“Merry Christmas, hot stuff. What’s it gonna take to get you to let me catch you under the mistletoe tonight?” Hugo snuck up behind me, whispering in my ear while I straightened the ornaments at the back of the tree that had fallen loose when the orgy of gift opening had gone down. Yeah, letting a five-year-old crawl around under the tree to pass out the gifts was better in theory than practice. But he’d been so cute doing it in his oversized Santa hat.

“Hey, what are you guys whispering about over there? No secrets on Christmas, you know, it’s a time for sharing and caring,” Scott teased. He and Simon were building a tower of blocks with my niece Heather while my brother-in-law Justin put the finishing touches on Christmas dinner.

I rolled my eyes. “I was just telling Hugo about how Santa doesn’t visit naughty twins who don’t know how to mind their own business.”

“That’s an urban legend,” Scott told Simon in a serious tone. “Ignore my brother. Santa does not discriminate, especially against brothers who are looking after each other’s best interests.”

Simon tipped his head to one side, scrunching his nose thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t know, because I don’t have a brother. Do you think Santa would bring me a brother or sister next year if I asked him and was really good?”

I almost choked when I heard that one, but Hugo merely chuckled in my ear and snuck a kiss onto the side of my neck. “Just wait until we tell him, he’s going to be so happy,” Hugo murmured into my ear.

“As much as I hate to break up the party,” Justin appeared in the kitchen doorway with a large platter filled with roasted turkey in his hands, “I am happy to announce that dinner is served.”

Hugo chuckled when my stomach growled. I shot him a narrow-eyed glare over my shoulder. “You try eating for two. The struggle is real.”

After a lovely meal, Justin and Hugo took the kids for a walk while Scott and I tackled the dishes. “Okay, spill it, Todd. You’ve obviously been holding back on the juicy tidbits during our phone calls. Something tells me that you and the sexy brewmaster are making more than craft beer up in here.”

I ran a hand over my belly. “You mean aside from the baby?”

Scott bumped his shoulder against mine. “Quit teasing. We don’t have long before they’ll be back. Now tell me everything.”

Passing him a freshly washed platter to dry, I began scrubbing the gravy boat. “I don’t know what you’re hoping to hear, but there really isn’t anything to tell. We aren’t together, but we also aren’t not together, if that makes sense. It’s like we’re friends with every possibility of becoming more, but neither of us has gone there. He goes to every doctor visit and is super excited about the baby, but if I’m being honest? I have a closer relationship with his son than I do with him.”

“Hmm… that’s easy to fix,” Scott laughed. “Just pick a fight with him. Half the fun is making up. You’ll be together with your baby daddy before you know it.”

“I’d have better luck trying to seduce a blind guy with dick pics. I’m beginning to think that Hugo doesn’t ever get upset. The most I’ve ever seen from him is mild irritation, and that was when I dared to suggest that Simon’s mother needed to step up.”

Scott whistled through his teeth. “That’s a tough one. Especially when you know how Simon feels. I was just as pissed as you were about the whole birthday thing, and I hadn’t even met the kid yet.”

“Yeah, and I don’t know if you noticed this or not but Simon kept looking at his phone all day. I’m pretty sure that he’s waiting for his mom to call and wish him a Merry Christmas.” I shook my head with disgust. “I can maybe wrap my head around her missing a Sunday afternoon phone call or something like that, but birthdays and Christmas? Even Mom and Dad weren’t that bad. She’s just a selfish, self-obsessed cow. Mom and Dad could never have been like her.”

“You’re remembering the good years before they were traveling all over for the charity missions. Remember when they did that volunteer trip to Somalia when we were thirteen? They were gone for six months, and didn’t even acknowledge our birthday.” Scott rolled his eyes. “And I won your allowance that week, if I recall. Seriously, you should have known by then not to ever bet on them when they were on one of their trips.”

I shook my head. “I try not to remember those years. I like to remember the times when we were all traveling together or the family meals with the grandparents. You know me, I generally prefer to focus on the happy stuff. This Vicki-bitch just gets me all fired up.”

As the door opened and the rest of our group came back, Scott bumped me with his shoulder again. “Focus on the happy stuff and don’t let the crappy get you down. If you can manage that, I would bet on you guys making things work at some point. And in case you didn’t learn from our thirteenth birthday, I never make a sucker bet.”

“Mr. Todd,” Simon said excitedly when I walked into the living room. “Mr. Justin and I had a great idea. He said that Mr. Scott knows how to play guitar and maybe we could sing some Christmas carols.”

Scott didn’t need to be prompted. He was already pulling out the guitar before Simon had finished speaking. I flashed Hugo a wink. “And now you get to find out how much my evil twin loves the spotlight.”

As much as I wanted to go curl up on the couch beside Hugo, I opted for the recliner across the room. When Heather came toddling over, I scooped her onto my lap and held her close as Scott led us into a medley of carols. Two hours went by before I knew it and Heather was sound asleep on my lap. Simon was still pulling his phone out and looking at it every few minutes, even though he was yawning.

When Hugo saw me watching his son, he looked almost embarrassed. “Simon is expecting a phone call.”

I shook my head. “No explanations needed, I get it.” When I saw Simon lie down under the Christmas tree, I waved a hand to catch Scott’s attention. “Why don’t we take a break and let Simon watch a Christmas flick while you take this little lady and put her to bed. As much as I would love to snuggle her all night long, I’m losing feeling in my right arm.”

Justin grinned as he came and relieved me of my lapful. “Don’t feel bad, this little gal turns into dead weight when she’s out cold.” I ran a hand over her curls and pressed a kiss to her temple before he carried her away.

“I’m pretty sure that we can scratch the whole Christmas movie plan.” Scott glanced with amusement at Simon who was already passed out cold under the tree. “So, is anyone interested in playing some cards? I brought my Cards Against Humanity deck, and I know Todd has my old poker set, so we have options. Or are you guys going to cut our fun short?”

Hugo stood and stretched his back. “I’m not in a rush to go anywhere; I’m game if you guys are.”

“Are you kidding? I have actual company on a holiday and my twin brother who I never get to see is here. I’m not in any hurry for the night to end.” I pushed up and headed toward the dining area. “There’s still some pumpkin pie and eggnog left if anybody wants some.”

The four of us had a lot of fun, and it was almost easy to pretend that Hugo and I were a couple sharing a double date with my twin and his husband. It was a few minutes before midnight when Simon’s phone started buzzing, moving around in a circle on the coffee table as it vibrated. Hugo set his cards down and rushed over to grab the phone.

Scott and I shook our heads at each other when Hugo didn’t tell her off. Instead, he politely explained that Simon was asleep and thanked her for calling. When he went so far as to wish her a Merry Christmas, I threw my cards down. “Sorry guys, I can’t do this. I think I’m done now.”

While I gathered up our dessert plates and coffee cups and started storming around straightening up, Scott and Justin politely excused themselves. Hugo walked into the kitchen, scratching the back of his head. “You seem to be upset. I’m sorry, I don’t understand what happened.”

I dropped the plate I was rinsing, wincing at the clatter it made when it hit the sink and mentally crossed my fingers that it hadn’t awakened Simon. Hugo took a step back and craned his neck around the corner then shook his head with a smile to let me know that Simon was still sleeping soundly.

After a few deep breaths, I dried my hands and turned around to face Hugo, leaning my backside against the counter. “You say you don’t understand why I’m upset, but the problem is that I can’t figure out why you’re not. Honestly, how many times does she have to break that little boy’s heart before you finally tell her to get her shit together?”

Hugo’s smile disappeared. His face went blank as he visibly shut down right in front of me. He took a step back, moving closer to the living room entrance. “I’m sorry, Todd. But Victoria’s behavior really isn’t your business just yet. I’m not comfortable discussing it with you, or defending my reactions to it.”

I shook my head sadly. “And it’s never going to be my business, is it? Do you ever wonder why I’ve never pinned down that date with you? At first, I wasn’t sure whether or not you guys were really divorced. After I knew better, I wondered if maybe you hadn’t gotten over her. But I’m beginning to realize that maybe you’re just a pushover who will always let her walk all over you.”

A flash of anger sparked in his eyes, but Hugo still didn’t react. He merely held a hand up as if giving me a polite wave. “Listen, I appreciate you and your brother including me and Simon in your holiday. But I think it’s probably time for me to leave. Merry Christmas, Todd.” He quietly turned and left the room. As I followed him into the living room, my heart in my throat, I didn’t say a word as he scooped Simon up and silently left my apartment.

After I locked up behind him, I turned off the lights and headed for my room. I jerked my clothes off and threw them angrily into the hamper before pulling on my jingle bells pajama pants.

When I got in bed a few minutes later, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen when the baby arrived in a few months. I wanted to help, but I’d apparently overstepped.

Although, if Hugo wouldn’t let me in, there was nothing I could do about it. I wanted to be mad, I wanted to rage and scream. Instead, I closed my eyes as a rush of hot tears flooded my cheeks. I was still crying as I drifted off to sleep.