Lucas winced, suddenly remembering that his ass would be sore. Jacob smirked. “So head for my room while I change this bed.” Jacob leaned down again to whisper in Lucas’s ear. “Only good boys who do what Daddy tells them get presents from Santa.”
Lucas shivered as Jacob’s warm breath bathed his ear, but he let himself be pulled up and escorted to Daddy’s bathroom. “I put some aloe in the water. It should help to take the sting out.”
Lucas flung his arms around Jacob’s waist, feeling a very different type of sting as he remembered what had led up to the best sex of his life. “I’m sorry.”
Jacob’s arms tightened around him, and he pressed a kiss to his head. “So am I, sweetheart,” Jacob murmured. “Now get in so I can wash your hair, then I want you to wear something new.”
Lucas’s ears pricked up. Something else? But he got into the water and hissed at first when he sat down, and by the time Jacob had gently washed his hair and noodled him completely with a head massage, Lucas could have floated downstairs. He stood obediently and allowed Jacob to dry him, and then he peed and brushed his teeth while Jacob fussed.
Lucas stopped in surprise at the bed, not completely sure what he was looking at. “Is it for me?” Jacob nodded and steered Lucas to the bed and helped him get dressed. It was a onesie, similar to the type Lucas had been looking at on Jacob’s laptop, but this didn’t have racing cars on; it had cute puppies and kittens all snuggling together. He loved it. “It’s adorable,” Lucas whispered, and Jacob chuckled.
“So are you.”
They went downstairs, and Lucas had the best Christmas Eve of his life. They ate a lovely dinner, played Monopoly, and then settled down to watch a Christmas movie about a lost puppy and the little boy who saved it from the pound. Lucas could sympathize. He didn’t even let his job worries intrude once. There was no way Jacob was still going to England. It was impossible. He wouldn’t treat Lucas as well as he had and then turn around and just go.
Lucas kept that thought firmly in his mind as he eventually fell asleep tucked tight in his Daddy’s arms.
The next morning Lucas woke to being kissed. He returned the kiss until he woke properly and then jerked back, mumbling about morning breath, and slapped a hand over his mouth. Daddy just laughed and kissed him on the end of his nose. Then he let him scoot to the bathroom, and when he came back, he spied the yummy bowl of fresh fruit, orange juice, and large coffees with milk just as he liked them. Lucas bounded on the bed and tackled Jacob thankfully before he’d picked up his coffee. “Merry Christmas.”
Jacob beamed and kissed him harder. “Merry Christmas. I thought we’d have a snack and then eat breakfast later depending on whether you want to eat dinner tonight or earlier.” Lucas wound his arms around Jacob.
“I could have a snack now,” he whispered throatily. “I guess it depends how hungry Daddy is.”
“Brat,” Jacob scolded fondly but proceeded to show him exactly how a boy should be woken up every morning in Lucas’s opinion. They even fed each other the fruit.
An hour later Lucas was hopping about with excitement. He wanted Daddy to open his presents, and there were definitely at least five more gifts under the tree than there had been last night, including one very large box. Lucas was so tempted to shake one experimentally, but Daddy kept eyeing him like he was a hairsbreadth away from being in trouble again, and he never wanted to put Daddy in that position ever again.
“Okay,” Jacob said, pulling Lucas onto his lap after they had brunch where Lucas had excelled at making yummy pancakes even if he said so himself. “Do you want to open them altogether or one each at a time?”
“One each at a time,” Lucas said immediately and leaned down, grabbing a small one and putting it in Daddy’s hands. He chewed his lip nervously, praying he liked it.
Jacob smiled, and hoisting Lucas back more securely to free both his hands, he carefully unwrapped the tiny, jeweled photo frame with the picture of a laughing Ben in it. Lucas watched the swallow travel the length of Jacob’s throat, and panic clutched his insides. He hated it. He—
“It’s beautiful,” Jacob whispered and looked up at Lucas, his eyes glinting a little. “It’s the perfect way for me to remember him.” Lucas let all the air out of his lungs in a whoosh. Jacob trailed a finger lightly over the frame. “You decorated this yourself, didn’t you?”
Lucas nodded and twisted around and hugged his Daddy tightly.
“Your turn,” Jacob pronounced and gestured to the large box. “I think you’re gonna have to get down to open it.” Lucas slid off Jacob’s lap and kneeled down. He glanced back, puzzled at what it could be, but Jacob nodded. “Just rip it off.” So Lucas did and as soon as he saw what it was, he froze. It was his mom’s table. The one she had found in the junkyard sale they had spent four hours at. The one she had lovingly restored for the better part of two months. Lucas’s hand flew to his mouth, and he held back a cry until he could swallow. Jacob knelt beside him and tugged him close. “I only got it yesterday. I called Andy Lawson, and he got the permission I needed. It needs some TLC, but I’m sure you can do that.”
“Thank you,” Lucas whispered, smoothing the edge of the wood. “You have no idea how much this means to me.” And that reminded him of the call. He might have to mention it to Daddy so he could cancel the appointment.
Jacob squeezed him and pushed another parcel toward him. “Open that.”
Lucas chuckled. “It’s your turn.”
“Nah, I unwrapped my present last night, all of him,” Jacob said throatily, and Lucas shivered. He had more games, some puzzles, coloring books, clothes, and a brand-new pair of red boots perfect for the snow.
Jacob got some fur-lined gloves and an engraved key ring that simply said “Daddy’s keys.”
Lucas glanced at the tree, spotted one more smaller present, and pulled it over. It had his name on it. “Another one?” Lucas asked, recognizing Jacob’s scrawl. “You’re spoiling me.”
Jacob looked confused, and then his face fell. “Oh, I wrapped them last week, but you don’t have to open it now. It was a silly idea, really.” He reached for it only for Lucas to hold it out of his way, laughing.
“Oh no, now I want to see.” He ripped the paper, revealing a small padded envelope. Inside the envelope was a bunch of keys, clearly car keys. He raised his eyes in utter bewilderment. “Car keys?” Jacob hadn’t. He wouldn’t. Cars were hugely expensive, and even though he was utterly convinced they were staying together, there was no way he could accept a car.
Lucas looked up and saw a faint flush staining Jacob’s neck. “Daddy?”
“They’re the spare ones to mine,” Jacob said woodenly. “I mean, you can have the original when I’m done, but I thought it would set your mind at ease if you had transportation.”
Lucas swallowed. His heart seemed to beat hard against his ribs. “I don’t understand.” And he didn’t. At least he wished very hard that he didn’t, but a chill seemed to be creeping into his heart where a moment ago it had been warm.
“I can’t take the car obviously,” Jacob said even quieter. “Apart from the fact that all the controls are on the wrong side for English roads, it’s three years old and simply not worth the cost of shipping it over. I wanted—”