George told him a few humorous stories about awkward moments in scenes he’d captioned. He was limited on those, though, because many of the studios had him sign a confidentiality form, especially for scenes that hadn’t released from the company yet. It wasn’t always easy figuring out how to describe the way some people grunted or groaned.
Orry pulled into the parking lot and found Levi’s truck already waiting close to where they’d swapped the first time. “Thanks again for agreeing to meet halfway,” George said as he leaned between the two front seats to grab a gym bag he’d borrowed from Orry.
I need to buy one of my own for future overnights.
The thought made him smile.
“No problem,” Orry replied. “Zoey’s family’s house is on my way back, anyway. It’s fine. Have fun, I mean it. Merry Christmas, bro.”
George hugged Orry, then climbed out. Levi impressed the hell out of him by having gotten out of his cab, walked to the passenger side door, and he was waiting with the door open. So gentlemanly and adorable that George had to greet him with a kiss. “Hi.”
“Hi back.” Levi’s bright smile settled a bit more of George’s strange freak-out. “Take your bag?”
“Okay.” He handed it over and climbed into the truck. Levi shut his door.
Instead of putting his light bag in the truck bed, Levi carried it to his side and put it on the seat between them. Thank God. George would have spent the whole drive wondering if it would fly out the back on the interstate—especially since it had Levi’s present in it. Orry drove away first, and after a quick look around, Levi leaned over and planted a long, sensual hello kiss on George. The kind that might have led to more if they’d been somewhere with privacy.
“I’ve missed doing that,” Levi said after they pulled apart.
“Me too. Missed you. Merry Christmas.” They’d spoken earlier that morning after Levi’s run, but George needed to say it in person.
“Merry Christmas, George.”
They shared another quick kiss. George waited until they were on the interstate before asking, “How did your tribute go this afternoon?” He’d been so moved when Levi told him that he and Robin had stood in the corral at the exact time of Xander’s death and remembered him. Shared stories. Last year, it had been the moment Robin reconnected with his former father-in-law, who still considered Robin his son.
“It was lovely. We talked about Xander again. Then Dad called and we all spoke together on speaker. Remembered him as a family.”
“Cool. I’m glad you had that.”
“Thank you.” They were on a smooth stretch of highway so Levi reached over and held George’s hand. “How was your visit with your grandparents?”
“All four of us cried.” George chuckled, unashamed of himself or his emotions. “It was beyond amazing to see them again. To hug them. Even Orry cried a little. We brought them a miniature Christmas tree, and we sang a few carols. Orry told them about Zoey.” He bit his lip, uncertain how Levi would react to this. “I didn’t tell them about you or that I’m gay. I was scared they’d react badly and I didn’t want to ruin our first visit in three years.”
Levi squeezed his hand and tossed him a warm smile. “I’m not upset or offended. This is your family, and you need to do this at your pace. Rebuild your relationship with them. Let them get to know you better. If they took you and Orry in for years, they must love you very much. Believe in that love, all right?”
“I’ll try. Thank you.”
“Of course.”
He loved Levi’s positive attitude about life the most, and George basked in it for the rest of the trip to Garrett. The road to the ranch and ghost town were becoming familiar to him now. The beauty of the land soaked into his bones, and that deep-down anxiety calmed a little bit more.
Other vehicles were already parked in front of the cabin when they arrived for the three o’clock dinner, maybe ten minutes early. Less time for George to have to make small talk before the meal began. George’s hands twitched with nerves as he climbed out of the truck, but he steeled himself with a few deep, calming breaths. Four-second inhale, four-second hold, six-second exhale. Repeat. He knew these people. And he had Levi as a touchstone.
I can do this. I want to do this for me, for Orry, and for Levi. Come on, Thompson. Focus. You know what you’re doing, so do it.
The last three lines were a familiar pep talk from his competition days, words he told himself over and over as he warmed up and waited for his turn. Words he’d come up with himself, not words given to him by Adrian. Adrian’s pep talks often went along the lines of “Don’t let me down, kid.”
No. No Adrian thoughts on Christmas Day.
Levi didn’t have to knock. Robin opened the door wearing a bright smile and a Santa hat. He also had more similar things in his hands. “No admittance without a Santa hat, elf hat, or reindeer antlers,” he said. “Wes’s orders and it’s his house.”
George started laughing at the hilarious absurdity of it and asked for the antlers. Levi plopped an elf hat on his head, and it definitely didn’t look as good as his cowboy hat. Robin let them inside and, sure enough, everyone had something on their head. George recognized a lot of the guests, but a few were only vaguely familiar from Thanksgiving and he couldn’t remember their names. Two very unexpected faces approached, and maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised, but George warmly greeted Derrick and Slater.
And of course they’d be here, since Derrick was Wes’s brother-in-law, and the rest of the family was lingering near the kitchen. Neither man made a big deal out of George showing up with Levi beyond an obvious wink from Derrick. George would get questions from his neighbors this weekend, for sure.
Wes, on the other hand, had no such tact. As soon as he realized George was there—and not with Slater and Derrick—he bounced over with a smear of flour on one cheek and asked, “Oh my God, are you two dating? How cute are you both?”
“Down boy,” Derrick said. “Forgive my brother-in-law his rudeness but he’s got a never-ending romantic streak, and he’s constantly trying to couple people up.”
“Hey, I totally called Miles and Reyes before they happened.”
A little overwhelmed by the attention, George blurted out, “Yes, Levi and I are dating. Okay?”
Wes squealed. “I knew it! Congrats, honey, Levi is a keeper. This one.” He poked Derrick in the chest. “Meh.”
Derrick tried to pinch him and Wes darted back to the kitchen. George glanced at Levi, whose gentle smile told him he’d done and said the right thing. Revealing their relationship at George’s pace. George stuck close to Levi during the big sit-down meal, more intimate than the huge shindig of Thanksgiving. Shawn sat on George’s other side and the familiar face helped keep him relaxed as he ate the amazing food. He usually chose small portions of the healthiest, least fatty foods, but it was Christmas and George was here. Happy.