All Joe wants to do is enjoy winter break from college, but it just isn’t going his way.
His mom remarried, he runs into his ex who announced he was also getting married, and he’s missing the big end of semester party on campus. To top it all off, he’s tasked with bringing home twins he’s never met so they can spend Christmas at his house with their uncle—his new stepdad.
Then he meets the twins, Kris and Karen, and Joe realizes Kris is really cute. His luck might be changing, but is Joe over his ex enough to move forward?
"I felt like a kid with his first crush." The blush darkened across his face and down his neck and Joe found himself wondering if his chest was flushed, too.
Joe felt his heartbeat speed up. "Why didn't you come talk to me?"
"You were with some douche named Danny."
Joe scowled. "Why do you call him that?"
Kris pressed his lips together and glanced away. "Because at the party, when you headed into the bathroom, he…he bumped into me. I hate to tell you this, but he grabbed my crotch and asked me if I wanted a threesome."
Joe felt the blood drain from his face as a wave of nausea hit him. He took a step back, his head stomach reeling. Had Danny cheated on him?
Kris reached for him, but Joe waved his hand away. He needed to get out of the room. Joe practically ran downstairs in his haste to get some air and ended up tripping over one of the cats.
"Mimi!"
"Don't yell at the cat, Joe!"
"Sorry, Mom," he muttered as he reached down for the newest cat addition to the family. His mom had been rescuing cats for as long as he could remember. Mimi made three in the home for now. Joe stroked the cat's gray fur as he whispered his apology. Mimi, properly soothed, jumped down and flicked her tail at him.
He saw his mom reach for plates in the cabinet and he grabbed them first. "I'll set the table," he offered.
"Thanks, Joey. Where's Kris?" She asked as she glanced into the hall behind him.
"Still upstairs. Not sure if he'll be down soon or not."
"Okay. Karen should be down any second. She went for a run this morning. What an amazing girl, Joe. She gets up early every morning and runs five miles!"
Joe grimaced. He was definitely not a runner.
"You know who you should introduce her to?"
"Mom," he said, his voice warning her to stop there. Not that it did any good. She continued anyway.
"Your friend Gavin."
He bit back a laugh as he set the plates around the old wooden table. "Gavin's gay, Mom."
She turned to look at him, waving the spatula in the air. "He is? Hmm," she looked deep in thought for a moment before her face brightened up. "How about Kris? Michael says he isn't dating anyone right now. He and Gavin might hit it off."
If he had been punched hard in the gut, it would not have hurt as much as the image of Kris in the arms of Gavin did. A primal, possessive desire rushed through him and he instantly wanted to yell at Gavin. He felt himself reaching for his phone before he remembered this was all talk. Gavin hadn't made a move on his boyfriend.
Boyfriend? What the hell Joe? Kris isn't your guy. You have no reason to get jealous.
"Joe?"
He turned to look at his mom. "Yeah?"
"I asked you if you were okay?"
"Oh, fine. Just fine. I guess just tired from the long drive."
"Well, have a seat. Michael's out back getting some wood so we can have a cozy fire in the fireplace tonight while we watch Miracle on 34th Street. As soon as he gets in and Karen joins us we can eat."
Joe sat down in the closest chair. His stomach was churning and he wasn't even sure he wanted pancakes anymore. Finding out Danny had groped Kris and asked about a threesome had hit him like a brick.
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