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

Lane made the last trip to clear off the snow, shortly after five o’clock. Though it wasn’t very late, the world beyond the cabin’s sliding glass door was pitch black. When Braden sat at the kitchen table to play with his DS, he asked Remy to turn on the porch light outside. “So I can watch it snow,” he said.


“You’ve been watching it snow all afternoon,” Remy replied, but he turned on the light anyway. He had dinner to cook, and if watching the snow kept Braden from suggesting another course of SpaghettiOs, Remy could leave the light on.


Chapter 51