shrugged.


Remy rubbed his son’s knee. “Is it me, maybe?” he offered. “Did your mom say something about me not wanting you to come along with us? Because I think we’ll have a great time, just the three of us. I think we can really have a lot of fun. But not if you’re in this mood of yours.”


Remy tried a different tactic. “You were real excited back home when I first showed up. What happened, huh? What changed that?”


“Fine.” Remy turned back around, facing the road again. “I tried. But if you’re mad about something, I can’t talk to you about it unless you tell me what it is that’s bothering you.”


Chapter 20