I bent down to ruffle Scotty’s hair and say good night, and he made eye contact for a second and said, “You and me, we’re in a club now.”
I smiled but looked up at Levi, a little confused.
Levi seemed baffled for a moment too, but then it must have clicked. “It’s from Up, a movie he likes.” His voice cracked a little. “The character that says it is named Ellie, and I think he associates her with you because I was talking about you last time we watched it.”
“Oh my goodness, yes! I love that movie!” Touched, I leaned down to Scotty again. “You’re exactly right, we are. We are in a club now.” I held out my fist, and he bumped it with a grin.
When I looked at Levi again, he went to say something but ended up just shaking his head, and I realized he’d gotten too choked up to speak. I took his face in my hands—I’d never get enough of that beard against my palms—and kissed him once more. “I love you. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He nodded and whispered, “I love you too. You have no idea.”
On Christmas morning, I invited Jillian to come over for coffee, and together we watched Scotty open his gifts from Santa. He usually did it at my parents’ house, so it was a first for Scotty and me to be in our house, a family on our own. With Jillian there too, it felt so perfect, I knew in my bones this was how Christmas morning would be for the rest of my life.
She brought a few gifts for me—a great bottle of scotch, a new dark blue shirt, and a pair of cufflinks with the Slytherin crest on them. “To remind you,” she said, her eyes dancing with mischief.
I kissed her cheek and bit her earlobe before whispering in her ear. “As if I could forget.”
For her, I’d purchased a gift certificate to the spa she liked, which she could open in front of Scotty, and lingerie in her favorite shade of red from La Perla, which she could not. So while Scotty played with his new Legos, I pulled her into the bedroom, sat her on the bed, and took great delight in watching her jaw drop and her cheeks go pink when she unwrapped it.
“It’s gorgeous,” she murmured, holding up the bra. “Exquisite.”
“I can’t wait to see you in it.” But I better stop thinking about that, or I’ll get—fuck, too late.
“Want me to put it on right now?” she asked coyly. “I could wear it under my clothes today.”
I jumped up and adjusted myself. “Are you trying to kill me? We have to go to brunch at my parents’ house! I wouldn’t even be able to sit next to you at the table if I knew you were wearing that.”
She laughed. “OK, OK. I’ll save it for later.”
“Except now I’m hard. Fuck.” I turned away from her and walked over to the window, singing the Michigan State fight song in my head, which was always my go-to trick for getting rid of an untimely erection.
“What are you doing?”
“Shh. Don’t talk.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m trying to make my hard-on go away, and hearing your voice gives it ideas.”
“I could make it go away,” she said sweetly.
“Gah! Stop!” I put my hands over my ears. “You’re giving it hope!”
She laughed throatily. “Come on over here and let me get my mouth on you. You’ll come so fast, we won’t be missed, and I’ll swallow every last drop so you won’t even have to change your shirt.”
“Jillian.” A warning.
“What’s the matter?” She put one finger in her mouth and pulled it out slowly. “You don’t want it?”
And that, kids, is how the tradition of The Christmas Morning Blowjob began.
• • •
Later that morning we drove up to Charlevoix, blinking at all the bright white snow that had fallen overnight. At my parents’ house, I introduced Jillian to everyone, watching with pride as she charmed them all with her kindness, her intelligence, her smile. She listened with rapt attention to embarrassing stories my mother and sister told about me, laughed and cooed over pictures of me as a kid and then Scotty as a baby, fielded a thousand questions about her family, her education, her job, and her interests with an easy grace, and complimented the meal. Monica and my mother elbowed each other incessantly, nodding at each other with I knew it in their eyes all day long, as if they had planned the whole thing.
Scotty seemed to be having a good day, so I asked my mother if it would be all right if I stayed in Traverse City for the night when I drove Jillian back.
“Of course,” she whispered, patting me on the back. “Scotty and I are going to have a great time. We have it all planned out.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. You need to spend time with her. A woman like that is one in a million, Levi.” She turned me around and pushed me out of the kitchen. “Go. Make me another grandbaby.”
“Jesus, Mom.” I shook my head, glad Jillian wasn’t around to hear her. I didn’t want her to feel any pressure from my family—she got enough of it from her own.
We said goodbye and drove back to my house, and Jillian chattered the entire way home about how wonderful my family was.
“They loved you,” I told her.
“You think so?” She twisted her hands together in her lap.
“I know so. My mother told me repeatedly how lovely and smart you are. Much too good for me.” I took her hand and kissed the back of it.