But Henry. The covers were all untucked and he was lying sideways across the bed, so close to falling off that Nik crept to the edge of the bed and straightened the poor kid out. As he placed the cover across Henry’s chilled frame, he wondered if the kid was having nightmares or was just an active sleeper.
Closing the door behind him, he walked back toward his and Jenny’s room. In the living room were piles of gifts that had been hidden in suitcases in Lennon and Gia’s suite the day before. Stockings hung from door handles.
Waiting for the boys to wake up was going to be torture. He was actually… excited. Excited in a way he hadn’t felt before. It wasn’t just because of the boys. Something about this Christmas felt different to him, too.
With lightness in his heart, he crept back into his bedroom and shut the door.
Jenny rolled over, just her head sticking out of the covers. “Why are you awake so early?” she mumbled.
Pulling the covers back, he slipped in bed beside her and pulled her into his arms. Her body was warm to the touch, her sweet curves lining up along the side of his body. “Couldn’t sleep so I checked in on the boys.”
“Are they okay?” she asked, placing a chaste kiss on his chest. Her fingertips traced the ho-ho-ho on his pajama top.
“They’re fine. Remember when we lived in the apartment?” he asked, thinking about the tiny place above the Greek restaurant on the Danforth. They owned it now, and two nineteen-year-old men, Kyle and Fletcher, lived in it, as they’d aged out of care and had nowhere else to go.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” Jenny said.
Nik laughed. “It’s a bit early for Dickens, Babe.”
“Perhaps. But it’s true. We had each other, and some good memories. And it was so very hard.”
“Perhaps nostalgia and distance take the edge off those memories. It’s like the impact of them takes on a soft-focus instead of a harsh image.”
Jenny pushed herself up on one elbow. “What’s on your mind?”
She knew him well.
“I’m just thinking about Jefferson, Henry, and Charlie. This is still very much in harsh focus for them. They don’t have the benefit of time, experience, and success later in life to feel stable. They are still very much in the tumultuous waves of it all, trying to keep their little heads above water. Especially Henry.”
Jenny leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, the connection soothing the sudden discomfort pushing its way through his bones. Nik placed his hand behind her neck, holding her against him.
“I love you,” she said, her lips barely leaving his. They kissed for a moment longer before Jenny pulled back. “You are a great dad, Nik. Seeing you with those boys the last eight months… you’ve proven yourself to them and to me over and over.”
“It just doesn’t feel like enough when I know there is more we can do.”
Jenny studied him carefully. “What do you mean? We could foster more, we have room.”
Nik shook his head. “How do you feel about making things permanent for the three of them? How about we adopt them? They need us, Jen. They need to stay together. And Jefferson is past the age when most kids get adopted. The chances of somebody offering the three of them a home together is slim. But we could.” The rightness of his words as he spoke settled all the convoluted emotions he’d felt. They needed to give them a home.
“Yes,” Jenny squealed. She climbed over him until her thighs were either side of his hips.
His heart rate increased. “Yes? You think we should, too?”
“Yes. I felt it the moment you came home from Home Depot with all that stupid Christmas crap for the outside of the house. You hate clutter, and Christmas, and sentimentality. But you did it for those boys. And while the steps are small, Henry is making progress. You can see that he trusts us, that he trusts you. So, yes. Let’s give them a home.”
He yanked Jenny down to kiss her. Her tongue meeting his. Nik slid his hands along her back to cup the cheeks of her ass. “Fuck, Babe. We’re going to have our own family. Three boys.”
“Merry Christmas,” she gasped as he pressed against her.
He nudged her back up because, before he took her in that exact position, there was something else he needed to do. “Babe, those green and white striped elf pajamas are doing little to minimize my growing need to fuck you.”
Jenny laughed. “You know you like them.” She shimmied from side to side, and without a bra, he could see her erect nipples through the fabric.
“Yeah, a bit too much right now. Who knew I had a cos-play elf fetish?”
“Want me to put the hat back on?”
“No,” he said. “Don’t distract me. I have something else I wanted to talk about.”
Jenny stopped squirming around, which was a good thing for his now hard cock. “What’s up?”
“I want us to be a family,” he said, carefully. “A real family.”
Lines of confusion appeared on Jenny’s brow. “We are a real family.”
“No,” he said, reaching for the bedside table drawer. “I know you said you didn’t want a fancy engagement ring like the other women. And that you’ve been working on your career, and building the halfway house, and now we have the boys. But I want to be married to you, Jen.”
He flipped the box open and inside were two simple wedding bands. “I don’t need a fancy wedding. City Hall will be fine. We don’t even need a party. I just want us, and the boys, and I can’t even explain why I suddenly need a piece of paper to say that you and I, and us and them, all belong together, but I do. So, I want to know if you’ll marry me as soon as we get back to Toronto.”
“Nik,” Jenny gasped. Her mouth was open, her eyes wide. Her fingers reached for the rings, but she stopped halfway. “For real?”
“For real, Jenny. Marry me.”
Jenny nodded. “Yes. Yes, Nik. Of course, I’ll marry you.”
He slid the wedding band on her finger, mercifully relieved it fit. Jenny moved her hand around, admiring it. “It’s beautiful, Nik.”
“So, are you.”
“I don’t think I should leave it on today,” she said, sliding it off her finger. “I don’t want to steal Lia’s thunder.”
Nik took it from her hand and put it back in the box with his own, the one he’d hopefully be able to proudly wear next month. “I was going to suggest the same thing. To be honest, I just want it to be simple for us. This,” he said, gesturing around them. “All these people traveling in and days of events, just sounds exhausting.”
Jenny nodded in agreement. “It’s just not us.”
She’d hit the nail on the head. “Yeah, it’s just not us. Come here,” Nik said, buzzing from their conversation. “I think we need to have getting married sex.”
Jenny began to inch the elf pajama top up over her stomach and Nik bit down on his lip as she started to edge it over her breasts. He fucking loved them and couldn’t wait to—
“Nik, Jenny, quick. Come look out here. Santa came. He came. He came.”
Jefferson’s voice was a cold splash of water, and Nik groaned as he flopped his head back onto the pillow. “Fucking cute little cockblocker,” he whispered.