I expected the phone call. It was the first Christmas that I chose to spend away from my family. They weren’t particularly happy about my decision. Celia called at 6:00 a.m. on Christmas morning. I grabbed the cell phone off the nightstand and slipped out of bed. Wiping my eyes with one hand, I stumbled out into the living room and tensed myself for a rant.

“Merry Christmas little brother!”

I stopped rubbing my eyes and listened. She sounded cheerful. I said, “Merry Christmas to you, too! You aren’t upset that I’m not there?”

“No, I had a chat with mom and dad last night, and we all decided you are right where you should be. You missed the gifts last night, though. We’re shipping all of yours down there to North Carolina.”

“Aw, that’s sweet of you. I thought I’d have to pick them up sometime in February.”

“Is everything good there?” asked Celia.

“Everything is perfect here. The only thing better would be if all of you were here on the beach, too.”

“Maybe next year. I asked mom and dad about that, too, and they sound willing to travel. You’ll have to convince the cousins, too.”

I stared out the massive living room window at the waves lapping at the shore. “Celia, I hope all of you have a wonderfully amazing Christmas morning and tell everyone I love them. When I think about it, I can practically taste Mom’s turkey dinner. I’ll definitely miss that. Tell everybody they are welcome down in North Carolina, and I’ll give them free baseball tickets. I think I’m here to stay for awhile.”

“Okay, little brother. Everyone’s waking up now, and they are restless for the gifts. I’ll talk to you soon, and give that special man a big hug for me!”

“I’ll give him an enormous hug for you. Love you all!”

The call ended, and I breathed deeply as I watched the waves. Then I turned back toward the bedroom. It was time to climb back in bed and start my Christmas celebration.

I slipped between the sheets and scooted up close behind Aaron. He was still sound asleep. Wrapping my arms around his body, I felt the warm skin beneath my fingertips. As my fingers crawled up the trail across his abs and chest, Aaron moaned softly, and he whispered, “Merry Christmas, Chase.”

I grinned as he rolled onto his back and blinked his eyes staring up at me. I said, “Merry Christmas to you. You’re awake!”

“It’s Christmas morning. My family usually wakes up by 5:00. This is sleeping in.”

I couldn’t imagine a better Christmas gift than waking up next to Aaron on the Outer Banks. I said, “This is all like a dream come true.”

Aaron smiled and reached up to comb my hair back from my forehead with his fingers. He whispered, “It’s not a dream.” Then he pointed with his free hand. He was aiming at the nightstand. “I think there might be a gift with your name on it in there. I know there’s plenty of stuff under the tree in the living room, but let’s start with this one.”

I wrinkled my forehead in confusion. “A Christmas present in the nightstand? I didn’t see it last night when we were…” My voice trailed off. I remembered Aaron saying the condoms and lube were on the other side of the bed the night before.

I’m crazy about Christmas presents. I know it’s all supposed to be about giving, but I love to get them, too. I climbed on top of Aaron and reached for the nightstand. I tugged it open to see a small box wrapped with a silver bow on top. I looked at him and asked, “What is it?”

As he said, “There’s only one way to find out,” I pulled it out and set the little box on his chest.

“It’s so adorable.” After appreciating the wrapping job for about five seconds, I tore it open. I bit my lip when I saw that it was a small box for jewelry. I asked, “Is this…Oh my God!”

“Open it already,” whispered Aaron.

I couldn’t stop myself from squealing and yelling. It was a gold engagement ring. Tears began rolling down my cheeks immediately. I said, “I...,” and then I stopped when Aaron held two fingers to my lips.

He said, “I would get down on my knees, but you know, there’s this hunky, handsome man holding me down.”

I chuckled and kissed his chest. I wiped at my eyes as he continued.

“Chase O’Rourke, will you marry me?”

“Yes, a thousand times yes!” No more words were necessary, and they would have been drowned anyway in the sweetest kiss that I’d ever known.

Thank you for reading A Brand New Ballgame. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it for you.

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