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

When Braden couldn’t wait any longer, he blurted out, “What happened when you were ten?”


He clamped a hand over his mouth, as if embarrassed he’d said anything at all. But his eyes stared at Lane, begging for the rest of the story.


“When I was ten,” Lane told him, “we got in the car same as always. Second Sunday of Advent. Drove out to the library. Parking lot was empty. We pulled all the way around to the back, where we always parked. My sister and I were in the back seat, and my dad’s axe was between us on the floor. But do you know what we found when we got there?”


Leaning across the table, Lane whispered, “Someone had put up a fence.”


In spite of however he might have felt about Lane, Braden laughed. “A what?” he shrieked with delight.


Chapter 30