Chapter 82
Their eyes met and Lance cupped Wade’s cheek. Love surged through him, but it wasn’t the right time to say anything, yet.
Wade’s eyes twinkled and he kissed Lance. “I’m all rested,” he whispered.
Lance melted against him and rubbed his cheek against Wade’s. “I’m all yours,” he whispered back. All yours.
* * * *
The few days leading up to Christmas were filled with a flurry of activity. Presents began to appear under the tree and Lance spent a lot of time thinking about what to buy for Wade. What could he give the guy of his dreams? He’d had no problems finding gifts for everyone else.
They’d invited his parents to join them for Christmas dinner, and they’d accepted. He’d also invited Ash, but apparently he was sneaking off to New York to spend the holiday with Patricia.
On the twenty-third of December, he knew he was running out of time for a present and was planning on slipping out of the office early. The two cases giving him issues were plodding along without any more drama, thank goodness.
“Knock-knock!”
He looked up from his laptop to find Allyson standing in his open office door.
“Hey! This is a nice surprise,” he said as he rounded the desk and hugged her.
She laughed. “You see me every day, silly.”
“Yeah, but life is always chaotic on the ranch. No time to really talk.” He’d always liked her. They’d had many spirited discussions about the state of the country over the last few years.
“God, you’re right. I’m not used to having so many people around all the time,” she agreed, her eyes going wide.
“And you haven’t even officially moved in yet.”
Her laugh rang through the office.
“You seem really happy…in fact, you kind of…glow.”
She grinned. “I am happy, Lance. So happy I feel guilty sometime. I know how hard Casey took his father’s death. And he’s dealing with a lot of guilt about that, too. I keep telling him that loving him was okay. You can still love someone and hate their actions.”
“Casey’s always been a hard case when it comes to the guilt. He thinks he should have done more to keep his dad from treating Wade so badly. But even Wade doesn’t believe that. If anything, Casey helped by just keeping things on an even keel, redirecting his dad away from Wade. I think if he’d fought his dad, all three boys—and Patricia—would have lost the ranch years ago.”
She nodded. “Completely agree. But I also feel some guilt because I’ve been waiting to move forward with Casey for so long, and now that his dad died, we can actually live our life. I feel terrible saying that. He’s passed on, and yet, I’m happy. Deliriously happy, to be honest.”
“You guys deserve some happiness. That man was a stone around everyone’s neck, weighing his family down with hate. He wasn’t happy so he never allowed anyone else to be happy.”
Allyson wiped at a wayward tear before it trailed down her cheek, then straightened her shoulders. “You’re right, Lance. And you know, you deserve some happiness, too. So does Wade.”
He didn’t even try to stop the huge smile that spread across his face. “I’m definitely doing my best,” he assured her with a wink.
She chuckled and playfully swatted his arm before she got back to business. “So, I came by to see if you wanted to run to some shops with me. I still have some shopping to do, and Casey tells me you are still looking for something for Wade?”
Of course Casey had told her. His shoulders deflated in defeat. “I can’t figure out anything. I mean, some things seem too personal.”
“Too personal? For your husband?”
He frowned. “My feelings for Wade are real, but we both know the marriage is phony. We’re still…feeling our way around this, I guess you could say.”
She pursed her lips. “Have you thought of getting naked and dressing up in a big red bow?”
His cheeks burned. “Allyson!”
Her laughter filled the office again. “Come on, Lance. Come shopping with me. You mentioned at breakfast you were leaving early today anyway.”
He glanced at the files on his desk and shrugged. “You know what? Let’s do it.” He shoved the files into his desk, closed his laptop, and set it in his bag. “I’m ready!”
* * * *
Shopping was a nightmare. People were crammed into the mall like cattle. It was nearly impossible to break from the herd and make their way into a store, but somehow they managed.
He had no idea what he was looking for as he perused the shelves of the fifth or sixth shop—he’d lost count. It was easy to see he wasn’t the only one overwhelmed by the last minute sales. Some areas were picked through, while other items were piled haphazardly on a shelf, a chair, even the floor. Finding an employee to answer any questions was a lost cause.