There had been more snow overnight. “So now what?” he mumbled and turned his head, surprised to see Kevin standing outside the other cabin at the bottom of the hill.
“Morning,” Kevin shouted. He tilted his head when Rowan quickly raised his finger to his lips. “What?” he mouthed and raised his shoulders.
Rowan cut across the snowy grass. There was a satisfying crunch beneath each step. He jogged to Kevin’s side. “Hey,” he said.
“Everything okay?” Kevin furrowed his brow.
“What? Oh, yes. I left Gideon sleeping so I didn’t want your dumb loud voice waking him up after I took extra care in sneaking out.”
Kevin laughed. “Why does that sound kinda sordid?”
Rowan pouted his lips. “Seriously?”
“Just saying.” Kevin gave a smirk.
“Well, we’re not all perverts like you.” He pushed his hands into his coat pockets.
An amused expression passed over Kevin’s face. “You forgetting that time I stopped by the old house? What were you? Fifteen?”
Rowan hunched his shoulders. “Don’t remind me. That guy was a complete dick. As soon as he heard you inside the house, he jumped out the window. Just left me there.”
“What would you have done if it had been Mom or Momo or one of the other kids?”
“I would have died of embarrassment.” Or maybe have run away from home.
“I was traumatized. I have flashbacks any time I see a pair of stockings,” Kevin said and stared off to the horizon. There was a smile on his face.
Rowan pressed a hand to his forehead. “It’s not as if I like that kind of stuff. He just asked me to wear them and I thought…why not?” He huffed a breath. He’d had a hard time turning down people back then. Still did. Doing what people wanted was easier, would mean they’d stick around. Or so he had thought.
“That and bondage, huh?”
“It was his school tie. He went to that fancy private school.” Rowan folded his arms across his chest. “He never did come back for it. Anyway, I’m not much into that kind of thing either.”
Kevin shrugged. “I wouldn’t judge if that was what you were into. We all have our kinks.” He leaned his head and caught Rowan’s eye with a playful expression.
“I don’t want to know.” Rowan shuddered. “Don’t shatter my illusions.”
“Fine, fine.” Kevin chuckled. “Any plans for the day?”
“I have no idea. Maybe help out around here. Maybe. I come home so I don’t have to make plans, you know?” Here he wasn’t ruled by his desk planner. However, including Gideon in his plan-less plans was creating sparks of anxiety. “How about you? Esther’s arriving later?”
“Yeah, it’ll be evening when she gets here. And as for me, I have presents to finish wrapping. But first I have a couple of errands to run in town.” He curled down his lower lip. “The day before Christmas Eve, town is not my idea of fun.”
“Christmas Eve, huh?” Rowan leaned his head. “I feel like I’m forgetting something.”
“You’ve got my present, right?”
Rowan rolled his eyes. “Who said you were getting anything?” With a sigh, he added, “Yes, I’ve got your present.”
“Oh good. I needed new socks.”
“Shut up.” He elbowed Kevin’s side.
“Ow.” Kevin sucked on his teeth then listed names. “…Ava, Deon, the other dogs? Do you still give Darcy anything? Who else is there? Or maybe it’s something not present related? Did you forget your toothbrush? Need to go buy some new underwear? Did you turn off the stove before you left?” Kevin gripped the thumb on his other hand, wiggled it as if counting off ideas. “Something to do with work? Oh, Gideon, I didn’t say him did I, or—”
“Ah, Gideon.” He clasped his hands around Kevin’s. “I need a favor.”
I forgot. I completely forgot about Gideon’s birthday. He’d been so focused on finishing the accounts, laying the foundation for jobs after the holidays, and then Christmas and family stuff that it had slipped his mind.
Kevin quirked his eyebrow. “What kind of favor?”
“Will you pick up a few things for me while you’re in town?”
“Seriously? I was hoping I’d be done quickly. You know, in and out.”
“Please?” Rowan begged.
Kevin’s nose crinkled as he frowned. “Can’t you go yourself?”
“I would but I’d feel bad leaving Gideon here alone.”
“He’d be fine. He could keep Ava company.”
Rowan gave Kevin a stern look.
“Good point,” Kevin said.
“I’ll pay you back. I’ll do anything?”
“Anything?” Kevin grinned.
“Anything.”
Kevin raised his other hand and flicked Rowan’s forehead. “Idiot.”
“Ow.” Rowan let go and rubbed his brow.
“So, what do you want?” Kevin put his hands together and blew into them.
“Balloons.”
“What?”
“Party hats. Streamers. Oh, a big badge with Birthday Boy on it and a card. Maybe one with cats on it.” The one I bought must have ended up somewhere out of sight, or I would have seen it when I packed. “Wonder if Mom would bake a cake? Hmm, or should we buy one?” He looked at Kevin, who was wearing a disgusted expression.
“So it’s Gideon’s birthday.” Kevin relaxed his shoulders. “Fine. You really want all that stuff?”
Rowan nodded. “Or is it too childish?” In seven years, he had never celebrated Gideon’s birthday. It was on Christmas Eve, after all, they both were usually with their respective families or doing their own thing, so Rowan had never pressed Gideon about the day when he eventually found out the date.
“You know him better than me. What do you think he’d want?”
Rowan snorted. “He’d hate everything I just listed. Probably insist it wasn’t his birthday and that the concept of celebrating is actually a myth.” He only knew about it after catching the tail end of a conversation Gideon had been having with Kaden one time.
“Right.” Kevin blinked. “So, what exactly do you want me to do?”
“Buy everything I just said and then anything else you think looks fun.”
“You realize Esther is the one who usually does this sort of thing for our two?”
“Figures,” Rowan said with a laugh.
Kevin made a strained sound. “Whatever. I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you. Oh, and can you keep it in your cabin until tomorrow?”
“Oh my God, Rowan.” He rolled back his head and flailed dramatically. “Of course. That’s fine. For now, let’s head up to the house. You can ask Mom about a cake or whether I have to try to find one of those as well. That anything of yours better be worth all this hassle.”
He fell in behind Kevin. “You’re the best.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Good morning, Gideon,” Momo said loudly. She kicked Rowan’s foot as he lay on the couch.